The School Committee will again review School Department goals in March.
Suzanne ScallionWESTFIELD – In an effort to establish goals and objectives aimed toward student achievement, Superintendent of Schools Suzanne Scallion’s role is to work with staff to improve classroom instruction, while the School Committee will focus on policy and funding.
The committee and Scallion agreed this week that her role is to focus on student learning and teacher performance, and it will continue work on setting priorities, funding and system-wide support.
Specific goals for Scallion and her staff are to reduce, by at least 10 percent, the numbers of students who score in the areas of needs improvement or fail on Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment Standard tests. The ultimate goal is to create a 20 percent increase, by 2017 in the numbers of students who score proficient or higher on the annual MCAS test.
Diane M. MayhewSchool Committee member Diane Mayhew called the superintendent goals “challenging and measurable.”
In response to a concern that goals lack detail by School Committee member Ramon Diaz Jr., Scallion agreed to be specific when identifying numbers and percentage .
“These goals are aimed at improved classroom learning and practices. They are still in draft form but what we now have is a living document that is contingent upon ongoing review,” the superintendent said.
The School Committee has agreed that its priority is funding, followed by creation of policy.
Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said financial resources will “always be a struggling point that will require continual review and planning.
School Committee member Cynthia A. Sullivan suggested the committee consider “a better job of marketing our schools that will provide more information to the public about programs in our schools.”
The committee and superintendent agreed that a review of goals and programs will be conducted in March when the School Department budget for the 2013-2014 school year is created.