FYI from BSF, 10.06.23
As we saw in last year’s analysis, the overwhelming majority of Boston schools (read: Boston Public Schools and charters) have seen steep declines in MCAS proficiency since 2019.
In grades 3-8 ELA.
In grades 3-8 Math.
It is easy to look to the left and down. It easy to accept the average, the headline.
We look right. On this graph and others, we look at the blue.
We notice that English Learners at the Murphy posted above average proficiency and growth. We notice that the Manning and the Perry are among the very few schools in the Commonwealth that posted both high proficiency and high growth in ELA. We notice that Brooke has more Black students proficient in math than any other elementary school in the state. We notice that East Boston High School enrolls one of the state's largest groups of Latino students that are proficient in 10th grade math. We notice that the Eliot has some of the highest proficiency rates for students with disabilities in the state.
We don’t perceive these outcomes as random, ephemeral, or externally fashioned. We perceive these outcomes as the product of the expertise and efforts of the educators and children in that building.
It is increasingly clear that high-quality instructional materials are a necessary condition for those outcomes.
Last year we selected four schools - the Hernandez, the Adams, the Sumner, and Conservatory Lab - and we started PEAK. The initiative is easy to explain, but hard to do: adopt evidence-based curriculum, provide training and coaching, and monitor progress. Anyone who has worked in a school knows that there is often a lag between intervention and impact, but we found PEAK schools already very much in and around “the blue.
Across four schools serving greater than 1,600 students, growth dramatically accelerated, outpacing both Boston and Massachusetts...
...Resulting in quick progress to closing proficiency gaps.
There is increasing coverage of districts’ soon-to-be dwindling ESSER dollars and how they should be invested. We would submit that the biggest return will be on the resources we invest in our educators and their craft.
Notes in the Margin
Boston School Committee met on Wednesday night, featuring a detailed MCAS presentation (BPS has moved out of the bottom 10% of school districts), the rollout of facilities data, an update on the proposed O’Bryant move, and debate on exam school policy. Materials here.
There was a thread running this week concerning the state’s role in education…
An intensive review of literacy instruction in Massachusetts reported 100 Massachusetts school districts utilizing low-quality curriculum.
A legislative hearing delved into the concept of state receivership, and offered a prelude to the potential 2024 ballot question to eliminate the MCAS graduation requirement. Here is point, counterpoint on that topic.
The federal government is reviewing Massachusetts regulation of special education.
As Boston plans for new facilities, how did Maryland build ~30 new schools in Baltimore?
Thanks to a new state website, it is a lot easier to apply for financial assistance for child care.
Secretary Tutwiler is developing a student mental health strategy; a shortage of counselors will need to be addressed in some way.
More MCAS data tools. Assessments across the country are following a similar trend.
No cell phones in class may get you an extra week of learning.
This searchable map highlights where enrollment decline is more likely to result in financial pressures.
This is Boston’s graph.
Other matters
Curious about a particular school's MCAS performance? A subgroup? Looking to hunt for a trend? Here is access to some of our dashboards.
Educators who would like to know more about their loan forgiveness options can sign up for this webinar.