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East Bridgewater to adopt local competency determination after Question 2; superintendent reports on goals and building project
Summary
DESE requires districts to set a local competency determination by Dec. 31 after voters removed MCAS as a diploma requirement. Superintendent Williams and Assistant Superintendent McPartland outlined East Bridgewater’s proposed CD and discussed superintendent goals, learning walks and the central school building project timeline.
Assistant Superintendent Jennifer McPartland told the School Committee that Massachusetts districts must adopt a local competency determination (CD) by Dec. 31, 2025, after the passage of Question 2. East Bridgewater’s draft CD would require students to complete required courses (including English, math and science) and demonstrate mastery through final exams, projects or portfolios aligned to 10th‑grade standards; the district will continue to require MCAS participation for state and federal reporting purposes.
McPartland said the policy includes considerations for students with disabilities, English learners and students who enroll late or seek transcript review to retroactively satisfy the CD. The item will be presented as an action item for committee vote in December.
Superintendent Williams provided a mid‑cycle update to the committee on her three SuperEval goals: an induction program for new staff, data‑driven student learning goals and a district improvement/entry plan. She described weekly learning walks with building principals focused on teacher–student discourse, small‑group instruction and intentional instructional uses of technology, and she said she has held roughly 40 stakeholder meetings so far as part of her entry plan work.
Williams also updated the committee on the central school building project, saying voters approved the project at town meeting and on the subsequent ballot; construction is expected to begin in about 10 months with an opening targeted for September 2028. She said next steps include going out to bid and finalizing construction plans.
No formal vote on the CD occurred on Nov. 18; the committee discussed rationale for focusing the CD on grade‑10 standards (McPartland said the MCAS historically aligned to grade‑10 standards) and agreed to vote in December.
