Superintendent Melinda J. Boone Alumni Auditorium, North High School October 21, 2013 Worcester Public Schools State of the Schools Address

Poor leadership Poor student achievement High dropout rates Low graduation rates Ineffective teachers Too much focus on standards Not enough accountability Too much accountability High Poverty Uninvolved parents Fosters loss of the middle class Drain on public funding Insufficient funding Crumbling buildings and infrastructure

State of the Schools,

State of the Schools: A Season of Change Student PopulationWPSState Low Income English Language Learners First Language not English Special Education Wawecus Road School

State of the Schools,

Year 4 Year Graduation Rate 5 year Graduation Rate University Park Campus School

State of the Schools, Year Drop Out Rate Gates Lane School

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 1 and Level 2: 80% of schools Level 3: Lowest performing 20% of schools Level 4: Lowest performing schools (subset of Level 3) Level 5: Chronically underperforming schools (subset of Level 3 and 4) State of the Schools,

* 8 schools classified as Level 1 schools * 10 schools classified as Level 2 schools * 24 schools classified as Level 3 schools * 2 schools continue to be classified as Level 4 schools * As a district with a Level 4 school, the WPS is also classified into Level 4. May Street School } 48% Level 1 or 2 up from 33% in 2010 State of the Schools,

* Level 1 – 4 consecutive years West Tatnuck, Worcester Arts Magnet School, Worcester Technical High School * Level 1 – new this year Lake View, Gates Lane, Belmont Street * Level 1 and/or 2 past 3-4 years Clark Street, Columbus Park, Flagg Street, Heard Street, May Street, Midland Street, Nelson Place, University Park Campus School * Level 2 – four consecutive years Forest Grove Middle, Jacob Hiatt, Thorndyke Road, Wawecus Road

12 schools made overall targets for narrowing proficiency gaps 15 schools were on or above target for narrowing ELA proficiency gaps 11 schools were on or above target for narrowing mathematics 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 targets for graduation rates while 2 school made targets for dropout State of the Schools,

District wide student growth percentiles “on target” for ELA 16 schools were “on target” for student growth in ELA. 14 schools were “above target” for student growth in ELA. 13 schools were “on target” for student growth in Mathematics. 11 schools were “above target” for student growth in Mathematics. State of the Schools,

One of only 3 schools in the state in the initial cohort of schools that is on the cusp of exiting Level 4 status Additional time needed to ensure sustainability of results Highlighted after year 1 in the state’s Rapid Achievement Gains Report State of the Schools,

Exited Level 4 status after first 3 years!!! ‘Above target’ for narrowing proficiency gaps in ELA, Math and Science & Tech./Eng. Above accountability growth targets in ELA and Math Instructional practices, professional development and climate change of the school documented in report of external evaluator State of the Schools,

100% of Grade 6 students Proficient or above on ELA MCAS 100% of Grade 7 students Proficient or above on ELA MCAS 100% of Grade 8 students Proficient or above on ELA MCAS State of the Schools, % of Grade 10 students Proficient or above on ELA MCAS 100% of Grade 10 students Proficient or above on Mathematics MCAS

Worcester Technical High School Principal Sheila Harrity, the MetLife National High School Principal of the Year and Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators’ Association Principal of the Year 2013 National Blue Ribbon School Candidate West Tatnuck Elementary School Commended by the DESE (3 rd straight year!) for narrowing proficiency gaps South High School Since 2009, 52 percent increase in AP course enrollments Since 2009, 60 percent increase in AP exams taken Since 2009, 38 percent increase in AP exams scores 3+ WPS Curriculum Liaisons State of the Schools,

Delivering on High Expectations and Outstanding Results for All Students 100 percent of students will be guaranteed a rigorous core curriculum resulting in measureable gains in student learning Milestones for College and Career Readiness A 50 percent reduction in the proficiency gap in English Language Arts, Mathematics and Science & Technology/Engineering by In ELA, a CPI of 88.1 by In Mathematics, a CPI of 83.7 by In Science & Technology/Engineering, a CPI of 80.8 by Increase the WPS graduation rate to 90 percent over 4 years or 95 percent over 5 years by A 50 percent reduction in the annual dropout rate to 1.9 percent by percent of graduates will successfully complete high school coursework that prepares them for both college and career State of the Schools,