Minutes
Quincy, Massachusetts – November 12, 2014
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Regular Meeting
A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday,
November 12, 2014 in the Coddington Building. Present were Mr. Paul Bregoli,
Mr. Noel DiBona, Ms. Barbara Isola, Mayor Thomas Koch, Mrs. Anne Mahoney,
Mr. David McCarthy, and Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Vice Chair.
Vice-Chair
Presiding
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The Superintendent called the roll and Mrs. Mahoney was absent. Also
present were: Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Secretary; Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk;
Mr. Michael Draicchio, Mrs. Mary Fredrickson, Mr. James Mullaney, Deputy
Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Mrs. Maura Papile, Mrs. Erin Perkins, Ms.
Madeline Roy, Ms. Judy Todd; Ms. Allison Cox, President, Quincy Education
Association; Scott Alessandro, Citywide Parent Council Co-President; and
Student Representatives to School Committee Mr. Michael Mullaney (North
Quincy High School) and Ms. Isabella Cobble (Quincy High School).
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There was a moment of silence for Dr. Mary Lydon, former Physical
Education and Health teacher, then Physical Education Department Chair,
over 40 years of service to the Quincy Public Schools and Dr. Joseph Nicastro,
Career & Technical Education teacher, and later Director of Adult and
Continuing Education.
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Executive Session
Level 3 Grievance, Contract Negotiations
Ms. Isola made a motion, seconded by Mayor Koch, to take the meeting agenda
out of order and move to Executive Session for the purpose of hearing a Level 3
Grievance and Contract Negotiations. On a roll call vote, the ayes have it 6-0.
Mrs. Mahoney was absent. School Committee will return to the regular meeting.
- - -
School Committee returned from Executive Session at 7:20 pm. Mrs. Mahoney
arrived during Executive Session.
Regular Meeting Minutes Approved
10/22/14
Mr. McCarthy made a motion, seconded by Mr. DiBona, to approve the Regular
Meeting minutes for October 22, 2014. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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Open Forum
Danielle Neal expressed her concern that the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Grade 5
meeting was a presentation meant to highlight positives of Grades 5-8
configuration. Hopes there will be more open discussion at the next meeting.
Alexis Veith also spoke about the Ad Hoc Subcommittee, noting that achievement
gap must be addressed. While it is clear that the teachers and administrators are
dedicated, what are the choices moving forward. She asked School Committee to
consider reallocating Title I money to assist Point Webster and Sterling.
Courtney Perdios thanked the Ad Hoc Subcommittee presenters and would like to
discuss options such as an addition for Clifford Marshall, green space at Sterling,
evaluation and grading system, how can Title I funds be shared more equally.
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Superintendent's
Report
Dr. DeCristofaro opened the Superintendent’s Report by introducing the Inspire
Quincy video, featuring the Middle School Cross-Country championship, Atherton
Hough playground dedication, Beechwood Knoll Candy for Troops, Summer
Reading Bike Giveaway at Parker, Elks Dictionary Donation for Grade 3 students,
Mock Stock Market, Della Chiesa Motor Skills day, and Veterans Day at Sterling
Middle School,
Over 150 Adams Scholarship recipients were celebrated at both high schools for
being awarded the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship that provides a tuition
waiver for up to eight semesters of undergraduate education at a Massachusetts
state college or university. In order to be eligible for the John and Abigail Adams
Scholarship, students must have scores of Advanced and Proficient on grade 10
MCAS tests in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics (at least one score
must be Advanced) and have combined scores on MCAS ELA and Mathematics
tests that place them in the top 25 percent of students in the graduating class in
their district. North Quincy High School: Matthew Alexander, Ingrid Andrade,
Cheuk Yin Au, Michael Au-Duong, Ashley Beers, Marguerite Belcher, Aicha
Belkhedim, Emily Bryson, Julia Bryson, Courtney Campo, Darren Chan, Sunny Chan,
Wai Ki Chan, Cindy Chau, Alex Chen, Alicia Chen, Carmen Chen, Donna Chen, Emily
Chen, Gui Ying Chen, Jin Cheng Chen, Jordan Chen, Lisa Chi, Emily Chin, Kin Wah Chu,
Kiera Clifford, Zachary Dangora, Jessica Diep, Rachel Dunphy, Dong Duong, Mostafa
Elhashash, Esterina Elqeni, Jessica Eynatian, Tony Fan, Cassandra Feeney, Xhona
Ferro, Paolo Filippi, Gabrielle Flaherty, Ciara Forde, Clint Galac, Matthew Gerakis,
Jason Gong, Alexander Greeley, Madison Hally, Mu Han, Phyu Han, Rosanna He,
Amanda Huang, Huabao Huang, Kevin Huang, Karen Huynh, Victoria Jiang,
Cornelius Koch, Jenny Kung, Nicole Larkin, Samantha Lee, Deanna Leung, Stella Li,
Shi Qing Liang, Sophie Liang, Alan Lin, Hui Hui Liu, Tak Kwan Lo, Jiayin Luo, Kelly
Luo, Emily Luu, Nadia Lymswan, Calvin Ma, Michael Macrae, Christopher Mak,
Sumire Maki, Tiana Masters, Olivia McEvoy, Patrick Mei, Victoria Mele, Julia
Mendros, Sarah Molloy, Eirene Moutsopoulos, Michael Mullaney, Ciara Murphy,
Hannah Naili, Hailey Naistadt, Brian Ng, Cindy Nguyen, Vena Nguyen, Fiona
O’Connor, Rachel O’Driscoll, Ryan Parekh, Andrew Pham, Jennifer Pham, Rose Roper,
Evlyn Scuzzarella, Eliza Song-Givens, Rebecca Tham, Kyi Thwin, David Tran, Vincent
Tran. Samuel Truong, Bryan Turner, Stephanie Vasquez, Paul Vu, Ashleigh Wilson, Li
Wong Fang, Junwen Wu, Shanshan Wu, Xian Feng Wu, Johanna Yu, Brandon Zeng,
Casey Zheng, Emily Zheng, Shi Zheng, Yuheng Zhou, Yu Xuan Zhu, Xue Ling Zou;
Quincy High School: Marisa Abundis, Matthew Adams, Martin Aliberti, Kimberly
Andrews, Ahmed Basabrain, Ralph Besid, Ursula Biba, Bailey Brann, Carly Brilliant,
Benjamin Brownlow, Christopher Buzzell, Meghan Caggiano, Marina Chafa, Michelle
Chen, Jeanne Chin, Kelly Chow, Isabella Cobble, Lydia Culp, Griffin Curran, Madison
Davis, Justina Dearden, Katy Deng, Kassandra Dineen, Christopher Doyle, Nolan
Flynn, Aaron Ha, James Hagborg, Mark Hajjar, Ryan Harty, Gianni Hill, Thanh
Hoang, Jennifer Hong, Maxwell Hurley, Andrew Johnson, Emma Kelly, Emma
Kimmell, Aurelie Lafontant, James Lam, Zachary Latini, Michelle Le, Curtis Lee, Kunyi
Li, Jerod Lin, Valerie Lioudinouskov, Emily Lo, Phat Luc, Maryanne Ly, Mary Kathleen
Lynch, Colleen Madden, Steven Marstjepovic, Angela McDonald, Joseph McMahon,
Erin McMillen, Shu Mei, Anna Nguyen, Michael Nguyen, Toan Nguyen, Daniel O’Hara,
Emma Papile, Noreen Plabutong, Suhail Purkar, Zachary Roos, Steven Ross, Robert
Salvucci, Jessika Santos, Hiba Senhaj, Andrew Spada, Leonard Strauss, Christine Tam,
Jenny Thi, Nikki Tran, John Traynor, Paul Trubiano, Emily Vantassell, Lily Vo, Nicole
Welliver, Joseph Yacano, Henry Yip
For the new Elementary School Report Card project, adesign team of principals
and teachers is working together to create an electronic, standards-based report
card. An update on this project will be shared at the Teaching & Learning
Subcommittee meeting on December 3, 2014.
The Lions Club State Speech Contest will be held on December 10 at 6:00 pm at
the Church of the Presidents. Three to five students in Grades 11-12 from each
high school will compete at the local level.
The Quincy Fire Department is again working with Grades 3 and 6 students on fire
safety education, thanks to Inspector Gerry McCourt and Lieutenant Gerry
Ceurvels, in collaboration with Curriculum Coordinator Erin Perkins and the
school Principals.
The Quincy Lodge of Elks has once again donated over 700 dictionaries to Grade 3
students across Quincy Public Schools.
At last week’s Mini-Grants reception, eighty-two grants were distributed to 110
educators for a total of $30,000 in funding provided by Boston University, George
G. Burke, Esq., David Ezickson, the Fund for Excellence in Teaching, Arbella
Insurance Group, Quincy Education Association, Granite Telecommunications,
Bluefin Robotics, Boston Scientific Corp, MountainOne Bank, Quincy Medical
Center/Steward Health Care, Quincy Mutual Fire Insurance Co., Quincy Retired
Teachers Association, Quirk Auto Dealers, Quincy Credit Union, Cerebral Palsy of
Mass., and Wessling Architects. Mini-grant funding will provide additional
classroom instructional materials, technology, equipment, and a range of special
projects that will enhance the learning and extra-curricular opportunities for
students across Quincy Public Schools.
This year’s mini-grant recipients were: Shane Aboud, Hallie Acton, Becky Adams,
Sarah Ahearn, Cathy Aho, Kimberly Allen, Laura Anderson, Carol Austin, Diane
Babcock, Deborah Baird, Joseph Barry, Rita Barry, Sheila Bell, Erin Benner, Rachel
Bloom, Robert Bradley, Lori Cahill, Julie Campbell, Meghan Carthas, Diana Cavallo,
Mark Chella, Kerri Connell, Katie Connolly, Rebecca Cordero, Ricardo Cordero, Al
Costa, Michelle Cunniff, Kathryn Daly, Casey Deaguero, Taylor Dennehey, Beth
Donovan, Marcy Edge Eaton, Matt Edgerly, Jessica Falbo, June Feeney, Jackie
Fitzpatrick, Marcia Forrester, Joanne Fox, Christina Gilman, Elizabeth Good, Cynthia
Grabke, John Green, Nicole Tierney Griffin, Jill Griffith, Paul Griffith, Kelli Guarino,
Lori Hammerstrom, Wendy Hanlon, Amanda Harris, Patrice Healy, Tiffany Helling,
Laurel Hendrickson, Stephanie Hunt, Lauren Jensen, Kim Jones, Melanie Kelly, Sarah
Kerns, Sarah Kiley, Julie Krieger, Mera Kriz, Jill Kyranis, Danielle LaRose, Jennifer
Leary, Michael Lenane, Richard Leonard, Katie Lynch, Laureen Macgillivray, Tara
MacLeod, Leah Markarian, Helen Mastico, Kathleen Matthews, Stacey Maydak,
Kristen McCarthy, Helen McLaughlin, Meghan McLean, Christine McNeil, Mike
McNiece, Colleen Meskell, Kerry Monaco, Alison Moreau, Gracia Morrell, Janelle
Morris, Mary Beth Mulcahy, Clare Murphy, Trista Murray, Lisa Nasanofsky, Anne
Northridge, Susan Norwood, Alyse Olivieri, MaryEllen Phillips, Nicole Pitre, Marisa
Qualter, Clair Quinlan, Mary Quinn, William Regan, Sara Riley, John Rogan, Kellie
Scott, Jessica Sikora, Kathleen Smith, Georgina Sullivan, Trish Sullivan, Colleen
Tempesta, Erin Twomey, Dorinda Vale, Bridget Vaughn, Ellen Wallace, Kenneth
Walsh, Sharon Walsh, Eileen Wilson
Upcoming Partnership Events are 'Tis the Season on December 9 at Quincy High
School, sponsored by Granite City Electric. The Annual Fall Gathering will be held
on Thursday, November 20 at the Tirrell Room, food items are collected for
distribution to local food banks. The QEA, Met Life, and the Tirrell Room sponsor
this event.
Two new partnership events will focus on student leadership skills and team
building, the first to be scheduled for late January. Grade 8 students will be
trained in CPR through a partnership with Fallon Ambulance. There will be
opportunities for basic training and full licensure. Winter athletics coaches will be
trained by Fallon Ambulance on Saturday, November 15 at Central Middle School.
NQHS Girls Soccer and QHS Girls Volleyball teams qualified for the Fall
tournaments. Congratulations to both coaches and the student athletes. 75
middle school cross-country students competed at the state meet last
Saturday. Dr. DeCristofaro noted that Health Services Coordinator Rita Bailey
worked with the high school principals and athletic directors on streamlining the
paperwork process for multi-sport athletes.
At the MSBA Board Meeting on Wednesday, November 19 both the Sterling Middle
School project and Windows/Doors replacement project for Lincoln Hancock and
Parker will be on the agenda for approval to move to the next phase.
Dr. DeCristofaro announced that the dedication of the North Quincy High School
basketball court to Robert “Nobby” Nowlin will be scheduled shortly, since the
work is being done to add his name to the floor over Thanksgiving recess.
Home-School Connections for Atherton Hough, Montclair, and Wollaston
Elementary Schools, and Quincy High School were shared with the School
Committee, along with the holiday concert schedule.
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New Business
Superintendent's
Summative Evaluation
Ms. Isola presented the Superintendent's Summative Evaluation for 2013-2014, and
thanked her colleagues for the work put into the review process. It was very
interesting to go through the goals and work through the review of standards.
Ms. Isola reviewed that School Committee is giving Superintendent DeCristofaro an
overall rating of Proficient and that this rating of Proficient practice is the rigorous
expected level of performance. Ms. Isola read the Evaluator Comments into the
record:
This evaluation of Quincy Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Richard DeCristofaro comes at the
end of a challenging school year, 2013-2014. Following the retirement of several senior
administrators in June 2013, the first challenge was to oversee the re-organization of the
Superintendent's Leadership and Principal Teams during the summer of 2013. In addition to
being the educational leader of the Quincy Public Schools and its almost 9,500 students and
focusing on the goals specified within this document, Superintendent DeCristofaro mentored
new leadership and guided them and more veteran administrators through many initiatives
and projects during the course of the school year. The new Educator Evaluation System,
District-Determined Measures, NEASC and NAEYC, implementation of the new Aspen Student
Information System, and the administrative move to the Coddington Building were a few of
accomplishments of 2013-2014.
Superintendent DeCristofaro collaborated or directed collaboration with City of Quincy
Departments including the Mayor's Office, City Council, Parks, Recreation, Information
Technology, Public Buildings, Public Works, Planning & Community Development, Police, Fire;
state agencies such as the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the
Massachusetts School Building Authority; and a host of community business partners and
agencies. He engaged with parents and the general public on issues large and small. Dr.
DeCristofaro collaborated with the School Committee on 50+ regular and subcommittee
meetings and numerous individual meetings and communications in order to share
information and ensure that the School Committee's priorities were addressed, especially in
terms of the budget development.
As one School Committee member said in their summary comments, Dr. DeCristofaro is a
"[t]rue leader for Quincy Public Schools...Teacher, mentor, and inspiration to Quincy Public
Schools. Professional and respectful to all. We will not know how good he was until he is gone.
Great person and academic leader."
Dr. DeCristofaro thanked School Committee for their comments and the time spent
on the evaluation process.
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Superintendent’s Annual
Dr. DeCristofaro presented his draft goals for 2014-2016, the continuous learning
cycle is now in the 2nd year under the new process. In the Analysis, Goal Setting,
and Plan Development phase, the Superintendent presents his draft goals at
tonight's meeting. School Committee will vote on the goals at the December 10,
2014 School Committee Meeting. Four of the five goals are now two-year goals, but
the Student Learning Goal will be a one-year goal as it is MCAS connected. For
2015-2016, the Student Learning Goal will be PARCC-based.
Goal #1 is Administrator Evaluation, expanded from Principals to Superintendent's
Leadership Team members. Goal #2 is the 2% improvement for ELA and
Mathematics APC for all students and improving performance of subgroups as
measured by CPI. School Committee Goal #1 is the District Improvement Plan
School Committee Goal #2 is Home-School Connections, continuing the Parent
Academy events. School Committee Goal #3 is the Common Core Standards
Implementation.
Dr. DeCristofaro also shared the many District Improvement Initiatives, some
federal and state mandates and others our own design, such as the Elementary
Report Card for Grades 1-5, RETELL Initiative, ASPEN, DDMs, PBIS, and Substance
Abuse Prevention/Awareness
At the December 10 School Committee meeting, the Superintendent's Annual Plan
will be discussed and the goals voted on. Mid-Cycle Progress Report will be
presented in October 2015, along with Benchmarks, Action Steps, and Sources of
Evidence plus a PARCC-based Student Learning goal for 2015-2016. In October
2016, the Superintendent will present the End of Cycle Summative Progress report
and the cycle will begin again.
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Citywide Parent
Council Presentation:
Understanding Your
Child’s MCAS Reports
Dr. DeCristofaro reviewed that the Curriculum Management Team presented at
Monday's Citywide Parent Council meeting on Understanding Your Child's MCAS
Report. Mrs. Fredrickson reviewed the presentation and the materials including
samples of the report types and a tool to help understand the categories and
information presented.
There is a lot of information shared about how an individual child's performance
compares to their school, QPS, and the state. Information was shared about the
number of questions and possible points, achievement levels and corresponding
scores, particularly what Proficient means. The goal for accountability is that all
children achieve the level of Proficient. There are advanced items so that students
can show their grasp of challenging materials and at Grade 10, qualify for
scholarship opportunities. Over 2-3 years, parents can often see a pattern and
compare their child's growth to their school, the district, and the state. Growth may
be very different for different subject areas. Assistance was provided in decoding
the scoring report and how to access released items, including Open Response and
Short answer samples.
Information about other kinds of student assessment were shared, including
materials that accompany the core curriculum materials, DIBELS, and
GRADE. Formative classroom assessments that happen daily and weekly are the
most closely connected to curriculum. Additional information was requested about
time spent on assessment. Assessment decisions are made based on the value of the
information provided.
Mr. Bregoli asked about teacher accountability being tied to MCAS
performance. Mrs. Fredrickson said that MCAS will only be administered for one
year, then we are looking at the Next Generation Assessments. Mr. Bregoli is
concerned about this process and Mrs. Fredrickson said that there are multiple
purposes for assessments, but there are reasonable concerns about the amount of
time spent on assessment. Mr. Bregoli asked about item analysis for the MCAS, do
parents understand how few items there are for different standards. Mrs.
Fredrickson said they did explain how to look at the items and the percentage of
possible points and the perspective based on the number of actual items. Mr.
Bregoli asked if the percentage is the best means of measuring. Mrs. Fredrickson
said that Average Percent Correct helps all of us think like a parent, look at the
parallel of how a student learns content during the year and retains it for the entire
school year. Mrs. Fredrickson said that Benchmark Assessments given closer to the
time the concept is taught can be compared to performance on an end of year
test. Mrs. Fredrickson said the ongoing review of Pacing Guides is part of this
discussion, does review of concepts need to be built in later in the year to ensure
retention of the skill. Mr. Bregoli said that retention of basic facts is key to math
testing success and students were allowed accommodations previously, worries
about there being less. Mrs. Fredrickson said the depth of content areas, more time
spent on basic skills should show results.
Mr. McCarthy said that this was a nice presentation for parents, simplified tool to
explain the complicated testing. Mr. McCarthy asked about attendance. Parents
from Kindergarten through Grade 7 attended the presentation.
Mrs. Mahoney said that it was good to hear that parents of younger students were
there. Even if the testing is altered, it is a foundation of how the benchmarks
work. Mrs. Mahoney asked if the same or alternate approaches are used when
benchmark assessments show that a child is not proficient in a given skill. Mrs.
Fredrickson said it is a mix of approaches, and the pacing guide work is key to
this. Mrs. Mahoney said every group of students is different and working fluidly and
collaboratively allows for the sharing and adapting of best practices and
content. Teachers are able to be creative. Mrs. Mahoney said that the approach for
parents is exceptional. It is difficult to get the report and take in all the information
and figure out what you need to do to help your student, ultimately the goal. Mrs.
Mahoney said this would be good to share on the QPS website and SchoolTube, very
valuable information.
Ms. Isola agreed that the format of the presentation was very helpful. Ms. Isola
asked if individual school PTO presentations are focused on this type of assistance,
but most focus on school-wide results.
Mr. DiBona asked about the PARCC test and whether we have any indication of
whether it will be adopted. Mrs. Fredrickson said about half of the districts in
Massachusetts are part of the second year of field testing, as well as districts in 16
other states. The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will
make a decision in October 2015 about whether PARCC will be the assessment that
all districts administer beginning in 2016. School Committee is concerned about the
additional time on Assessment, similar concerns have been expressed
elsewhere. We need to be preparing for the future at the same time we are fully
implementing what is currently underway.
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Overnight Travel
Ms. Isola made a motion to approve the Overnight Travel of Sterling Middle School
Grade 7 to Camp Wing, Duxbury, Massachusetts from May 13-14, 2015. Mr.
McCarthy seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
On the motion, Mr. McCarthy asked that all overnight travel adhere to the one adult
per ten students Policy as practiced in the past.
Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the Overnight Travel of Central Middle
School Grade 8 to New York, New York from June 3-5, 2015. Mr. Bregoli seconded
the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the Overnight Travel of Atlantic Middle
School Grade 8 to New York, New York from June 4-5, 2015. Ms. Isola seconded the
motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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Out of State Travel
Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the Out of State Travel of Sterling Middle
School Grade 6 to Providence College, Providence, Rhode Island on December 3,
2014. Mr. Bregoli seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
- - -
Additional Business
There was no Additional Business.
- - -
Communications
Upcoming meetings were announced: School Committee on December 10, 2014;
January 14, 2015; and January 28, 2015 and Subcommittee Meetings (Quarterly
Budget & Finance on Monday, January 12, 2015; Facilities & Security on January 12,
2015; Special Education on Wednesday, January 21, 2015; and Teaching & Learning
on January 26, 2015.
Mrs. Mahoney announced that the Quincy High School Drama Club would be
performing MacBeth at 7:00 pm on November 11, 14, 15, 20, and 22.
Mrs. Mahoney announced the Quincy Parent Advisory Council to Special Education
Gingerbread party on December 12, a free family event.
Mr. Bregoli announced Policy Subcommittee meeting on December 4 and requested
that the Supervisors of Attendance present an update on their work last year and
for the start of this school year.
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Reports of
Subcommittees
Mrs. Hubley noted that full Subcommittee meeting minutes are posted online on the
School Committee page at www.quincypublicschools.com.
Teaching & Learning
Subcommittee
Ms. Isola reviewed the Teaching & Learning Subcommittee meetings held on
October 27 and November 3, 2014. At these two meetings, the high school and
middle school Principals presented their School Improvement Plans, and the
English Language Learner and Career & Technical Education Program improvement
plans were presented by Ms. Hallett and Mr. Keith Segalla. Ms. Isola urged the
public to read the School and Program Improvement Plans.
Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the Middle and High School Improvement
Plans and the English Language Learner and Career & Technical Education Program
Improvement Plans. Mr. Bregoli seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes
have it.
As there were no corrections, the minutes to both the October 27, 2014 and
November 3, 2014 Teaching & Learning Subcommittee meetings were approved.
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Ad Hoc Subcommittee
On Grade 5
Mr. McCarthy reported on the October 28, 2014 Ad Hoc Subcommittee meeting on
Grade 5. Noting the concerns of the parents about the differences between Grade 5
students in the elementary and middle school setting, he is hoping to address the
grading system through the development of the new Elementary Report
Card. Given the review of curriculum topics, Title I overview, class size, student
achievement, principal perspectives, and Sterling schedule pilot, he will be working
with Dr. DeCristofaro on some action items and will present an update in the near
future.
As there were no corrections, the minutes of the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Grade 5
meeting on October 28, 2014 were approved.
Mrs. Mahoney asked if there was another Ad Hoc meeting scheduled yet. Mr.
McCarthy said that a date will be set and issues for follow up addressed.
- - -
Special Education
Subcommitee
Mrs. Mahoney reported on the October 29 Special Education Subcommittee
meeting. Ms. Todd reviewed the Coordinated Program Review process that just
concluded. A self-study was completed and then many weeks of preparation for the
file review. Over 80 people were interviewed and observations were conducted at
various school locations.
For the 2014-2015 Program Improvement Plan, Ms. Todd reviewed that the mission
of the Special Education Department is to provide specially designed instruction
and/or related services. The program builds on individual strengths and abilities,
meeting the diverse academic, emotional, and social needs of all students.
Special Education Goals for 2014-2015 are: (1) During the 2014-2014 school year,
all students with Math goals in their IEPs in Grades 7 and 8, will increase their total
Math MCAS percent correct by 1%. (2) The average gain for word reading, as
assessed by DIBELS Next was 25.35 words by 2014. By June 2015, the average
word gain will be 30. (3) Through the Coordinated Program Review selfassessment, two areas, bullying and autism questions were not consistently applied.
In 2014-2015, Quincy Public Schools will demonstrate 100% compliance.
QPAC’s goals for 2014-2015 are: (1) Increase participation in QPAC; (2)
communicate with the citywide community, specifically to work with the YMCA to
implement social groups and share information with principals and teachers
through school newsletters; and (3) Share resources with parents, teachers, and
others by creating an information packet for parents, hosting a resource fair, and
hosting multiple presentations of special education-related topics.
Ms. Todd gave a brief update on the Aspen Special Education module
implementation. A project team is being formed to plan the transition to
Aspen. Beginning in September 2015, IEPs will be entered into Aspen and progress
reports will be able to be shared by teachers.
For the QPAC Update, Ms. Nabstedt reviewed that the Rights and Responsibilities
training was held last week for parents. For goals, communication is managed
through social media and email, press releases to the Quincy Sun and Patriot
Ledger, the QPS website, and Instant Alert.
Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the Special Education Program
Improvement Plan. Mr. Bregoli seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes
have it.
One correction to the notes was requested and with that, the Special Education
Subcommittee meeting minutes for October 29, 2014 were approved as amended.
- - -
Quincy Education
Association Unit C
Educator Evaluation
Contract Language
Ms. Isola made a motion to approve the Unit C Educator Evaluation contract
language. Mr. Bregoli seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it,
7-0.
- - -
Adjournment
Mr. Bregoli made a motion to adjourn for the evening at 9:20 p.m. The motion was
seconded by Mr. DiBona and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.