ZEKE WRIGHT

Staff Writer

HOOSICK FALLS, N.Y. -- Officials at Hoosick Falls Central School approved a reorganization of the school’s administrative staff in response to institutional changes related to common core standards and teacher evaluations.

The school Board of Education approved a memorandum of agreement with the administrative group at the board’s Thursday meeting. Superintendent Kenneth Facin said the change came after "long and determined deliberation."

"We really thought about how we were structured, and felt the need to reposition our administrators," he told board members. The new structure was approved for a one-year period through June 30, 2013.

Job title changes

The current administration will remain, but some job titles have changed, most notably that of elementary Principal Patrick Dailey, who will become the school’s director of K-12 curriculum, instruction and assessment. Current assistant elementary Principal Amy Netti will become that building’s principal, while Kristin Philpott, director of special education, will become the new assistant elementary principal.

High school Principal Stacy Vadney and Athletic Director Brett Lamy will remain in their respective positions.

Facin said the new arrangement would be in place for the 2012-13 school year to assess how the structure supports faculty through changes in curriculum and standardized testing. "We can’t really be running with separate administrations ... when we’re a K-12 building," he said. "It’s something we’re very excited about."

Board members said they were excited at the possibilities with the realignment.

"The engine has to keep going up the hill," said board President Greg Laurin.

Following Thursday’s meeting, Dailey said the move would serve to unify curriculum development across grade levels as faculty progress toward alignment with common core learning standards, a national reform initiative adopted by the New York State Board of Regents in 2010.

"This is looking at doing it from more of a unified front," said Dailey, who will become the "point person" for all teachers in developing curriculum and synthesizing data from new standardized assessments.

Netti said that while teachers worked well in their respective grade teams, Dailey would "take it to the next step."

"He’s going to align it across grade levels," she said, for a "transition between grade levels that makes sense and is effective" from kindergarten through the 12th grade.

"I can talk to a 8th grade teacher (and) they can understand what’s going on in the 6th grade," Dailey said. The intent is "vertical spiraling," he said -- in which the aforementioned educators also understand what’s happening in the 4th and 12th grades, and "everyone’s coming down on the same page."

New standards

Implementation of the common standards involves a gradual roll-out, with English Language Arts and mathematics in Grades 3 through 8 aligned to the common core in 2012-13, and all instruction and Regents exams scheduled to be aligned by 2014-15.

The standards coincide with new, more robust teacher and administrative evaluations known as Annual Professional Performance Reviews.

Dailey said the reform was "cumbersome" for administrators. "We needed a different way to approach it, and make it viable for everyone. ... Amy and I could have done it but it would have bogged us down tremendously. ... Now, we can chunk it out in better ways."

"This will really delineate who’s responsible for what areas," said Philpott.

Vadney said Dailey would help ensure the high school was on the right track rolling out the common core, "and assessment-wise make sure the assessments trail all that and drive our instruction, whether formative or summative." In terms of instruction, she said new best practices would increase student engagement and enhance results.

"It’s a work in progress," Dailey said.

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