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Westerly presents 'State of Schools': attendance focus, subgroup gains and curriculum rollout
Summary
District leaders told the Westerly School Committee they have seen modest assessment gains, set a 5% chronic absenteeism target, and outlined HQIM-driven curriculum rollouts and supports to close gaps for multilingual learners and disadvantaged students.
Superintendent Dr. Garceau and district instructional leaders presented the Westerly School District’s "State of Schools: A Clear Path Forward," framing work around attendance, high-quality instructional materials, teacher growth and organizational efficiency.
"Attendance matters," the superintendent said repeatedly during the presentation, adding bluntly: "We can't teach empty chairs." District staff set a target of 5% or less chronically absent and reported that the districtwide chronic absenteeism rate had fallen from about 14% at the end of last year to roughly 12% as of Nov. 26.
The presentation cited research (the Opportunity Myth/Opportunity Maker work) to show a common gap between students completing classroom tasks and meeting state standards. Staff said focused implementation of vetted high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) in ELA and math — phased over several years — is central to closing that gap. The district highlighted bright spots: multilingual learner (MLL) students outperformed state averages in some grades and certain classrooms showed dramatic proficiency gains; special education teams reported pockets of strong growth while acknowledging more work is needed to raise overall proficiency.
School-level snapshots included Springbrook (MLL performance and math growth), State Street (absenteeism reduction from 18% to 9% and ELA gains from 34% to 54% in grade 3), Dunns Corner (multi-year math gains and high special-ed growth), Westerly Middle (noted high-growth grades, with ongoing gaps) and Westerly High (SAT/PSAT gains and subgroup performance). Principals described specific interventions — home visits, summer bridge programs, targeted small-group instruction, and embedded coaching — and stressed that some gains will take multiple years to materialize.
Committee members asked about timing and impact; district leaders said measurable improvements could appear in a year but emphasized this is a long-term strategic effort that requires classroom-level monitoring, leadership capacity building and sustained support.
The committee did not take formal policy action on curriculum at this meeting but approved follow-up steps including posting data publicly and continuing strategic planning.
