Minutes
Teaching and Learning Subcommittee Meeting
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
A meeting of the Teaching and Learning Subcommittee was held on Tuesday, October 23, 2012 at
4:30 pm in the 2
nd Floor Conference Room at the NAGE Building. Present were Mr. Paul Bregoli, Mrs.
Kathryn Hubley, Ms. Barbara Isola, Mr. Dave McCarthy, and, Mrs. Emily Lebo Chair. Also attending
were Superintendent Richard DeCristofaro, Assistant Superintendent Colleen Roberts, Mr. Robert
Cavallo, Mrs. Mary Fredrickson, Ms. Ellen Garofalo, Ms. Beth Hallett, Ms. Ellen Hunter, Ms. Madeline
Roy, Mr. Keith Segalla, and Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk.
Mrs. Lebo called the meeting to order at 4:35.
Mr. Keith Segalla presented the Educational Technology Program Improvement Plan, noting that
Educational Technology is an integral part of the Quincy Public Schools with the achievement of goals
a collaborative effort between the Mayor, the School Committee, City IT and School IT, the Districtwide teams Curriculum and Principal Teams, and the schools PTOs to enhance and enrich educational
opportunities for all students. Mr. Segalla reflected on the program’s 2011-2012 goals including
supporting the rollout of the new QPS website through training, which was completed; the transition
to Staff Academy, which is still ongoing, and the Educational Leadership Team Event about
Technology which was deferred by the focus on the transition to the Common Core State Standards,
but extensive training was provided for new products which 22 ELT team members took part in. The
Education Technology program’s goals for 2012-2013 are: (1) Collaborate with the Information
Technology Team to research, design, and develop scholastic components of the QPS 2013-2016
Technology Plan, specifically Technology Integration and Literacy, Technology Professional
Development, Accessibility of Technology, Virtual Learning and Communications; (2) research
educational technology programs across different grade levels in the areas of credit recovery, digital
textbooks, digital library programs and continue to support existing instructional technology
programs; and (3) research, develop, and recommend to the Superintendent an effective acceptable
use policy for all staff and students outlining appropriate behaviors and guidelines for access to
educational technology, access to the internet, and access to the QPS technology network. Ms. Isola
requested that an updated home access survey be completed and asked for breakdown by school
and summarized by elementary, middle, and high school levels. Mrs. Lebo asked about any online
school/virtual learning courses currently in use; PASS and the Quincy Evening High School are using
Plato and at Quincy High School, an AP Physics course is using an eTextbook. Mrs. Lebo suggested
that the Acceptable Use goal will be ongoing as we will always have to monitor and update the policy
to align with changing technology, especially when it comes to protecting student privacy. Mrs. Lebo
asked about Curriculum Guide availability; Mrs. Roberts said that the high schools were updated for
NEASC and the grades K-8 Curriculum Guides are in development, but not completed.
Ms. Isola made a motion to approve the Educational Technology Program Improvement Plan. Mrs.
Hubley seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Ms. Hallet then presented the English Language Learners Program Improvement Plan and noted the
many from previous years in terms of new initiatives. As of September 2012, there is an ELL program
in every school including both high schools having parallel programmatic access. For the ELL program
design, the new framework is called World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) but the
number of hours of instruction per day has not changed. New ELL students will be tested using a new
tool: WIDA Access Placement Test, since this is aligned to new standards/framework and the new
English Language Proficiency test (ACCESS for ELLs) which will be given in January 2013 for the first
time.
Reflecting on the 2011-12 goals, all five goals were completed: (1) fully implemented the ELL Reading
program Cornerstones through multiple professional development sessions; (2) streamlining of data
collection across all grade levels; (3) reviewed procedures and protocols for implementing MEPA
online. This was completed, although the MEPA test has now been replaced by WIDA, the lessons
learned will carry forward into the new testing era. Three middle schools and NQHS successfully
completed their testing online. (4) Re-evaluating and updating the process for formal monitoring of
FLEP students was completed and the process will be used going forward and (5) continuing to offer
academic and community support for LEP students and their families through the very successful
programs at Parker and Snug Harbor that will be continued this school year. In the MCAS results for
Spring 2012, Quincy outperformed the state levels for ELA, Math, Science (all grades, all subject
areas). Since the AMAO Data will not be available until December 2012, the student growth
measures will be shared at a later meeting.
The goals for 2012-2013 (elementary/middle and middle/high school vertical teams) are: (1) to begin
implementation of the newly-adopted WIDA Framework through professional development, training
and instructional practice for the purpose of ELL Program curriculum development and alignment and
(2) to successfully complete mandatory training of all ELL staff for the January-February 2013
implementation of MA DESE’s new English Language Proficiency assessment, ACCESS for ELLs. Mrs.
Lebo asked about the complexity of administering this test, given student population (1300 students)
who will be tested by 31 ELL teachers and supplemented by other teachers across the 5-week testing
window. Ms. Hallett replied that this test is very challenging to administer system-wide; there are
three levels of testing and each ELL student will be assigned to a level and testing scheduled based on
that level. Anticipating students who may move in between November and January also part of the
planning.
The system-wide ELL team goals are (1) to assist with the introduction and initial implementation of
the new English Language Development framework adopted by Massachusetts WIDA in curriculum
planning and classroom instruction; and (2) to ensure successful training and certification by January
2013 of ELL and SEI content area teachers who will administer for the first time the Massachusetts
English Language proficiency assessment, ACCESS for ELLs.
Mrs. Lebo asked about Category training and what will replace this requirement at the state level.
RETELL (Rethinking Equity in Teaching ELLs) will be rolled out over the next six years; any teacher who
took 2 of 3 Category training will be grandfathered. There will be bridge courses for these
professional staff members. Administrators who evaluate ELL teachers will now be required to have
this training as well. This is a very ambitious DESE initiative with a goal of July 2016 completion. For
new teachers, the training will be integrated into their higher education training. Mr. Bregoli asked
about the parenting courses; Ms. Hallett said that the courses were offered in conjunction with
Quincy Asian Resources and South Shore Mental Health. This course is based on the Active Parenting
concept and taught in the parents’ native language to orient them to the school community and
establishing contact with teachers and administrators. The initial program was a 2-hour seminar for
six weeks; some sites have had a follow-up support group. Mr. Bregoli asked about service delivery at
the high school level vs. the elementary school levels. Ms. Hallet explained that the elementary
programs are pull-out, usually during the Literacy block, 2.5 hours of service per day for Levels 1 and
2 students. As students become more fluent, the hours of service decrease. In high school, the ELL
courses are curriculum based and satisfy graduation requirements.
Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the English Language Learners Program Improvement Plan.
Ms. Isola seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Ms. Roy presented the Title I Program Improvement Plan, reviewing the Title I mission to provide
increased and improved educational opportunities for students in schools with a high incidence of
poverty. Success is measured through student performance on MCAS, literacy assessments,
benchmark screenings, family participation, and family and staff surveys. Title I is a federal program,
administered by the state through grants to cities and towns; QPS operates a school-wide model
rather than targeted assistance so all students and families benefit from the upgrading of the school’s
entire instructional program. Early literacy and math are targets for all four of the Title I schools; all
instructional materials, assessments, and professional development are evidence-based programs.
Reflecting on last years’ goals, the first related to developing a unified writing curriculum for Grades 2
and 3, but this will be ongoing given the changes to the framework. The second goal was a review of
Professional Development initiatives and coordinating the implementation of these program
elements to form a coherent unified curriculum for effective Response to Intervention; this goal was
completed, with the Title I Professional Development Plan being the result.
Goals for this year include developing a comprehensive program of appropriate and effective services
at all levels to address the needs of underperforming students. In addition, the team will continue to
review new and existing writing resources and support staff in developing year-end writing
benchmarks, a common writing task, and rubric for grades 2-3 in the Title I schools. The Title I team
will begin to identify and organize documents required for the Coordinated Program Review. In
addition, the HILL for Literacy will provide consultation for ILT facilitators and administrators, and for
the Literacy Leadership team, focused on the effective use of the DIBELS Next data to identify and
plan for students in need of Tier 2 and 3 support and intensive intervention. HILLS will provide the
professional development service and the team will support the PD and carry the message forward.
HILL is helping the Integrated Learning Teams look at the data differently. Professional development
will support all of these goals and focus on effective use of data, literacy, writing, and comprehension.
Set-aside plan for grant funds will provide for additional professional development, after school
activities and summer opportunities.
Mrs. Hubley inquired about Math initiatives and Ms. Roy spoke of Snug Harbor’s initiatives in Math
and the intention to expand these over time. Mr. Bregoli asked about private schools participating in
the Title I grant; Ms. Roy noted that the Quincy Catholic Academy and Mutafasin Academy both have
eligible families. Neither school has responded beyond participating in professional development.
(Title I, Title IIA, and Title III all require outreach to the private schools; many teachers from these
schools took the QPS Category trainings.)
Ms. Isola made a motion to accept the Title I Program Improvement Plan. Mrs. Hubley seconded the
motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
The last item on the agenda was a review of the No Child Left Behind Waiver. Mrs. Fredrickson
presented a brief overview beginning with what was waived: Adequate Yearly Progress, the goal of
100% proficiency, levels based on achievement alone, classification of schools based on one
subgroup, school choice, and supplemental education services. The new focus is on School
Improvement and a reduction in the proficiency gap by half by 2016-2017. Accountability decisions
are calculated for achievement and growth. High schools are also accountable for increasing Cohort
Graduation and decreasing Dropout Rates.
The PPI classification is based on all students and high needs (sped services/FLEP/low income);
weighted four year analysis. Districts are still classified based upon lowest performing schools.
Elementary and Middle schools have 5 indicators (except Marshall and LH, which do not have Grade 5
Science); High Schools have 7 indicators because of the cohort graduation rate and annual dropout
rate. Quincy is classified as Level 3, since there are several Level 3 schools. Title I set-asides will be
affected since the reserves for Supplemental Education Services and School Choice are no longer
needed. This will allow QPS to offer programs to students beyond the four Title I schools.
Mrs. Hubley made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 6:00 pm. Ms. Isola seconded the motion and
on a voice vote, the ayes have it.