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District reports improved bus service, ongoing staffing churn and mixed academic indicators from MCAS and local assessments
Summary
Superintendent and principals reported smoother transportation, staffing turnover concentrated in support roles, a new HS attendance policy and pockets of academic improvement—notably in AP pass rates and early gains from UFLI reading instruction—while MCAS results remain mixed compared with pre-pandemic levels.
District leaders updated the School Committee on Oct. 14 about personnel turnover, transportation improvements, revised attendance rules at the high school and the latest academic measures including MCAS, iReady and a new reading curriculum.
Superintendent Dr. Williams and Assistant Superintendent Jen McPartland described district staffing as "fully staffed with the exception of a few positions," noting that several recent resignations are concentrated in roles that traditionally see higher turnover—instructional assistants and before-and-after-care staff. The committee was told two certified positions at the Junior-Senior High School (a school psychologist and a reading specialist) are currently being provided through contracted services rather than filled as district employees.
On transportation, officials said the district is operating with 12 buses this year instead of 13 but reported markedly improved arrival and dismissal times compared with last year. Central School principal (Mrs. Burn) summarized the change: “This year, at this point, we are on time. We’ve been dismissing at Central; our dismissal time is 03:00. Last year we were lucky if we sent our last bus before 03:30.” Administrators credited planning, revised routes and cooperative work across buildings for the improvement.
The Junior-Senior High School reported operational and academic items: the high school principal said about 900 students are enrolled this year, that AP exam pass rates (score of 3 or better) rose from the high 40s percent to the low 70s percent (a roughly 25-point increase) and that the district is looking to analyze whether gains came from more instructional time, a writing initiative or other changes. The high school has instituted a new attendance rule—7 absences for a half-year class and 14 for a full-year class as thresholds that could trigger credit-loss procedures—and the school issued its first no-credit letters as part of that policy; administrators also described a planned monthly Saturday credit-recovery program.
At Central School, administrators reported early gains after implementing the UFLI reading program: the number of students qualifying for Title I reading dropped this fall to about 40, compared with a typical 60–70 in the fall, a district leader said. McPartland said district-level diagnostic testing (iReady) is being used to project state-test performance and that, in most grades and subjects, iReady projections aligned within a few percentage points of current MCAS outcomes.
On MCAS, McPartland summarized district results released last week: most district grade/subject combinations were within a few percentage points of state averages; some strengths included fifth-grade math and science, and eighth-grade and high-school science, which were above the state average. She noted only 13 Massachusetts districts have fully returned to pre-pandemic proficiency levels in both ELA and math, underscoring that statewide recovery remains uneven.
Administrators told the committee they will continue to analyze assessment results and to use iReady and classroom data to target instruction. No formal policy changes beyond the high-school attendance rule were adopted at the Oct. 14 meeting.
