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High-school leaders outline midyear data, move to align 6–12 literacy and expand "thinking classroom" methods
Summary
High-school staff presented midyear ELA and math data showing gaps in foundational skills; district plans include StudySync alignment for grades 6–12, lesson study professional development, Learning Acceleration Network work, and 'thinking classroom' strategies to increase student ownership.
High-school instructional leaders presented midyear assessment results and programmatic changes to the school committee on April 10, highlighting areas for focused intervention and curriculum alignment.
Jill Thou, high-school principal, and members of the instructional team described persistent achievement concentrations in "not meeting" and "partially meeting" categories on ELA measures, and noted common skill weak spots in vocabulary and author’s purpose. Teachers and student representatives described classroom strategies to boost literary analysis and writing, including quick, frequent practice prompts and tier‑2 interventions during Charger time.
Superintendent Jason Defalco and assistant superintendent Jill Pilgalerani explained curriculum alignment plans: the district will adopt StudySync for grades 6–12 (keeping a different elementary program in place) to create vertical coherence for literacy instruction. Teacher teams are developing vertical writing expectations and building a writing progression across grade levels; an update from the writing committee and the assessment committee was promised at the May meeting.
The district described instructional shifts being supported by a Learning Acceleration Network (LAN) grant-funded initiative that calibrates classroom observations, collects anonymous walkthrough patterns across ELA classrooms, and targets teacher questioning and student responsibility for thinking. The "thinking classroom" approach — group whiteboard problem solving where all students must engage — was cited as an evidence-informed strategy to move students from passive note-taking to active cognitive engagement.
Administrators said lesson-study professional development and cross-district principal PLCs have been used to share practices; the district reported a roughly 80% five- to six-year staff retention rate and multiple staff supports aimed at improving instruction and retention.
