PRESENT:
School Committee: Jim Young, Downey Meyer
Staff: Interim Superintendent Bill Erickson, Director of Academic Effectiveness Mark Prince, Principal Nancy Athas, Clerk Jennifer Towler
Public: Julie Spencer-Robinson (SchoolsWatch)
AGENDA
• Later Start Time for NHS Accreditation Work
• MassCore
• Set March Agenda
NHS Accreditation
NA: The high school is undergoing this important process, and we need time for the faculty to do the work related to it. Therefore, we are asking for a later high school start time for 7 or 8 Wednesdays, beginning on February 16 through May 11. Students would come in at 9:30, and faculty would have almost two hours of professional time to work with each other and compile the reports they need to. Our experience has been that when we have a later start time, due to the PSATs or for other reasons, it doesn’t detract from attendance. We are just about done with the core values and the rubrics.
JY: I’m sorry that Steve [Herrell] has left. We could use this opportunity to set up a mini lab experiment, and ask teachers how starting school later affects alertness.
MP: We could create a baseline—pick a class, and ask students and parents how they experience the later start time.
DM: We want to know if students get more sleep or just stay up later because they can sleep later.
MP: I talked to Joy Winnie because there are contract issues with transportation, and it’s all okay.
DM: It seems like a reasonable request. We will recommend it to the full School Committee.
BE: What is the cost of accreditation?
NA: $20,000-25,000. Fifteen people come, and we have to put them up. Lucky me—this is my third one. First Westside, then Greenfield, and now here.
MassCore
MassCore is a state-recommended, rigorous program of study that aligns high school coursework with college and workforce expectations. The recommended program of studies includes:
English: 4 years
Math: 4 years
Lab-based Science: 3 years
History/Social Science: 3 years
Foreign language: 2 years
Arts: 1 year
5 additional core courses: business education, career and technical education, health, and/or technology
Additional learning opportunities: AP classes, dual enrollment, a senior project, online courses for high school or college credit, and service- or work-based learning
MP: The state is putting these forth as default requirements. School committees have a right to vote in what you want. Higher ed set out requirements—this is what we’re looking for in 2014. MassCore is in our Race to the Top grant application. We know this is coming. It will impact the high school, therefore the middle school, therefore the elementary curriculum. What do we need to be thinking about? 80% of NHS students graduate meeting the foreign language requirements. When we add up all the units, there is still time in their schedule. We would like to create opportunities for students to develop career-based senior projects. It may increase staffing, which increases the budget.
DM: Where are the mismatches between the high school and MassCore requirements?
NA: Currently students take 3 years of math. If they don’t get at least a 240 on the MCAS then they have to take a fourth year of math, but that’s just 30 kids. English, social studies, and science are all okay. We offer PE all 4 years, but we only require Wellness 1 and 2. Are we meeting the PE requirement? I don’t know.
MP: Business and tech ed should also be considered. Michael Jacobsen said that 40% of high school kids come through his department, but it is cut to the bone.
DM: How much modification will be required by Common Core [a federal program]?
MP: Not much. MassCore was thought of long before Common Core.
DM: Will this be helpful to your accreditation process?
NA: We’re going to have to take a look at how we do things. The Endicott survey of students showed they want more tech ed. My predecessor made the choice to boost the arts at the expense of tech ed in order to prevent students from going to PVPA. That worked, and it still keeps students from leaving, but it’s time to see if we can offer more tech ed. Dual enrollment frees up seats, and seniors are ready for that experience. We also need credit recovery for students who fail two or more courses.
DM: Thank you for coming.
NA: I’m so happy to be here when it’s not controversial.
March Agenda
There was a general discussion about a number of items they want to pay attention to in the near future: tiered instruction, Disrupting Class, which is a book recommended by Jim Young, and the implementation of the middle school model. DM wants to know if we’re really doing what we’re supposed to be doing in terms of that model, and JY wants to bring to light a full reasoning for why we’ve gone with the middle school model so that it can be more effectively defended. BE said that Lesley Wilson could speak to those issues. MP noted that neither special ed nor ELL have been brought to the curriculum subcommittee, and it was agreed that it would be good to hear from Nathan Ziegler now that he is “fully entrenched” as Director of Special Education.
Next meeting: Thursday, March 3 at 7:00. This meeting will take place at NHS.
Julie Spencer-Robinson, SchoolsWatch
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