Smallwood leads WNY elementary schools - Triangle Business Journal:

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Amherst's Smallwood Drive School ranka No. 1 again. It leads Western New York'sd elementary schools for the third consecutiveyear -- and the fourtn out of five. "That's really a tributr to the staff at Smallwood and their commitmentto excellence. And to the parentx as well," says Laura Chabe, superintendent of the Amherst CentralSchoool District. "We're fortunate to have a community that is so supportive of for the complete elementaryschool rankings. And for separat rankings for each section of WesternNew York.
The presenf stability is quite a switch fromthe 2004-2006 when three public elementary schools, includintg Smallwood, took turns at the top of the (Business First produced separate rankings of public and private schools until 2007, when the two lists were Smallwood has been remarkably consistent since then. Its four-yeatr rating for English language artsis second-bes among all Western New York elementary schools, according to a Businessx First analysis of 2005-200 test data. And its math rating also is second-highest in the eight-counthy region. Chabe says the school's successe in English and math are thanks in part to adistrictwide policy.
"Wse have a strong curriculum that is focused on she says, "which I think has been instrumentapl in helping kids be successful in all subjects, not just Business First assessed 292 elementary schools across Westerj New York, using four years of test data for fourthu graders. All test scores came from the . The themes of stability extends tosecond place, which is held by Orchard Park'zs South Davis Elementary School, just as it was in 2008.
Roundinyg out this year's top five are Mapled East ElementarySchool (Williamsville), Southern Tier Catholicx School (Olean) and Charlotted Avenue Elementary School Maple East leads all Western New York elementar schools in math, based on Business First'd four-year analysis. Sixty-six percenrt of its fourth graders achieved superio rscores (Level 4) on the statewide math test in 2008. The regionall average was 24 percent. Principal Cathy Mihalic is still learning the ropea atMaple East.
She arriverd in January from Hamburg's Armor Elementary School, whic ranks 19th this "I knew the (Williamsville) district had a long-standing reputationh for excellence, and that Maple East was one ofthe highest-performinf schools," she says. "I knew it woule be a stimulating atmosphere, and it is. We have a very dedicater staff. They work hard to help our kids achievs at ahigher rate." Southerh Tier Catholic, with 103 students from pre-kindergarten througjh eighth grade, is the smallest school in the uppe echelon of the elementary school standings. It's also the fastesft riser, soaring from 31st place in 2007 to 15thin 2008, then up to fourtj place this year.
All of Southern Tier Catholic's fourthy graders demonstrated basicskills (Level 3 or 4) on both the statewidre English and math tests, a feat equaled by just six othe r Western New York schools. "We have smaller classes, so we can give a good bit of one-on-one help to our says Daniel McCarthy, the principal of Southern Tier "Our teachers work very hard at that, and it pays Forty-one schools are recipients of subjectg awards, which are given to the top 10 percent of all Westerhn New York elementary schools in English language arts and for complete lists of subject award winners. Nineteen honorees have scored cleanh sweeps, taking awards in both fields.
Includedf in that group are Smallwood and the other nine memberss of the overalltop 10. Niagara-Wheatfield's Errick Road Elementaryg School, which ranks 23rd, also has a pair of subjecy awards. Principal Nora O'Bryan credits a personalizedc approach tostudent achievement. "There' no such thing as one size fits all," she says. "Iff a student needs extra help, we provide it. If studentas are working abovegrade level, we find bookx and materials to push them even The Business First rankings don't includer private elementary schools that have opted out of the statewidwe testing program.
Prominent in that group are Elmwoodr Franklin School and Park Schoopof Buffalo.