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Rockport schools show mixed accountability results; high school chronic absenteeism rises
Summary
District presenters told the Rockport School Committee the district made 'substantial progress toward targets' overall but that high school chronic absenteeism rose to 22.9% (target 18.8%), while elementary schools exceeded several targets. The committee scheduled a deeper MCAS/student‑level presentation at a later meeting.
District staff presented the state accountability snapshot and MCAS context at the Oct. 2 Rockport School Committee meeting, showing mixed results across the district.
Miss Goodyear, introduced by district leadership to present accountability data, explained the accountability framework combines achievement, student growth, results for the lowest-performing students and chronic absenteeism. "All of our Rockport schools are in substantial progress towards targets this year with the results," she said.
At the high school level the presentation reported 51% progress toward targets and a 58th percentile school ranking. While science achievement exceeded the target and growth measures produced some points, the high school’s chronic absenteeism rose to 22.9% against a target of 18.8%, a decline that yielded no points in that indicator. The presenter defined "chronically absent" as missing more than 10% of the school year (about 18 days).
The middle school showed substantial progress (54% toward targets, 64th percentile) with mixed results on ELA and math narrow margins. The elementary schools performed best overall (61st percentile, about 70% toward targets), exceeding targets in science and showing improved chronic absenteeism measures for its lowest-performing students.
Committee members asked for student-level cohort data and local context to temper statewide snapshots. The superintendent and staff said a follow-up presentation focused on MCAS cohort and student-level analysis will be scheduled at the next meeting so the committee can see individual student growth and recommended interventions.
Next steps: staff will deliver a more student-level MCAS presentation in two weeks, provide school-by-school raw scores and explain recommended classroom-level supports.
