John Monfredo: School Committee Evaluates Superintendent Boone

Saturday, February 08, 2014

John Monfredo, GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTER

Dr. Melinda Boone has served as Superintendent of Worcester Public Schools since July 2009.

At last Thursday’s meeting, the Worcester School Committee conducted an evaluation of School Superintendent Dr. Melinda Boone under the new state educator evaluation system designed for all educators in Massachusetts. The process is built around two important principles:

1. Educators around the state will be evaluated regularly using common standards that will be relevant to the work they do. These standards have been set by the state, subject to revision. This system is based on requirements set by state regulations and provisions of the federal “Race to the Top” program.

2. District administrators will be responsible for evaluating all professional educators. School principals will oversee the evaluation of teachers, counselors, and therapists in their building as well as school based administrators. The superintendent will oversee the evaluations of district based administrators and school principals. The school committee will evaluate the superintendent.

The superintendent’s evaluation is based on four major standards: Instructional, Management and operations, family and community engagement, and professional culture. The process also includes 20 indicators and 41 elements in the model rubric for superintendents. The school committee, after a narrative on each standard, decides on whether the standard was met with a score of unsatisfactory, needs improvement, proficient or exemplary.

On Thursday, based on the self-evaluation by Dr. Boone and reviewing an array of indicators under each standard the school committee members submitted their evaluation. When completed the chairperson of the school committee, Mayor Joseph Petty taking into account what each member submitted, wrote up a summary of the strengths and needs of the system. The evaluation process becomes then public.

Here is a partial summary of my evaluation regarding Dr. Boone’s performance:

As an Urban school system we have every reason to be proud of what we have accomplished. Most importantly, we have continued to move forward in key areas. Instead of continuing to be critical and look at the glass as half empty, let’s look at what has been accomplished and then what else needs to get done.

Under the leadership of Dr. Boone, this has been a good year for the children in the Worcester Public Schools.

12 schools made overall targets for narrowing the proficiency gaps
15 schools were on or above target for narrowing English Language Arts proficiency gaps
11 schools were on or above target for narrowing math proficiency gaps
15 schools were on or above target for narrowing science proficiency gaps
Of the 7 high schools in the district, 4 made their target for graduation rates while 2 schools made targets for dropouts reduction.

In addition, we have seen AP courses double, while enrollment in the courses increase substantially as the number of students achieving qualifying scores are keeping pace with the AP enrollment. Also, our dropout rate continues to decline and our MCAS scores continue to rise. This school year the district started the successful secondary AVID program in four elementary schools and the new graduation requirements began in grade nine.

However, we all know that more needs to be done. Perhaps Dr. Boone said it best at her “State of the Schools” address speech in October, “For as much as we celebrate, three times more remains to be accomplished! I won’t be satisfied until every child graduates and is career ready. We won’t be satisfied until dropouts are no longer…We won’t be satisfied until our graduates no longer have to take remedial courses when entering colleges and universities… We won’t be satisfied until the media gives due and appropriate credit to all that our public schools are accomplishing. We won’t be satisfied until the debate is about how we vigorously invest in the cornerstone of economic development, that being education…we won’t be satisfied until our business leaders say they don’t have to look beyond Worcester Public School graduates to complete their workforce. We won’t be satisfied until public education is celebrated for all that it is doing, has done, and will do to contribute to a thriving and healthy Worcester.”

As stated, Dr. Boone knows and recognizes that more needs to be done but she has masterfully met the many challenges of leading an urban system to success.

In the future I would suggest that consideration be given to making Grade Level Reading by the end of grade three a top priority... placing more emphasis on early learning, that we come up with a plan for chronic absenteeism, increase summer school opportunities and look for additional assistance from the community to increase the level of literacy during the summer months for our students. Also, I feel we review our policy on suspensions after the state releases the guidelines and that we work with the Worcester Education Collaborative and the Latino Education Institute to see what changes can be made. Let’s look at how we can change the culture within the schools on this issue and address the underlining problems associated with suspensions.

In addition, on the standing committee level, let’s complete those pending agenda items in a timely fashion and together work to address areas of concern. Let’s consider a workable public relations plan with DVD’s made on the achievements of each high school and let’s get out the word as to why parents should make the Worcester Public Schools their school of choice.

Related Slideshow: Central MA School Districts with the Highest Teacher Evaluations

During the 2012-2013 school year, Race to the Top (RTTT) districts in Massachusetts were required to implement the new Educator Evaluation framework with at least 50 percent of their educators district-wide. Of Central Massachusetts’s 52 school districts, 26 implemented the Educator Evaluation structure. These 26 school districts are listed below ranked from the lowest teacher evaluation score to the highest. Keep reading to see where your district’s teachers rank, as well as to view the state and regional averages.

John Monfredo: School Committee Evaluates Superintendent Boone

Related Slideshow: Central MA School Districts with the Highest Teacher Evaluations

State Average

Central MA Average

#26 Quaboag

#25 Oxford

#24 Uxbridge

#23 Fitchburg

#22 Westborough

#21 Lunenburg

#20 North Brookfield

#19 Millbury

#18 Blacktone-Millville

#17 Southbridge

#16 Worcester

#15 Webster

#14 Hudson

#13 Gardner

#12 Dudley-Charlton

#11 Northbridge

#10 Winchendon

#9 Bellingham

#8 Quabbin

#7 Grafton

#6 Ralph C. Maher

#5 Marlborough

#3 Auburn (Tied)

#3 Leominster (Tied)

#2 Wachusett

#1 Douglas

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