Minutes
Quincy School Committee
Teaching & Learning Subcommittee Meeting ~ January 27, 2021
A meeting of the Teaching & Learning Subcommittee was held on Wednesday, January 27, 2021 at 5:40 pm via Zoom. Present were Mr. Anthony Andronico, Mr. Doug Gutro, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Mr. Frank Santoro, and Mrs. Emily Lebo, Chair. Also attending were Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Assistant Superintendent Erin Perkins, Ms. Maura Papile, Ms. Kimberley Quinn, Ms. Madeline Roy, Mr. Edward Smith, Mr. Christopher Tierney, Ms. Bridget Vaughan, and Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk.
Coordinator of English Language Arts Bridget Vaughan updated School Committee on the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education’s Literacy initiatives, including the GLEAM grant. Ms. Vaughan is forming a team of principals and educators to work on grant proposals to strengthen foundational literacy skills and equitable access to the newest materials and professional development, including culturally responsive teaching.
Mr. Gutro asked about the initial pool of grant funding. Ms. Vaughan said that QPS is applying for the maximum, which is $8,000 and while this is a one-year grant, this is a five-year DESE initiative with additional funding in subsequent years.
Mrs. Hubley asked about the timeline, the application is due in April and the first awards will be made in July for the 2021-22 school year.
Assistant Superintendent Erin Perkins and Senior Curriculum Director Madeline Roy presented a preview of the QPS School Improvement Plan Data. The focus of this data is district-level Equity, Diversity & Inclusion and analyzes the racial/ethnic and gender participation for High School Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment, and National Honor Society. Next steps include disaggregating the data for each high school; sharing the data with high school principals, department chairs, and student support team; site-based analysis of barriers to enrollment and development of strategies to ensure equitable access.
Mr. Santoro asked about prerequisite courses, Ms. Roy said that the Advanced Placement opportunities begin in Grade 5 with entry points through middle and high school. The high school Program of Study defines the criteria to enter Advanced Placement and with most subjects, it is fluid for most subjects. Mr. Santoro asked if a student could be refused and Ms. Roy and Ms. Perkins said the approval process will be revisited with staff.
Mrs. Lebo asked for the percentage of the total population be added to the data for each race/ethnicity and gender category. Mrs. Lebo asked if permission is needed for Dual Enrollment and Ms. Smith said that students enrolled in Honors-level classes are eligible.
Mrs. Lebo asked for similar information for the middle school Advanced programs.
Coordinator of English Language Arts Bridget Vaughan, Mathematics Curriculum Team Administrator Kimberley Quinn, and Science Curriculum Team Administrator Edward Smith presented an update on the Measures of Academic Progress baseline assessment that was administered in the fall to grades 2-8 remote and hybrid/in person students following all COVID protocols for in-person and remote students. 12,215 assessments were administered for English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science and Quincy Public Schools students continue to exceed national student normative data.
The ACCESS for English Language Learners assessment will be administered between February 1 and April 30 and all students will be assessed in person. Families have been sent information about safety protocols and scheduling in their home language. Principals are creating schedules; schools may assess students at any time during the testing window. The results will be available in June 2021.
For the Grade 5 Advanced Placement Program, since last spring’s school closure did not allow for the administration of the CTP exam, all 144 students who were eligible to be assessed because of being in the top 20% on their Grade 3 MCAS Assessment were invited to participate. Currently 125 students are participating in the remote APP program. An APP Planning Team is being formed to assess the current Grade 5 program and criteria for assessment to enter both the Grade 5 APP and Grades 6-8 APP program at Central Middle School.
Early Literacy Screenings are being administered remotely and in-person to students in Grades K-2 and Integrated Learning Team meetings are being held three times this year as usual. DESE is continually updating information about MCAS and currently is planning for in-person administration for Grades 3-8 and 10 with defined testing windows for ELA, Mathematics, and Science/Technology. Test sessions will be shorter and there will only be one session for each subject test. For high school students, the Science/Technology exam will not be required for students graduating in 2021-2023. Grades 10 & 11 students will be administered the MCAS ELA and Mathematics Assessments in May.
Mr. Santoro said the MAP assessment data will assist with showing gaps in learning and asked about summer programs to assist students. Assistant Superintendent Perkins, Ms. Roy, and Ms. Quinn reviewed the programs that were held last summer and are planning for similar programming this summer with targeted interventions.
Mr. Santoro asked if the School Committee can have a separate discussion about the Grade 5 Advanced Placement Program prior to any decisions being made by the planning team. Superintendent Mulvey agreed this should be an agenda item at an upcoming meeting.
Mrs. Lebo asked if remote high school students will have a remote option for MCAS, but this is unknown at this time.
Mr. Santoro made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 6:25 pm. Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.