NEASC renews Canton HS accreditation

The New England Association of Schools and Colleges has renewed Canton High School’s 10-year accreditation, although much of the work has only just begun, according to CHS Principal Derek Folan.

Folan informed the School Committee on May 9 that NEASC has delivered its 79-page document and in the next 10 days will send a list of recommendations the panel would like to see accomplished in the next year or two. Overall the report has 51 commendations and 51 recommendations.

A group of NEASC evaluators spent four days in October meeting with administrators, teachers, students and parents while examining every aspect of CHS, from its curriculum to its leadership and school culture.

Folan said students and staff did an “excellent job in presenting CHS to the NEASC committee and the NEASC panel said several times in the report there is intense pride in the high school from students, teachers, and the community itself.”

“They noticed a true commitment to the students shown by the teachers, the staff, and the community,” Folan said. “They feel there is great opportunity here for students, such as student exchange trips [and] the math team.”

“I think what you will see in the recommendations is the ability to go from a good situation to one in which we do great things,” added Folan. “We are doing a good job, but we need to do better.”

Among the recommendations are developing more models for consistency — especially in curriculum, course offerings and grading — and giving each student “rigorous challenges.”

The committee will post the report on the School Department website in the coming weeks and will invite Folan back to discuss the recommendations and plans for implementation.

Although not part of the NEASC report, School Superintendent Jeff Granatino noted that the 2012 CHS graduation rate of 96.8 percent was ranked by WCVB Channel 5 as the 19^th highest among 250 high schools in the state.

In other news, the district’s math and reading specialists gave a lengthy but enthusiastic report detailing their recent efforts to revamp instruction in the elementary schools as well as the Title I reading program in the Luce and Hansen schools.

The common denominator in both programs is the constant evaluation of students to determine proficiency levels and using data to chart a student’s progress.

Over a three-year period, the committee has spent nearly $450,000 to adopt and implement the “Journeys” English Language Arts curriculum.

According to the reading specialists’ report, “There is a consistent instruction and assessment program across all three elementary schools. Data is showing students are leaving kindergarten and grade 1 with much higher reading levels and students are sent to the middle schools with the same standards having learned at all three elementary schools. The reading specialists (Stacey Mann, Amanda Walsh, Erin Hagens, and reading tutors Donna Malliaros and Kerry Curley) are tracing progress in English Language Arts for every student in all elementary schools.”

Math specialists Susan Brass, Maryann Biedermann, and Kerri Falzone noted that the curriculum has been impacted by the state’s adoption of the Mathematics Common Core program, which demands a greater understanding of concept, procedure, and mastery at each grade level.

Initially, grades 1 and 2 have been most affected with a new emphasis on quantities, time, money and measurement. The group of math specialists is now rewriting curriculum and adding supplemental materials in grades 3-5. The specialists are working with middle school math advisor Nancy Dobbins and CHS math department coordinator Dr. Michael Curry to align math content for grades 1-12.

The math staff realized there was a misalignment of the prior program (Everyday Math) to the Common Core standards, and with the assistance of Curriculum Director Jen Henderson, they have identified “enVision Math” as the best option going forward. They plan to train first and second grade teachers in May with implementation for grades 3-5 coming in 2014-15.

Also on Thursday, Elaine McCarthy, social studies department coordinator at the Galvin Middle School, gave her last department update before her retirement and took the opportunity to emphasize the importance of citizenship and community engagement.

Although she said that conceptually in society, social studies has declined in importance, she believes it is still very important to all students. “I believe the goal of social studies is understanding freedom and democracy,” McCarthy said. “It is where you instill ideals and principles, respect for others, and develop a sense of community and learn how you measure values.”

“That’s why at the Galvin we have done things like having a Martin Luther King Assembly, Memorial Day, have speakers from our American Legion, have mock presidential candidate debates, Civil War reenactments, and try to be an active participant in the community,” she said.

Following McCarthy’s presentation, CHS social studies coordinator Pat Connor gave an update of the high school program, where the emphasis has been on the development of students’ argumentative and analytical skills. He also highlighted the department’s expanded course offerings, including the addition of philosophy and AP psychology. Connor said he will be working with Henderson to replace the world history textbook, which he believes is outdated, having been printed in 1999. Both are looking into the price of an online edition.

In other news:

* The School Department is asking parents of grade 6 and 9 students to submit residency recertification forms by June 10.

* Granatino highlighted two upcoming events at CHS: The STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) Expo on May 20 from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. and the district-wide art show May 20-23 from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

* The CHS Alumni Association recently donated $4,000 for a projector to be used in the school’s library.

* The committee has given permission for the CHS math team to travel to Penn State to participate in a national math competition.

* CHS student representative Ben Wiseman reported that more than 40 CHS seniors are participating in the Externship Program, using the last few weeks of the school year to work in a vocational field while earning academic credit.

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Posted by Mike Berger on May 16 2013. Filed under News, Schools. Both comments and pings are currently closed.