Springfield schools show much improvement

Oct. 11, 2018 | G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com

Superintendent Daniel Warwick (left) explains the new data about the school’s and student’s performance.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo

SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield School Committee went over a 50-page report at its meeting last week detailing the progress made by the city’s students and the message was encouraging.

“The data is a lot better than the perception,” Superintendent Daniel Warwick told the committee.  

The graduation rate stood out among the statistics: 56.6 percent in 2011-12 and 76.9 percent in 2016-2017. Warwick said that was the best improvement in the Commonwealth. He added the city has the highest percentage of minority students in AP classes in the state.

Here are some other highlights:

• Drop out rate: 2011-20112 10 percent; 2016-17: 5.1 percent

• Total Student Attendance: 2011-2012: 91.8 percent; 2017-2018: 92.7 percent

• Chronically Absent: 2011-2012: 27.8 percent; 2017-2018: 23.1 percent

• Truancy: 2011-2012: 4.4 percent; 2017-2018: 3.6 percent

• SAT participation: 2011-2012: 555; 2016-2017: 1,370

• Advanced Placement AP Exams Taken: 2011-2012: 758; 2017-2018: 1,057

• In-school suspensions: 2011-2012: 4,400; 2017-2018: 934

• Out-of-School Suspensions: 2011-2012: 6,649; 2017-2017: 934

• Arrests of Students: 2011-2012: 305; 2017-2018: 75

• Bullying: 2011-2012; 184; 2017-2018: 95

School Committee member LaTonia Monroe Naylor said, “We should be talking more [about the progress] and marketing more.” School Committee member Denise Hurst added, “We need to know how to craft a message … there are good things happening.”

When compared with other high-poverty communities, Springfield’s students were among the highest achieving, if not the highest. Comparing Springfield with Chelsea, Fall River, Holyoke, Lawrence, New Bedford and Southbridge, in average scaled scores for grades 3-8 Springfield led in English Language Arts and but was behind several communities in math.

The report noted the Springfield district remains the second largest in the state with 25,604 students. There is a rate of 77.1 percent of the students who are economically disadvantaged; 21.9 percent who require special education; and 15.6 percent who are English Language Learners.

The Springfield district has an unemployment rate of 6.5 percent as compared to the statewide rate of 3.5 percent and the median household income is $35,7000 while the state’s is $70,900.

In other action, Warwick announced the Chestnut Accelerated Middle School: Chest TAG has existed Level 4 status to the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary education. The school is part of the Springfield Empowerment Zone.

Jeffrey Riley, the commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education wrote Warwick to announce the Milton Bradley Elementary School would be the next school to leave Level 4 status, pending approval of the district’s “Exit Assurances and Sustainability Application.”

Riley wrote, “In regards to the High School of Science and Technology, after a close analysis of the school’s performance and improvement over the past several years, I have determined that the school will remain in the underperforming status for the 2018-2019 school year.”

He continued, “We celebrate the impact the school’s efforts have had with improving graduation rates, Further we still want to emphasize the High School of Science and technology must continue to significantly accelerate the momentum of improvement to achieve that gains in academic performance we all want for students, especially in improving graduation rates.”

Riley noted that at the end of the school year the high school would be reevaluated.

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