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Last Night at School Committee: March 17th, 2021 Meeting Recap
In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. The meeting was preceded by the last budget hearing before the School Committee vote next week.
In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. The meeting was preceded by the last budget hearing before the School Committee vote next week. The meeting then went on to the Superintendent’s report on reopening, as the state and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education push schools to offer full in-person learning starting April 5th. Public comment featured parents and community members advocating for the full in-person learning model as well as others expressing concern and distrust with the district. The meeting ended with two reports on in-person summer learning plans and an update on the School Committee’s goals and guardrails.
The district continues to follow its hybrid model of re-opening and parents are being asked to decide by Monday if they want to have their child fully in-person or fully remote in April. There continues to be lots of questions about the details of these learning models.
We are left with the following questions in reflecting on this meeting...
Do teachers have what they need to teach simultaneously as more students go back to school in person each week - and some families choose to stay remote until the end of the year?
What will 5 days a week in person or fully remote look like across all grades? Will students have different teachers, will students be able to switch classes in person at the upper grade levels? What happens if a family wants to switch from in-person to remote learning? How will the obstacles the Superintendent outlined be resolved? Will the district apply for a waiver?
What is the strategy for using the influx of federal funds for long term investments in BPS?
With the school choice season coming to a close, when will families find out their assignments? What are the enrollment numbers for next year?
What are the strategies to deal with students' attendance. How will the system address their learning and social emotional needs?
How will summer programs be advertised to parents? How will they ensure that every student has a plan? And, how will they track this?
How will BPS ensure safety in their programs this summer? Will they include Covid-19 testing? What are the other expected protocols?
The School Committee will vote at the next meeting on March 24th on the 2022 budget proposal.
Ways to Engage and Resources
Boston’s City Council approves the school department’s budget. It is the biggest part of the city budget. Make sure that they know what you think about the budget and where you have questions or would like to see changes. Advocate for a clear strategy on how the influx of recovery money will be spent for long term positive change for BPS.
Email school committee members encouraging them to find answers to the questions families have about returning to in-person learning.
Attend an upcoming exam school admissions task force meeting, which will be meeting weekly on Zoom.
March 17 Budget Hearing and Meeting Presentations and Materials
Update on Boston School Committee Priority Setting: Goal Measures
Last Night at School Committee Recap: February 24, 2021 Meeting Recap
In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. The meeting was a long one, about 6.5 hours. There were 62 residents providing public comment, who included students, parents, and community organizations, and they all had one unified message: we do not trust the district. There was a fierce vibration as students advocated for a stronger voice in decision making.
In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. The meeting was a long one, about 6.5 hours. There were 62 residents providing public comment, who included students, parents, and community organizations, and they all had one unified message: we do not trust the district. There was a fierce vibration as students advocated for a stronger voice in decision making. Families continued to express both sides of the back to school in person story - representing fears of returning because of their experiences with the pandemic, and fears of staying home because of their fears of the social, emotional, and academic impact that this is having on our children. There were two presentations including a literacy program “pitch” that we have all seen before, and a hollow reiteration of why the committee needs new goals and guardrails in addition to the goals that they have already set for the superintendent and the district.
With thousands of students returning to school on Monday, there was little discussion or questions from Committee members about how remote learning is going, what back to school will look like, and how we will address the academic and social emotional needs caused by this pandemic.
We are left with the following questions in reflecting on this meeting...
Do teachers have what they need to teach simultaneously with all K0 through 3rd graders returning to school on Monday?
What will transportation look like on Monday?
How will the state’s sponsored pool testing program be implemented in schools? How is this being communicated to parents? To those who are returning to school on Monday?
It’s Exam school admissions time. How many students were in the pool of applicants? What are the results of the new policy that was implemented this year?
The presented budget begins July 1st. What will summer look like for our students? What will school look like in the fall? Will hybrid and remote learning continue? For how long? What tools should be in place to support teaching students both in person and remote simultaneously? What measures will be necessary to return all students to in-person learning?
What is the plan for teacher vaccination?
The next school committee meeting will take place on March 17th at 6pm, with a budget hearing taking place before the meeting at 5pm.
Ways to Engage and Resources:
Tuesday, March 9th, 5pm
Reach out to your City Councilor and tell them what you think about the budget
Last Night at School Committee: February 3rd, 2021 Meeting Recap
In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston Public Schools’ School Committee meeting. During this 3-hour meeting, the Superintendent and her team unveiled a preliminary budget to the School Committee for FY2022, in addition to a report on attendance and a supportive vote on allowing the district flexibilities for graduation requirements, advanced work class admission, promotion and grading. As a group of high in-person priority students were welcomed back today, there was little discussion on re-opening efforts across the district.
In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston Public Schools’ School Committee meeting. During this 3-hour meeting, the Superintendent and her team unveiled a preliminary budget to the School Committee for FY2022, in addition to a report on attendance and a supportive vote on allowing the district flexibilities for graduation requirements, advanced work class admission, promotion and grading. As a group of high in-person priority students were welcomed back today, there was little discussion on re-opening efforts across the district.
The meeting began with the Superintendent providing an update on attendance figures as well as discussing supports for families. Following this report and a report from student representative Khymani James, we heard from numerous families, students and community members during public comment voicing their concerns about the allocation of funds towards school police officers and other frustrations. As many students and community members called for their voices to actually be heard, the Superintendent followed this with a vote to support the district flexibilities for graduation requirements, advanced work class admission, promotion and grading.
The meeting concluded with an initial presentation of the FY22 budget, grounded in three main points: return, recover, and reimagine. The presentation included a breakdown of the $1.3 billion of funding, the allocation of the funds and what they’re going towards, and discussion on the impact of the budget on schools, even with the fact of declining enrollments. The presentation was followed with an initial discussion by School Committee members on the facts and realities of this proposed budget.
The approval of the FY2022 budget will take place in late March, and there are multiple opportunities to express your thoughts and opinions to the district and the School Committee.
Ways to Engage and Resources:
First hearing: February 11th, 5 p.m.
Reach out to your City Councilor and tell them what you think about the budget
Attend a School Committee Community Meeting and push for “X’s” to be defined as well as clarification on alignment with existing stated goals, the superintendent's strategic plan and the superintendent's performance evaluation goals.
February 6th, 10 - 11:30 a.m.
February 8th, 5:30 - 7 p.m.
Email the School Committee and the Superintendent and encourage them to take advantage of the state’s Covid-19 pooled surveillance testing program.
Review last night’s meeting presentation and materials:
Last Night at School Committee: January 27th, 2021 Meeting Recap
In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston Public Schools’ School Committee meeting. During this 3-hour meeting, the School Committee discussed newly announced school building reopening updates, heard from families and community members in public comment, and reviewed a proposal from the Superintendent about the readjustment of certain policies for this school year, including changes to testing and placement for the Advanced Work Class program.
In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston Public Schools’ School Committee meeting. During this 3-hour meeting, the School Committee discussed newly announced school building reopening updates, heard from families and community members in public comment, and reviewed a proposal from the Superintendent about the readjustment of certain policies for this school year, including changes to testing and placement for the Advanced Work Class program.
As Covid-19 cases throughout the City of Boston trend in a better direction, the Superintendent presented school building reopening updates, with more students being welcomed back to in-person learning on February 1st. The pooled surveillance testing program sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education was discussed, and the Superintendent and her team presented operational updates that support welcoming more children back to school. Following this, parents and community members spoke during public comment about the need for the reopening of buildings, and allowing children to be physically back in school, along with concerns about the revised exam school admissions policy and changes to the Advanced Work Class model. The Superintendent, in her final presentation, requested greater flexibility on policies including direction for promotion and retention of students, graduation, and Advanced Work Class testing.
The next School Committee meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 3rd at 5pm EST, and will feature the preliminary budget recommendation for FY2022. Over the next few weeks, there will be many opportunities for students, families, and community members to voice their opinions, concerns and ideas to district officials and School Committee members at a variety of hearings.
Ways to Engage and Resources:
Attend the Reopening Schools Community Meeting hosted by the Superintendent
January 28th, 5:30 - 7 p.m.
Attend a School Committee Community Meeting and push for “X’s” to be defined as well as clarification on alignment with existing stated goals, the superintendent's strategic plan and the superintendent's performance evaluation goals.
February 6th, 10 - 11:30 a.m.
February 8th, 5:30 - 7 p.m.
Stay tuned for Exam School Task force dates and attend if you are able. Ask for the data from this year’s “one year” interim assignment methodology.
Email the School Committee and the Superintendent and encourage them to take advantage of the state’s Covid-19 pooled surveillance testing program.
Review last night’s meeting presentation and materials:
Last Night at School Committee: January 13th, 2021 Meeting Recap
In our first episode of 2021, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston Public School Committee Meeting. During this 5-hour meeting, the School Committee discussed reopening updates, heard from families and community members in public comment, and heard updates on the Superintendent’s goals as well as updates from the Exam School task force and the Office of Equity. This was the first meeting since Mayor Walsh has accepted the nomination to be Labor Secretary for President-elect Joe Biden as well as hearing from Governor Baker about a plan for pooled testing for schools.
In our first episode of 2021, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston Public School Committee Meeting. During this 5-hour meeting, the School Committee discussed reopening updates, heard from families and community members in public comment, and heard updates on the Superintendent’s goals as well as updates from the Exam School task force and the Office of Equity. This was the first meeting since Mayor Walsh has accepted the nomination to be Labor Secretary for President-elect Joe Biden as well as hearing from Governor Baker about a plan for pooled testing for schools.
The School Committee heard from the Superintendent regarding an updated reopening timeline as well as updates from her team on numerous subjects, including daily attendance and grading among many others. Public comment featured students calling on the School Committee to listen to and allow Student Representative Khymani James to have a vote, as well as parents showing frustration regarding the change to exam school admissions and reopening plans.
As of now, BPS is planning to re-open schools starting on February 1st for high in-person priority students, with the remaining students starting to return on March 1st. For more information regarding reopening as well as ways to engage, check out the links below.
Ways to Engage and Resources:
Stay tuned for Exam School Task force dates
Email School Committee members and the Superintendent encouraging them to take advantage of the state’s surveillance testing program.
Tune in to the 39th Annual MLK Celebration here
Article on the School Committee seat remaining open
Last Night at School Committee: December 16th, 2020 Meeting Recap
As we heard updates regarding reopening 28 schools as well as financial updates and discussion about the Superintendent’s performance goals for 2020-21, public comment featured frustration, anger and a lack of confidence from different community members about reopening schools. This lack of confidence has become more present this week, as the Boston Teachers Union gave a vote of no confidence towards the Superintendent.
On this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night’s Boston School Committee meeting, the last meeting of 2020. As we heard updates regarding reopening 28 schools as well as financial updates and discussion about the Superintendent’s performance goals for 2020-21, public comment featured frustration, anger and a lack of confidence from different community members about reopening schools. This lack of confidence has become more present this week, as the Boston Teachers Union gave a vote of no confidence towards the Superintendent.
The Superintendent reported on a variety of things, including the re-opening of 28 schools this week for about 1700 high priority students as well as recapping some important discussion points that were discussed at the School Committee’s Saturday retreat. As the reports continued, many important issues became apparent, including the fact that nearly 25% of high school students aren’t logging onto classes. The meeting ended with the School Committee discussing the performance goals for the Superintendent for 2020-21.
The School Committee will not be meeting until the new year in January. You can read more about the updates and information the School Committee looked at this past week here.
Resources:
Presentations from 12/12 Retreat
Last Night at School Committee: December 2nd, 2020 Meeting Recap
While the last meeting touched on a variety of topics, the School Committee mostly focused on updates surrounding the BuildBPS plan that deals with the construction of school buildings, reimagining of school pathways and more. While there are multiple projects ongoing, the meeting focused on the closing of the Edwards Middle School, the merging of the McCormack Middle School and Boston Community Leadership Academy, 7-12 grade pathway expansions at Charlestown High School and East Boston High School, and the Horace Mann/Jackson Mann.
In this episode, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night’s Boston Public School Committee Meeting. A little less than 5 hours long, the School Committee discussed important topics relating to the BuildBPS plan than is ongoing, updates from the Superintendent, and public comment from community members, families, and students.
While the last meeting touched on a variety of topics, the School Committee mostly focused on updates surrounding the BuildBPS plan that deals with the construction of school buildings, reimagining of school pathways and more. While there are multiple projects ongoing, the meeting focused on the closing of the Edwards Middle School, the merging of the McCormack Middle School and Boston Community Leadership Academy, 7-12 grade pathway expansions at Charlestown High School and East Boston High School, and the Horace Mann/Jackson Mann.
Public comment featured multiple testimonies about school reopening and outcries from parents, community members and students on the need for reopening, as well as comments about other issues that were not discussed at length at the meeting.
The School Committee will be holding a virtual retreat on December 12th that is open to the public. You can find information about this public event as well as more information presented at the meeting here.
Resources:
Last Night at School Committee: November 18th, 2020 Meeting Recap
The first meeting since the resignation of former Chairperson Michael Loconto and the release of text exchanges between School Committee members, the School Committee voted on new leadership, heard updates from Superintendent Cassellius and from Human Capital, and heard concerns from families and community members during public comment.
In this episode, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night’s Boston Public School Committee Meeting. The first meeting since the resignation of former Chairperson Michael Loconto and the release of text exchanges between School Committee members, the School Committee voted on new leadership, heard updates from Superintendent Cassellius and from Human Capital, and heard concerns from families and community members during public comment.
As parents voiced their concerns and frustrations during public comment regarding numerous issues regarding remote learning, the removal of the SEI program from the Mather Elementary School, and more, the School Committee spent the rest of the meeting debriefing the events of the last meeting, hearing from the Superintendent regarding updates across the district, and reports on Human Capital annual hiring and an agreement between the district and the Boston Association of School Administrators and Supervisors.
You can find more information on the School Committee’s website.
Resources:
Office of Human Capital (OHC) Annual Hiring Update PowerPoint
Last Night at School Committee: October 21st, 2020 Meeting Recap - School Performance Data
On October 21st, 2020, the Boston School Committee unanimously approved a change to the admissions policy for the three exam schools: Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy, and John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science. The policy, recommended to the Superintendent by a working group formed over the summer, scraps the use of an admissions test and distributes seats to eligible students through a combination of GPAs from the 2019-2020 fall and winter semesters and zip code. The School Committee voted for this one year policy, and the working group will continue to look at revising the exam school admissions policy for the following years.
On October 21st, 2020, the Boston School Committee unanimously approved a change to the admissions policy for the three exam schools: Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy, and John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science. The policy, recommended to the Superintendent by a working group formed over the summer, scraps the use of an admissions test and distributes seats to eligible students through a combination of GPAs from the 2019-2020 fall and winter semesters and zip code. The School Committee voted for this one year policy, and the working group will continue to look at revising the exam school admissions policy for the following years.
The exam schools make up about 5785 students in the district, and about 11% of the whole district. The School Committee spent a lot of time discussing this change and heard from many parents praising the committee for ensuring equity for all students and others critiquing the new policy. It was made clear from many, including School Committee members and public commenters, that not every child has access to a high-quality education. While the committee spent hours discussing three schools, there are a large number of low performing schools that also need to be discussed and supported.
Here is a list of every school in Boston Public Schools that shows their enrollment, accountability percentile (how they perform in relation to the rest of schools in Massachusetts), percentage of how many students did NOT meet or exceed expectations on the MCAS, and where they rank in relation to schools in Massachusetts.
| School Name | Enrollment (as of 3/6/2020) | Accountability Percentile (1-99) | % NOT meeting or exceeding expectation on MCAS (ELA, MATH) | Meeting or exceeding expectations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston-Clarence R Edwards Middle | 370 | performing at the bottom 1% of all schools in the state | 87, 90 | 8 schools performing in the bottom 1-2% |
| Boston-James P Timilty Middle | 317 | performing at the bottom 1% of all schools in the state | 80, 85 | |
| Boston-Madison Park High | 918 | performing at the bottom 1% of all schools in the state | 92, 85 | |
| Boston-Washington Irving Middle | 244 | performing at the bottom 1% of all schools in the state | 89, 96 | |
| Boston-Brighton High | 489 | performing at the bottom 2% of all schools in the state | 86, 88 | |
| Boston-David A Ellis | 424 | performing at the bottom 2% of all schools in the state | 88, 86 | |
| Boston-Higginson/Lewis K-8 | 232 | performing at the bottom 2% of all schools in the state | 89, 96 | |
| Boston-Lilla G. Frederick Middle School | 484 | performing at the bottom 2% of all schools in the state | 91, 90 | |
| Boston-Dearborn | 521 | performing at the bottom 3% of all schools in the state | 85, 83 | 5 schools performing at the bottom 3% |
| Boston-John W McCormack | 328 | performing at the bottom 3% of all schools in the state | 87, 84 | |
| Boston-Sarah Greenwood | 405 | performing at the bottom 3% of all schools in the state | 83, 93 | |
| Boston-West Roxbury Academy- CLOSED | 24 | performing at the bottom 3% of all schools in the state | ||
| Boston-Young Achievers | 601 | performing at the bottom 3% of all schools in the state | 87, 83 | |
| Boston-Blackstone | 570 | performing at the bottom 4% of all schools in the state | 80, 81 | 3 schools performing at the bottom 4% |
| Boston-Community Academy of Science and Health | 375 | performing at the bottom 4% of all schools in the state | 93, 93 | |
| Boston-King K-8 | 549 | performing at the bottom 4% of all schools in the state | 78, 88 | |
| Boston-James J Chittick | 273 | performing at the bottom 5% of all schools in the state | 68, 76 | 3 schools performing at the bottom 5% |
| Boston-John D Philbrick | 148 | performing at the bottom 5% of all schools in the state | 68, 68 | |
| Boston-Lyon Upper 9-12 | 132 | performing at the bottom 5% of all schools in the state | 67, 93 | |
| Boston-Excel High School | 495 | 6 | 71, 67 | 2 schools performing at the bottom 6% |
| Boston-Mario Umana Academy | 931 | 6 | 76, 81 | |
| Boston-Edison K-8 | 603 | 7 | 76, 81 | 5 schools performing at the bottom 7% |
| Boston-Mission Hill School | 230 | 7 | 73, 81 | |
| Boston-Orchard Gardens | 909 | 7 | 81, 86 | |
| Boston-Roger Clap | 117 | 7 | 72, 79 | |
| Boston-Samuel W Mason | 241 | 7 | 64, 74 | |
| Boston-Charlestown High | 882 | 8 | 84, 72 | 5 schools performing at the bottom 8% |
| Boston-Condon K-8 | 828 | 8 | 70, 71 | |
| Boston-Curley K-8 School | 970 | 8 | 70, 71 | |
| Boston-Paul A Dever | 424 | 8 | 69, 60 | |
| Boston-The English High | 581 | 8 | 90, 90 | |
| Boston-TechBoston Academy | 917 | 9 | 64, 84 | 20 schools performing at the bottom 9-15% |
| Boston-James W Hennigan | 587 | 10 | 74, 82 | |
| Boston-Joseph Lee | 647 | 10 | 74, 85 | |
| Boston-Boston Community Leadership Academy | 484 | 11 | 79, 79 | |
| Boston-Donald Mckay | 813 | 11 | 75, 78 | |
| Boston-Snowden International School at Copley | 471 | 11 | 59, 74 | |
| Boston-Curtis Guild | 259 | 12 | 75, 74 | |
| Boston-Henry Grew | 242 | 12 | 57, 68 | |
| Boston-Jackson Mann | 535 | 12 | 71, 64 | |
| Boston-Maurice J Tobin | 428 | 12 | 73, 73 | |
| Boston-Mildred Avenue K-8 | 702 | 12 | 82, 81 | |
| Boston-O W Holmes | 302 | 12 | 69, 73 | |
| Boston-Charles H Taylor | 441 | 13 | 65, 76 | |
| Boston-Franklin D Roosevelt | 438 | 13 | 74, 71 | |
| Boston-William Ellery Channing | 207 | 13 | 62, 83 | |
| Boston-John Winthrop | 253 | 14 | 71, 82 | |
| Boston-Urban Science Academy | 37 | 14 | 77, 70 | |
| Boston-Dennis C Haley | 405 | 15 | 60, 69 | |
| Boston-John F Kennedy | 375 | 15 | 62, 63 | |
| Boston-Mather | 567 | 15 | 58, 64 | |
| Boston-Another Course To College | 245 | 16 | 74, 86 | Another 35 schools that perform between the bottom 16 and 48% of all school in the state |
| Boston-Gardner Pilot Academy | 389 | 16 | 75, 75 | |
| Boston-William Monroe Trotter | 421 | 16 | 69, 74 | |
| Boston-Joseph P Tynan | 234 | 17 | 74, 86 | |
| Boston-Margarita Muniz Academy | 310 | 17 | N/A | |
| Boston-Boston Arts Academy | 453 | 18 | 58, 64 | |
| Boston-East Boston High | 1128 | 18 | 70, 67 | |
| Boston-Charles Sumner | 529 | 19 | 56, 70 | |
| Boston-Phineas Bates | 242 | 19 | 72, 65 | |
| Boston-Michael J Perkins | 160 | 20 | 60, 63 | |
| Boston-Hugh Roe O'Donnell | 258 | 21 | 79, 80 | |
| Boston-Oliver Hazard Perry | 247 | 21 | 71, 68 | |
| Boston-Patrick J Kennedy | 263 | 21 | 70, 69 | |
| Boston-Quincy Upper School | 529 | 21 | 61, 72 | |
| Boston-Fenway High School | 385 | 22 | 75, 76 | |
| Boston-Mozart | 170 | 22 | 57, 51 | |
| Boston-Rafael Hernandez | 413 | 22 | 67, 81 | |
| Boston-Samuel Adams | 231 | 23 | 66, 65 | |
| Boston-George H Conley | 184 | 24 | 62, 75 | |
| Boston-William H Ohrenberger | 611 | 25 | 60, 59 | |
| Boston-Jeremiah E Burke High | 443 | 26 | 71, 53 | |
| Boston-Thomas J Kenny | 300 | 26 | 69, 62 | |
| Boston-Dr. William Henderson Upper | 702 | 27 | 70, 89 | |
| Boston-UP Academy Holland | 30 | 69, 69 | ||
| Boston-Boston Teachers Union School | 288 | 35 | 55, 48 | |
| Boston-Harvard-Kent | 377 | 35 | 50, 51 | |
| Boston-Lyon K-8 | 134 | 35 | 50, 57 | |
| Boston-James Otis | 390 | 37 | 62, 56 | |
| Boston-William E Russell | 391 | 38 | 60, 50 | |
| Boston-Richard J Murphy | 928 | 39 | 45, 51 | |
| Boston-Edward Everett | 235 | 40 | 59, 58 | |
| Boston-Lyndon | 659 | 40 | 45, 55 | |
| Boston-Ellis Mendell | 270 | 41 | 42, 53 | |
| Boston-Joseph J Hurley | 363 | 48 | 39, 49 | |
| Boston-Joyce Kilmer | 455 | 48 | 46, 47 | |
| Boston-Josiah Quincy | 793 | 53 | 51, 45 | 11 schools performing in the upper 50% |
| Boston-Nathan Hale | 159 | 59 | 32, 49 | |
| Boston-Winship Elementary | 239 | 59 | 48, 52 | |
| Boston-Joseph P Manning | 150 | 62 | 32, 47 | |
| Boston-New Mission High School | 440 | 62 | 31, 24 | |
| Boston-Warren-Prescott | 576 | 64 | 36, 44 | |
| Boston-Manassah E Bradley | 274 | 66 | 31, 38 | |
| Boston-Eliot Elementary | 731 | 78 | 28, 27 | |
| Boston-Boston Latin Academy | 1762 | 84 | 13, 7 | |
| Boston-O'Bryant School Math/Science | 1571 | 87 | 21, 11 | |
| Boston-Boston Latin | 2452 | 94 | 3, 1 |
It is clear that there are a lot of schools that are struggling to provide students with an equitable and high quality education and are some of the worst performing schools in the state. If the goal is to provide opportunity and equity for all, there needs to be a focus on ensuring every child has access to high quality education.
Last Night at School Committee: October 21st, 2020 Meeting Recap
The meeting was centered around the proposed exam school admissions policy, presented by the Exam School Admissions Working Group. Lasting almost 9 hours, we heard from students, families, teachers, city councilors, and even Mayor Walsh regarding the new recommended policy.
In this episode, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night’s Boston Public School Committee Meeting. The meeting was centered around the proposed exam school admissions policy, presented by the Exam School Admissions Working Group. Lasting almost 9 hours, we heard from students, families, teachers, city councilors, and even Mayor Walsh regarding the new recommended policy.
Although it was announced on Wednesday that Boston Public Schools would be going fully virtual with another uptick in the city-wide COVID-19 positivity rate, there was a focus on the exam school admissions policy and the vote taking place. The working group presented on the policy, and we heard from many asking school committee members to vote yes, including Mayor Walsh and other city councilors from across Boston.
Public comment featured almost 180 speakers, with many discussing their feelings about the new exam school admissions criteria. After hearing from 180 speakers, the School Committee ultimately voted to approve this new admissions policy for this school year.
This morning, Chair of the School Committee Michael Loconto resigned from his position with many urging him to do so after appearing to mock names during public comment.
You can find more information on the School Committee’s website.
Resources:
Recommendation of Exam Schools Admissions Criteria for School Year 2021-22 Update PowerPoint
Last Night at School Committee: October 8th, 2020 Meeting Recap
On October 8, 2020 during the most recent Boston School Committee meeting, a task force focused on looking at exam school admissions proposed a policy that would suspend the current admissions policy, and replace it for one year with a new policy due to the challenges and inequalities presented by COVID. BPS has historically used a combination of 5th and 6th grade Grade Point Average (GPA) and a student’s ISEE test score for invitations to exam schools, but, instead, this year, students will be invited to exam schools through a combination of GPA and/or MCAS score and resident zip code.
On October 8, 2020 during the most recent Boston School Committee meeting, a task force focused on looking at exam school admissions proposed a policy that would suspend the current admissions policy, and replace it for one year with a new policy due to the challenges and inequalities presented by COVID. BPS has historically used a combination of 5th and 6th grade Grade Point Average (GPA) and a student’s ISEE test score for invitations to exam schools, but, instead, this year, students will be invited to exam schools through a combination of GPA and/or MCAS score and resident zip code.
In order to qualify to be included in the exam school applicant pool, students must have at least a GPA of a B or higher during the first two terms of SY 2019-2020 OR an MCAS score of meeting or exceeding expectations. There would then be school district verification that the student is meeting Massachusetts Curriculum standards.
The amended policy for admissions to exam schools this year proposes that 20% of seats at exam schools will be reserved for the highest performing students across the city based on their 2019-2020 GPA from the fall and winter. Students would be ranked by GPA and given a randomly assigned number (to break any ties), and the highest GPA (and lowest assigned number for tiebreaker) would be assigned to their first preference school. Once these seats are filled, the remaining applicants will be included in the process of filling the remaining seats.
The remaining 80% of seats will be distributed through a combination of GPA and zip code. Each zip code in the city will be allocated a certain number of seats based on the percentage of school-aged children living in that zip code. In each zip code, eligible students will be ranked by their GPA. The remaining invitations will be distributed in 10 rounds, with 10% of each zip code’s seats being distributed in each round. Zip codes will be ranked according to median household income, and zip codes with the lowest household incomes will have seats allocated to them first.
This proposed policy is a shift from previous years that strives to better reflect the socioeconomic, racial and geographic diversity of the City’s school age population. As shown below, the make-up of exam schools should represent a more diverse student body:
While the district has not released information on how many seats will be available this year in total and the breakdown for each zip code, here’s an example of what it could look like.
Usually, we can expect to see around 900 total seats distributed across the three exam schools for entering 7th graders. Using the proposed model, 20% of the 900 seats will be reserved for the top GPA earners, who will be ranked. This means there will be 180 total seats across the three exam schools reserved for the top performing students who will be ranked.
The remaining 80% of seats (720) will be distributed across each zip code and determined by the percentage of school age children living in that zip code, with invites going first to students from zip codes with the lowest household income.
To determine how many seats a zip code will have, we multiplied the percentage of school aged children by 720 seats. Below is a table of how many seats each zip code will be allocated:
|
Zip Code
|
Neighborhood |
|
|
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
02108
|
Beacon Hill | $136,667 |
0.3%
|
2.16
|
|||
| 02109 | Downtown | $143,191 |
0.1%
|
.72
|
|||
| 02110 | Downtown |
$116,932
|
0.3%
|
2.16
|
|||
| 02111 | Chinatown |
$40,870
|
0.8%
|
5.76
|
|||
| 02113 | North End |
$100,063
|
0.3%
|
2.16
|
|||
| 02114 | Beacon Hill/West End |
$95,161
|
0.7%
|
5.04
|
|||
| 02115 | Longwood/Fenway |
$37,340
|
1.4%
|
10.08
|
|||
| 02116 | Back Bay |
$105,559
|
1.3%
|
9.36
|
|||
| 02199 | Back Bay |
$91,125
|
0.1%
|
.72
|
|||
| 02118 | South End |
$65,250
|
3.3%
|
23.76
|
|||
| 02119 | Roxbury |
$30,551
|
6.1%
|
43.92
|
|||
| 02120 | Roxbury |
$33,727
|
1.5%
|
10.8 | |||
| 02121 | Roxbury |
$30,712
|
8.2%
|
59.04
|
|||
| 02122 | Dorchester |
$60,474
|
4.6%
|
33.12
|
|||
| 02124 | Dorchester |
$53,174
|
12.4%
|
89.28
|
|||
| 02125 | Dorchester |
$56,318
|
6.3%
|
45.36
|
|||
| 02126 | Mattapan |
$52,474
|
6.3%
|
45.36
|
|||
| 02127 | South Boston |
$99,340
|
4.2%
|
30.24
|
|||
| 02128 | East Boston |
$55,483
|
9.0%
|
64.8
|
|||
| 02129 | Charlestown |
$118,226
|
3.0%
|
21.6
|
|||
| 02130 | Jamaica Plain |
$90,813
|
5.1%
|
36.72
|
|||
| 02131 | Roslindale |
$73,199
|
6.5%
|
46.8
|
|||
| 02132 | West Roxbury |
$100,915
|
4.8%
|
34.56
|
|||
| 02134 | Allston |
$58,068
|
1.2%
|
8.64
|
|||
| 02163 | Allston |
$49,659
|
0.1%
|
.72
|
|||
| 02135 | Brighton |
$72,009
|
3.7%
|
26.64
|
|||
| 02136 | Hyde Park |
$64,784
|
7.8%
|
56.16
|
|||
| 02210 | Seaport |
$163,068
|
0.1%
|
.72
|
|||
| 02215 | Fenway/Kenmore |
$45,337
|
0.4%
|
2.88
|
As seen above, the 02124 zip code will receive the most seats and the 02210 zip code will receive the least amount of seats. When seats are distributed through each round, students from 02119 will receive invites first, and students from 02109 and 02210 receiving invites last, with the rest of the zip codes ranked by lowest median household income.
Although these numbers are just estimates and we aren’t sure of the total number of seats available for this admissions cycle (and how many seats will be available for each exam school), this is a good example of how the process will be conducted.
There are still many questions about how this policy will be implemented. With a focus on a student’s GPA, questions about grades being calibrated from one school to another and grade inflation are very prominent. We know that every school grades differently, so a lack of an overall grade system makes for a loss of grade equity. Additionally, with so much uncertainty regarding the school year and the amount of planning that the district must continue to do to keep our students and schools safe, implementing this new admissions policy will require a focus on implementation and communication. If the policy is approved by the school committee, they will have 3-4 months to identify candidates, have students submit school preferences, and determine who will receive invitations.
Here are a few questions that School Committee members might ask:
How many current 6th graders in the city had a 4.0 (A) GPA for the fall and winter semesters in their 5th grade year? How many students had a 3.0 (B) GPA?
What is the breakdown of the number of students with these GPAs by zip code? By school type (BPS, parochial, private, charter)?
From this previous admissions cycle last year, how many students had a 4.0 (A) GPA? Did they receive their first choice of school they indicated on their preference form?
How will MCAS scores be given point values to equate a student GPA? For example, should a student have less than a B average but was advanced on the MCAS, how will their MCAS score translate to a point system that will rank them?
Given schools across the city use different grading standards (e.g. developmental vs. mastery), how will the district handle this disparity?
How many seats will be available this year for the three exam schools?
The school committee will be voting at the next meeting on October 21st to decide whether to implement this new policy for this year. We will provide more information about how this will be implemented and resources about the finalized application process.
Link to Presentation Made by the Working Group on Exam School Admissions
Last Night at School Committee: September 30th, 2020 Meeting Recap
As schools reopen today to welcome some of the in-person priority students, there was a lot of discussion about what has been done and concerns from teachers, families, and community members.
In this episode, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night’s Boston Public School Committee Meeting. As schools reopen today to welcome some of the in-person priority students, there was a lot of discussion about what has been done and concerns from teachers, families, and community members.
As the City of Boston has been designated a red zone in Massachusetts, the Superintendent and her team provided an update about how remote learning has improved and updates on the phased-in reopening plan.
Many families, teachers, parents, and community members expressed their concerns over reopening safely as well as raising frustration over School Committee members wanting to limit the number of public comments made.
Students with in-person priority were welcomed back to their schools today, despite the rising case rates throughout Boston. Starting October 12th, in-person priority students can return to school 4 days a week, while hybrid instruction for all students is scheduled to start on October 15th.
You can find more information on the School Committee’s website.
Resources:
Boston Public Schools Reopening Website
Boston Public Schools Reopening FAQs
Division of Equity, Strategy, and Opportunity Gaps Update Presentation