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Northbridge committee hears SIPs targeting chronic absenteeism, EL supports and new curricular materials
Summary
Administrators presented school improvement plans that target a 10% reduction in chronic absenteeism, expanded supports for English learners and districtwide roll‑out of highly qualified instructional materials through coaching and UDL training.
Administrators detailed school improvement plans that prioritize student attendance, English‑learner supports and consistent implementation of new instructional materials across Northbridge schools.
District presenters said chronic absenteeism remains a significant barrier to achievement and set a district goal to reduce chronic absenteeism by 10%. They described concrete tactics: recruiting and training family ambassadors, "I Missed You" letters and student‑made welcome cards, weekly attendance meetings staffed by adjustment counselors and behavior technicians, and incentive programs tied to PBIS (including "Rams Coins" and donated gift cards). The high school reported early gains this quarter compared with the same point last year.
On English‑learner supports, administrators said ELs make up about 5% of the district, with Portuguese and Spanish the primary languages. They highlighted low MCAS proficiency among EL students (single‑digit percentages meeting or exceeding expectations across grades 3–8) and presented targeted steps: two interactive family math nights, more visual academic vocabulary (word walls with multilingual labels), after‑school academic sessions and free adult ESL classes beginning Nov. 19 with a 12‑student cap.
Principals described school‑specific goals: Northbridge Elementary School will run a six‑to‑eight‑session parent workshop series with childcare; the middle school will complete adoption and coaching cycles for Illustrative Math and Investigating History (HQIM) and use non‑evaluative walk‑throughs to monitor implementation; the high school aims to increase family engagement by 20% through outreach events, cultural programming and expanded community use of the building. A high‑school presenter described innovations such as visual essays and assessment choices designed to reduce language barriers when measuring student learning.
The committee asked practical questions about medical notes, how absences are categorized for state reporting and whether outreach skews the data. Administrators said medical notes are captured and that state reporting treats any absence as missed learning time even if excused; they stressed the district is using phone outreach and personalized contact to identify and address barriers.
The committee approved the school improvement plans later in the meeting.
