Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Academic Performance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Uxbridge officials report gains in ELA, mixed MCAS results; district pushing curriculum alignment and interventions
Summary
Superintendent/leadership presented a 45‑slide accountability overview showing district‑level ELA improvements and steady math results, with writing and some grade cohorts (notably 5th, 6th and 8th in math) identified for targeted support; administrators outlined new curriculum packages, data dashboards, and intervention plans.
Dr. Dwyer delivered a comprehensive accountability presentation to the Uxbridge School Committee on Oct. 21 outlining curriculum alignment work, new data tools, and MCAS results across grades.
She said the district has purchased data dashboards (OpenArchitects), benchmark assessment systems (i‑Ready), and implementation supports (MyPath, SuccessMaker and Savvas/Sabaths curriculum) to provide teachers with more consistent materials and progress‑monitoring tools. "We now have curriculum alignment in all content areas," Dr. Dwyer told the committee, and she described professional development and grade‑level data meetings as core to monitoring progress.
On state MCAS outcomes, Dr. Dwyer said aggregate ELA scores show a small uptick (presented as 44% meeting/exceeding aggregated across tested grades) and that math is holding steady since the 2021 decline, though specific grade‑level weaknesses remain: committee members and administrators identified fifth and sixth grades (ELA support) and eighth grade math (concept gaps in radicals, integers and multi‑step problems) as priorities for intervention.
Special education staff described disparities in meeting/exceeding rates for students with disabilities and emphasized the need to build stronger tier‑1 instruction and earlier identification (DIBELS screening is used K–5). Administrators also outlined accommodations and alternate assessment pathways for students on Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), such as read‑alouds and portfolio options where appropriate.
Dr. Dwyer and special‑education staff said writing (short‑answer/essay development) is a relative weakness districtwide and will be a focus of upcoming professional development and curricular tuning, while math will have a mirrored committee effort (PRISM council equivalent) to develop a shared vision and interventions.
Committee members pressed for cohort comparisons and special‑education‑to‑state special‑education comparisons; Dr. Dwyer agreed to provide disaggregated cohort data and special‑education comparisons for future meetings.
What happens next: the district will continue PD, complete purchases and rollouts (MyPath purchase expected shortly), deploy additional data dashboards to teachers, and bring comparative cohort and special‑education MCAS data to the committee for FY27 budget and program planning.
