Elementary principals present 2025-26 improvement plans; district pursues MTSS, data platform and targeted goals

Principals from Scituate's four elementary schools presented 2025-26 school improvement plans that center on districtwide adoption of systematic student support tools, targeted student growth goals and locally tailored priorities including communication improvements, play and campus safety projects.

Director-level staff and school principals described a district effort to consolidate student data in a single platform (referred to in presentations as Open Architect) and a multi-year rollout of a Systematic Student Supports (S3) Academy that introduces a common MTSS framework. Jenkins principal Mary Oldac and other presenters said the tools will let educators combine academic benchmarks, HSA (climate/engagement) survey results, special-education records and other measures to perform "whole child" reviews and to track tiered interventions over time.

Principals presented school-level goals and action steps: - Hatherly (Principal Christine Sheehan) proposed a growth goal: increase the share of students showing at least 40% growth on state and district benchmarks by June 2026, with emphasis on tiered instruction, professional development and piloting inquiry-based curricula in grades 3-4. Parents and committee members pressed for clearer metrics, separate ELA and math goals, and explicit pre/post data collection to measure communication improvements. - Cushing (Principal Jesse Craddock) presented three goals: clarify student needs and data-driven instruction; adopt a balanced digital and non-digital learning approach; and expand student leadership opportunities. Cushing's council emphasized surveying staff and families to set baselines before implementing changes. - Jenkins (Principal Mary Oldac) described Jenkins as an early S3 pilot and outlined plans to scale whole-child review processes, map Tier 1-3 supports, and use Open Architect dashboards to track students historically. Jenkins also proposed campus improvements and a MassDOT Safe Routes to School grant application to fund traffic-calming signage and crossings near the rear school entrance used by walkers, bikers and buses. - Wampatuck (Principal Tracy Reardon) proposed two linked goals: raising student growth percentiles from low/average into high growth using STAR and state benchmark alignments, and enhancing play opportunities (including a potential accessible playground capital project), with a focus on kindergarten purposeful play.

Committee members pressed principals to narrow and better quantify goals so progress and causal links between action steps and growth outcomes can be demonstrated. Multiple presenters agreed to add clearer baselines (STAR/state benchmark figures, HSA survey results) and pre/post measures to the school plans and to include teachers explicitly as responsible stakeholders. Principals and committee members also discussed timeline considerations for the Open Architect rollout and training for teachers and leaders to ensure usable data before expanding the whole-child review process districtwide.

No single school plan was rejected. Presenters were told the plans may be "accepted" administratively under policy if the committee does not vote; the superintendent's office will continue working with principals to refine language, metrics and timelines before final submission to the superintendent and state-required filings.