Wantagh High School Named 'Reward School'

A total of 24 Long Island schools, including Wantagh High School, were named "Reward Schools" last Thursday by the New York State Education Department.

The schools that received the honor have high academic achievement or the most progress in the state and do not have significant gaps in student achievement between subgroups.

"The teachers and administrators at these Reward Schools work hard each day to raise the bar and give their students opportunities to achieve their dreams,” Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa said. “The proof is in the results these schools have obtained and I am thrilled to celebrate their success.”

Across New York, 155 schools were named Reward Schools. On Long Island, the following schools made the list:

1. Bayport-Blue Point High School, Bayport
2. Bethpage Senior High School, Bethpage
3. Earl L. Vandermeulen High School, Port Jefferson
4. Garden City High School, Garden City
5. Great Neck South High School, Great Neck
6. Half Hollow Hills High School East, Dix Hills
7. Half Hollow Hills High School West, Dix Hills
8. Harborfields High School, Greenlawn
9. Herricks High School, New Hyde Park
10. Jericho Senior High School, Jericho
11. John F. Kennedy High School, Bellmore
12. Locust Valley High School, Locust Valley
13. Lynbrook Senior High School, Lynbrook
14. Manhasset High School, Manhasset
15. Mt. Sinai High School, Mount Sinai
16. North Shore Senior High School, Glen Head
17. Plainview-Old Bethpage/JFK High School, Plainview
18. Roslyn High School, Roslyn
19. Sayville High School, Sayville
20. Smithtown High School-West, Smithtown
21. South Side High School, Rockville Centre
22. Syosset Senior High School, Syosset
23. W. Tresper Clarke High School, Westbury
24. Wantagh High School, Wantagh

For a full list of schools, click here.

Each Reward School will receive a certificate of recognition from the Commissioner.

In order 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.

In addition, elementary and middle schools must show that more than 50 percent of students are making annual growth in ELA and math; and that more than 50 percent of the school’s lowest achieving students are also making gains.

High schools must have graduation rates above 80 percent to be a high-achieving school and above 60 percent to be a high-progress school and the percentage of students in the school who graduate with a Regents diploma with advanced designation or a Career and Technical Endorsement (CTE) must exceed the State average.

High schools must also demonstrate that their graduation rate for students who entered the school performing below proficient in ELA or math is above the State average.

Photo: Patch