News Of Tewksbury Schools 'Downgrade' Premature and Inaccurate
O'Connor receives word that the Tewksbury Public Schools will not be downgraded by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
With apologies to Mark Twain, news of the Tewksbury Public Schools' demise has been greatly exaggerated.
Contrary to published reports from earlier this week, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MDESE) will not be downgrading the school department from Level 2 to Level 3 status due to poor MCAS exam schools in recent years.
On the contrary, Superintendent of Schools Dr. John O'Connor told the School Committee at its meeting on Wednesday, that he had just received preliminary notification from MDESE that the Tewksbury School District would remain at Level 2.
MDESE grades individual schools and school districts on a 1 to 5 basis with 1 being schools that need the least oversight and improvement to reach MCAS goals and 5 being the schools that need the greatest oversight and improvement.
"Two years ago, when I got here, I came into a Level 3 District, " said O'Connor. "Last year we were Level 2 and this year we are at Level 2."
O'Connor told the committee that back in June, he had received a memo from MDESE, giving him a 'heads-up' that the district "might" be downgraded to Level 3, depending on the district's 2012 MCAS results, which had not yet been factored in or event calculated. According to O'Connor, the preliminary notification was given to give the district time to allocate their Title 1 funds accordingly.
However, the 2012 MCAS results (released this week) were positive for Tewksbury and pushed the district solidly into Level 2 status, said O'Connor.
"I believe that these MCAS results tell us that as a district, we've made some significant gains," he said.
Earlier in the evening, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Patty Lally went over the general MCAS results for Tewksbury and indicated that the district had outperformed the state average in most areas.
Rusty
8:53 am on Thursday, September 20, 2012
This is why we can not compete with China and India the people responsible to educate our children are trying to keep score on themselves with the MCAS testing instead of giving students the tools they need to compete.
bk
9:49 am on Thursday, September 20, 2012
Rusty,
I agree but there are two issues here.
1. To 'educate' kids:
This is a lengthy issue. That would need change all over MA. Lots of people to convince.
2. To maintain our town's standing.
In the short term, we have to see what we could do keep our MCAS scores high because that's what the current measuring stick is ( right or wrong).
Thanks Mr. O'Connor,
This was a comforting news.
I believe we should involve parents in their kids' education ( in case they are forgetting their part and blame teachers). Make them visit schools when their kids don't do HW etc. I am sure, after couple of visits, they will get into the habit of asking their kids if they did their HW.
Please keep up the good work
--B
Mr. "C"
11:11 am on Thursday, September 20, 2012
Here here BK!! It is EVERY parents responsibility to STAY involved in our schools and community! Get & Stay INVOLVED especially when it comes to your child! No excuses people, as Nike says "Just Do It".
trish
2:01 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
I AM very involved as a parent. I have 3 children and their education comes first. I am so sick of people blaming teachers not doing their job. the kids nowadays do what they want and half of them do not pay attention in school or they skip out and half of them are high and just show up to school. it is a totally different generation these days. I am not sure about the whole MCAS tests. I hope we as a town can get the best education for our children and our scores go back up.
Lauren
9:01 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
As far as I see it, teachers aren't ALLOWED to do their jobs anymore. All that matters is the kids pass the MCAS. It must be frustrating to them (the good ones, anyway, which my kids have been lucky to have). It is frustrating to me as a parent to see all the packets of practice MCAS busy work coming home instead of all the other things they could be learning.
malcolm nichols
4:48 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
So when do we get upgraded? We cannot settle for a 2.
Jon Pratt
5:06 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
"Shawsheen Valley Technical High School and the Lowell Middlesex Academy Charter School joined 15 other schools statewide in which 100 percent of 10th-graders scored at least "needs improvement"-- the state's minimum testing requirement to earn a high-school diploma -- in both English and math. ..
Read more: http://www.lowellsun.com/todaysheadlines/ci_21590030/four-local-schools-hailed-mcas-gains#ixzz272snAsIw
If Shawsheen can do it we should be able to.
Most Shawsheen parents credit tthis success to that each child success is based on a culture enbraced by the teachers and administration that they won't accept failure as an option. Hence 100%
Jon Pratt
11:44 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
http://www.boston.com/news/special/education/mcas/scores12/results/tewksbury.htm
Wow ,hats happening ? Those MCAS scores are the wors.at I've seen in awhile.
Bill Gilman
8:57 am on Saturday, September 22, 2012
Jon I'm going to disagree with your assessment based on the stories we have run previously. These scores actually indicate an uptick. As I understand it, three years ago, Tewksbury was, in fact Level 3 as a district. Now the district is level 2. Also, some of the individual schools are level 1.
jo
3:12 am on Saturday, September 22, 2012
I am concerned with the work of the superintendent. Why did he release information before the embargo was lifted by the DESE? His statements were innacurate. I expect a higher standard of work from an individual in that position. Also I concur with Jon Pratt. We should be at Level 1 status. What is causing Tewksbury to be a level 2?
I
Make A Difference
12:01 pm on Saturday, September 22, 2012
Tewksbury will remain to be at level two until the town and the people responsible for the students whether its parents or guardians have higher expectations. Andover for example, all of those students are surrounded in an environment where they know they have to compete to remain a threat. Almost every student in Andover High School preforms above average at something whether it is a sport or an art. We need to stress on the kids that we want them to do the best they can do and always strive to improve.
On the contrary it isn't like level two is awful for being in a town where we contain middle-upper, middle, and low-icome families. We have a wide range of different ways of upbringing the children and some might stress to work hard while others might not do anything at all and the kid has to fend for themselves.
With that being said, I am just being very broad on why we are at Level 2 because in this type of situations there are a great deal of factors that come in to play.
But let this be known, do not go and expect and say we need to be at level one status but you are not willing to give back to the schools and the students when you can actually afford to. Because that is like taking a kid, putting him in the middle of the desert, and telling him that he has to get to the pros. That is unrealistic & you sound preposterous.
So just be supportive of the children, help them out, and encourage them to do well and to give back.