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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-02-27 School Committee MinutesOF t� O / Town of Reading 4 Meeting Minutes kLL`� TOWN READING, Board - Committee - Commission - Council: 1811 MAY 1 1 P School Committee 35 t Date: 2017-02-27 Time: 7:00 PM Building: School - Memorial High Location: RMHS Schettini Library Address: 82 Oakland Road Session: Open Session Purpose: Open Session Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: Jeanne Borawski, Elaine Webb, Linda Snow Dockser, Gary Nihan, Nick Boivin Members - Not Present: Chuck Robinson, Director of Student Services Carolyn Wilson, Student Representative Mario Cutone Others Present: Superintendent John Doherty, Director of Finance Gail Dowd, Assistant Superintendent Craig Martin, Joshua Eaton principal Eric Sprung, Joshua Eaton School Council Co -Chair Christine Lusk, School Committee candidate Erin Calvo Bacci, Reading Chronicle Reporter Al Sylvia, Marianne Downing Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Linda Engelson on behalf of the Chair Topics of Discussion: I. Call to Order Chair Borawski called the School Committee to order at 7:03 p.m. and reviewed the agenda. II. Recommended Procedure A. Public Comment There was no public comment. B. Consent A eg nda Mr. Boivin asked the Committee if there were any consent agenda items that they would like removed. Dr. Snow Dockser asked to remove the January 12 and February 6, 2017 minutes. Mrs. Borawski asked that the January 26, 2017 minutes be removed. Both will be approved at a later meeting. Page 1 1 Mr. Boivin moved, seconded by Dr. Nihan, to approve the consent al4enda as amended. The motion carried 5-0. - Approval of RMHS Interact Club Field Trip C. Resorts Student Representatives Student Representative Alex Nazzaro reported on the following: • The RMHS Drama Club will be presenting 1776 this weekend • The RMHS Winter Sports had a great winter season with girls basketball and boys and girls hockey moving onto post season tournaments. Girls track had 7 athletes make it to the States with one advancing to the All - States. Wrestling had two wrestlers advance to the States and Sectional tournaments and Gymnastics won the Middlesex League Championship with an undefeated season and finished 7d' in the North Sectionals. Liaison's Report Dr. Nihan congratulated Tom Zaya and all those involved with the wrestling program on hosting the recent state tournament. He has heard nothing but positive feedback. Mrs. Webb highlighted two items in this week's Pathways that featured a current and a former student. She encouraged the community to read this communication on a regular basis. Chair Borawski said she, Superintendent Doherty and other committee members attended the recent Finance Committee meeting and felt it was a wonderful discussion. The Finance Committee is sensitive to how the school department cuts will affect the continued progress of the district mission and goals. Mrs. Webb pointed out that the School Committee Recommended budget has been distributed and thanked Mrs. Borawski for the excellent School Committee message. She encouraged the public to review this document and if they had questions to attend the meetings or the School Committee Office Hour. Dr. Snow Dockser echoed Mrs. Webb's sentiments saying that the budget document is very readable. Dr. Snow Dockser reported that the Human Relations Advisory Committee will be meeting on March 2"d with Senator Jason Lewis as the guest. Other agenda items include the Human Rights resolution that the group has contributed to and the committee structure. There is a meeting of the MA. Association of Human Rights on March 3rd in Medford that she will be attending. She shared that the SEPAC has several upcoming events and encouraged the public to check out the website which has been updated. The next meeting of the SEPAC will be March 11 d'. Superintendent's Report Page 1 2 Dr. Doherty read the joint press release from Chief Segalla and him that went out to the community regarding the RMHS break-in early Monday morning. Chair Borawski thanked the Superintendent for getting this information out in a timely manner. Dr. Doherty took time to thank Director of Finance Gail Dowd for all the time and effort she put into the budget development. She did an unbelievable job in the first four months on the job. The Town Manager has released his budget to the Finance Committee. In meetings with the Town Manager, Dr. Doherty has discussed making the formats of the budget documents similar, so you will see many similarities in the documents. The Superintendent next reported on a citizen's request for information. We will now add to our agenda and packet copies of email correspondence received by the School Committee. Mrs. Borawski would like to be cognizant of protecting the public privacy making them aware that any correspondence to the School Committee is a matter of public record. Mrs. Webb once again encouraged the public to use the available documents to answer questions they may have. D. Old Business Joshua Eaton School Improvement Update Mr. Sprung began by updating the committee on progress made in literacy. The results of the data collection have been analyzed which has led to the K-3 teachers receiving training on the new reading program including in -class model lessons based on the Writer's Workshop Model. We have purchased books for independent reading and small group lessons and each teacher received program books with instructional practices and program resources. In 3 — 4 weeks teachers will review progress, identify future training needs, and additional training can occur. There has been additional time allotted for student interventions and grade 4/5 teachers will conduct observations in other schools in Writing. Progress made in communication includes the School Council reviewing school communication and information available for parents and the communication team met to review the website content and using information from a survey done in 2015 there is hope for a follow-up survey in the spring of 2017. The addition of a Special Education teacher addresses the IEP needs and allows for appropriate caseloads. Mrs. Wilson has scheduled Special Education training with Alan Blume which included effective IEP writing and the development of a service delivery grid. He worked with the Bridge Program and Learning Center staff. Page 1 3 Mr. Sprung updated the committee on the after-school program, MCAS preparation, mindfulness and attendance data. The DESE has released the practice questions and tutorials and accommodations are being finalized. A schedule is being developed for students to build familiarity with testing and the questions. The teachers are reviewing attendance data on a regular basis and identifying students that may need additional supports. The WASH Committee is hosting a guest speaker in March addressing mindfulness practices in kids and teens. There have also been additional resources added to the classrooms in the building. Mr. Sprung shared the next steps including MCAS trainings and practice tests leading up to spring administration, Literacy Coach Tricia Stodden providing model lessons, opportunities for Eaton teachers to observe other teachers in the district in the area of writing, identifying ways the Library/Media program can be enhanced to align with the Reading program goals, continued data analysis for students below grade level, continued analysis of the Special Education programming aligning IEP needs and state curriculum frameworks, and reviewing preparedness of Eaton grade 5 students transitioning to middle school. Mr. Sprung shared some thoughts on his departure and the transition to new leadership at Joshua. Eaton. He shared a timeline of his time in Reading and reiterated that his decision to leave Reading is a personal one. It is in the best interest of his family. This decision has nothing to do with anyone or anything related to Reading and is no reflection on Joshua Eaton, the Reading Public School or Dr. Doherty. He went on to state that the Reading Public Schools and Dr. Doherty have been nothing but supportive of him providing additional staffing and supplies to ensure the school improvement plan needs are supported. Mrs. Borawski wished Mr. Sprung the best and thanked him, on behalf of the School Committee, for all he has done for the Reading Public Schools. Dr. Nihan asked about the special education caseloads. Mr. Sprung said with the addition of the teacher the caseload can be spread out. Mrs. Borawski asked if the Reading program is being considered a pilot. Mr. Martin indicated that it is a pilot for reading and writing standards and we are looking at the writing portion being expanded in the next 2 — 3 years. We are currently talking to other districts on how they feel it works. Dr. Nihan asked what the reading model looked like. Mr. Sprung said there is a 10 to 15 -minute mini -lesson, the kids are reading alone or doing shared reading as the teacher moves around the classroom checking in on the students. At the end of the session there is a group debrief. Dr. Nihan next expressed concerns about teachers being out of the classroom and how this is balanced. Mr. Sprung said that this aspect is challenging but values the opportunities for teachers to collaborate with peers. Dr. Nihan asked how the Lucy Calkins program differs from the previous reading program. Mr. Sprung pointed out that the biggest shift in this is an individualized workshop model with structured conversations and teacher instruction daily. Page 1 4 Dr. Nihan finished up by asking if the Fundations (phonics) was still used. Mr. Sprung indicated that it is still maintained addressing fluency and comprehension skills. Mr. Boivin asked about continuity. Mr. Sprung said there have been grade level trainings with him and Ms. Stodden. Teachers observe a model lesson and go back to their classrooms and use this model to teach their students. After 3 to 4 weeks there is a check in where Ms. Stodden and the reading specialist observe in the classrooms. Dr. Snow Dockser said she has seen progress vertically. She asked about MCAS/PARCC preparation and wondered if the test prep has quality that exercises the correct things. She appreciates the richness of the workshop model and what the kids are accomplishing and how they are challenging themselves. Dr. Dockser wants to be assured that while taking the practice tests, all other good practices are not put in a holding pattern. Dr. Snow Dockser is concerned that in the effort to improve test results, that we will focus our attention on test preparation and not nurturing the education, creativity and problem solving abilities of our students. Mr. Sprung feels the best way to prepare the students is to teach it using the good instructional practices used in the classroom. The challenge when taking a computer based test is to become familiar with the format and tools which cannot necessarily be incorporated in the instructional routine. The students need to become familiar with the tools allowing them to become more comfortable when taking the assessment. Skills being taught are reinforced while the students are taking these practice test (what reading and writing skills are you using) while taking the test. In doing this the kids will become more familiar with the tools and format and will see the connections to the instruction they have been receiving in the classroom. Mrs. Borawski thanked Mr. Sprung for sharing this information tonight. E. New Business Dr. Doherty reviewed the Joshua Eaton Principal Search process and timeline. He feels this process has been successful in previous searches and hopes to have the screening committee chosen by Wednesday. Mr. Boivin moved, seconded by Mrs. Webb, to approve the Joshua Eaton Principal Search process and timeline as presented. The motion carried 5-0. District Improvement Plan and Superintendent Goals Update Dr. Doherty updated the committee on progress being made on the District Improvement Plan beginning with Focus Area A — Closing the Achievement Gap. Each school is using data to identify students who may require interventions, schools are using intervention blocks or after school supports for students who may be at risk and there are discussions at all levels about levels and sequences of courses and identifying ways to ensure that all students have equitable access to higher level curriculum and instruction. Page 1 5 Focus Area B — Literacy was discussed next. Progress made in this area includes the implementation of Writer's Workshop in grades K-5, to better align with state standards for writing, more emphasis being place on calibration of common assessments including Fountas and Pinnell reading benchmark as a future predictor of MCAS performance, more focus on reading comprehension appropriate instructional texts, and the writing -reading connection as indicated in the state standards, coaching support being provided to teachers to help implement curriculum and utilize resources and literacy across content areas is a focus area, including resources to provide non-fiction reading skills to students. Focus Area C — Mathematics Practices progress includes professional development in differentiated instruction being implemented at the middle schools, Assessing Math Concepts assessments being administered to Grades K — 2 in all elementary schools, an increased number of students accessing higher level courses and new secondary math sequences being implemented for next year. Focus Area D — Social Emotional Learning — Progress in this area includes the pilot of the SBIRT evaluation process at Grade 9. This pilot was very successful and will be implemented in two grades next year. Grade 3 — 5 Health Education lessons are being taught outside the regular physical education classes, the implementation of Building Leadership teams, coaching support being provided for all building leadership teams to successfully implement the next phase of MTSS and several schools have seen decreases in office discipline referrals from the 2015-16 school year to the 2016-17 school year. Focus Area E — Effective and Proactive Two Way Communication — Progress made in this area includes the implementation of new district and school websites, the implementation of the parent portal for easier access to communication, the implementation of a new grade book program integrated with the portal, weekly Superintendent Office Hours, the increase in the use of social media and an updated student information management system. Mr. Boivin asked if there had been more goals prior to 2016. Dr. Doherty said there were but have changed the view through the 4 lenses with the intent to address the needs of the district correctly. The reduction is also due to budgetary restraints. Superintendent Doherty moved on to his goals. The student learning goal is closing the achievement gap and his professional practice goal is communication. The Superintendent will be approaching his student learning goal by resetting the pace and timelines on all our focus areas due to non -goal related competing priorities. The District Leadership team will work over the summer to further prioritize the timeline. Individual schools will be committing their time and energy on the focus areas of greatest need as stated by student and school data. This year's budget process has impacted the district involvement in the District Improvement Plan process. There have been significantly more questions than in previous years requiring each district administrator to commit significantly more time to this process. The Building and District administrators need to be able to Page 1 6 shift more of their time from managing to leading so that we can support our teachers and staff to implement the District Improvement Plan. III. Routine Matters a. Bills and Payroll (A) None b. Calendar IV. Information Mrs. Webb reminded the community of the upcoming Understanding Disabilities presentation on March 13`h in the PAC entitled Just Talk about It. Mr. Boivin shared that Samantha's Harvest will be holding a fundraiser at Bunratty's on March 4t'. Marianne Downing requested the district consider bringing back the fall report card at the elementary level. V. Future Business VI. Adjournment Adjourn Dr. Nihan moved, seconded by Mrs Webb, to adjourn. The motion carried 5 —0. The meeting adjourned at 9.55 p.m. NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. Jo . Dohe y, d.D. Page 1 7