Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Cte topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
School committee approves DESE-recommended edits to CTE admissions policy
Summary
The committee approved DESE-suggested clarifying edits to the Chapter 74 CTE admissions policy, maintaining the district's straight lottery for grade nine placement; CTE Executive Director Chad Fallon said the district is currently full with Medford residents and has five remaining out-of-district students.
Medford — The Medford School Committee voted April 13 to adopt language changes to its Chapter 74 Career and Technical Education (CTE) admissions policy requested by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), preserving the district's existing lottery process for ninth-grade placements.
Chad Fallon, CTE executive director, told the committee the draft edits largely add clarifying details for families about where to find information and how student retainment pathways operate. "Right now, we have five students left," Fallon said when asked how many out-of-district students remain; he added that the district has been unable to accept out-of-district applicants this year because Medford residents filled available seats.
Fallon described this year's implementation: about 276 freshmen participated in exploratory rotations, with roughly 200 available CTE seats. He said most students (about 90 percent) received a top-two choice and that programs such as health assisting and electrical carried the longest wait lists. "We still plan on doing a straight lottery," Fallon said, describing plans to hold the lottery in ninth grade after exploratory experiences.
Committee members pressed on options the district could consider, including a state-prescribed weighted lottery (attendance, discipline, open-house attendance) or holding lotteries earlier, in eighth grade. Member Graham said a mandatory eighth-grade selection would run counter to the district's goal of a unified high school experience and warned against sealing students' futures too early. Fallon said the district is open to discussing weighted models but made no immediate changes.
On a motion by Member Mastrobouni, seconded by Member Lopate, the committee voted to approve the DESE-suggested edits; the motion passed. The policy will be updated to reflect the clarified language and returned to families in the district packet materials.
