[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",5985488,"mediaKeyId","5788525-f7fa50b136fe87ed4f36b09a21cfbcb8","parentId",5788525,"title","School committee approves BHS music trips to Hershey Park and Quebec City","audioSeconds",2401,"startMs",9075000,"endMs",11476000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5788525-f7fa50b136fe87ed4f36b09a21cfbcb8&start=9075&end=11476","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5788525-f7fa50b136fe87ed4f36b09a21cfbcb8/thumbnail_9075000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/5985488/Beverly-City/Essex-County/Massachusetts/School-committee-approves-BHS-music-trips-to-Hershey-Park-and-Quebec-City","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5985488-1a090958fabea33c43153b4f6b867c7a/orig.mp4?Expires=1775123583&Signature=Uk6BEc347clsUXAbc0ZIVHMyK69i4s0wo1-EEadR0BUUL657qK8MrqcpXClI-WHVZ6dTMOa~jV5Q7x02eXp8fugFrVsKyKkLbncr9YiJQ9WfIojzVF2Z2YHVUyvBsYt4qsrbgFABRAihXrKH0Veen0hQ6W7mh91fdRpblQN~7dvI~UlPtNyCFFaw-DFrbru~NDbonFafXKEUwwremWhUQkZRcLFwl-pBDvf-07EZ5GJQZ3Mn0MA5b2LQPjtfXV~Mwz2eFJ7FUUKayOvCC7Xqzsdl3W2h2x9iOqyfU1bVNJivcvWghGrj6ilapfq5jp79skyZiruaJR4PFTjZf0oKmQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","BevCam Government","date","2025-09-13T03:42:30Z","article","The Beverly School Committee approved two field-trip requests for Beverly Public Schools music and world-language programs on Sept. 10.

Beverly High School band and choral faculty asked permission to travel April 30'May 3 to the Harrisburg/Hershey, Pa., area to participate in Music in the Parks, an adjudicated festival that pairs performance adjudication with a day at Hershey Park. Band director Adam Costa and choir director Olivia Moncello told the committee the trip would include adjudication for six ensembles, a clinic with professional clinicians, and cultural visits to Gettysburg and Lancaster. Olivia Moncello described the cost plan and fundraising options: \"The total cost per student is $922,\" she said, and families may make staggered payments; the booster organization is budgeting a $60 per-student contribution to reduce individual cost.

The committee voted to approve the Hershey Park music trip (motion carried). Presenters said eight adult chaperones would travel with two motor coaches; medical coverage will be arranged through parent/volunteer nurses historically used on trips, and district nursing staff noted state licensure rules affect out-of-state practice, prompting district staff to follow up on any additional medical-coverage requirements.

Separately, the committee approved a Quebec City trip for eighth-grade French students for April vacation. Eighth-grade French teacher Marissa Lomas presented a four-day itinerary that includes Old Quebec tours, Citadelle, the Plains of Abraham reenactment, a sugar-shack visit and a community-bread oven stop on the return. She said passports are not required for U.S. minors with certified birth certificates but noted she will collect and return documents for safety. The per-student cost for the Quebec trip was listed as $1,165; the trip vendor offers family payment plans and Explorica fundraising pages for individual students.

Votes: Both trips received committee approval; voting was unanimous.

Ending: Teachers and department leaders said both trips return students to out-of-school, experiential learning after pandemic disruptions and provide adjudication and cultural-immersion opportunities. The district said it will follow up on medical-staffing details for both out-of-state and international travel.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","School Committee: CISL and Reg. School Committee Meeting (hybrid remote) 09/10/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Beverly School Committee approved two music-travel requests: a multi-ensemble trip to Hershey Park'Music in the Parks (estimated cost $922 per student) and an April Quebec City trip for eighth-grade French students (estimated cost $1,165 per student). Both votes were unanimous.","taxTitle","Beverly City, Essex County, Massachusetts","taxId",55069,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},5985492,"DESE orders new competency-determination plans; Beverly aims to present local proposal by October",145,2910000,3055000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5788525-f7fa50b136fe87ed4f36b09a21cfbcb8&start=2910&end=3055","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5788525-f7fa50b136fe87ed4f36b09a21cfbcb8/thumbnail_2910000.jpg","/articles/5985492/Beverly-City/Essex-County/Massachusetts/DESE-orders-new-competency-determination-plans-Beverly-aims-to-present-local-proposal-by-October","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5985492-8ef746f0c272fec6404c89440c6bbf75/orig.mp4?Expires=1775123583&Signature=kqZDUD9dNqXbjAjv-r3uwbfA~IsGUZfnXOyWKru-thpbbvmMyr20Hzvrtboa2JLBDIWiJA4BscYnRWHO3VSgn~H3S5iNQNCTORdd3~zNQYoAS6ZM6tGThLbb2-1ZDKbEr-X9oYphq6fhn6YW-3Gc-1lODTS4KRjNmEpQ1li3i1SzyQ0VnzGBYUk82TQnayWGvQC0Iq3VxDXFPwMNJ1aNarYWVB2M6wAdPz6FeXxZ3paWrmGY2nR4eB~XddavTKWxeD4f~zbzuil3Qa3ktckLtpErVbyd3yThA6aoMZnnr09BiU5YLkRSIT81qcvxzcmpSKKPsQef0gk0k6otkqq3jQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education told districts in early August that competency-determination processes used last academic year must be replaced and resubmitted under a new framework, Superintendent Peter Cushing told the Beverly School Committee on Sept. 10.

\"The quote from the webinar was, 'This is something entirely new.' That is a direct quote,\" Cushing said, summarizing guidance he and district leaders heard from DESE. Districts must submit updated competency-determination plans and consolidated graduation requirements by Dec. 31, 2025, DESE said; Cushing told the committee the district will aim to complete its internal work by Oct. 31 so that the committee has time for multiple readings and deliberation.

Cushing said the district has assembled an internal team that includes the high school principal, guidance director and curriculum staff to draft the required documents. He said the state also will publish districts' graduation requirements and competency determinations in one searchable location so prospective families and students can compare them across districts.

Committee members asked for materials to review. Cushing said he would share the DESE webinar and other guidance. He warned that the webinar recording stopped before the Q&A portion and that some of the most detailed clarifications came in the unrecorded Q&A.

Ending: The district will prepare and present a proposed competency-determination framework to the school committee in October and will solicit committee input before the district submits final documentation to DESE by Dec. 31, 2025.

","State education officials told districts in August that competency-determination frameworks used last year must be replaced; Beverly Superintendent Peter Cushing said the district will prepare an internal proposal by Oct. 31 to allow the school committee to act before the state's Dec. 31 deadline.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},5985497,"District expands 'playful learning' training for K— teachers under competitive DESE grant",723,1309000,2032000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5788525-f7fa50b136fe87ed4f36b09a21cfbcb8&start=1309&end=2032","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5788525-f7fa50b136fe87ed4f36b09a21cfbcb8/thumbnail_1309000.jpg","/articles/5985497/Beverly-City/Essex-County/Massachusetts/District-expands-playful-learning-training-for-K-teachers-under-competitive-DESE-grant","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5985497-4e4eb3cb653c5f1a875267d1a24d0aa9/orig.mp4?Expires=1775123584&Signature=Z9VzCL44SrPVz-~ufB4F4-v-SwclMGblHiiUHMr3YhZFXgcTpMKp-BWdvndROYhOiaeBrtHPC1Ggyl6FT8PHnmYIxfLnODLNenvRUAD9ZFgEedcpVfbOaCyCV35Vx0EJiDjKpgADvfhq-UBYDxv7ST3oVS-vBDAJT3vlIUm~~PpbTEi36Mkop-6UKu2txpIthxJPjIXlgqQBGk4SZl1JsAg44OjFY~X5nCSwzfB-WX~s~y4GmLcU8z85woZTzyvsLih9dllzT223TpgrYo6iJ7wA1z6tPmWjmRJeY26ryo1lZMsYwJ7Kx40wzShY0ssQR0s9OCC4otTS3OzzDv6kVA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Teachers who participated in a new Playful Learning Institute course told the Beverly School Committee on Sept. 10 that the training helped them introduce student-led studios, storytelling and higher-engagement routines into K-5 classrooms and that middle-school teachers are beginning to adopt the practices.

Gabrielle Montevecchi, who taught the one-credit course through a partnership that includes a competitive DESE grant, Boston Public Schools and Project Zero at Harvard Graduate School of Education, told the committee the district is moving into the third year of grant work. \"Playful learning promotes natural prosocial learning and allows student-led choices and exploration through play that promotes and supports really high engagement,\" Montevecchi said.

Montevecchi said the course was designed to broaden participation beyond pilot classrooms and to be open to K-5 teachers and some middle-school staff. The course used Fitchburg State's tools and rubrics, included three summer sessions and is followed by September and October sessions for classroom implementation and reflection. She said the focus areas are empowering learners, building collaborative classroom culture, encouraging experimentation and imaginative thinking.

Two Hannah Elementary teachers who joined the meeting described classroom applications. Cassie Clancy, a first-grade teacher, said studios and storytelling had \"opened the doors for student voice and choice\" and increased students' confidence. \"Providing kids with playful learning opportunities has opened the doors for student voice and choice,\" Clancy said. Brianna Sucharowicz, a second-grade teacher, told the committee playful learning made implementation feel manageable: \"Playful learning allows all students to show their learning in a way that feels good to them and lets them dive deeper into topics in a way that is both meaningful and fun.\"

Committee members asked about middle-school uptake and how the district will evaluate classroom use. Montevecchi said the spring and fall sessions include planning, classroom implementation and peer feedback to refine practice.

Ending: Committee members praised the district's professional learning investments and asked staff to return later in the year with classroom examples and early outcome indicators as teachers scale the practices.

","A one-credit summer course drawn from a DESE competitive grant, Harvard Project Zero materials and Fitchburg State coursework is expanding playful-learning strategies across K-8 classrooms, presenters told the school committee.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},5985502,"Mayor's summer literacy program reports measurable gains for 80 students, district says",608,474000,1082000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5788525-f7fa50b136fe87ed4f36b09a21cfbcb8&start=474&end=1082","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5788525-f7fa50b136fe87ed4f36b09a21cfbcb8/thumbnail_474000.jpg","/articles/5985502/Beverly-City/Essex-County/Massachusetts/Mayors-summer-literacy-program-reports-measurable-gains-for-80-students-district-says","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5985502-a80eab7400a7df734cae33e7256d5168/orig.mp4?Expires=1775123584&Signature=P2wnrD9iTIeXCJnlaNN71wgkhrj9mYcFdGCtCT9OltfXlKkUH4We1mHGlldwbEdX7EhqVcV0b~suX17YKB0wZYVeQoxoRVewR-pIPixSmR9q7i0yQLVOPGEvICmFUlZPyOBA27zbMfEzcfCiJyy-mDkm2-4GI5kE0iFiiBoULNGCnjgY0bdQzqPoAY1YFIyouRt74eotk00dXq1tfwvRSkc-P9S3aHaSMQIKuRqGOe6SDt~lsff1eZwOTZLD2rXo8EtQ9vW-gwTurLYmsTarCOpNV8Uffr14iPA7ss92x7AXKcPiIrFzOvYJyvrYGWyj7gjlFvIJ9la3LyETeVguRQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Beverly's mayoral summer literacy program enrolled 80 rising elementary students this summer and reported consistent gains across early-literacy measures, program staff told the School Committee on Sept. 10.

Program leaders said the five-week summer program combined daily literacy instruction with YMCA recreational activities and provided breakfast, lunch and transportation for participating students. The program received support from the BevEd Foundation and a Cummings Foundation grant, staff said.

\"We had 80 students attend the program,\" a program presenter told the committee, and summarized daily schedules that began with Heggerty phonemic-awareness work and included reading centers, whole-group phonics and interactive read-alouds, followed by YMCA activities in the afternoon.

Teachers used DIBELS progress monitoring in weeks 1, 3 and 5 and grade-level writing rubrics in weeks 1 and 5. Staff reported classroom- and grade-level gains from baseline to week 5: for rising first-graders, correct letter sounds on nonsense-word tasks increased about 26% and words read correctly increased about 23%, with phoneme-segmentation scores up 59% and a 31% rise on word-reading fluency measures. Rising second-graders showed 16% and 20% rises in nonsense-word submeasures, a 55% jump in phoneme segmentation and a 17% gain in word-reading fluency; writing scores for those students rose 87% on the grade-level rubric. The single rising third-grade classroom posted gains including a 42% rise in correct letter sounds and a 48% rise in words read correctly, with a 71% increase in writing scores.

Program staff explained the DIBELS tasks to the committee and described how nonsense-word fluency and phoneme segmentation are used to measure decoding and phonemic awareness. The program also supplied each classroom weekly books from CopperDog Books, and students took those books home.

Superintendent Peter Cushing and committee members praised the gains. Committee members asked about selection and attendance: staff said reading coaches and classroom teachers identified students based on assessment data and teacher recommendation; about 90 students had been referred and 80 actually enrolled. Attendance was variable; families on vacation or scheduling conflicts sometimes reduced participation, staff said.

Program leaders said they will analyze fall outcomes when school-year measures are available and use that analysis to refine curriculum and identification practices.

Ending: Leaders said the program demonstrates targeted summer instruction'coupled with meals, transportation and recreational activities'can reduce summer learning loss and boost early literacy, and they asked the committee to monitor fall follow-up data as the district evaluates effectiveness.

","Beverly's mayor-sponsored summer literacy program served 80 rising elementary students and reported measurable gains on DIBELS and writing measures after five weeks, program staff told the school committee.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},5985506,"Beverly school committee orders review after parents, educators cite missed special-education services",8125,4550000,12675000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5788525-f7fa50b136fe87ed4f36b09a21cfbcb8&start=4550&end=12675","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5788525-f7fa50b136fe87ed4f36b09a21cfbcb8/thumbnail_4550000.jpg","/articles/5985506/Beverly-City/Essex-County/Massachusetts/Beverly-school-committee-orders-review-after-parents-educators-cite-missed-special-education-services","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5985506-8e80d83ce6055df56412369b8fcfd5ca/orig.mp4?Expires=1775123584&Signature=bpPfhzp4hXk~FtQzqy0E1w~cdj6CHWzhkj4kQ1n7L9gniQ3MQR3sWvlEv8WfeQ5ry-2nXVYX8K5Puxvf4tF38OkBMWm8OpQKZP1tRxmKwj6ry4END0g4B2Lv9bI2XUA3fVKwFaD41BKLSBMb2NxqpcHEHAdw9-KqjE6d8afE3a-ex5J~3B7ZLWC9k2Y9Tu05ijjLM-XpQW9VD6KHOCJWUp7LWyiwxSP1tl92IeRVHFaOeqtAbTg~eEWLZolesd7V1gEaXOX1SmXA-UF6KVdSDfaYvcnaZG008BXCBj~Mo-hVbva0v558IUNEuDUQPDNF5KC~TvOYqllNbhwPdlMpZA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Parents, special-education staff and the Committee for Parents of Children with Disabilities told the Beverly Public Schools School Committee on Sept. 10 that some students are not receiving services written in their Individualized Education Programs, prompting the committee to direct the superintendent to form an ad hoc review group.

School committee members voted to ask Superintendent Peter Cushing to convene a working group that will include district leaders and up to two members of the school committee to examine identification and service-delivery processes for struggling learners and students with disabilities. The motion passed unanimously.

The item began as a resolution offered by school committee member Lorinda Visnick that asked the district to \"develop a scope of services sufficient to adequately conduct a comprehensive review of the process to identify struggling learners and students with disabilities\" and to publish a request for proposals for outside review. Visnick opened the discussion by saying the measure was intended to validate families' experiences and get the district moving toward solutions.

Public commenters described a pattern of missed services and understaffing. Alyssa Crimmins, a Cove Elementary parent and a school-based occupational therapist, said she had spent 20 months advocating for her dyslexic daughter. \"The level of resistance and pushback that I was met with is unspeakable. It's disgusting. It's unlawful,\" Crimmins said. Kelly Riley, a parent with children in Beverly Public Schools, told the committee her son's IEP called for in-class support and small-group sessions twice a week, \"which should have been more than 60 sessions. In reality, he only received 8.\" Riley said teachers report unmanageable caseloads and frequent staff callouts.

Teachers and staff also spoke. Olivia Nilsson, a special educator at Beverly Middle School, told the committee: \"We have staff shortages, and we have services that are legally required but not being delivered. At the middle school alone, we are operating without two special-education teachers. That means at least 25 students are legally entitled to services they are not receiving in the upper grades.\" CPAC chair Mary Lynn Strachan said CPAC is expanding and hearing an increasing number of family concerns about child find, MTSS implementation, and data to support decisions.

Speakers emphasized that state compliance reviews have not always captured families' experiences. Several commenters noted Beverly passed DESE tiered focus monitoring reviews in 2021 (special education) and 2024 (civil rights) without systemic findings, but said compliance does not guarantee that services in individual IEPs are delivered day to day.

Committee members and Superintendent Cushing agreed that outside review may be appropriate but that immediate internal steps and more stakeholder input were also needed. Cushing said the district already is assembling leadership teams to evaluate several areas and he supported a stakeholder-driven approach. The committee ultimately voted 7-0 to ask the superintendent to convene a working group (district leadership plus no more than two school committee members) to pull together existing data, identify gaps, and recommend next steps, including whether to issue an RFP for an external review.

What happens next: the superintendent will organize the group, reach out to CPAC, special-education staff and parent stakeholders, and report back to the committee with a proposed scope and timeline. Committee members said they want work to move quickly but deliberately so that any external review is informed by local context and existing district analyses.

Community members who asked to be heard said the work cannot wait: parents asked for transparency about student service logs, clearer communication when services are missed, and immediate staffing and coverage plans to reduce missed sessions. The district will now bring a plan for stakeholder engagement and initial data review to the committee for the next meetings.

Ending: The committee's action created a short-term, stakeholder-driven pathway — convening district staff, CPAC and two committee members — while leaving open the option of a third-party audit after the group gathers evidence and defines the scope.

","Parents, teachers and the district's CPAC told the Beverly School Committee that students are missing legally mandated special-education services. The committee asked Superintendent Peter Cushing to convene a focused review group and to gather stakeholders before deciding on any third-party audit or request for proposals.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

School committee approves BHS music trips to Hershey Park and Quebec City

DESE orders new competency-determination plans; Beverly aims to present local proposal by October

District expands 'playful learning' training for K— teachers under competitive DESE grant

Mayor's summer literacy program reports measurable gains for 80 students, district says

Beverly school committee orders review after parents, educators cite missed special-education services