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At its October 8 meeting, the Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School Committee heard presentations surrounding Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) results and how factors like absenteeism affect student performance.
In English/Language Arts, 30% of third graders either met or exceeded expectations and 45% partially met them. In grade 4, 19% met or exceeded while 62% partially did. And in grade 5, 26% met or exceeded expectations while 50% partially met.
(The remaining % fall under the `do not meet expectations’ category).
Superintendent Paul Haughey noted following the meeting that students in grades 3-8 and 10 received an overall classification as “not requiring assistance or intervention,” resulting from making “moderate progress toward targets.”
He said parents would be receiving their child’s scores in the mail this week.
In mathematics, 16% of third graders met or exceeded expectations and 44% partially met them. In fourth grade, the percentages were 19% and 62%, while grade 5 had 23% meeting or exceeding and 57% partially.
Director of Academic Affairs Vicky Fanelli spoke to the elementary results at the meeting. She said ELA scores were lower from 2023, while math results remained flat overall.
Fanelli said students have been receiving help from Title I support, a math coach and literacy specialist and teachers received additional tools “to stretch growth.”
The current literacy curriculum is being discontinued in January, so the district will look at new options to improve comprehension and writing. It will also build its social/emotional support, she said.
“It is not in the data but it impacts it,” Fanelli said. “There is a lot going on.”
School Committee member Jeff Sauvageau said he is “taken aback,” that the action steps listed to pursue to make improvements are “word for word,” the same as last year.
Fanelli noted they are doing a “deeper dive,” to provide help where it is needed.
“The teachers go above and beyond every day,” she said.
New Knox Trail Middle School Principal -Sean McNiff said although no one is really satisfied with the results, “they are not reflective of what our kids do.”
In grade 6 English/Language Arts, 25% of students are exceeding or meeting expectations and 47% are partially meeting them. In math, 18% are exceeding or meeting while 53% are partially.
In grade 7, the results show 19% meeting or exceeding in ELA and 45% partially. In math, it is 18% meeting or exceeding and 64% partially.
Thirty-two percent of students are meeting or exceeding expectations in grade 8 ELA and partially is at 42%.
In math, 7% are meeting or exceeding and 62% are partially.
Also in grade 8, for science and technology/engineering, the results show 32% either meeting or exceeding expectations and 47% partially meeting them.
McNiff spoke about revisions in scheduling whereby students have extended blocks where they receive small group or individualized help in rotating subjects.
Nathan Malone, Prouty High School principal, said scores for partially meeting expectations to exceeding them are in line with state results.
He said although last year was “rough,” he is most proud that the percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectations “closed the gap significantly.”
Those results were 49% in ELA, 40% in math and 43% in science.
Malone said 9th and 10th grade educators raised expectations for kids and “it paid off.”
He also spoke about the grade recovery program afterschool with transportation that has aided kids who are failing in the first quarter.
Also helpful has been a grant-funded student engagement coach, a position he will advocate gets put into the budget next year to continue.
Overall, the vibe at the school is more positive this year, he said.
Haughey said a major problem in the district is chronic absenteeism, which affects MCAS scores. He said it is a “community problem” and that educators, families, parents, etc. must work together to solve it.
“We need our students to be on time and attend school with fidelity every day,” Haughey said.
Literacy is another issue impacting student performance, the superintendent noted.
In the fiscal year 2026 budget, the district needs to procure “new high quality instructional materials,” that align with the state’s curriculum standards.
“This is important for the future so that our students are provided with the tools and resources they need to communicate—write and read effectively,” Haughey said, “and in line with the grade level Massachusetts Curriculum frameworks.”
MCAS results are available online at: https://profiles.doe.mass.edu/statereport/mcas.aspx.
