Columbia High School was recognized for its high academic achievement by the New York State Education Department on Thursday when it was named a Reward School.
Columbia is one of only three local high schools, joined by Shaker High School and Maple Hill High School, to receive the impressive honor.
“We are very proud of the achievements of our students and faculty,” said Superintendent Jeff Simons. “Our students’ performance is a product of setting the bar high for students and the efforts of our staff, our families and our Board of Education to provide the supports they need to be successful. Columbia High School’s designation as a Reward School is a positive reflection on the entire community.”
To be identified as a Reward School, a school must:
- Be among the top 20 percent of schools in the state for English language arts (ELA) and math performance for both the 2015-16 and 2016-17 school years or be among the top ten percent of schools in terms of gains in ELA and math performance in the 2016-17 school year;
- Have made Adequate Yearly Progress for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 school years for all groups of students on all measures for which the school is accountable, including the requirement that 95 percent of all groups participate in the English language arts and mathematics assessments; and
- Not have unacceptably large gaps in student performance on an accountability measure between students who are members of an accountability group (e.g., low-income students) and students who are not members of that group.
“I would like to commend all of our teachers at Columbia High School for this award,” said East Greenbush Teachers Association President and Columbia Social Studies teacher Drew Romanowski. “It’s also important to note the excellent teachers that we have at our elementary schools and at Goff Middle School as they each have contributed to our students on their journey up through the years. Each of them deserves to share in this award as well.”