Minutes
Teaching and Learning Subcommittee Meeting
Monday, November 5, 2012
A meeting of the Teaching and Learning Subcommittee was held on Monday, November 5, 2012 at
3:30 pm at Quincy High School. Present were Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Ms. Barbara Isola, Mrs. Anne
Mahoney, Mr. David McCarthy and Mrs. Emily Lebo, Chair. Also attending were Superintendent
Richard DeCristofaro, Mr. Nick Ahearn, Mrs. Mary Fredrickson, Mr. Dan Gilbert, Ms. Beth Hallett, Mrs.
Robin Moreira, Mrs. Maura Papile, Mrs. Ann Pegg, Ms. Madeline Roy, Mr. Keith Segalla, Ms. Judy
Todd, Mrs. Ruth Witmer, and Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk.
Mrs. Lebo called the meeting to order at 3:30 pm
Mrs. Robin Moreira presented the Atherton Hough School Improvement Plan by reflecting on last
year’s goals. The three MCAS goals, which had focused on CPI levels for ELA, Math, and Science were
not met, but the Assessment team has identified a cohort of High Needs Improvement students
across the grades to focus on moving forward..
For 2012-2013, the schools goals are: (1) The number of students achieving proficiency, or Tier 1, on
literacy assessments at each benchmarking period in Grades K-5 will increase and the percentage of
students achieving or maintaining proficiency on the 2013 ELA MCAS will increase by 10% as
compared to the 2012 results and the student growth percentile in Grades 4 and 5 will meet or
exceed the state average. (2) There will be an increase of students achieving proficiency on
benchmark assessments in Grades K-5 and the percentage of students achieving and/or maintaining
proficiency on the 2013 Mathematics MCAS will increase by 10% as compared to the 2012 results and
the student growth percentile in Grades 4 and 5 will meet or exceed the state average. (3) All
students and staff of the Atherton Hough School will work in a welcoming, supportive, and caring
community that consistently recognizes and celebrates student achievement, effort, and good moral
character. (4) All students and staff of the Atherton Hough School will work together to help support
the development of lifelong, healthy habits.
This year’s goals are focused on raising the proficiency levels for ELA and Math. Teamwork and
thought went into creating the school’s goals, including discussions of best practices. Instructional
initiatives include professional development, sharing best practices across grades and teams, sharing
the language of common core standards, formative assessments and focused feedback, data analysis.
The staff has worked with MCAS data on the two completed A days so that information informs their
instruction moving forward. Action steps/initiatives for Math include common core language, math
focus teachers, sharing best practices, Foundations of Numbers, formative assessments, instructional
groups by skill level, Go Math online support, Study Island, and other online resources. Focus is on
development of Open Response development skill. The school culture goal will be supported through
school-wide assemblies, family newsletter and calendar, school bulletin boards, and community
service learning. The monthly newsletter has helped home-school communications and handled
questions about curriculum issues.
Mrs. Hubley asked about classroom coverage for best practices discussions and observations; Mrs.
Moreira is providing coverage for classroom teachers to observe each other. For Student Support
Team meetings, the specialist schedule accommodates Monday meetings. Ms. Isola asked about
Wellness goal and how healthy snack choices are being supported; Mrs. Moreira clarified that
teachers are giving out stickers. Ms. Isola also asked Mrs. Moreira to follow up with information
about the PTO contributions to the school.
Ms. Isola made a motion to accept the Atherton Hough Elementary School Improvement Plan. Mrs.
Hubley seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Mr. Dan Gilbert presented the Snug Harbor Community School Improvement Plan by noting that the
school’s focus on improving instructional delivery has shown positive results. Snug Harbor’s
programs suit the diverse student body and the students respond to the climate based on high
expectations. Last year, Snug Harbor was commended by DESE and with the assistance of Mrs.
Hughes and Mrs. Roberts. wrote a commendation grant for implementing professional learning
communities. Throughout the School Improvement Plan, the focus for collaboration and improving
teaching is shifting from student performance to reaching all learners. Goals and action steps are
more focused on global practices to lead to future student achievement. In reflecting on last year’s
scores, Mr. Gilbert expressed that the school’s goals were ambitious, but achievable and Alternative
Assessments for a percentage of students are a factor. Assessment and the data provided inform
instruction on a weekly basis.
Goals for 2012-2013 are: (1) To increase the Composite Performance Index (CPI) score by 5 points
from the previous year (76.7) for all students and to meet the target for narrowing the proficiency
gaps for each subgroup. (2) To increase the Composite Performance Index (CPI) score by 5 points
from the previous year (76.9) for all students and to meet the target for narrowing the proficiency
gaps for each subgroup. (3) To create an active Wellness Council which will implement various
policies and practices which promote healthy eating and living for students and staff.
Initiatives for ELA and Math include Walk to Read, Elements of Reading, a new focus on non-fiction,
Study Island, Keys to Literacy. The Wellness goal has been supported by the fresh fruit grant (ongoing
for last several years); Snug Harbor is working on a holistic approach that integrates wellness into the
school culture.
Ms. Isola complimented the school’s different approach to the School Improvement Plan. Mrs. Lebo
asked about the Conditions for School Effectiveness; Snug Harbor is focusing on Aligned Curriculum,
Effective Instruction, and Student Assessment being the three areas of focus. Mrs. Lebo also asked
about whether growth is calculated for students taking the MCAS Alternate Assessment and it is not.
All students taking the Alt. Assessment received a rating of Progressing.
Ms. Isola made a motion to accept the Snug Harbor Community School Improvement Plan. Mrs.
Hubley seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Mrs. Ruth Witmer presented the Lincoln-Hancock Community School Improvement Plan by
reflecting on last year’s goals and MCAS testing results. Since there is some disappointment about
the results, the staff has decided to look at the goals differently going forward and focus on student
growth rather than proficiency. Since Lincoln Hancock doesn’t have Grade 5, they only have one year
to show growth. Many initiatives are in place to help support the teachers to transition their focus;
Mrs. Witmer, Mrs. Shaughnessy, and the guidance staff teach Lincoln Hancock Pride lessons that
allow for collaborative teacher team time together. Teachers are also voluntarily using their Tuesday
afternoons, collaborating on a Math vertical team professional learning community through the Snug
Harbor commendation grant. A consultant from the HILL is at Lincoln Hancock every two weeks;
substitutes provide rotating coverage so that grade level teams can work with the consultant on the
new Journeys program. Lincoln Hancock’s internal data shows student progress, but MCAS is still a
hurdle. Mrs. Witmer spoke of the tremendous change in the school’s culture: attendance is up,
parent participation is very high for events with parent-children attendance; not as much for PTO
meetings. The children are absorbing the message of success and pride.
Mrs. Lebo asked about the goal focus being Grade 4 and is concerned that the targets are too low as
they are below the average growth target of 40%. Mrs. Witmer feels that the staff is focused on
achievable goals. Mrs. Lebo, without being critical, wants the goals to be comparable to other
schools. Mr. McCarthy agrees that a higher goal is a better option. EL reiterated that the School
Committee doesn’t want to be critical, but they want to see higher goals. Mrs. Fredrickson said that
given the new curriculum and initiatives, teachers are understandably worried about the goals. Dr.
DeCristofaro talked about the new teacher evaluations as an issue concerning teachers. Mrs. Lebo
reiterated the respect that the School Committee has for the Lincoln Hancock staff and their
challenges and requested that they rework the goals to encompass average growth. A revised Lincoln
Hancock School Improvement Plan will be presented to the School Committee at an upcoming
Teaching and Learning Subcommittee meeting.
Mr. Nick Ahearn presented the Clifford Marshall Elementary School Improvement Plan and reflected
on the school’s 2011-12 goals. The MCAS goals were both met or exceeded for both Math and ELA;
for ELA, the school had an increase of 8% proficiency. The third goal of school culture and climate
was also completed. The school’s goals for 2012-13 are: (1) During the 2012-2013 school year, the
Clifford Marshall staff and students will meet or exceed its CPI target of 78.5 CPI points on the ELA
MCAS Test. (2) During the 2012-2013 school year, Clifford Marshall staff and students will meet or
exceed its CPI target of 80 CPI points on the Math MCAS test. (3) The Clifford Marshall School
Wellness Team will utilize the Healthy School Program to create a healthy school environment by
promoting healthy eating, increased physical activity, staff wellness and nutrition education during
the 2012-2013 school year for 100% of the school population.
The school has an active Wellness Team and multiple initiatives are up and running. Clifford Marshall
is a Level 3 school that showed incredible growth, especially in ELA. Mathematics growth was 23%.
Clifford Marshall ends at Grade 4, so student growth is limited to this year. The school utilizes
different initiatives such as interventionists, Walk to Read (Grades 2-4), working with the HILL
Consultants, Keys to Literacy, Elements of Reading, Fast Math, and Study Island. Teams are
developing common grading language/rubrics to provide consistency across grade levels. The school
has a transient population, five new students in the last six days. Many ELL students and across the
grade levels, many students are below grade level for fluency in English. Clifford Marshall also is the
home of the citywide STARs program.
In terms of facilities, progress has been made with exterior security issues, additional lighting, and
cameras. Technology upgrades include MimioTeach units in five classrooms and the new email
system, plus 15 new classroom/administrative computers. Traffic concerns are ongoing and some
small maintenance items are needed.
Ms. Isola made a motion to accept the Clifford Marshall Elementary School Improvement Plan. Mrs.
Hubley seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Mrs. Ann Pegg presented the Merrymount Elementary School Improvement Plan by reflecting on
the 2011-12 goals and looking forward to the full implementation of the Common Core standards.
The school’s ELA goal was met; Merrymount shows high achievement, but work needs to be done to
close the proficiency gap. For Math, the goals were not met; looking forward, the new approach to
problem solving and critical thinking under Common Core should aid in raising achievement. In terms
of data analysis, the Assessment team is using data to look at individual students and the High Needs
subgroup. The High Needs subgroup average PPI and CPI are much lower than the aggregate.
Looking forward to 2012-13, the goals are: (1) Teachers in Grades K-5 will implement Common Corealigned reading initiatives to increase student success in ELA. Initiatives will result in seventy-five
percent of students in each grade level scoring at a proficiency level of 80% or above on year-end
Trophies assessments. Additionally, the CPI of Grades 3-5 High Needs subgroup will increase to 81.0
and the CPI of the Grades 3-5 Special Education subgroup will increase to 61.0 on the 2013 ELA
MCAS. (2) Teachers in Grades K-5 will implement Common Core-aligned Math initiatives to increase
student success in Math. Initiatives will result in seventy-five percent of students in Grades 1-5
scoring at a proficiency level of 80% of above on Common Core-aligned year-end assessments.
Additionally, the CPI of the Grades 3-5 Special Education subgroup will increase to 67.0 on the 2013
Mathematics MCAS. (3) The staff of the Merrymount School will provide a safe and nurturing
learning environment, offering opportunities that promote physical and emotional wellness.
Merrymount’s goals for ELA and Math are focused on increasing the CPI for the High Needs subgroup
by aligning their Action Steps with the Conditions for School Effectiveness (CSE). The language of the
conditions was reflected in the crafting of the action steps. The SPED Resource Room teacher will
also be an active part of the study groups formed in order to increase the understanding and
implementation of the Common Core Curriculum.
Mrs. Hubley asked about the Wellness goal action step that mentions Health and Safety Bags. Mrs.
Pegg explained these are bags containing class lists and any necessary medications for the students in
that class including Epi Pens. These bags travel with each class as they move about the building to
specialists and to lunch/recess.
Ms. Isola made a motion to accept the Merrymount Elementary School Improvement Plan. Mrs.
Hubley seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Ms. Isola made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 5:30 pm. Mrs. Hubley seconded the motion and
on a voice vote, the ayes have it.