Middletown's pathways win praise from SED

On Board Online • September 21, 2026

By Sara Foss
Special Correspondent

In Middletown, a small city in the Hudson Valley, public school students can take different pathways to earn credits for a diploma and prepare for life after high school.

They can:

• Earn college credits through dual-enrollment programs or gain career skills through National Academy Foundation programs in finance, information technology, health sciences and engineering.
• Obtain technical endorsements through a partnership with Orange-Ulster BOCES.
• Earn the seal of biliteracy and the seal of civic readiness.

"The one-size-fits-most approach does not work in our district," said Amy Creeden, superintendent of the Enlarged School District of the City of Middletown since 2022.

The district has admirers at the State Education Department (SED). Before he retired as senior deputy commissioner for education policy, Jeffrey Matteson described Middletown as "one of those districts that's making the Portrait of a Graduate and NY Inspires come alive."

At a Board of Regents meeting in May, Creeden was part of a presentation that highlighted innovative educational practices that state officials see as advancing the goals of NY Inspires, SED's plan to overhaul graduation requirements and reimagine how student achievement is assessed. NY Inspires calls for making Regents exams optional as a route to a diploma and creating new pathways (currently undefined) to graduation.

In July 2025, the Board of Regents made a step toward implementing NY Inspires by adopting a vision statement called the Portrait of a Graduate. It describes what the Regents think every student in the state's public schools should be able to know and do by the time they complete high school.

SED officials say details are forthcoming regarding new ways to assess student competency in various skills and abilities needed by every high school graduate. Meanwhile, they have been encouraging local districts to pursue the goals of NY Inspires on their own. In appearances at education conferences and meetings throughout the state, SED leaders have cited Middletown as a trailblazer.

Notably, Middletown has a diverse student body - 64% Hispanic, 21% Black, 9% white, 4% multiracial and 3% Asian.

In an interview with On Board, Creeden noted that 75% of her students qualify for free lunch, nearly 20% are classified as special education, 17% are English language learners and 8% experience housing instability.

"These are things that we see as calls to action," she said. "These are the things that our young people are facing, and we have to ensure that we're providing programming that takes that into consideration."

Results on some key measures have improved. For instance, the high school graduation rate is 94%, up from 58% in 2004. (This fact drew applause at the Board of Regents meeting.)

Creeden credits her district's success to the school board's decision to support offering multiple pathways to graduation. The district's dual enrollment program is about 15 years old, but in recent years the district has encouraged more students to take advantage of it.

"I want to make sure that we are saying to a student who may never have taken an honor roll course or an AP course that we want them to try college in high school, so that they can try it with a safety net," Creeden said. "It gives kids confidence. When they get an opportunity to enroll in a dual-enrollment course in high school, it fundamentally shifts the trajectory of that student's future. It may not mean that they go on to earn a college degree. But it makes them understand that they are capable of more, and that more is available to them."

Partners include Mount Saint Mary College, Orange County Community College, Rochester Institute of Technology, Siena University, Syracuse University and Sullivan County Community College. About half of seniors graduating in June 2026 had at least three college credits.

The National Academy Foundation gives Middletown students another kind of educational opportunity. Through this national education non-profit, Middletown High School hosts six academies that connect students to industry professionals and workforce experiences. It uses an industry-vetted curriculum, bridging the gap between the school and the local economy.

"It creates this pipeline of internships/mentorships for our high school students," Creeden said. "When we align our academies in finance, health sciences, IT and engineering to our local market demand, it allows us to keep talent here in the county."

Creeden said she was excited when the state released its Portrait of a Graduate, because it aligned with so much of what her district was already doing.

' It was like, 'Thank you, New York State,' because this is what we have been doing."

Does your district have a unique approach to preparing students for graduation that is aligned with the goals of NY Inspires? To share your story with On Board's readership of 18,000 education leaders, email editor@nyssba.org.