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Acton-Boxborough High School reports progress on course "relevelling," attendance and student supports
Summary
Principal Joni Dean reported on efforts to restructure course levels, improve attendance and bolster student supports at Acton‑Boxborough Regional High School, citing a 42% reduction in class cuts, increased AP access and steps toward an open gradebook and curriculum mapping.
Acton‑Boxborough Regional High School Principal Joni Dean told the school committee Thursday that the high school has advanced its course leveling work while taking multiple steps to improve safety, supervision and student engagement.
Dean described three broad focus areas — structures, curriculum and instruction, and community — and highlighted concrete changes made this year. On building access and safety, Dean said the school reduced student entrances from roughly 30 to two and now scans student ID cards to track building access. She said the school increased adult presence in the building by asking teachers to take voluntary supervisory duties and will continue that approach where staffing limitations persist.
“Prior to this year, we had 30 entrances that were open throughout the school day… We cut that down to 2 so that we really can know who is in our building,” Dean said.
On attendance, Dean said the school’s tiered follow-up system — giving students an orange slip to return to a teacher, then escalating to meetings and detentions — produced a 42% decrease in class cuts. She reported a chronic absenteeism rate of 12.4% this year versus 13.1% last year, and said the district is continuing targeted outreach for students who exceed absence thresholds.
In curriculum and instruction, Dean reviewed the high school’s course relevelling (sometimes referred to as “relevelling” rather than “de‑leveling”), noting the district has changed the leveling of 16 of 20 targeted courses so far and plans incremental reductions over the next several years. She said AP exam administrations have increased by 46% over two years while pass rates have held at about 94%.
Dean also discussed a trial of an open grade‑book (short windows this year, planned year-round access next year), curriculum mapping, and pilot professional learning to support heterogeneous classrooms. She highlighted student-led “interrupting hate and bias” assemblies (16 in one day) and other community events including the senior art show and a unified games day.
Committee members asked about supports for students who feel “in between” levels; Dean said the school will continue options such as overrides, flexible scheduling, counseling support and monitoring during the multiyear transition.
