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School Committee approves Year 2 of Hingham Middle School improvement plan focused on academic teams, SEL and attendance
Summary
The committee voted Oct. 27 to approve Year 2 (2024–26) of the Hingham Middle School improvement plan. Principal Derek Smith outlined actions including establishment of grade‑8 academic teams with attached special educators, a Wayfinder SEL pilot, transition‑room refinements, and a continuing focus on chronic absenteeism among students with IEPs.
Hingham — The Hingham School Committee voted on Oct. 27 to approve Year 2 of the 2024–26 Hingham Middle School (HMS) improvement plan after a detailed presentation from HMS principal Derek Smith.
Smith told the committee the plan has three broad goals: expand and strengthen academic teams so teachers can collaborate around shared cohorts; expand social‑emotional programming and pilots (including Wayfinder) while exploring behavior‑technician supports to maximize inclusion; and reduce chronic absenteeism from 9% to 7% with a focus on students with IEPs.
Among steps completed or in progress, Smith said the school established three grade‑8 teams that each include a dedicated special educator, created team meeting time in the master schedule, reviewed Transition Room protocols, and piloted the Wayfinder SEL tools with beginning‑of‑year screening scheduled for all grades 6–8. He also reported that chronic absenteeism for the middle school dropped below the 7% goal at the end of last year, though the rate remains higher for students with disabilities (down from 19.4% to 16.4% in the most recent reporting period).
Committee action: The committee voted to approve Year 2 of the HMS improvement plan. Consistent with the presentation, members discussed ongoing priorities: the need to review attendance data, address grade‑8 absenteeism and its relationship to performance, continue professional development for administrators on school avoidance, and monitor Wayfinder pilot results.
What speakers said - Derek Smith, HMS principal: Described the academic team structure, noted benefits for student belonging and teacher collaboration, and detailed attendance interventions including the Transition Room. - Committee members: Asked for continued attention to students with disabilities and for updates as data from Wayfinder and attendance monitoring accumulate.
Why it matters: The plan formalizes a multi‑year effort to align schedules, staffing, instruction and SEL supports at the middle school and sets measurable attendance targets tied to student inclusion and performance.
