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RJ Grey junior high reports attendance worries, small-group wins and anti-bias training
Summary
Principal Jim Marcotte told the committee the junior high ran interim small-group academic workshops with positive results but paused them because of staff workload; chronic absenteeism remains a challenge and the school is training students in four anti-bias strategies.
Acton —28094 RJ Grey junior high Principal Jim Marcotte presented learning and climate work to the Acton-Boxborough Regional School Committee on April 17, reporting measured academic gains from short-term small-group interventions, continuing concerns about chronic absenteeism, and a new student training on interrupting hate and bias.
What he reported: Marcotte said the school ran two six- to seven-week cycles of directed-study small-group workshops this year, reaching more than 170 students with targeted instruction on topics such as math fact fluency and reading confidence. He said students reported improved confidence in math and English after the workshops.
Why the workshops paused: Teachers ultimately asked the administration to pause the pull-out workshop model because it required work outside of contractual expectations and added an effective "sixth class" for some instructors. Marcotte said the vision remains to provide additional targeted instruction but the delivery must fit teacher contracts and workload.
Attendance and chronic absenteeism: Using DESE-aligned measures, Marcotte showed the committee the junior high has clusters of lower attendance on Mondays and Fridays and that, at day 130 of the school year, about 60 students had met the 10% missed-days threshold (about 13 days missed at that point). He cited varied causes including acute illness, chronic illness, family travel, housing instability and school-avoidant behavior.
Anti-bias training: The junior high piloted a student training on four steps to interrupt hate and bias: interrupt, question, educate, echo. Marcotte said the percentage of students reporting they had seen an adult interrupt rose from about 83% last spring to 88% in the fall; student reports of peer interruption also rose from about 56% to 63% in that period. He said the school will survey students again in May to track progress.
Why it matters: The presentation links instructional strategies, student supports and school climate. Committee members praised teachers for outreach and asked how to scale targeted interventions within contractual and budget constraints.
Next steps: Marcotte said the school will refine how data teams and targeted supports are delivered, continue to monitor attendance, and plan professional learning for teachers focused on instruction for multilingual learners and other priority instructional areas.
Committee reaction: Members recognized the instructional gains and raised questions about staffing, funding for tier 2 and tier 3 interventions, and strategies to address the non-instructional causes of absenteeism such as housing instability. "It's more than just the tally of whether they're in their seats," one member said, thanking Marcotte for looking beyond raw counts.
