Minutes
Quincy, Massachusetts - October 5, 2011
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Regular
A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday,
October 5, 2011 at Quincy High School. Present were: Mayor Thomas Koch,
Chairman, Mrs. Jo-Ann Bragg, Mrs. Elaine Dwyer, Ms. Barbara Isola,
Mrs. Emily Lebo, Mr. Dave McCarthy, Mrs. Anne Mahoney, Vice Chair.
Chairman
Presiding
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The Superintendent called the roll and all were present. Also present were:
Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Secretary; Ms. Laura Owens, Acting Clerk; Messrs.
Draicchio, McGuire, Mullaney, Mulvey, and Keith Segalla; Mrs. Roberts, Erler,
Fredrickson, Papile; Ms. Todd, and Ms. Allison Cox, President, QEA.
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There was a moment of silence for Mary Capiferri, who recently passed away.
Ms. Capiferri was a teacher in the Quincy Public Schools for 36 years.
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Regular Meeting Minutes Approved
9/21/2011
On a motion by Mr. McCarthy, seconded by Mrs. Lebo, the Committee approved
the regular session minutes for September 21, 2011. The ayes have it.
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Superintendent's Report
The Superintendent opened his remarks by noting some upcoming events, including
the Teacher Mini-Grant Reception on October 18th at 3:00 pm at North Quincy High
School, the 'Tis the Season: Symphony and Song event on December 6th. He also
mentioned an upcoming fundraiser on Thursday, October 6th at the North Quincy High
School vs. Quincy High School volleyball game at North Quincy High School.
The Montclair School and Parent-Teacher Organization are working together to raise
funds to build a playground at the Montclair School. Further updates will be provided as
the fundraising campaign begins.
The Career and Technical Education Advisory Board meeting will be held on October
20th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at Quincy High School. All are welcome to attend.
The Superintendent announced that Maria Anastasi has been appointed to the
Transportation Administrative Assistant position reporting to the Director of Security
and Transportation, Mike Draicchio.
Enrollment and Class Size
Mrs. Roberts spoke about Quincy Public Schools enrollment and class size, based on
the October 1 data that is required to be filed with the state Department of Elementary.
and Secondary Education. Total enrollment is 9,396 students for pre-Kindergarten
through Grade 12. In terms of class size, all classes at Kindergarten through Grade 5
meet the School Committee guidelines and most are well under the upper limit. In three
schools, there are half-time skills support teachers in Grades 4 and 5 classrooms. In the
middle schools, there are only five classes that exceed guidelines and in the high
schools, there are just nine classes, most being honors classes. Principals and guidance
staff are working to resolve these issues by adjusting schedules where possible. For
future budgets, Mrs. Dwyer suggested adding reserve funds for additional teachers that
might be needed when fall enrollments are known.
Dr. DeCristofaro spoke about the overall enrollment picture, the movement in student
population between Quincy High School and North Quincy High School for Chapter 74
and English Language Learner programs, and the close watch kept on larger school
populations, such as Central Middle School, Lincoln Hancock, and Clifford Marshall.
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Open Forum
Ms. Linda Perry spoke about Worldwide Teacher Appreciation Day, celebrated on
October 5, and the upcoming Quincy Community Action Program fundraiser being held
on Thursday, October 6th at Granite Links.
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Building Projects Update
Dr. DeCristofaro presented the update on building projects, renovations, and
construction in Mr. Murphy's absence. Dennis McGillivray has been supervising the
Maintenance Department and compiled a report of ongoing completed projects. Work
was completed in seventeen schools, plus the bus garage. Work on the roofing projects
is ongoing, but Maintenance is working with the City's Public Building department on
getting a revised schedule and addressing issues as they arise with completed work.
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Quincy High School
Mrs. Dwyer reported that she had a discussion with Tishman about outstanding issues
related to the new Quincy High School. The lift has been returned to the school, so the
painting of the gymnasium columns can be completed. The restaurant area flooring
will be repaired, the landscaping warranty replacement grass and shrubs are still
pending, and the auditorium seating repairs are still to be completed.
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New Central Middle School Project
Mrs. Bragg reported on the neighborhood meeting that was held earlier this evening
on the process for abatement and demolition for the Central Middle School building
site. A fence will be erected around the property on October 7th. Hazardous material
abatement protocols are in place, including sealing rooms as they are working on them
and washing trucks as they leave the site to prevent spreading dust. Abatement is
scheduled to be completed by the end of November, with demolition to follow in
December. Traffic concerns were addressed; restrictions are in place about which streets
can be used. The work day is from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm; occasionally, there may be
extended days on the interior demolition, but this will not include truck traffic. The next
meeting is scheduled for October 17th
.
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New Business
Program Improvement Plans
Mrs. Bragg reported that a process has been developed for the review of Program.
Improvement Plans: the School Policy Subcommittee members reviewed the plans
in advance of a formal presentation at a subcommittee meeting. After each
presentation, the Subcommittee formally approves each plan. The first two meetings
were held on September 26th and September 29th and four Program Improvement
Plans were presented at each meeting. One recommendation to come out of the
meetings was to add a budget page to each Program Improvement Plan. Mrs. Bragg
presented the following summary of each Program Improvement Plan.
At the first School Policy Subcommittee meeting held on September 26, 20011, the
Health Services Program Improvement Plan was presented by Mrs. Kisielius, who
reported each school has an experienced, full-time school nurse. School nurses have
many responsibilities, including student and parent interactions, daily medication
administration, first aid, illness assessment, helping families manage chronic conditions
and life-threatening allergies, as well as annual screenings for hearing, posture, BMI and
vision. In addition, school nurses provide health education, reinforce self-care with
students through regular classroom presentations, and hold staff Professional
Development.
This year's goals are: (1) to revise the QPS Medication Policy to include a self-administration component by December 2011. This will be forwarded to the Policy
Subcommittee. (2) Adapt the Performance Standards for Professional Educators in for
school nurses by January 2012. (3) Design and implement parent trainings to comply
with the MA Dept. of Public Health Head Injury and Concussion Regulations. All
nurses and coaches have already been trained. The Policy Subcommittee approved the
Health Services Program Improvement Plan.
Mrs. Bragg made a motion to approve the Health Services Program Improvement Plan.
Mr. McCarthy seconded the motion. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
The Special Education Program Improvement Plan was presented by Ms. Todd who
reviewed progress towards last year‟s goals, especially the new core ELA and
supplemental Math curricula for middle school that are fully implemented for this school
year. She cited the success of the Orton Gillingham program (every elementary school
has one certified or soon to be certified teacher and every middle school has one or more
certified teachers) and the new Lexia (computer-based) program that is being used in
resource rooms, allowing teachers to utilize small-group instruction strategies. A major
accomplishment for the SPED department is the creation of the Disability Book. This
was a cooperative effort between QPAC and SPED teachers. It can be used at all levels
and will be a great resource tool for Special Education teachers, Regular Ed teachers and
parents.
For 2011-12 the SPED program goals are: (1) Students in the Middle School Language
program will be pre-tested in September, post-tested in January and June using the SRI
from the Read 180 program and will show definitive improvement. (2) All Elementary
Resource Room teachers will utilize the Lexia software program for all students
receiving Orton Gillingham and will report progress during an April meeting. (3) All
teachers will demonstrate knowledge in all areas of Special Education Regulation
changes at all school levels. (4) The Speech and Language Team goal is for staff to
ensure consistency in the quality and provision of services to students and to provide
effective communication with staff and families regarding the student‟s disability. (5)
The Middle School Team goal is for teachers to participant in the course “Understanding
Rational Numbers” to improve their instructional strategies in math and to implement
Visualizing and Verbalizing and the LIPS program. (6) The Language Development
Team‟s goals are for teachers to participate in Professional Development in the areas of
math and writing curriculum to be implemented in their classrooms this school year. (7)
The GOALS Team‟s goal is to understand the signs and symptoms of childhood stress.
(8) The CARES Team‟s goal is for teachers to participate in professional development
activities to assist in differentiating reading instruction through the use of various
curricula. (9) The Physical Therapy Team‟s goal is to compile behavioral resource
strategies and interventions for use with students with Autism Spectrum Disorders that
are appropriate for use in various environments during therapy. (10) The PASS Team‟s
goal is for staff to coordinate and communicate with department heads and teachers
regarding PASS students on a daily basis, as necessary. (11) Quincy Parent Advisory
Council‟s goals are to increase participation in QPAC, advise the district on special
education policies, procedures and programs. The Policy Subcommittee approved the
Special Education Program Improvement Plan.
Mrs. Bragg made a motion to approve the Special Education Program Improvement
Plan. Ms. Isola seconded the motion. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
The Transportation Program Improvement Plan was presented by Mr. Draicchio, who
gave an overview of the plan, which focuses on the safe transportation of 1,044 Quincy
Public School students (regular and Special Education) every day. He cited School
Safety Officers, DARE officers, crossing guards and the Quincy Police Department for
their cooperative interaction in keeping our students safe. Mr. Draicchio shared the
materials distributed to the drivers at their recent summer orientation. All drivers and
monitors are on the Instant Alert System. They had a presentation on First Aid, working
with school nurses, bullying prevention and intervention. Other issues discussed
included safety and security; bus conduct reports; communication with principal or
assistant principal as necessary; inspection of buses, citing any issues no matter how
small so the maximum number of buses are able to be deployed at all times. Last year‟s
goals of creating student identification tags implemented, privacy issues have been dealt
with; and information about medications are being shared by school nurses.
For the 2011-2012 school year, the goals are focused on (1) Professional development,
including in-service training and raising awareness of the need to communicate with
school personnel (nurse, principal, assistant principal); (2) Better communication with
staff, outside vendors about expectations; CORIs completed annually, including for
outside vendors. (3) Student safety is the ultimate goal and the transportation fleet will
be safely serviced and maintained on a monthly basis. The subcommittee
recommending adding CPR training to the Transportation Department‟s annual
professional development and commented about the positive progress of this
department. The Policy Subcommittee approved the Transportation Program
Improvement Plan.
Mrs. Bragg made a motion to approve the Transportation Program Improvement Plan.
Ms. Isola seconded the motion. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
The Information Technology Program Improvement Plan was presented by Mr. Keith
Segalla, who gave an overview of the 3-year Technology comprehensive plan which
runs through November 2012. Mr. Segalla highlighted the change in the Information
Technology‟s technician‟s schedules: middle schools have support for one day per week,
while the high schools have four days. Most elementary schools are scheduled for ½ day
per week. The subcommittee commented about the need for more IT tech staff to
service the 2,700 computers in the schools. Office 2010 has been installed on all
computers and there are training sessions set up. There was some discussion about
email issues: QPS email addresses receiving outside emails, security of QPS emails vs.
other email sources. The City‟s goal is to have a new email system in place for 2012.
The 2011-12 goals are: (1) & (2) To meet all DESE data reporting requirements and all
district reporting data requirements for electronic progress reports and reports cards. (3)
To facilitate the training and use of WordPress and other facets of the new QPS website
for appropriate staff as it relates to improving and enhancing communication in the QPS
School community. (4) Review, coordinate and facilitate transition of Staff Academy to
the new website for all QPS staff. (5) There are goals for each level to consistently
communicate scheduling issues, timelines, appropriate tasks and data dissemination. (6)
Starbase will be replaced by newer a version called SIS. (7) Design, develop and
implement an Educational Leadership Team Event utilizing the integration of
Educational Technology.
The Subcommitte requested a report on the usage of teacher comments on progress
reports and report cards and this will be run after first term progress reports are
completed. The Policy Subcommittee approved the Information Technology Program
Improvement Plan.
Mrs. Bragg made a motion to approve the Information Technology Program
Improvement Plan. Ms. Isola seconded the motion. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
At the second School Policy Subcommitee meeting on September 29, 2011, the Career
and Technical Education Program Improvement Plan was presented by Mr. Keith
Segalla and Ms. Scanlan, who gave an overview of the current enrollment at Quincy
High School in this program. All program sections are full, with the more popular
concentrations having multiple sections. Goals for 2010-2011 were met, including
increasing use of technology in classrooms, especially the InterWrite Boards. Also
completed were the updated curriculum guide and syllabi. The Advisory Board's goal
was to have an advisory board member present to a class; 14 of 15 majors accomplished
this. The 2011-12 Perkins Grant Requests total $122,000; prioritized by safety,
curriculum, equipment; other expenses are also paid from this fund, including a .5
salary. Quincy Public Schools has made good progress towards meeting the CVTE Core
Indicators.
2011-12 Goals: (1) Advanced training on InterWrite boards for all teachers, utilizing
MOBIs and clickers. (2) Preparing unit plans for one class (syllabus, curriculum guide,
lesson plan, assessments) for the week of NEASC visit in March. (3) Advisory Board
goal: To enlist one Advisory Board member to host a visit at their site for seniors in the
Career and Technology Education Major Design and to develop QPS Career &
Technology Education Advisory Committee Reports for a presentation to the School
Committee. (4) The Safety Team‟s goals are to promote safety in classroom and to
update safety plan, MDS sheets for each shop. After some discussion, suggestions were
made to break down information about certifications completed and also about working
towards integrating North Quincy High School programs. The Policy Subcommittee
approved the Career and Technical Education Program Improvement Plan.
The English Language Learners Program Improvement Plan was presented by Ms.
Hallett, who gave an overview of the accomplishments from last year: piloting an ELL
Reading program (Cornerstones, which is being implemented this school year in all
elementary schools); creating a streamlined procedure for effective data collection for all
documents; and creating technology-infused lessons for ELL content. An ARRA grant
provided substantial professional development: 45 hours for high school teachers,
technology coaches in classroom.
In terms of Assessment data, Math Gr. 10 MCAS: 99% of ELL students passed on the
first try; ELA Gr. 10 MCAS: 91% of ELL students passed on first try; and Gr 10
Writing showed high improvement from previous years. 1,100 students were serviced n
the 2010-11 school year and this year we began with 1,350 students receiving services.
In the middle schools and North Quincy High School, ELL students will be piloting
taking the MEPA test online. Sterling was pilot school last year, and depending on
available technology and the size of the student population, rollout could occur at all
middle schools.
ELL Team Goals 2011-12: (1) To fully implement the Cornerstone series, a core
reading/literacy program. (2) To follow and maintain a streamlined procedure
implemented at all schools for effective data collection of documents that must be
included in LEP/FLEP students‟ official ELL Folder throughout the school year. (3) To
reevaluate and update the process for formal monitoring of former LEP students‟
district-wide in grades 1-12 to be sure the exiting of the program was appropriate. (4)
Continue to offer academic and community support for families; Parker, Wollaston and
Montclair parents participated in Active parenting course, Snug Harbor will be added
this year. The Subcommittee also received an update about the high school ELL
program moving the 9th grade program to North Quincy. The Policy Subcommittee
approved the English Language Learner Program Improvement Plan.
The Student Support Services Program Improvement Plan was presented by Mrs.
Papile, who gave an overview of all of the parts of Student Support Services (SSS):
Nurses, Psychologists, Attendance Officers, Guidance Counselors, Central Registration,
Homeless Coordinator, Unaccompanied Youth Coordinator, and Quincy Teen Mothers.
Last year, the SSS staff played a leadership role in the anti-bullying initiatives; those
same goals roll forward into this year. Other items monitored by SSS staff include
information summarized in the District Improvement Plan Annual Statistics: Guidance
and Psychology staff annual collection of data. Early intervention for attendance issues
at the elementary and middle school levels will be a focus of professional development
for this year, as will a database of students removed from the rolls for residency issues,
and raising awareness around new issues like unaccompanied teens and their needs.
Student Support Services goals for 2011-2012: (1) The Student Support Services Team
will analyze data that identifies students at risk system-wide, especially students where
there is a safety concern. (2) At all levels, the Guidance Team will review changes in
504 procedures and implement new guidelines offered through professional
development in coordination with the Special Education Team Administrator. (3) All
levels will implement an array of strategies to address the social/emotional barriers to
learning by March 2012. (4) Each high school will continue the implementation of the
Naviance Program. (5) The Supervisors of Attendance will assist sites in verifying
residency. Following discussion about adding information about the Massachusetts
Guidance Model, the proactive time Guidance Counselors spend in the classroom and
cuts in the Homeless liaison staff budget, the subcommittee approved the Student
Support Services Program Improvement Plan.
The Literacy Program Improvement Plan was presented by Mrs. Hughes, who updated
the subcommittee that with the addition of two more Literacy Specialists, there is fulltime staffing in almost every elementary school. Mrs. Hughes reviewed the measure of
student success for each school, all showing good progress throughout the year.
Increase in Tier 1 (no risk) and decrease in Tier 2 (some form of supplemental work
needed) and Tier 3 (need intensive support) are goals. District analysis shows
significant improvement; Tier 3 students are often seen by SPED and ELL as well.
All children are assessed for Literacy issues: as soon as a child enters a school, they are
given a benchmark DIBEL test by the classroom teachers. Children in Tiers 2 and 3 are
progress-monitored twice a year. The plan is to purchase DIBELS NEXT data system;
expand professional development, implementing the Walk to Read program.
Literacy program goals for 2011-2012: (1) The Literacy Team will decrease the number
of Tier 3 students, those at risk, to represent 10% of the total district population of
students in grades K-Grade 5. (2) The team will work with classroom teachers to
decrease the number of students in Grade 2 & 3 who read below grade level by 5%. (3)
The Literacy Team will design a comprehensive vocabulary program for Grades K-3.
The subcommittee approved the Literacy Program Improvement Plan.
Mrs. Bragg made a motion to approve the Career and Technical Education Program
Improvement Plan, the English Language Learners Program Improvement Plan, the
Student Support Services Program Improvement Plan, the Literacy Program
Improvement Plan, the minutes of the September 26, 2011 School Policy Subcommittee
meeting, and the amended minutes of the September 29, 2011 School Policy
Subcommittee meeting. Mr. McCarthy seconded the motion. On a voice vote, the ayes
have it.
Mrs. Bragg noted that the next School Policy Subcommittee meeting will be October 11,
2011 at 4:30 pm in the Superintendent's Conference room. The Subcommittee will
review the Safety and Security Program Improvement Plan, the Athletics Program
Improvement Plan; School Committee Policy 2.5.8: School Committee-Staff
Communication, and High School Graduation Requirements. The first School
Improvement Plan review meeting will be Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 4:30 pm in the
Superintendent's Conference Room.
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MCAS Presentation
Mrs. Roberts and Mrs. Frederickson presented an overview of the Spring 2011 MCAS
results. Student achievement is the center of all work in the Quincy Public Schools and
the results from this year‟s MCAS are impressive. In ELA, the percentage passing
(Needs Improvement, Proficient, Advanced) ranges from 86% at Grade 3 to 96% at
Grade 10. For Math, the range is from 75% at Grade 8 to 95% at Grade 10. The QPS
proficiency track over grades mirrors state averages with dips in Grade 4 ELA and
Grades 4 and 7-8 Math. The LEP/FLEP subgroup exceeds state averages at all grades 4-
8, and 10 for ELA, all grades for Math. For SPED, all grades for both Math and ELA
are below state average.
In terms of student growth, achievement and growth work together to give a complete
picture of student achievement. Students are compared with their statewide academic
peers; in each grade, there are a number of students who are taking MCAS for the first
time, so they have no growth data. Quincy is a Level 3 school district in terms of
Accountability & Assistance; no change from last year. The schools at the lowest level
drive the district‟s designation: Quincy has eight Level 1 schools, six Level 2 schools,
and four Level 3 schools. Three schools exited Level 3: Snug Harbor (Level 3 to Level
1), QHS (Level 3 to Level 2), Sterling (Level 3 to Level 2). Three schools were
commended for performance: Snug Harbor for narrowing proficiency gap among
subgroups, Squantum for exiting NCLB Accountability status, and Beechwood Knoll for
high growth. Recent QPS staff development includes school site-based Assessment
Days for middle and elementary school teams; agendas, presentations, and meeting
reports will be posted on Staff Academy to facilitate sharing information between
schools. Each school's Assessment Team works on goal setting within the school.
Mrs. Roberts also shared a slide that illustrated the end result of student achievement –
where do students go after graduation? 80% of last year's high school graduates
planned to pursue 2 or 4-year secondary education, 2% planned to enter the military, 2%
planned to begin working, 1% planned other post-secondary education, and the
remaining 15% plans were unknown.
During the discussion that followed, Mrs. Roberts clarified that the performance targets
are set by the federal No Child Left Behind act, that growth is a part of accountability,
not AYP, and explained the NCLB waiver process (allowing states to develop their own
systems of accountability, DSAC being one). Mrs. Lebo asked about high school
assessment data analysis and Mrs. Roberts explained that the high school teams are
smaller and more focused on accreditation issues. Ms. Isola inqured about correlating
between MCAS results and classroom performance and Mrs. Mahoney asked about
comparisons to other standardized tests. Mrs. Roberts discussed how this will be looked
at in the near future as part of the new Educator Evaluation regulations; sharing this data
will be required. Mrs. Roberts also clarified the difficulty of this kind of analysis as the
state does not disclose all items, making it more difficult to pinpoint areas where support
is needed. Mrs. Bragg commented on how impressive the scores are especially for
Science, but also clearly the Literacy and Special Education programs are contributing
to improvement. Mr. McCarthy complimented the presentation, the district's initiatives
around assessment, and especially Principals Barrett, Gilbert, and Santoro for their
schools' performances in changing levels.
Dr. DeCristofaro thanked Mrs. Roberts and Mrs. Frederickson and the extraordinary
Assessment teams at each of the schools for their work in keeping the expectations high
for all students and supporting those students and their families.
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Additional Business
As an addendum to her Quincy High School report, Mrs. Dwyer noted that Tishman
and Gilbane are in the process of doing the final reconciliation for the Quincy High
School project. The project came in under budget and should be completed by the end
of November at the latest. Since the Quincy High School Building Committee has not
met since last winter, Mrs. Dwyer requested a final accounting of expenses from March
2011 through the present.
Mrs. Bragg requested that an item be removed from the School Facilities Subcommittee:
Alternate Plans for Central Middle School and suggested that all School Committee
members review the list for items that can be removed.
Mrs. Bragg made a motion to approve the donation of a 1998 Jaguar XJ Series
automobile to the Career and Technical Education Automotive Technology Program by
Ms. Harriet Rubin. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Mr. McCarthy complimented all of the Program Improvement Plans that were presented
in the two recent meetings as being very detailed and professional. He noted that he is
planning to schedule a Health, Safety, and Security Subcommittee meeting soon.
Mrs. Lebo spoke about creating an additional School Committee subcommittee for
Teaching and Learning or Curriculum Instruction. Program Improvement Plans for
educational programs would then be reviewed in that subcommittee.
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Adjournment
On a motion by Mr. McCarthy, seconded by Ms. Isola, the Committee
adjourned at 9:35 p.m. for the evening. There was no executive session.
The ayes have it.