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District leaders outline MCAS results, attendance and achievement trends
Summary
Administrators reviewed MCAS and internal assessment data, highlighting solid growth in some areas, chronic absenteeism concerns, and improvement for students with disabilities at the high school.
District leaders presented a summary of MCAS and internal assessment data to the school committee, emphasizing several themes: districtwide performance near the state median, notable growth at the high school (including students with disabilities), and chronic absenteeism as a major factor lowering accountability scores.
Dr. (last name not specified in transcript) and Dr. Cormier (referred to as doctor Coleman/Cormier in discussion) reviewed state accountability measures and internal platforms (I‑Ready, IXL) used for diagnostics. The administration said districtwide achievement sits near the middle of state percentiles (roughly the 40–60 range), with high school achievement showing growth from 2023 and gains among students with disabilities.
Chronic absenteeism emerged as a key concern. The administration cited state reporting that defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10 percent or more of the school year (about 18 days) prior to the March 1 snapshot; district data showed about 13.6 percent of students met that threshold. The presentation included state evidence that chronically absent students perform substantially worse on MCAS (example cited: a 27‑percentage‑point gap in grade 10 outcomes between chronically absent and not‑chronically absent students).
Administrators also reviewed internal growth measures and formative tools: early literacy measures, skill‑block assessments and use of IXL/I‑Ready. They reported improvements in early literacy retention over summer months and gains in higher‑order
