Dear Colleagues,
I hope you each had a productive week.?At the School Committee’s October 7th meeting, the Administration presented the district’s . While we recognize that MCAS is not an assessment of everything we teach and value, it remains an important source of longitudinal data for our district in key academic areas.?At a district level, our scores were similar to 2024. When we disaggregate these data by school, grade level, and student groups, our data become more diverse both in areas of exceptional achievement and growth, from which we can learn, as well as areas of challenge we must continue to address.?I appreciate the school, departmental, and grade-level deep dives into these data to help inform our practice this year, particularly in the development of our School Improvement Plans (SIPs) which our school leaders will begin to present to the School Committee on October 21st. Special thanks to Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, Sandy Trach, and Director of Curriculum, Assessment, and Accountability, Dr. Hannah Tolla, for their work to analyze and present these MCAS data!??
Earlier today, I shared a message with staff about our work this year related to Artificial Intelligence (AI).?Along that same front, I had the opportunity this week to attend the MassCUE conference at Gillette Stadium, which has annually become an important Ed Tech conference for educators in Massachusetts.?As you might imagine, AI was the dominant theme present in both keynotes and break-out sessions.?Special thanks to our new PreK-12 Director of Libraries and Innovation, Sarah Perkins, who co-led a session I attended, entitled “Enhancing Educational Leadership with AI: Tools, Strategies, and Practical Applications.”?I learned a great deal about the potential of various AI platforms (Chat GPT, Canva, Napkin AI, and Notebook LM) to support leadership tasks at the school and district level.?Great job Sarah!?
