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Methuen reports NEASC collaborative visit, expanded family engagement and gains in mental-health screening
Summary
District leaders said Methuen High School met several NEASC standards during a recent collaborative visit, and officials highlighted a family engagement specialist outreach plan, new caseload monitoring for counselors and screening gains on anxiety and depression metrics.
District leaders told the school committee that a recent external review of Methuen High School produced positive findings and that the district is expanding family engagement and mental-health monitoring.
External review: Presenters said a NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges) collaborative conference visit found that Methuen High School met standards in learning culture, professional practices, learning support and learning resources. The district received the final report on the visit the day of the workshop; staff said next steps include developing a districtwide vision of the graduate and streamlining documentation of curricular expectations.
Family engagement: The district said its family engagement specialist will be more visible in schools, spending a day in each grammar school and Branch Street to greet families, support enrollment and assist LPAC (language-proficiency) processes. The specialist’s work aims to increase outreach to families and improve access to supports.
Mental-health screening and caseload monitoring: The district presented universal mental-health screening trends (anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress) for upper grades and described a new caseload-monitoring system developed by Mr. Crocker. Counselors now log the students receiving services and monitor progress. Presenters reported that 95% of tier 2–3 services showed social–emotional progress, 81% showed academic progress, 79% showed attendance improvement and 83% showed behavioral progress. The district also said 213 referrals have been made to outside vendors (Care Solace and Cartwheel) to augment services.
Student outreach: Methuen High School staff led a “road show” to upper grammar schools so students in grades 7–8 could learn about high-school offerings; students led about 95% of those presentations, district staff said. The district also listed new upper-school clubs and upcoming competitions and events.
Ending: Officials said they will excerpt the finalized NEASC report for the committee and make it publicly available once processed, and they flagged continued monitoring of mental-health outcomes and referrals.
