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Middle‑school extended math program draws high enrollment; district reports positive student feedback and rising diagnostics
Summary
Erin Bailey and Galvin administrators reported that Mas7 Extended reached roughly half of grade 7 students this year, with high retention and strong student and family satisfaction; the program expects over 100 students to qualify for grade‑8 algebra next year and district i‑Ready data show year‑over‑year gains in targeted cohorts.
Erin Bailey, district math coordinator for grades 5–12, updated the committee on the MAS7 Extended program, which this spring drew 133 opt‑ins at the start and 131 continuing participants, organized in five sections of roughly 26–27 students.
"We started off our session with 133 of them opted in to participate in MAS7 extended," Bailey said, and later added that 2 students "decided it wasn't the right fit" while the balance continued. Bailey told the committee she expects more than 100 of the participants to qualify for grade‑8 algebra at the high school in 2025–26.
The presentation described practical changes this year: expanded Google Classroom use, weekly postings with practice resources, PowerSchool grading for family visibility, and the use of illustrative mathematics plus standards‑aligned supplemental materials. Bailey reported teachers added differentiated engagement strategies such as scavenger hunts and digital escape rooms and introduced more self‑correcting, instant‑feedback practice tools.
Bailey read student survey responses that praised the class's challenge and the teacher support: sample student comments included "It challenged me" and "I had help when I needed it the most." Students and families also flagged the program's accelerated pace as a challenge; some requested shorter assignments or more time to learn topics. Family survey responses described increased confidence and recommended a parent‑facing Zoom to show where resources are posted.
District diagnostic data show positive trends in targeted cohorts and increases in enrollment in higher‑level high‑school math courses. Bailey presented a multi‑year I‑Ready summary showing growth in on‑grade and above percentages and said the middle‑school program continues to collect student, family and teacher feedback to refine workload and communication.
Committee members asked whether the program would run in summer (no summer session was planned) and how the new WIN/time restructure affected students' opportunities to participate; presenters said the current WIN structure routes students into targeted intervention, enrichment or acceleration blocks so students do not miss an unstructured team period.
The school committee received the update as information; administrators said they will continue to track performance and return with follow‑up data on how MAS7 Extended participants perform in high‑school courses.
