Gardner superintendent: MCAS shows small declines in ELA and math; two schools to receive state assistance

Superintendent Dr. Pellegrino presented the district's latest MCAS results to the Gardner School Committee on Nov. 10 and outlined steps district leaders say they are taking to raise student achievement.

Pellegrino said the district is "pretty much aligning ourselves with the state" in English language arts and math, noting the district saw a two‑percentage‑point decline in both subjects while the state fell by about one percentage point. "We want that to be going up," Pellegrino said, adding that the district introduced a new curriculum this year and is experiencing an "implementation dip" typical of curriculum changes.

The superintendent highlighted that science scores rose districtwide even as most districts saw slight declines. He also said Gardner High School and the district overall are not designated for state assistance, but "Gardner Elementary School, grades 3 and 4, and Gardner Middle School, grades 5, 6, 7" are in "requiring assistance," meaning they will work with the state's System of Support (SSOS) under the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

Pellegrino described several instructional strategies the district is using to address gaps: expanding instructional coaches to middle grades, creating MTSS academic teams at each school, and strengthening common planning time. On common planning time he said it is scheduled "typically three times a week" for grade‑level teachers from pre‑K through grade 8 and is led by teacher leaders: "We have 40 teacher leaders in the district," he said, who are being trained in facilitation and professional development.

When asked whether the roughly 2 percent decline in scores could be explained by tests not being graduation requirements, facilities chair Bob Schwartz asked, "Are the 2% loss in the scores for the do you think, a part of it is because of it's not a graduation requirement?" Pellegrino replied, "No. I don't think so," and reiterated that the district's declines track statewide trends and that improving instruction is the priority.

Pellegrino also said disciplinary office referrals at the high school are down about 60 percent, which he linked to students being in class more and stronger routines. He emphasized a focus on students with disabilities and English learners, populations identified in the state's accountability summary as areas needing targeted support.

The superintendent said the district is working with SSOS/DESE on ongoing strategy meetings (including a strategy meeting scheduled Wednesday) and will continue to monitor progress through universal screeners and a combination of formative assessments and teacher observation. He described the work as both support and accountability: "We're very transparent with our progress," he said.

Next steps: Gardner will continue scheduled strategy meetings with state support, monitor outcomes through universal screeners and MTSS teams, and report back to the committee as progress is documented.