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District reviews 2025 MCCAST results, spotlights school-level interventions and attendance concerns
Summary
The Office of Teaching and Learning presented 2025 MCCAST and other assessment data, highlighted gains and declines across schools, and outlined interventions including co-teaching for EL students, PDSA cycles, Saturday remediation and tutoring funded by a Metro West Community Foundation grant.
The Marlborough Office of Teaching and Learning delivered a comprehensive review of 2025 MCCAST results and local assessment data, outlining school‑by‑school priorities and interventions.
R.J., the district’s instructional lead, said the district overall is "not requiring assistance or intervention" but noted mixed results on assessment targets: "52% of targets were made which qualifies as substantial progress toward targets," R.J. said. He outlined a set of priorities including calibrating feedback to teachers, tying professional development to roadmap goals, and empowering assistant principals and educational team leaders as instructional supports.
The presentation highlighted several school-specific actions: Wickcom School reduced the share of students not meeting expectations in grade‑6 ELA from 44% to 37% by using an instructional PDSA (plan‑do‑study‑act) cycle. Principal House’s team will continue the approach and use targeted Saturday sessions funded through a "targeted assistance" grant for re‑engagement and remediation. R.J. said the district received a grant from the Metro West Community Foundation to pilot a math tutoring program that will serve 20 sixth‑grade students with high‑impact tutoring delivered virtually in partnership with college students.
For the high school, presenters noted an overall accountability percentile decline in some measures while also highlighting wins such as reduced drop rates (current drop rate reported at 1.4%) and points earned for chronic absenteeism targets in parts of the accountability model. The district emphasized that cohort and grade‑level comparisons differ and pledged to use MCCAST together with beginning‑of‑year NWA data for targeted response plans.
Special education and EL services were a theme: the district is shifting to co‑teaching models for EL students to keep level‑one and level‑two English learners in grade‑level classrooms while providing support, and committed to reviewing how much time students with disabilities spend pulled out of general education (noting the district has a higher partial‑inclusion rate than the state average).
Superintendent Defalco and staff described an action plan that includes ongoing learning walks, routine progress monitoring on six‑week cycles, targeted tutoring and after‑school programs, and replication of promising practices across schools. Committee members asked about multi‑year trend analysis and how the district will ensure consistency of supports as the system expands or schools merge.
No formal board action was taken; the presentation will inform district goals and staff follow‑up plans, and principals and central office staff said they will return with progress updates.
