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MCAS results, chronic absenteeism and curriculum plans outlined; district notes mixed trends
Summary
District officials reported mostly strong MCAS participation, gains in some grades and declines in others, and linked lower performance to chronic absenteeism; administrators described literacy, math and intervention steps and plans to post dashboard data for families.
Miss Hill (S10) presented the district’s MCAS and curriculum update, opening with participation rates she described as “95 to 100% across almost every grade.” She said some grades saw gains (third‑grade ELA up ~5 percentage points; sixth‑grade ELA up ~9; sixth‑grade math up ~18; grade‑10 science up ~5), while grade 10 overall showed notable declines compared with last year.
Hill described how open‑response scoring and students writing off‑topic comments appeared to depress scores and said the state observed similar trends across districts. She gave scaled‑score comparisons showing Northbridge slightly below state averages in several tested areas and called out a gap of roughly six percentage points for grades 3–8 in meeting or exceeding expectations compared with the state.
The presentation tied performance to attendance. Hill defined chronic absenteeism as missing 10% or more of school days (18 days in a 180‑day year) and provided subgroup figures: elementary grades 3–5 chronic absenteeism ~16% (28% low‑income), high school ~25% (38% low‑income), and disproportionate rates among students with disabilities and English learners. “If students are in school, can you imagine how we would compare to the state with our average scaled scores?” Hill asked, linking consistent attendance to higher achievement.
District actions include implementing evidence‑based literacy practices, retraining elementary teachers on foundational literacy and writing scaffolds, prioritizing conceptual math (Illustrative Math at the middle school; ST Math at elementary), stronger IEP‑linked formative assessments, family engagement events, universal screeners to flag students for tiered interventions, and a published data dashboard that will display absentee and MCAS patterns for the community.
Committee members asked for disaggregation and counts behind percentage figures. Hill acknowledged subgroup percentages can represent small absolute numbers and said the district will provide context when it reports school improvement plans in November. Public commenter Jen Selslow urged more investment in curriculum and teacher supports, saying the district should “be outperforming the state” given attendance levels.
The superintendent said competency‑determination language and revised graduation requirements (per DESE guidance) will be brought to the committee for approval in the near term.
