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Committee questions measurability in school improvement plans and declines approval
Summary
Committee members expressed concern that many school improvement plans lack measurable benchmarks and requested templates and reporting; a motion to approve several SIPs (excluding the high-school plan) failed.
The Whitman-Hanson Regional School Committee debated the district’s school improvement plans (SIPs) and voted against approving the packet of plans presented for several schools, citing a lack of measurable benchmarks and clarity about reporting.
Members including Miss Blackman and Miss Niffin asked whether plans met DESE guidance requiring measurable benchmarks. Miss Blackman said she reviewed guidance and found the plans lacked measurable goals: “None of these improvement plans have any measurable goals… there’s got to be something measurable,” she said. Members discussed that many plans were carried over from previous years, were initially written as multiyear plans, and had been adjusted to a one-year format late in the process; Dr. Marcus said several plans mirrored last year’s submissions and that DESE had already accepted prior versions.
Committee members debated who is responsible for drafting and tracking measurable goals. Several committee members emphasized the role of school councils in developing SIPs while noting the superintendent should work with principals to encourage clearer, reportable benchmarks next year. One member asked what happens if the committee does not approve the plans; staff explained plans would return to the respective school council for revision and resubmission.
With the high-school plan separately tabled pending an additional meeting, the committee took a motion to approve the remaining SIPs. The motion failed.
What it means
- The high-school plan was tabled for a later meeting; the other plans will be revised or clarified per the process and may return to the committee. - Committee members asked the superintendent to pursue draft circulation earlier next year and to request measurable, SMART-style benchmarks or a reflection on prior-year accomplishments as part of future submissions.
Next steps
The superintendent agreed to work with principals and school councils to present clearer measurable goals and to include a reflection on what was accomplished during the prior year in future SIP documents.
