MCAS/Accountability Results for 2013

Last Monday night our new Director of Curriculum Maureen Cohen and I delivered the annual presentation on the latest round of MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) tests and each school's accountability rating to the Regional School Committee.  Here is the "10,000 foot view" in a screencast below:


Not to digress, but I hope you like the format of the "screencast," which was created completely on an iPad using the app Explain Everything.  It really is a nice way to add video, audio, and even animation to something like a PowerPoint presentation.

I would characterize this year's MCAS results as positive, but also mixed.  I am pleased that our overall proficiency levels in English language arts and mathematics continue to rise, as there was a 3% and 5% increase, respectively, in those tests across all grade levels within the district.  While our aggregate scores are showing incremental progress, we must do more to address the learning of our students with the greatest needs.

Under the state's accountability system, schools and districts must not only increase the scores (and meet established performance targets) of all students, but also those of significant "subgroups," e.g., various racial groups, students with disabilities, students from poverty, English language learners (ELLs), etc.   As the MURSD has a relatively small amount of students in these subgroups, the State Department of Education mixes the special education, high poverty, and ELL students into a larger subgroup known as "high needs."  It is in this subgroup where our district must focus greater attention, as across the various grade levels, we are not meeting the targets.

Below in this post you can access the PowerPoint that was delivered to the Regional School Committee on Monday.  It contains the district data for every grade level and every MCAS test.  Or if you would like to see the data broken down by each school, please visit our District Dashboard, which has been updated to reflect the 2013 State Assessments.

Welcome to Harvest for Students Week!

Fall is definitely in the air... and there isn't a better time of the year for the harvest of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Hence, the Massachusetts Farm to School Project, which the MURSD just joined, is sponsoring its 7th annual Harvest for Students Week 2013.  The week kicks off the larger National Farm to School month (October).  Both the national and state projects have the same mission:  to encourage healthy food choices by increasing students' exposure to seasonal fruits and vegetables while also supporting local farmers and heightening interest in school meals.

I am excited that the district has joined the Farm to School Project.  Actually, I feel as if it is a no-brainer, given what we want to accomplish in teaching kids life-long healthy eating habits and the proud farming tradition of our two communities.  Our entree into the program will start with the project's Harvest of the Month campaign, where a new, locally grown fruit or vegetable will be introduced in our four schools' cafeterias each month.  With this campaign a different Massachusetts-grown crop will be featured in a meal at least twice per month.  The featured crops for the next few months are:

The Farm to School Project will provide us with plenty of promotional material, recipes, etc. to publicize the crops.  They also have created partnerships with large local growers who provide participating districts with the produce at cut rates, ones that are typically better than the state's technical bids for food service programs.  For example, the pears and apples we will be serving are fresh from Lanni Orchards in Lunenberg.  Hence, it's a win-win situation.

Changing habits is never easy, and this is definitely true when introducing new foods to kids.  Apples? Probably no problem.... but kale???  This is where our Food Service Director Dianne Braga and her talented managers must meet the challenge.  Dianne tells me that they will be coming up with creative, kid-friendly choices that they will sample throughout the months.  (She shared with me the recipe for baked kale chips:  think of a healthier potato chip that is baked with a touch of olive oil and sea salt!) Whatever the recipe, the staff will first sample it to students before scaling to a full side for a lunch.

Kudos to Dianne and the cafeteria staff for bringing this worthwhile program to the MURSD!

State Senator Richard Moore, MURSD Food Service Director Dianne Braga and I gave fresh apples, pears, and apple cider to Miscoe 6th graders today.