School Committee links for 12/10/19 meeting

The School Committee meeting of Dec 10, 2019 will be available for video replay eventually. Check the Town of Franklin page:
https://www.franklinma.gov/home/pages/live-meetings-stream

As noted previously, I was recording the Finance Committee meeting when this was being held. Until the video is available for replay, you can find the meeting agenda documents on the Town of Franklin page  
https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/pages/december-10-2019-school-committee-packet

The Superintendent's Report
https://www.franklinps.net/sites/franklinmaps/files/uploads/superintendents_report_to_school_committee_december_10_2019.pdf

School Committee Actions Taken
https://www.franklinps.net/sites/franklinmaps/files/news/scagenda_12-10-19-actions_taken.pdf

Proposed draft Calendar for 2020-2021 school year
https://www.franklinps.net/sites/franklinmaps/files/uploads/20-21calendar-draft.pdf

The MCAS update for 2019
https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/files/mcas-presentation

MCAS 2019 Presentation from Franklin Matters

“Data shows that high stakes testing doesn’t measure outcomes that matter"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Educators and advocates on Monday urged lawmakers to press the pause button on the use of the state’s standardized test program as a graduation requirement and a component of school accountability measures. 

Bills filed by Rep. Marjorie Decker and Sen. Michael Rush would impose a three-year moratorium on what critics describe as the “high-stakes” nature of the MCAS exam, temporarily halting consideration of the results for graduation, accountability rankings, and teacher evaluations. 

Supporters of the bills told the Education Committee that the MCAS tests are not working as intended, and a break would give state education officials a chance to come up with new methods of measuring student and school performance. 

Jack Schneider, research director for the Massachusetts Consortium for Innovative Education Assessment, said standardized tests can act as a gauge of family income, race, and parents’ educational attainment, while not always capturing “many facets of a good school.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190617/moratorium-sought-for-mcas-exam

“Data shows that high stakes testing doesn’t measure outcomes that matter"

A good place to start with MCAS on the MA.gov site is
https://www.mass.gov/parents-guide-to-the-mcas

School Committee - recap (sort of) - Nov 27, 2018

The video replay of this meeting has been posted by Franklin TV and is available on demand
http://view.earthchannel.com/PlayerController.aspx?PGD=franknma&eID=601


As noted earlier, I decided to keep my fight with a cold (coughing and sniffles) to myself on Tuesday evening. So rather than attending the School Committee meeting in person, I was going to use the remote broadcast stream from Franklin TV. Alas, that was not to be. The stream was not functioning. 

When I tried to use the cable station, audio was not available. The audio did manage to get restored sometime along after I tweeted to alert folks of the problem. I had already lost context with the meeting and determined to wait for the broadcast replay to be made available by Franklin TV.

In the meantime, the MCAS presentation document shared during the meeting is available for your review here.
https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/files/mcas-presentation-2018

MCAS Presentation Nov 27, 2018 from Franklin Matters

The Superintendent's Report is posted here to be shared. You can also get a copy from the Town of Franklin page
https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/files/superintendents-report-112718




The full agenda and documents for this meeting can be found at the Town of Franklin page
https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/pages/november-27-2018-school-committee-packet-documents

new sign at Parmenter School

"Educators were quick to caution against making direct comparisons"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Just half of Massachusetts students in grades three through eight met or exceeded expectations on the new “next generation MCAS test” in math and English — the first time the test has been administered. 

Massachusetts education officials released the spring 2017 test results on Wednesday. 

Educators were quick to caution against making direct comparisons between a student’s performance on the new test and the original, nearly 20-year-old, MCAS. 

Scoring for the new test falls into four categories: Exceeding Expectations, Meeting Expectations, Partially Meeting Expectations and Not Meeting Expectations. 

As a result, some students who scored “proficient” on last year’s MCAS test may find they only scored “partially meeting expectations” on the new, tougher exam."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20171018/just-half-of-massachusetts-students-meet-mcas-test-expectations

The full Franklin 2016 School District profile can be found here (PDF file)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczZ3F3OG4wZHFwcDQ/view?usp=sharing

or on the MA DESE page here  http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/

Charter School MCAS 2.0 scores

Franklin District MCAS 2.0 scores

if the screen grabs are too much of an eye test, try the online interactive version at MA DESE
http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/statereport/nextgenmcas.aspx


An second article on the MCAS 2.0 results was also posted by MDN
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20171018/local-students-fare-well-on-new-mcas-exams

In the News: Franklin native commands ship; Waiver sought for MCAS alternative

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"The salty sea air, the never-ending expanse of blue, and the unmistakable beep on the sonar displaying a minefield off in the distance. 

Though not a typical day at work for Franklin native and commanding officer of the U.S.S. Champion, Joshua Kristenson, it’s something he’s been trained for and it’s the main focus of his job in San Diego, California. 

The 26-year-old vessel is 244-feet long and is an Avenger class mine-countermeasure ship. Her primary purpose is to detect and detonate sea mines. 

USS CHAMPION - ship's crest

“Mine warfare is somewhat slow and unglamorous. It’s not shooting missiles out of space, and I’ve been on ships that can do that,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s slow and methodical, and extraordinarily vital when it comes to keeping sea-lines of communication open and protecting America and our interests.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20170825/franklin-man-commands-military-vessel

Additional info on Lt Commander Kristenson and the U.S.S. Champion
http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/MCMDominant/Pages/bio1.aspx#.WaFesCiGPIU

"New federal limits on the number of students allowed to take an alternative to the state’s MCAS exam could have significant impacts for some special education students in Massachusetts. 

The federal Every Student Succeeds Act, the successor to No Child Left Behind, includes a requirement that no more than 1 percent of public school students in any state take the alternative assessment instead of the state’s standardized exam. Proponents of the cap say the vast majority of special education students are able to take the standard exam with accommodations, and that taking the alternative assessment in early grades could put students on a track that could delay or hinder the eventual attainment of a high school diploma. 

In Massachusetts, more than 1.6 percent of students currently take the alternative assessment, or MCAS-Alt, primarily due to severe cognitive disabilities. 

“Obviously, if a student is required to take MCAS, even with accommodations, if it’s not developmentally appropriate for the student, it’s going to have an impact on them,” said Jim Major, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Approved Private Schools, an organization of schools that educates severely disabled students whose educational needs cannot be met by their public schools."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20170825/massachusetts-seeks-waiver-from-mcas-alt-limit

"there is still work to be done, especially with the subgroup that included disabled students"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Three local schools scored in the highest level of performance in standardized testing, district officials said Tuesday. 

The School Committee heard a presentation at its Tuesday night meeting on the district's progress in testing, with officials saying Franklin High School, Oak Street Elementary School and Kennedy Elementary School had earned the state's "level one" accountability rating, the highest available. 

Assistant Superintendent Joyce Edwards said the high school and Kennedy School had previously held the rating, while the Oak Street School's performance represents an improvement. 

"We're currently a level two district... that's the predominant level across the state," she said. "That number is based on the lowest-performing school in the district."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20161115/franklin-schools-review-testing-results


The presentation document with the MCAS and PARCC summary can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2016/11/live-reporting-mcas-and-parcc-results.html

Live reporting: MCAS and PARCC Results - Spring 2016

2. Guests/Presentations

b. PARCC / MCAS – Joyce Edwards

MCAS and PARCC Results - Spring 2016 from Franklin Matters

grades 3-8 took PARCC, computer based testing
science test taken by grades 5 and 8 via paper (only option)
see page 3 of the presentation for the full summary

district schools were held 'harmless' for taking PARCC
could gain, could not lose
Kennedy, Oak, and FHS won the Level 1 status
Oak was the 'new' school to gain this status 
Level 2 as a district as it is based upon the lowest school in the district

comparison yr to yr on PARCC as State level data is not yet available

looking for a target growth of 30-60%

students in subgroups still need work to get their results up to the aggregate of all the students

data analysis
looked at in any way possible, down to individual students as necessary
state does not yet provide item analysis for the PARCC results
used in conjunction with other assessment data


Copy of District Curriculum Accommodation Plan published separately

on the Science MCAS, gr 5 16% better than State average; gr 8 18% better than the State


looking ahead to MCAS 2.0 for the spring of 2017
to use PARCC like questions, all via computer 
one testing window, largely all of April and May
the district calendar will be finalized and shared with schools/parents in December
current 8th grade class of 2021 will be the first to take the high school competency determination when they get there

PARCC should be disappearing from lexicon, only needed for some reporting comparisons

Jewell - it was a good thing for us to have taken the PARCC questions
Edwards - Yes, it was a good move

did have a number of families opt of the PARCC testing last year, a small number, less than 1% of the district; did not impact the participation rate

at FHS, no MCAS, no diploma

Scofield - What were some of the reasons for the opt out
Edwards - Mostly family desire

for FHS drop out, usually only 2-3 students per year
the final state data should be ready in a couple of weeks

student health absences do usually still allow for re-testing during the testing window

possible future question for the Communications Subcommittee on the standard testing opt out reasons to get additional info

some philosophical objections were raised due to the nature of PARCC and whether that continues with MCAS 2.0 remains to be seen

good writing is about writing for your audience, short cuts in texting does not work well in testing

O'Malley - disgruntled with the State and their progress on tests

In the News: catching up to recent links of interest

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

• A man died Sunday after being hit by a car while walking across Route 495 South, state police said.

http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160703/franklin-man-dies-in-highway-pedestrian-crash

• Beginning next spring, Massachusetts students will take a revamped version of the state’s standardized exams, which are being designed to be given online.

http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160704/schools-readying-for-new-mcas

• The school district has hired a new food service director as it works to create an in-house food program for the 2016-2017 school year.

http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160704/franklin-schools-hire-food-service-director-to-bring-meals-in-house

• A man was taken to the hospital via LifeFlight helicopter Sunday afternoon after falling out of a tree.

http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160705/franklin-man-flown-to-hospital-after-falling-from-tree

• The town devoted an additional $200,000 to fund post-employment benefits for its employees as it continues to set aside money for the expense.

http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160705/franklin-increases-fy16-contribution-for-opeb

In the News: Medway objects, testing transition

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin

"In a letter to the state Energy Facilities Siting Board, Medway said it opposes Franklin’s intervention in the board’s permitting of Exelon’s proposed expansion of the existing power plant on Summer Street. 

The letter, written by Jeffrey Bernstein, a lawyer hired to represent the town in all dealings with Exelon, called into question the Franklin’s reasons for participation, calling them legally insufficient “to allow the late filing of a petition to intervene nearly six months” after the deadline to intervene in June. 

“The town of Medway has significant concerns about the veracity of statements made both in the Town of Franklin’s filings and the affidavit in support thereof,” Bernstein wrote."

Continue reading the article online here (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151214/NEWS/151217920/1994/NEWS

"The Franklin School District is in the midst of transitioning from the MCAS test to PARCC, and school officials said local students performed well in both this past year. 

Assistant Superintendent Joyce Edwards noted that students outperformed the state in PARCC, but said the test itself is not in its final form. 

"It takes a very long time until a new test is fully tested and validated," she said. "I think it will be a few years before the data is completely reliable."

Continue reading the article online here (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151214/NEWS/151217926/1994/NEWS

Franklin Public Schools: MCAS and PARCC results 2015

The presentation scheduled to be used for the update to the Franklin (MA) School Committee at their meeting on Tuesday, Dec 8, 2015.

Franklin School Committee: MCAS and PARCC 2015 from Franklin Matters

the key to learning

In the News: MCAS 2.0, Clerk recount Thursday, Sen Spilka visits Franklin, Methodist Church events

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin

After test-driving the PARCC exam for two years, Massachusetts will instead opt for a new hybrid exam beginning in 2017. 

“This is going to be one of the most important policy decisions I think any group in the commonwealth will make for many years to come,” Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Chairman Paul Sagan said. 

The board voted 8-3 Tuesday to adopt Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester’s proposal to develop a new standardized test that incorporates elements of both PARCC and MCAS. Chester touted the new exam as a “next-generation MCAS” and “MCAS 2.0.”

Read the full article online here (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151117/NEWS/151116385/1994/NEWS

The votes cast in the town election earlier this month will be recounted Thursday to definitively name the winner of the town clerk race. 

Current Town Clerk Deborah Pellegri said candidate Diane Padula-O'Neill has formally requested the reconsideration after coming up 32 votes shy in the Nov. 3 count. 

The recount will take place at 10 a.m. at the Franklin Municipal Building, Pellegri said.

Read the full article online here (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151117/NEWS/151116015/1994/NEWS

State Sen. Karen Spilka visited the Franklin Downtown Partnership office recently, viewing the progress being made on the Downtown Roadway and Streetscape Improvement Project and discussing the FDP’s work on a number of downtown initiatives. 

Franklin Downtown Partnership Executive Director Lisa Piana and Planning and Community Development Director Bryan Taberner reviewed the Streetscape construction project’s progress to date. They also shared plans for new development and improvements to the downtown, such as a new retail building, park, and Horace Mann statue at the corner of Emmons and West Central streets.

Read the full article online here (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151117/NEWS/151116182/1994/NEWS

Franklin United Methodist Church, 82 W. Central St., will host the following Christmas events.

• Caroling: 2:30 p.m. Dec. 6.
• Quiet time service, or Blue Christmas service: 7 p.m. Dec. 17.
• Christmas Pageant: 10 a.m. Dec. 20.
• Christmas Eve services: 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. Dec. 24.

For information, call the church at 508-528-1092.

http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151117/NEWS/151116064/1994/NEWS

What will the DESE do with MCAS, PARCC or the new option 'Door #3'?

At the Tuesday meeting (Oct 20, 2015) of the state Board of Elementary and Higher Education where the latest standardized test scores were released, those scores weren’t the main topic of the day. Instead, talk focused on a new twist in the ongoing discussion of whether to keep using the MCAS test or switch to PARCC: How about neither one? 

Mitchell Chester, commissioner of elementary and secondary education, is due to make his recommendation on the tests to the board before its Nov. 17 vote. In a special meeting Monday, he told the board that he was now weighing a third possibility, or “Door No. 3,” as he put it: a so-called “MCAS 2.0,” which could use elements of the new PARCC tests to build a state-specific assessment.

You can continue to read the article online here:
http://learninglab.wbur.org/2015/10/20/mcas-vs-parcc-now-education-board-might-face-a-third-option/

State Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester, left, and Education Secretary Jim Peyser speak with reporters following the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meeting on Tuesday. (image from CommonWealth Magazine)

“None of the above” now looks like the correct answer to that test question. 

What looked like an either-or choice between retaining the state’s MCAS exam or scrapping it in favor of the new Common Core-aligned PARCC test has taken an unexpected turn and landed on a compromise plan to develop a revamped state test being billed “MCAS 2.0,” which would include a lot of content from the PARCC test. 

State Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester made it clear on Tuesday that he won’t recommend formal adoption of the PARCC test, developed by a multistate consortium of education leaders, but will instead seek to have the state retain control of the standardized test it administers to public school students while at the same time drawing from the new PARCC test to upgrade MCAS.

You can continue to read the article online here:
http://commonwealthmagazine.org/education/chester-abandons-parcc/

In the News: state police alert on scams, eagle scouts recognized, development along RT 140, MCAS argued for

Massachusetts State Police issued a scam warning on their official Facebook page Thursday. According to the posting, scammers pretending to be members of the state police or affiliated with the police are calling people and soliciting money for drug prevention and intervention programs. 

The scammers may claim to be part of a narcotics unit, police said.

Continue to read the article online here (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150917/NEWS/150916356/1994/NEWS

Boy Scouts Patrick Cunniff, Jonathan Tomaso and Joseph Kroon, from Troop 99 of Franklin, were honored at an Eagle Scout Court of Honor on Aug. 1 for achieving the highest rank in Boy Scouts. 

Each scout completed a community service project that benefited the community: Cunniff worked with the Franklin Girls Softball Association to build four dugouts at the Remington-Jefferson fields; Tomaso constructed a walkway between the front and back entrances to the Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School benefiting both charter school students and St. Mary Parish CCD students; and Kroon, sponsored by the Town of Franklin, built an arched foot bridge over a stream on the disc golf course at Dacey Fields.

arched foot bridge at Dacey Field disc golf course

Continue to read the article online here (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150917/NEWS/150916212/1994/NEWS

"There will be several different buildings," he said. "There's a gas station and, adjacent to that, a lube place and at least one restaurant. There will be several other retail spaces as well." 

According to Taberner, the developer has not labeled all of the proposed buildings, meaning it is uncertain which businesses will occupy them. 

Taberner said the board has requested more information from the developer, and would likely be considering the project for some time. He said he did not know how long the process might take. 

"The matter was continued to the next Planning Board meeting," he said. "It could be two, three, four or five - I have no idea how many meetings it might take."

Continue to read the article online here (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150917/NEWS/150916038/1994/NEWS

In a meeting with the Daily News editorial board on Wednesday, Pioneer Institute’s Jamie Gass and Tom Birmingham, former Senate president and co-author of the Education Reform Act of 1993 which created the MCAS, cautioned against switching from the long-standing test. Instead, the pair recommended working within the current system for better results. 

After education reform went into effect, Birmingham said the state set and met new standards that have pushed school performance to the top in the nation. If Massachusetts signs on to the PARCC test, Birmingham said he worries standards will drop to accommodate students in other PARCC states that don't have tests as rigorous as those in Massachusetts. 

“Before you outright jettison what has been coincident, at least, with our historic, unprecedented education success stories … I think you should bear in mind the words from the Hippocratic Oath, which is first, do no harm,” Birmingham said. “I’m fearful that if we do jettison MCAS and replace it with something else that is yet completely untested, we are inviting regression in terms of our education success.”

Continue to read the article online here (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150917/NEWS/150915990/1994/NEWS

Info on MCAS can be found here   http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/

LETTER TO EDITOR: PARCC is Failing Teachers and Students | Framingham, MA Patch

A group of Framingham elementary school teachers have written a Letter to the Editor that was published in the Framingham Patch:

As teachers we cannot stay silent as PARCC makes its way into our classrooms.

In the words of Soujourner Truth at the 1851 Women’s Convention, “Where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter.” Nationally, we’re hearing a racket about the problem of standardized tests driving instruction, knocking the process of education clearly out of kilter. Here are a few reasons why: 

1. Test Prep takes time away from REAL Reading, Writing and Math Instruction.

PARCC website

Continue to read the article to see the other reasons listed for their objections to the PARCC test.

http://patch.com/massachusetts/framingham/letter-editor-parcc-failing-teachers-and-students-0#.VQ830LCbmvY.gmail


In a related post, there is information on how to opt out of the PARCC or MCAS tests. 
http://www.citizensforpublicschools.org/the-facts-on-opting-out-of-mcas-or-parcc/

Franklin Public Schools: MCAS Presentation

Joyce Edwards, Director of Instructional Services, Franklin Public Schools is scheduled to use this document to provide an update to the School Committee on Tuesday, November 18, 2014.

The presentation provides an update on the MCAS results from last year, Franklin;s comparison overall to MA and selected school districts, and a discussion on how the results will drive education in the classroom.




The full agenda for the School Committee meeting can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/11/franklin-ma-school-committee-agenda-nov_18.html

"there is not an opt-out option"

On Sunday, the Boston Globe MetroWest section had an article on the growing discussion around standardized testing. PARCC is being piloted here in Franklin as well as other communities around the state. Some communities are trying to get out of the piloting and the article quotes Franklin's Joyce Edwards:

Joyce Edwards, director of instructional services for the Franklin school system, said every step had been taken to ensure that the testing, which will be conducted this week and in May in eight schools across the district, will have as minimal an impact on daily instruction as possible. 

“There is always an extra burden when there is extra testing,” Edwards said. “We took every exemption available to avoid double-testing. Beyond that the state has been quite clear there is not an opt-out option.” 

PARCC

Franklin’s schools obtained MCAS exemptions from the state for students who take the PARCC pilot test. If students take a PARCC test in English or math, they won’t have to take the same section in MCAS. 

Edwards said if an opt-out was allowed by the state, the district probably would have offered it. 

“We absolutely would have considered that,” she said. “We don’t believe in double-testing and the loss in instructional time.”

You can find the full article online here (subscription required)
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/west/2014/04/05/some-school-districts-less-than-excited-about-new-standardized-test/yLaSdLSF26svfASDhAmYHO/story.html

More on PARCC

Additional articles on the Common Core and PARCC

Todd Gazda, Superintendent, Ludlow Public Schools: Enough is Enough!

March 19, 2014 Letter written by Ludlow Superintendent regarding too much on standardized testing

Education official: Students can't be forced to take PARCC - News - MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA - Framingham, MA

Just out today, March 20, 2014

PARCC

Related post:

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/franklin-voices-future-parcc-ma.html

Franklin Schools: MCAS and PARCC test schedule

The MCAS and PARCC test schedule for the Franklin schools is scheduled for discussion Tuesday evening at the School Committee meeting.




The full agenda for the meeting can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/01/franklin-ma-school-committee-agenda-jan_28.html

School Committee: MCAS Results

Joyce Edwards, Director of Instructional Service, will present an update on the MCAS results for the Franklin School District at the School Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Nov 19.

The document as released with the agenda is as follows:





The full agenda for the School Committee meeting can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/11/franklin-ma-school-committee-agenda-nov_17.html

School Committee: MCAS and PARCC presentations

If you missed the School Committee meeting on Tuesday and want to review the presentations on MCAS and PARCC, the new test being piloted here in Franklin, you can view both documents here.


The overview on Franklin's MCAS scores




The overview on PARCC which is slated to replace MCAS




More about the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) can be found here  http://www.parcconline.org/

More about MCAS can be found here http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/