Superintendent Skinner told the Lowell School Committee on Oct. 1 that the district’s latest assessment and accountability report shows sustained progress and fewer schools requiring state intervention. "The state has pointed up our substantial progress in recent years and has coded us as not needing assistance or intervention," the superintendent said as he introduced the report.

The report, presented by district staffer Miss Crocker, said seven schools have come off the state’s turnaround list, leaving four schools that remain on the assistance list. Officials cited consistent, incremental gains driven by a districtwide focus on high‑quality instruction and coaching.

Why it matters: committee members praised teachers and staff for the gains but urged attention to student proficiency and subgroup disparities. Committee member Mister Baru noted growth for many groups but flagged a 20‑point decline for Black/African‑American students in some measures and asked for targeted attention.

Details from the report: district staff reported improvements in graduation and dropout rates, reductions in chronic absenteeism and pockets of large gains in accountability rankings at schools such as Moody, Washington and Stoklosa. The superintendent and Miss Crocker said some schools benefited from piloting new curriculum materials without showing the implementation dips sometimes associated with pilots.

What the committee asked for: members requested more detailed proficiency data tied to subgroups and recommended bringing the results to a performance subcommittee meeting for deeper review. Miss Mahn and others asked for proficiency percentages alongside growth metrics; Miss Crocker and the superintendent said they will provide additional data and analysis at upcoming meetings.

No formal policy decision was made Oct. 1; the report was accepted as a report of progress and the committee signaled it will review subgroup proficiency and targeted supports at future subcommittee meetings.