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Teaching and Learning office shows Franklin students outperform comparables, highlights I Ready adoption and MCAS context
Summary
The Office of Teaching and Learning presented district-wide curriculum and assessment updates: implementation of I Ready for K—8, MCAS context and DESE 'dark' comparables, gains in elementary STE, and next steps for data-driven interventions.
The Franklin School Committee received a district-wide presentation on Jan. 13 from the Office of Teaching and Learning detailing curriculum review cycles, universal-design and MTSS frameworks, and recent assessment results.
Assistant Superintendent Tina Rogers and her team said the district has implemented I Ready as a universal screener for grades K—8 this year and is piloting diagnostic tools at the high school. Rogers framed the work around universal design for learning (UDL) and multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) and described a five-phase curriculum-review process intended to align instructional materials and purchasing decisions with multi-year plans.
On assessment outcomes, the district reported strong relative performance in grades 3—5 for English language arts and math against DESE's comparable ("dark") districts. Franklin's fifth-grade STE results were presented as notably above state averages; staff credited a new STE curriculum specialist working with fifth-grade teachers and multi-year implementation of OpenSciEd at the middle level. The presenters cautioned that DESE is field-testing science items, which may make some year-to-year comparisons partial.
Staff emphasized that data is triangulated through classroom learning-walks, formative checks and summative measures to target early interventions. "I Ready is a diagnostic screener that helps us identify strengths and areas for growth," said curriculum staff; the district plans a midyear I Ready analysis with vendor support on an early-release professional day.
Committee members asked about cohort trends, summer resources, comparisons to peer districts and workforce impacts tied to funding. District leaders acknowledged budget constraints but said targeted curriculum investments, specialist roles and a sustained professional-learning cycle have supported the results shared.
