20 THE QUEENS COURIER • DECEMBER 7, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Martin Van Buren H.S. removed
from list of struggling schools
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com
Martin Van Buren High School in
Queens Village is one of 27 schools statewide
that will be removed from Priority
School status, a state designation given
to schools with low graduation rates and
poor scores on state testing.
Th e New York State Department of
Education announced on Dec. 1 that
the school at 230-17 Hillside Ave. had
improved enough to be removed from
the list.
“Removal from Priority School status
shows the hard work being done by
students, teachers and administrators at
these schools and I applaud them all,”
said Board of Regents Chancellor Betty
A. Rosa. “While we’re seeing progress
in struggling and persistently struggling
schools, there is still a great deal of work
to be done to reduce the gap between our
expectations for success and the reality of
the results for students in these schools.”
School must pass several hurdles to
be removed from Priority School status
including meeting participation rate
requirements for English Language Arts
(ELA) and mathematics in the 2015-2016
and 2016-2017 school years. For high
schools, the four-year graduation rate
must have been at least 60 percent for the
past year and either the four-year or fi veyear
graduation rate must have been at
least 60 percent in the year prior to that.
Th e four-year graduation rate at Martin
Van Buren High School during the 2014-
2015 school year was 55 percent, which is
below the 70 percent average citywide and
73 percent average borough wide.
During the 2016-2017 school year, the
school brought its four year graduation
rate up to 67 percent and its six-year graduation
rate to 68 percent from 62 percent
in 2014-2015.
“Th ese schools are working hard to collaborate
with stakeholders to address the
needs of their students, and the results so
far are promising,” Commissioner Mary
Ellen Elia said. “At the same time, we
must remain mindful that only sustained
and accelerated progress in these schools
can create the level of progress necessary
for us to meet our goals for all of New
York’s children.”
In the 2016-17 school year, a total of 90
city schools were designated as Priority
Schools based on 2014-2015 data. In
2012-13 there were 122 schools identifi ed
Real-time train info now available
to riders on J/Z line
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com / @robbpoz
Knowing when the next J/Z train will
arrive in either Jamaica, Richmond Hill
or Woodhaven shouldn’t be a mystery
anymore.
Th e MTA announced on Nov. 30 that
it has started providing real-time information
on J/Z service through its app and
at station countdown clocks throughout
the line. Th e D and F trains have also
been added to the real-time information
system.
According to MTA Chairman Joe
Lhota, NYC Transit developed its own
beacon technology using Bluetooth devices
and Wi-Fi networks to enable commuters
to track train arrivals. Th e authority
installed LCD screens at each station’s
mezzanine and platform to provide realtime
data on arrival times. Customers
can also access the data through the
SubwayTime app, available on smartphones.
“Real-time arrival information is no
longer just a nice amenity to have – it’s
a necessity at a time when our customers
are accustomed to having access to information
in their hands almost immediately,”
Lhota said. “Th is is just one of many
improvements we’re making to ensure
that our customers are getting the clearest,
most up-to-date information about
their commute.”
Real-time arrival information is now
available at 419 of the 472 New York City
subway stations. Th e MTA hopes to have
it available at all stations before the end
of this year.
File photo
Martin Van Buren High School was removed from the Priority Schools list after improving its graduation
Lillie B. Miller, mom of Queens deputy BP, dies
Lillie B. Miller, the mother of Deputy Borough President Melva Miller (at left ),
died on Th ursday, Nov. 30, at the age of 85. Th e Miller family will celebrate Lillie’s
life on Th ursday, Dec. 14, at Roy L. Gilmore’s Funeral Home, 191-02 Linden Blvd.,
St. Albans. Viewing will take place from 4 to 6 p.m., followed by a service from 6 to 8
p.m. Lillie loved fl owers, and the family will gratefully accept donated fl owers at the
Photo via Wikimedia Commons/Inset via SubwayTime app funeral home beginning on Wednesday, Dec. 13.
Real-time train arrival information is now available at all J/Z train stations
as Priority Schools, marking a 25 percent
decrease in Priority Schools citywide.
Th e high school was also formerly on
the Struggling Schools list, which made
the school subject to the state’s receivership
law. Under the law, the school superintendent
can develop a school intervention
plan; convert schools to community
schools that provide wrap-around services;
expand the school day or school
year; and remove staff and/or require staff
to reapply for their jobs in collaboration
with a staffi ng committee as long as the
school is still designated a Priority School.
rates.
