Minutes
Quincy School Committee
Teaching & Learning Subcommittee Meeting
A meeting of the Teaching & Learning Subcommittee was held on Monday, November 13, 2017 at
5:45 pm in the Coddington Building. Present were Mr. Paul Bregoli, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Mayor
Thomas Koch, Mrs. Emily Lebo, and Ms. Barbara Isola, Chair. Also attending were Superintendent
DeCristofaro, Deputy Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Dr. Elizabeth Hallett, Ms. Rebecca McInnis, Mrs.
Maura Papile, Mrs. Erin Perkins, Ms. Madeline Roy, Mr. Keith Segalla, Mr. Robert Shaw, Mr. Edward
Smith, Mr. Lawrence Taglieri; NQHS Student Representative Luke Molloy; School Committee
Member-Elect Anthony Andronico; Quincy Education Association President Allison Cox; and
Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk.
North Quincy High School Principal Robert Shaw and Quincy High School Principal Larry Taglieri
presented the two High School Improvement Plans, noting that both schools share the common goal
of graduating students with strong skills in reading, writing, and problem solving. School-wide goals
are emphasized across departments, all subject areas are part of growth in reading and writing. As
with previous years, additional goals are focused on positive school culture and student wellness. In
reflecting on last year’s MCAS-related goals, Quincy High School has remained at Level 2 and North
Quincy High School remained Level 1 after an appeal to DESE on participation data.
Mrs. Lebo noted that performance targets for the subgroups were met and requested that other data
be included in future high school SIPs, such as SATs, AccuPlacer, and AP Exams. Mrs. Lebo mentioned
the report DESE report ABCs of High School and Beyond and reiterated the need for graduation
follow up as there is a differential between graduating students self-reported future plans and the
number reported as actually attending colleges and universities. Dr. DeCristofaro suggested adding
this to the Teaching & Learning Subcommittee for further exploration.
Mrs. Hubley asked that the NQHS bathroom facilities be reviewed.
Mrs. Lebo said the NQHS
gymnasium updates should also be included on the areas of need.
Ms. Isola requested that the areas of need be compiled for both schools and addressed at an
upcoming Facilities & Security Subcommittee meeting.
Mrs. Hubley made a motion to approve both the North Quincy and Quincy High School Improvement
Plans. Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Executive Director of Career & Technical Education Keith Segalla presented the Career & Technical
Education Program Improvement Plan and announced that DESE has approved Design & Visual
Communication and Film & Television Production as Chapter 74 programs at North Quincy High
School. Mr. Segalla reviewed recent grants received by the CTE programs, over $250,000 for this year. In reflecting on last year’s goals, CTE’s goals supported each school’s MCAS related goals, with a
specific CTE focus.
Looking forward, a Parent Academy is planned for the spring to share information about construction
trades. The Advisory Teams are bigger than ever, with over 110 business and community members at
QHS and 45 at NQHS for the fall events. For Professional Development, this year’s focus is on safety.
QHS teachers have been mentoring the new teachers in new programs at NQHS.
Mayor Koch left the meeting at 6:15 pm
Mr. Segalla shared the Core Indicators Review of Populations data, still working on improving
numbers on non-traditional student participation and completion. New partnerships include
Callahan Construction and South Shore Hospital, both of whom are providing training opportunities.
Mrs. Lebo said the extracurricular opportunities for our students are phenomenal and suggested that
someone from South Shore Hospital would be a good addition to the general Advisory Team, as there
is not currently a representative from the health care field. Mrs. Lebo asked about the CTE graduate
follow up process and requested a presentation at an upcoming Teaching & Learning Subcommittee.
Mrs. Hubley made a motion to approve the Career & Technical Education Program Improvement
Plans. Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Director of English Learner Education Programs Beth Hallett presented the English Learner Education
Program Improvement Plan. Thanks to the School Committee Budget for FY2018, positions were
added at Quincy High School and Beechwood Knoll Elementary School, both of which are showing
much growth in ELE. To date this school year, 430 new students have been enrolled in EL programs.
This level of EL student enrollment will allow for QPS to be eligible for an additional Title III grant.
Reflecting on last year’s goals, the 2017 ACCESS tests were correlated to different standards than
previous years, so a comparison to previous years is not possible. However, 66% of students showed
evidence of significant growth. In terms of the Annual Measurable Objectives, QPS met all objectives
for 2016, the last year that data is complete.
Goals 2 and 4 were focused on moving to online testing for at least two grades at each school site and
this was successfully met. Goal 3 was for Administrators and response to DESE guidance documents
for EL students. While this goal was completed, new guidance documents have been released, so this
goal will continue. Goals 5 and 6 were focused on Central Registration and creating a revised
registration protocol and welcome supports and were completed.
For MCAS results, EL students performed significantly higher than state levels for all grades of ELA,
Mathematics, and Science, Grades 3-8 and 10. The close collaboration between EL and general
education teachers is demonstrated through these results.
EL Vertical Teams for Elementary/Middle and Middle/High School are rolling over goals related to
ACCESS, as the second year of comparable data will be available in 2018. A new goal related to Oral
Academic Language has been added to address a potential dip in Speaking scores. Administrators will
again focus on the revised DESE Guidance document to plan and implement programmatic changes
as needed. The EL High Needs Team will focus on researching effective RTI interventions for EL
students. The Central Registration Team will be trained on a new diagnostic test, the WIDA Screener
that aligns to the ACCESS testing.
Mrs. Hubley asked about outside translators for Special Education meetings and parent conferences.
Dr. Hallett said some of the languages requested are requiring the use of outside companies,
especially for Portuguese, where there is an expanded demand recently.
Mrs. Lebo asked whether the EL Paraprofessionals are bilingual, and Dr. Hallett confirmed they are.
Mrs. Lebo asked about the Oral section of the ACCESS testing, students speak into the computer and
it is timed. Teachers are working with students to practice this section and ensure that students are
comfortable with the process.
Mrs. Lebo made a motion to approve both the English Language Education Program Improvement
Plans. Mrs. Hubley seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Mrs. Hubley made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 6:45 pm. Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and
on a voice vote, the ayes have it.