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Hanson teachers credit coaching, 'Foursquare' organizer for MCAS gains in open-response math
Summary
Hanson School teachers told the Stoughton School Committee they used a four-square graphic organizer and sustained instructional coaching to help students break down MCAS-style word problems; presenters reported open-response scores about 10 points above the state and fifth-grade growth well above state averages.
Hanson School principal Christine Feeney introduced a team of teachers to explain a classroom strategy they said helped students approach multi-step word problems on MCAS. "I'm Christine Feeney. I'm the principal of the Hanson," she told the committee before handing the presentation to math staff.
Math coach Bridget Fabrizio and fifth-grade teacher Lauren Plasko described a Foursquare graphic organizer that breaks a problem into four steps: identify the situation (add, subtract, multiply, divide), model the situation, write the equation/work, and compose a short written explanation. The model pairs a single, consistent visual routine with explicit writing frames so students can capture the reasoning that earns MCAS open-response points.
"Our open response questions were 10 points above the state," Plasko said, citing the school's initial results. Presenters also reported strong fifth-grade MCAS gains: Plasko said the cohort showed about 69% student-growth percentiles on last year’s MCAS and 62% meeting or exceeding expectations versus the state's 48% in the same grade.
Presenters said the work was sustained through a coaching cycle rather than a single professional-development workshop. Fabrizio described frequent collaboration: coaches and teachers met during prep time, after school and shared materials; instruction was delivered in small-group settings and often co-taught at the teacher table so teachers could model the process and immediately reflect on what worked.
Committee members pressed for how the strategy supports students who are not reading at grade level. The presenters said they scaffold instruction with sentence frames, partially completed organizers and read‑aloud tools, and noted they coordinate closely with literacy coaches so the approach is intentionally literacy-driven.
Members praised the student-centered approach and asked about scaling across grades. Presenters said the method has been pushed down to earlier grades and could be replicated; they framed the Foursquare as one component among literacy, interventions and differentiated instruction.
The committee thanked the Hanson team for the demonstration and recommended that principals share successful classroom strategies with families during school open houses so parents can see how instruction has been adjusted.
The presentation ran longer than scheduled; the committee moved on after a final round of questions.
