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District reports steady progress on MTSS fidelity, aims for broader classroom engagement by 2027
Summary
Dr. Goguen reported Sept. 8 that district improvement plan actions are mostly in progress: common‑planning fidelity measured at 69.2% (target 70%), classroom implementation at 53.7%, and building classrooms meeting support practices rose from 34% to 63% year‑over‑year.
Dr. Goguen presented a year‑one update to the district improvement plan and related superintendent goals at the Gardner School Committee meeting on Sept. 8.
The update focused on MTSS (Massachusetts Tiered System of Supports) implementation and fidelity measures. Dr. Goguen said the district had aimed for 70% fidelity of expected activities in common planning time; by June the district measured 69.2% fidelity in common planning and 53.7% fidelity in translating those plans into classroom practice. “So in other words, after the planning took place, 53.7% of our classrooms were actually translating that planning into the classroom activities,” she said.
The district set a three‑year target that 80% of building classrooms would meet a set of high‑leverage classroom support practices; Dr. Goguen said that measure rose from 34% in 2024 to 63% in May 2025. On assessment and learning outcomes, Dr. Goguen said the district saw an ELA increase of greater than 10% for students with disabilities but “there was no change in math.” She also noted the district’s multilingual learners exceeded the state’s proficiency targets on the ACCESS language‑proficiency assessment.
Other data items: chronic absenteeism showed significant improvement; suspensions were down by almost 10%, restraints down by about 2.5%, and classroom timeouts down by 36%. Family participation in the district climate survey increased by roughly 2.5% and staff participation increased by about 5.5%; district leaders said the coming year will establish a new baseline for climate‑survey processes.
Superintendent goals included continued focus on MTSS, fully implementing an IEP accommodations matrix during common planning, coaching to raise classroom engagement (a stated target that 80% of students in core classrooms receive engaging lessons), and reading targets measured by DIBELS (a district target mentioned in the packet). The superintendent also said the Lynch Leadership Academy work will continue at the district advisory level.
Dr. Goguen summarized year‑one status: one goal met and nine of 14 goals in progress.
Why it matters: The update provides measurable district targets and interim results used to guide instruction, special‑education and English‑learner supports, and to prioritize coaching and common‑planning activities going into year two of the plan.
No formal vote on the district improvement plan was taken at this meeting; the plan and goals were provided to committee members in the meeting packet.
