QUINCY SCHOOL COMMITTEE
TEACHING & LEARNING SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING ~ May 11,
2022
A meeting of the Teaching &
Learning Subcommittee was held on Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 6:15 pm in the
Coddington Building. Present were Subcommittee Members Mrs. Tina Cahill, Mr.
Frank Santoro, and Mrs. Emily Lebo, Chair. Also attending were School Committee members
Mr. Paul Bregoli and Mr. Doug Gutro; Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Assistant
Superintendent Erin Perkins, Ms. Kara Bobrov, Ms. Virginia Cushman, Ms. Maura
Papile, Ms. Kimberley Quinn, Ms. Madeline Roy, Mr. Keith Segalla, Ms. Bridget
Vaughan, Ms. Heather Wojcik; Quincy College Associate Vice President of Student
Success & Partnerships Meghan Cassidy; and Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk.
Executive
Director of Career Vocational & Technical Education Keith Segalla shared demographic
information for the 149 Grades 10, 11, and 12 students currently enrolled in
the Early College High School program.
84% of the students enrolled earned 3 Quincy College credits in the
first semester by earning at least a 73 in the class (September 2021-February
2022). The students who did not earn
college credit still received high school credit for successfully passing the
class with a grade above 63. Students
who enter the program in Grade 10 can earn up to 19 college credits by the time
they graduate.
In addition
to our dedicated high school instructors and their Quincy College colleagues,
the students are supported by the Early College High School Pathway Support
Team. Each high school has ECHS Pathway
School Counselors and ECHS College Transition Coaches who work with students
during the daily Student Support Block on College & Career Readiness
Skills, including time management and organization, goal setting, health &
wellness, and effective communication. In
addition, the staff work with students and families on college activities and
post-graduation planning. Communication
with parents happens on a regular basis via email and the teams from the two
high schools meet to share best practices.
For the
2022-2023 school year, recruitment is underway with information shared with
students and families during the course selection process. Individual meetings were held with interested
and eligible students, and guidance provided to complete the application
process. Projected enrollment is 225
between the two high schools and all new students will be invited to an
orientation. Applications are still
being accepted and the hope is the enrollment will continue to grow.
The Early
College High School program benefits from several grants: $500,000 annually for three years from the
State Street Foundation for tuition, books & supplies, salaries for ECHS
College Transition Coaches and Guidance Counselors; $200,000 from DESE for
textbook, supplies, staff collaboration compensation, and professional
development; and $90,000 from DESE for summer programming. Grade 12 ECHS students graduating in June
have been offered a full tuition scholarship for the 2022-2023 academic year,
up to 24 credits including fees and textbooks.
ECHS support staff are assisting with registration and course selection,
including the FAFSA process.
Program
enhancements for 2022-2023 include a Grade 12 Mathematics class (Statistics)
and the potential to earn Honors credits.
The Summer Institute will give students entering Grades 11 and 12 the
opportunity to take 1 or 2 college courses at Quincy College, which will not
count towards high school credits. The
grant covers tuition, fees, lunch, and transportation costs. The team concluded
the presentation by reviewing the takeaways, challenges, and successes of the
program.
Mr. Gutro
asked about the video shown at the beginning of the presentation. Mr. Segalla said there is one for each high
school. The video creation was funded by
State Street and customized for each school.
DESE may use the videos to assist other school districts.
Mr. Gutro
asked if the program is capped at 250.
Mr. Segalla said if additional students signed up, additional staffing
will be required. Mr. Segalla noted that
enrollment is open to all students, with a priority for EL, Special Education,
and economically disadvantaged students (the terms of the grant).
Mr. Gutro
asked about the disparity in students earning credit. Ms. Cassidy noted that students were still
eligible to earn high school credits even if they did not earn college
credits. These students received more
intensive supports for meeting expectations for the second semester. Mr. Segalla noted that several students moved
away and so left the program without receiving credit.
Mr. Gutro
asked what makes the courses more rigorous.
Ms. Costello said that the courses are semester-long rather than full
year and were developed in collaboration with Quincy College instructors and are
aligned in content and expected outcomes to Quincy College courses.
Mr. Gutro
asked about the financial health of the college, are the scholarships offered
in the hope that students will continue to attend Quincy College. Ms. Costello said that this is all part of
being community partners, increased interest in post-graduate education and
keeping non-traditional students engaged in college are the goals.
Mrs. Cahill
asked about support so that students don’t become discouraged with the rigor or
challenges. Ms. Cushman said that
students with IEPs often receive additional support through Strategies classes
and that one of the lessons for this year is that EL students with higher
fluency were more successful.
Mrs. Cahill
asked how we can support students who may be struggling before they get to the
point where they don’t receive ECHS credits.
Ms. Cushman said that optional tutoring was added as a support for the 2nd
semester and will be available all year in 2022-2023.
Mrs. Cahill
asked about students going to college after high school. All the students have a plan to go to
college, whether at Quincy College or another institution. Mr. Segalla noted that 56 of the students are
also CVTE students and some are receiving Dual Enrollment credits as well.
Mr. Santoro
thanked the presenters, the work to identify the students and provide the
supports to ensure they can have these opportunities. It is so meaningful that the students have a
pathway where they may not have seen one previously.
Mr. Bregoli
asked for potential college credits, 22 for a student entering in Grade 10 in
the 2022-23 school year. The credits are
accepted at most colleges and universities in New England.
Mrs. Lebo said
that the balance of male and female students is good to see, male college
enrollment has dropped off nationwide.
Mrs. Lebo asked about recommendations, it is part of the application
process but not required. If the program
becomes oversubscribed, there will be a more formal process with weight given
to recommendation.
Mrs. Lebo
asked about interaction with the Quincy College instructors, last summer QPS
teachers had the opportunity to collaborate with instructors and this will
continue this summer.
Mrs. Lebo
asked for clarification, the end of semester assessments are the same as at the
college.
Mrs. Lebo
asked about use of the MyCap program (similar to Naviance). Mr. Segalla said
there is some training offered but we haven’t made the decision to move to this
platform.
Mrs. Lebo
asked about when the students transition to Quincy College, Ms. Costello said a
team is being put together at the College to be points of contact for these
students. Mrs. Lebo complimented the
transition plans.
Curriculum Team
Administrator Kimberley Quinn updated on the Mathematics curriculum for Grades
3-5 to be implemented in 2022-2023 school year.
As with Kindergarten-Grade 2, Illustrative
Math was selected. Under a grant from
DESE, the curriculum materials will be funded for next year. Training will begin in the fall for the
initial phase of the two-year roll out and optional Professional Development
will be offered over the summer. For
Grades K-2, training is complete, so full implementation will begin in the
fall. There will also be professional
development for principals on supporting and evaluating staff during the
implementation. DESE grant funding will
support professional development and online platform. A Parent Academy will be scheduled for the
fall for the Illustrative Math program, along with elementary school Math
events, and visits to PTO meetings.
Coordinator
of ELA Bridget Vaughan announced that K-5 has selected Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts. Under the funding provided by the DESE GLEAM
grant, a screening tool has been selected for dyslexia. Building-based Literacy Leaders participated
in the evaluation of programs through a 10-week field test of 40 general and
special education teachers.
Mrs. Lebo
thanked the presenters, they were clearly invested in stakeholder evaluation in
the selection process
Mrs. Cahill made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:00
pm. Mr. Santoro seconded the motion and
on a voice vote, the ayes have it.