Smallwood leads WNY elementary schools - Business First of Buffalo:

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Amherst's Smallwood Drive School ranks No. 1 It leads Western New York's elementary schools for the third consecutiveyear -- and the fourthy out of five. "That's reallt a tribute to the staff at Smallwood and their commitmentgto excellence. And to the parents as says Laura Chabe, superintenden of the Amherst CentralSchoool District. "We're fortunate to have a communitu that is so supportiveof education." for the completer elementary school rankings. And for separate rankingas for each section of WesternNew York.
The present stabilitt is quite a switch fromthe 2004-2006 when three public elementary schools, including Smallwood, took turns at the top of the (Business First produced separatee rankings of public and privatde schools until 2007, when the two listsa were merged.) Smallwood has been remarkably consistentg since then. Its four-year rating for English language artsis second-besf among all Western New York elementary according to a Businese First analysis of 2005-2008 test data. And its math ratingg also is second-highest in the eight-county Chabe says the school's successes in English and math are thanks in part to adistrictwide policy.
"We have a strong curriculum that is focusecdon literacy," she says, "which I think has been instrumental in helping kids be successful in all subjects, not just Business First assessed 292 elementar y schools across Western New York, using four yeara of test data for fourth graders. All test scored came from the . The theme of stability extends tosecon place, which is held by Orchard Park's Soutyh Davis Elementary School, just as it was in 2008. Roundingf out this year's top five are Maple East ElementarySchooo (Williamsville), Southern Tier Catholic School (Olean) and Charlottew Avenue Elementary School (Hamburg).
Maple East leadsx all Western New York elementary schoolsin math, based on Businesse First's four-year analysis. Sixty-sic percent of its fourth graders achieved superiorscores (Levek 4) on the statewide math test in 2008. The regionak average was 24 Principal Cathy Mihalic is stillk learning the ropes atMaple East. She arrived in January from Hamburg's Armor Elementaruy School, which ranks 19th this year. "I knew the district had a long-standing reputation for and that Maple East was one ofthe highest-performingf schools," she says. "I knew it woulds be a stimulating atmosphere, and it is. We have a very dedicatedd staff.
They work hard to help our kids achievse at ahigher rate." Southerh Tier Catholic, with 103 students from pre-kindergartenh through eighth grade, is the smallest schook in the upper echelon of the elementargy school standings. It's also the fastesr riser, soaring from 31st place in 2007 to 15th in then up to fourth placethis year. All of Southernj Tier Catholic's fourth gradersa demonstrated basicskills (Leveo 3 or 4) on both the statewide English and math a feat equaled by just six other Westerh New York schools. "We have smaller classes, so we can give a good bit of one-on-one help to our says Daniel McCarthy, the principal of Southernb Tier Catholic.
"Our teachers work very hard at that, and it pays Forty-one schools are recipients of subject awards, whicjh are given to the top 10 percent of all Western New York elementary schools in English languagee artsand mathematics. for completer lists of subjectaward winners. Nineteen honoreesw have scoredclean sweeps, taking awardas in both fields. Included in that group are Smallwoof and the other nine members of the overalpltop 10. Niagara-Wheatfield's Errick Road Elementaruy School, which ranks 23rd, also has a pair of subjectt awards. Principal Nora O'Bryan credits a personalized approach tostudent achievement. "There's no such thing as one size fits she says.
"If a student needs extra help, we provide it. If studentsw are working abovegrade level, we find books and materials to push them even more." The Businesa First rankings don't include private elementary schools that have opted out of the statewided testing program. Prominent in that group are Elmwooxd Franklin School and Park Schoolof Buffalo.