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High school presents improvement plan: attendance up, AP access highlighted
Summary
High‑school staff presented progress on the 'vision of the graduate,' SEL, curriculum updates and adult supports; attendance indicators improved from 83 students with at least one absence/tardy/dismissal in September to 61, and AP participation and scores earned national recognition.
The Manchester‑Essex Regional high school presented an update on school improvement initiatives Oct. 15, highlighting efforts to embed the district 'vision of the graduate' in classroom assessments, expand social‑emotional learning, and pursue interdisciplinary curriculum work.
Julie (high‑school presenter) described department‑level common assessments aligned to the vision and said students are increasingly able to articulate those goals. She noted expanded counseling, a new director of school and college counseling, and recent hires in computer science and band.
On outcomes, Julie reported district recognition on AP measures: 84% of seniors took at least one AP exam during high‑school careers and 77% of those scores were 3 or higher, contributing to an AP honor roll and an 'access award.' On attendance, staff sampled September data and reported 83 students had at least one absence/tardy/dismissal in the comparison period; in the most recent sample that number fell to 61, which presenters described as a positive trend.
Staff also described priorities moving forward: curriculum reviews with department chairs, more interdisciplinary professional development time to link learning to real‑world applications, and efforts to strengthen cultural competency in the curriculum.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about schedule alignment, singleton courses that meet only once per rotation, and how class‑section definitions affected the apparent shift in core versus elective section percentages. Administrators said they will look closer at definitions and return with reconciled counts.
The high‑school team will continue work on the improvement plan and report on student‑voice survey results and curriculum review milestones at future meetings.
