Building leadership teams from Cohoes City School District elementary schools presented school-level plans at the Oct. 22 board meeting focused on raising one-year academic growth, expanding multi-tiered supports and lowering chronic absenteeism.

The presentations, given by representatives from Harmony Hill, Lansing and other elementary buildings, described targeted reading and math interventions, expanded coaching and professional development, and a mix of classroom- and family-focused attendance incentives.

Harmony Hill officials said the school has increased the share of students meeting their yearly growth targets in reading and math over the last two years and set a district-aligned goal to continue incremental growth. Harmony Hill leaders also described piloting alternate literacy programs in specific classrooms, using I-Ready diagnostic data for progress monitoring, and expanding teacher coaching and PLC work to shape instruction for both struggling students and those ready for enrichment.

Lansing’s team said it has re-centered instruction on traditional small-group reading time and created school-level MTSS (multi-tiered system of supports) teams to identify and intervene for students before they move into intensive tiers. Staff reported BOCES support on-site multiple days a week, and said they are aligning grade‑level practice across K–5 to reduce lost learning time from transitions and improve vertical alignment.

Presenters from other elementary schools described schoolwide character and PBIS initiatives (branded locally as the “Tiger Way”), classroom-level practices to support social-emotional learning, and reconfigured reset rooms and library-lunch options intended to provide calmer alternatives to the cafeteria for students who need them. Schools reported investments in purposeful movement breaks, reading-buddy programs, and family engagement events such as attendance-themed incentives and parent raffles.

All three elementary teams identified chronic absenteeism as a high-priority issue. Reported figures cited in presentations included: Harmony Hill—targeting a 2 percentage‑point drop in chronic absenteeism after a prior year percentage reported around the mid-30s; Lansing—aiming for at least 65% of K–5 students to achieve one year’s growth in reading and math (up from roughly 59% ELA, 56% math last year); and other buildings setting similar 2–3% attendance reduction goals. Teams described weekly monitoring of daily attendance, monthly recognition for grade levels with top attendance, targeted outreach to families, and incentives (pizza parties, raffles, parent gift cards) intended to bolster parent follow-through.

District staff and building presenters emphasized coaching and data use: coaches from BOCES and district instructional staff were described as embedded supports who model lessons, meet with teachers, and help analyze I-Ready and other diagnostic results. Several schools said they were piloting literacy resources at varying grade levels and would continue to refine choices based on classroom data.

Board members and administrators encouraged continued teacher-to-teacher observation (teacher rounds), visits to other districts to study different reset-room models, and ongoing adjustments to the plans as state guidance and local conditions evolve. No new policies or district-wide program adoptions were announced; presenters described the plans as active, “living” documents that staff will revisit through the year.

Ending: Building leaders asked for continued board support for staffing and training as they phase in the practices, and said they will return with updated metrics as the year progresses.