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Superintendent outlines district goals: adopt state evaluation rubrics, expand curriculum work and prioritize attendance/connectedness
Summary
Superintendent Doug Lyons presented three district goals at the Oct. 14 School Committee meeting focused on instruction that meets diverse needs, curriculum alignment and individualized student supports; the district is adopting DESE evaluation rubrics and finalizing a competency‑determination policy.
Superintendent Doug Lyons presented a set of district and superintendent goals to the School Committee on Oct. 14, detailing planned work on teacher evaluation, curriculum review and student supports for the 2025–26 school year.
Lyons said the district is aligning its supervision and evaluation system with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) rubrics after a multi‑party review that included administration and Wakefield Education Association representatives. "We worked collaboratively to really look at the new rubrics that were developed... and ultimately the union took a vote... to adopt the state model," said Kara (curriculum/HR lead, first name only in transcript), who described the committee work and TeachPoint updates used to implement the change.
Key district priorities presented: - Goal 1: Prioritize instructional practices that engage diverse learners and promote academic, social‑emotional and equitable outcomes. Action steps include monitoring classroom practice, emphasizing inclusive grouping and supporting teachers with coaching and professional learning. - Goal 2: Collaborate with town leadership, the finance and facilities subcommittee and the town administrator on long‑term facility planning (including an accessible high school), EAS accreditation and staffing needs. Lyons said the district will coordinate with the town on schedule and budget implications. - Goal 3: Expand individualized student learning and intervention structures. The district will use a new data platform (OpenArchitects) to bring assessments and attendance data together for timelier interventions.
Curriculum and assessment work: Kara outlined ongoing curriculum reviews, including K–12 science units developed after a recent review and a new social‑studies review across grades K–12. The district is piloting elementary curriculum leader teams to strengthen content implementation and has integrated MCAS and other assessment data into OpenArchitects for quicker analysis.
Competency determination: Committee members discussed DESE’s change to remove MCAS as an automatic graduation requirement and the district’s need to submit a local competency determination. A working draft of a competency‑determination policy was prepared over the summer and the policy and submission to DESE are being finalized; the policy and process will be discussed further at a policy subcommittee meeting.
Lyons framed the three goals as tightly connected with instructional practice and student belonging. "It matters where you end," he told the committee when discussing growth measures for students. He also noted Wakefield’s MCAS recovery in both math and ELA relative to many districts and credited curriculum and classroom work for that progress.
The committee discussed next steps including meetings with town leaders and continued updates on staffing and facility planning. Lyons said the district will continue to report progress to the committee and emphasized frequent outreach to families through quarterly community calls and a revamped podcast that may include student participants.
The committee scheduled subcommittee and negotiation dates noted in the meeting and will bring the competency‑determination policy back for final review and submission to DESE.
