Principals report MCAS, literacy and social-emotional learning gains; Chromebooks seen as key tool

Principals from the district’s five schools told the Lakeville-Freetown Regional School Committee on April 1 that school-improvement steps this year concentrated on social-emotional learning, literacy and MCAS preparation, and that expanded Chromebook access is being used daily to prepare students for computer-based assessments.

Middle School Principal Dave Potoda described a social-emotional learning unit for sixth graders that included an anonymous self-awareness survey and collaborative instruction by teachers, guidance staff and administrators. "The unit was absolutely awesome," Potoda said, adding that staff plan to sustain and deepen social-emotional learning in coming years.

Potoda and other principals said the district has prioritized writing across the curriculum and schoolwide rubrics to create common expectations for student writing. He also praised a teacher professional-development initiative, the Teaching and Learning Alliance, which has provided demonstration lessons and workshops for ELA teachers.

Dr. Elizabeth Sullivan, on behalf of the intermediate school, said reading comprehension emerged as a primary area of concern in MCAS comparisons with state data. Sullivan described intensive work with literacy frameworks, data-team meetings and targeted goals for all students; she reported that 94 percent of students had already met a benchmark growth target in mid-year internal assessments and that staff will refine grade-level assessments to better mirror MCAS rigor.

Elementary principals Mike Ward and Daphne Penolf reported gains on benchmark assessments in grades 1–3. Ward said Freetown Elementary saw a 12-percentage-point gain from fall to winter for grade 1 students on the benchmark assessment, while Assawamset Elementary saw a 14-point gain for its grade 1 cohort. Both principals credited guided-reading professional development and newly purchased leveled reading libraries.

At the high school, assistant principal Caitlin Dessert said the school has adopted schoolwide rubrics aligned to four learning expectations — reading, writing, problem solving and collaboration — and that the district will continue classroom-level observations and targeted tutoring for MCAS subjects. Dessert said the high school operates an after-school testing and tutoring center ("TNT lab") staffed by paraprofessionals and peer tutors, and that the high school offers teacher-led after-school MCAS tutoring for targeted students.

Multiple principals and central-office staff praised the Chromebooks and cart deployments, saying they were now integral to classroom practice and MCAS preparation. "We just can't thank you enough for the additional Chromebook carts we got this year," Potoda told the committee, noting teachers were seeking more daily access for students.

Principals also described outreach to families through parent nights that focused on literacy, math and STEM topics. The intermediate school reported a well-attended parent night; principals said they planned a daytime session to reach parents unable to attend evening events.

School leaders answered committee questions about how MCAS tutoring is scheduled (after school, led by content teachers, usually weekly through testing), how long tutoring runs (through the testing window), and how the district identifies students for biology support at the high school.

The committee thanked principals for the reports and asked staff to include these updates in the April 25 packet for further review and public distribution.