New accountability system will help teachers
Date: 11/21/2012
By G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.comCHICOPEE — Officials of the Chicopee School District believe the state's new way to measure students' — and a district's — progress will give principals and teachers more information to assist pupils.
Deborah Drugan, assistant superintendent for Instruction and Accountability, told the School Committee on Nov. 14 that principals are already "digging deeply" into the information to identify issues that need correction.
The Accountability System gathers information over a four-year period to measure the advances made by the district, she explained, as opposed to the former system that measured year by year.
The state is charging school officials to reduce the district's proficiency gap by the 2016 to 2017 school year. The new system will put school districts into competition with one another, Drugan explained.
Although scores from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System will drive each school's scoring, other characteristics can add points such as the dropout and graduation rates and the number of Advanced Placement classes offered, she said.
Students will be classified into various groups based on ethnic background, income level or whether or not English is the student's primary language, Drugan said, unlike the previous system, which put the students into several different categories.
The reports show whether or not a group of students is making the necessary progress to reaching their goals. The reports show where that progress is being made — math, English or science — within student groups and schools.
Drugan said, "Our district and principals are using this data to make informed decisions about instruction. We know how to better identify where to focus our attention. Principals and teachers are using the data [and] building understanding of what is the ultimate outcome for our students and schools."
