A Crown Heights school has obtained the highest accountability status possible by the New York State Education Department, even as plans move forward to phase out the school.
MS K394 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Academy was recently designated as a Local Support and Improvement (LSI), a nod to its academic improvement.
“The recent designation of MS K394 is a reflection of New York City Public Schools' commitment to supporting all students and ensuring the best possible education," said D17 Superintendent Shenean Lindsay. "All schools, even higher performing schools, are in a continuous improvement mode and can benefit from local support from their districts to meet students’ differentiated needs."
Previously, MS K394 was designated as a Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI), reflecting its low reading and math scores. For the 2023-2024 school year, MS K394's ELA scores for grades 3 - 8 were at 22%, while math scores were at 25%. The following school year saw the scores increase to 56% for ELA, and 54% for math.
MS K394 PTA President Aliza Ellison said the improvements stem from the introduction of new teaching methods three years ago. Teachers targeted five to 10 students who struggled with phonics, while pushing advanced students further, she said.
Teachers also received intensive training on the priority standards in math to improve scores.
"They weren't just 'doing math,' they were teaching students how to think about math, moving from rote memorization to conceptual understanding," she explained.
This milestone comes amid a planned phase out of the school. Last year, there was controversy over closing the school to replace it with the Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy because of MS K394's struggling academic record. After much public discussion, the Panel for Education Policy decided that MS K394 will be phased out over the next three school years.
Ellison thinks the decision to close the school came too soon.
"Our story is the ultimate educational irony," said Ellison. "To have a school removed from the TSI list and placed in Good Standing after the decision to phase it out has been made...it proves that the treatment was already working before the surgery was even performed."
In November, City Council Member Chi Ossé wrote to the Panel of Educational Policy about his wishes to reverse the phase-out plan, citing that the Central Brooklyn Literary Academy has only 35 students instead of the projected 77, according to the letter seen by BK Reader. Ellison thinks the low enrollment indicates a lack of demand for the new school.
However, CEC17 President Erika Kendall explained that while some may have expected more students for the Academy's first year, its enrollment is steady as it only had four months to promote itself to central Brooklyn families.
DOE Associate Press Secretary Isla Gething said the phase-out was not taken lightly.
“New York City Public School phase-outs are a necessary step toward ensuring safe and equitable learning environments for all students," she said in a statement. "The success of this process means significant community engagement, collaborative planning, and thoughtful implementation. Our goal is to allow schools to refocus resources, strengthen supports, and create clearer pathways to success.”
Ellison confirmed that plans to close MS K394 are ongoing. Kindergarten through third grades have now been eliminated and additional grades are slated to be removed in the coming years.
