Deputy Superintendent Mark Fleming told the Greece Central School District Board of Education on March 4 that state and federal accountability rules have identified five district schools that must follow New York State’s school improvement protocols under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Fleming said the district currently has one ATSI (additional targeted support and improvement) school — Greece Olympia — and four TSI (targeted support and improvement) schools: Lakeshore, Pinebrook and two newly identified schools, Buckman and Craig Hill. He explained that designation is based on academic measures and subgroup performance, including graduation rates, ELA and math test results, absenteeism and English-language proficiency.

Why this matters: ESSA designations require schools to produce a School Comprehensive Education Plan (SCEP), perform a needs assessment and select an evidence‑based intervention (EBI) from state‑approved clearinghouses. Fleming described state timelines for stakeholder surveys, root‑cause analyses, interim benchmarks and the June–July window when SCPE documents are finalized and submitted for board approval.

Fleming described district steps to support identified schools: convening improvement planning teams, running data dives, offering professional learning networks focused on professional learning communities (PLCs), conducting structured school visits and hosting parent exchanges to gather input. He said the district recommends using rigorous, specific goals and “wildly important goals” (4DX) to avoid overly broad plans.

Board members asked how designations change if progress is not made; Fleming said a school that fails to make adequate progress can move down the designation scale and receive increased state oversight. A separate district citation for disproportionate suspension rates for Black students and students with disabilities was discussed: Fleming said that disciplinary citations are a separate compliance issue from ESSA academic designations and affect district-level reviews.

No board vote was taken on designations at this meeting. Fleming said Buckman had already participated in a state webinar and would begin SCEP planning in March, with data collection and stakeholder interviews through spring and plan-writing in June–July. The board indicated it expects more detailed SCEP documents in advance of approval and asked the administration for clarity on timelines and plan specificity.

Ending: The administration promised periodic updates and additional study‑session content; Fleming said the district will return with finalized SCEPs for the identified schools for board review and approval as required by state rules.