Vernon Superintendent Hooping It Up Over Local Top 25 School

VERNON, CT — Vernon Superintendent of Schools Joseph Macary is likening a recent Top 25 school ranking to a winter pastime in Connecticut — watching college basketball polls.

"This is basketball season in Connecticut and we are always watching our beloved UConn
Huskies — both men's and women's programs — compete at the highest levels. We expect nothing else," he said. "In honor of the Top 25 College Basketball Poll, we take a moment to pause and look at the Top 25 elementary schools (Grades K to 5) in the State of Connecticut."

The ranking tell similar tales, he said.

"We also expect our schools to do their best for our children," Macary said.

The "best indicator" to evaluate schools is the Next Generation Accountability Index, Macary said. Connecticut's Next Generation Accountability System is a broad set of 12 indicators that "help tell the story of how well a school is preparing its students for success in college, careers and life," he said.

"The system moves beyond test scores and graduation rates and instead provides a more holistic, multi-factor perspective of district and school performance and incorporates student growth over time," Macary said.

What are the 12 indicators?

1. Academic achievement status measured by state assessments
2. Academic growth
3. Assessment participation rate
4. Chronic absenteeism
5. Postsecondary preparation – coursework
6. Postsecondary readiness – exams and college credit
7. Graduation – on track in ninth grade
8. Graduation – four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate – all students
9. Graduation – six-year adjusted cohort graduation rate – high needs
10. Postsecondary entrance rate – all students (college enrollment)
11. Physical fitness
12. Arts access

Macary pointed out that Vernon's Skinner Road School (Grades Pre-K through Grade 5 ) cracked the state's Top 25 Elementary Schools ranking this year with a score of 86.0.

Here are the rankings with Skinner at No. 21:

In September 2023, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona recognized Skinner Road School as one of the National Blue-Ribbon Schools for 2023. The recognition, Macary said, was based on a school's overall academic performance and progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.

"The coveted National Blue Ribbon Schools award is given to only 353 schools in the nation and only 43 (of the 353) received the award for closing the achievement gap," he said. "Skinner Road School's accountability index (or score) was better in the 2023-2024 year than the 2022-2023 year when it received the National Blue-Ribbon award. This affirms the hard work of our educators, families, and communities in creating a safe and welcoming school where students master challenging and engaging content."

Macary referred to the table "to see whom Skinner Road is competing with in the State of Connecticut."

Macary added, "Go Huskies and Go Unicorns (SRS)."