Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the K12 Education Programs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Spaulding High to launch Freshman Academy and numeric proficiency scale to support transition and graduation pathways
Summary
Spaulding High School principal Denise Maurice outlined a Freshman Academy and related changes — including a numeric proficiency-based grading scale, expanded advisory and 'crimson block' support time, and use of a Ron York scholarship to develop engineering pathways — aimed at improving ninth-grade success and long-term outcomes.
Denise Maurice, principal of Spaulding High School, outlined plans to launch a Freshman Academy aimed at improving the transition from middle school to high school and supporting students' long-term success. Maurice said the academy will form the foundation of the school’s tier 1 supports within a broader multi-tiered systems-of-support (MTSS) framework.
Maurice said the high school plans to strengthen its proficiency-based grading system by moving from word-based reporting to a numeric scale that uses 0.5 increments (for example, 3.5 or 2.5 on standards-based scales). "Teachers are beginning to draft those skills this spring, and next year we'll be recalibrating to Vermont and national standards," Maurice said, adding that students will continue to have opportunities to rework material to raise proficiency levels.
Under the Freshman Academy model, Maurice said teachers will collaborate in teams to build consistent academic and behavioral expectations for ninth graders, advisories will emphasize study habits and executive functioning, and the school's "crimson block" (an end-of-day period) will be repurposed to provide targeted instruction, interventions and time to support individualized education program (IEP) or 504 plan services.
Maurice also announced a funding opportunity: the Ron York Scholarship Trust has been made available to support an engineering-focused program at Spaulding. The administration said the trust will be used to develop engineering pathways and strengthen partnerships with local postsecondary and technical programs, such as Vermont Flight Academy and the labs at the Randolph-based technical college.
Maurice described the Freshman Academy as designed to reduce the risk of ninth-grade failure and improve graduation rates by giving incoming students a smaller cohort of teachers, structured advisories and clearer communication with families. Board members and staff asked clarifying questions about advisory composition, continuity of advisers across grade levels, and alignment of MTSS plans across K–12; Maurice and other staff said those details remain under development and noted a Roland fellowship awarded to a staff member that will support advisory and student-voice work.
Ending: Maurice said work on scheduling and program details is ongoing and that teachers and staff will continue to refine the model over the spring; the board received the presentation for information and expressed support for the direction.
