Quincy subcommittee hears middle school improvement plans; all reviewed plans approved

The Quincy School Committee Teaching & Learning Subcommittee met Nov. 25 to hear 2024–25 School Improvement Plans from multiple middle schools and approved each plan after discussion.

Broadmeadows Middle School principal Mr. Ahern opened the meeting with a data-driven review of academic and social-emotional goals, saying, "Giving students and families a voice through these connections will always be a top priority at Broadmeadows." He reported meeting MAP growth targets in reading for grades 7 and 8 and exceeding MAP growth targets in mathematics for grades 6–8. He also cited a notable decrease in the share of students coded as chronically absent, "reducing the number by over 10% last year." The school's four SMART goals target ELA (a writing focus measured via MCAS growth), math (constructed-response skills), science (constructed-response readiness tied to a changing MCAS), and social-emotional learning measured by the VOCAL survey.

Committee members pressed Mr. Ahern on facilities and technology needs. He said floor-tile repairs and abatement are on a timeline with facilities staff and that mounted projector bulbs are increasingly difficult to source; the district must weigh buying bulbs for older units versus upgrading projectors. On devices, he said Chromebook inventories were tightened earlier in the year but that an influx of refurbished Chromebooks and use of classroom Chromebook carts have improved availability.

Atlantic Middle School presenters described strong MAP growth and notable ELA writing efforts. The Atlantic team highlighted partnerships — including an attendance initiative with the Boston Celtics — that they say helped boost presence and engagement; one example cited was a grade that had all 203 students present for a day celebration. Atlantic emphasized a schoolwide writing focus and targeted interventions such as mentoring and Saturday school. Committee members asked about PA and ramp access, class sizes and additional ELL staffing; Atlantic said PA is currently limited to office announcements but ramps and additional staff needs are on the district’s facilities/budget radar.

Point Webster reviewed its ELA and math strategies, SEL and DEI activities, and extended-day offerings. The principal introduced new assistant principal Michael Laurensano and noted Point Webster serves 377 students in grades 5–8 and now supports families who speak 32 languages. The school described a new small-group targeted instruction grant for grade 8 math, ST Math mentor crews led by older students, and community partnerships including a student-run grab-and-go pantry.

Central and Southwest principals likewise reviewed goals and action steps focused on writing across content areas, targeted interventions for lower-performing groups, SEL programming (including Sandy Hook Promise and trauma-informed practices), and extracurricular and family engagement activities. Central described a new EL goal created to address declines in EL progress; Southwest outlined reading and math priorities and noted reductions in suspension and chronic absenteeism.

Committee members repeatedly moved facilities requests to the facilities subcommittee and shifted budgetary items to the district budget process when appropriate. Several members asked for clearer reporting on incident definitions and incident reporting criteria; district staff said a future presentation on reporting criteria and SSDR/ASAP coding is planned.

Motions to accept the School Improvement Plans were made and seconded as recorded in the transcript for each school; the chair announced approval of the plans and the meeting adjourned. Several presenters were asked to work with district staff on timing and funding for capital items such as boilers, security cameras and PA systems; those larger capital upgrades were described as contingent on city funding and the district capital improvement plan.

The subcommittee did not record roll-call vote tallies in the public transcript; motions were announced and accepted. Next procedural steps identified during the meeting included referring facilities requests to the facilities subcommittee, routing budget items into the budget process, and scheduling a district presentation on incident-reporting criteria and SSDR definitions.