North Brookfield reviews MCAS accountability data; superintendent outlines interventions
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Summary
Superintendent presented three years of DESE accountability data showing mixed results — high school rose from the 16th to 23rd percentile while elementary scores dipped — and outlined targeted interventions (wind block, DIBELS, instructional materials) and an appeal of a reported MCAS participation shortfall.
The Town of North Brookfield School Committee heard a detailed presentation from the superintendent on district accountability and MCAS results, including year‑to‑year student growth and next steps for improvement.
The superintendent said the district’s overall accountability rating is roughly 38% and emphasized growth measures over single‑year performance. “We are not requiring assistance from the state, and that is because we’re making moderate progress, and 38% is kind of where they rated us based on all the accountability measures,” the superintendent said. He highlighted year‑to‑year movement: the high school improved from the 16th to the 23rd percentile while the elementary school declined from roughly the 23rd to the 15th percentile.
Committee members pressed the superintendent about tenth‑grade MCAS participation after the state removed MCAS as a graduation requirement. The superintendent said the district will work to make testing part of school culture and to show students personal growth using formative tools such as MAP and DIBELS. He also said staff will appeal an apparent reporting error that showed tenth‑grade participation below the DESE 95% cutoff: “we’re gonna appeal that decision, see what we get with that,” he said.
To address gaps, the superintendent described a set of interventions: a newly phased‑in elementary intervention block (referred to as the wind block) for tier‑2 supports, expanded use of high‑quality instructional materials across grades, enhanced DIBELS implementation for early reading, and a district emphasis on increased writing practice. He identified grades 5 and 10 as priority targets for additional supports and monitoring.
The superintendent framed the work as a multistep data cycle for leadership and teachers — describe patterns, pause and reflect, generate ideas, and prioritize actions — and invited committee members to request deeper dives into subgroup data or particular grade‑level trends. No formal action was taken at the meeting; the presentation provided the basis for future planning and potential policy or budget requests.