Cluster / Department Smore Newsletters are Here!
Please click on the Smore links to read all about the exciting teaching and learning taking place throughout the school!
Wilson Reading with Ms. Sorenson
MCAS 2021 Results ~ A Unique Year of Data
As Jeffrey C. Riley, the MA Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education, recently shared:
Massachusetts has experienced many challenges associated with disrupted education over the past 18 months. Because the MCAS tests were canceled in spring 2020, the results from the 2021 MCAS tests are the first statewide assessment results that we have since the onset of the pandemic to provide us with information about how those challenges and disruptions affected students’ learning and progress.
The Parent/Guardian report presents your child’s scores in a familiar format, but with additional information on the front page that explains some of the key differences between the spring 2021 tests and tests given in previous years, and I encourage you to read this information closely. Those differences include the administration of shorter tests to students in grades 3-8, which can cause individual student performance to vary more than usual as compared to previous years. I also encourage you to remember that MCAS results are only one measure of your child's growth and achievement. Your child's teacher can talk to you more broadly about your child's academic growth and about their social and emotional development.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) recently released statewide MCAS test results from the spring 2021 exam. Results at the State level (and at WPS), show that many more students had gaps in their knowledge of math and, to a lesser extent, English language arts, compared to students in the same grades in 2019 (before the COVID-19 pandemic, as MCAS was waived last year), and fewer students met or exceeded grade-level expectations.
In this unique year, DESE removed all percentiles in public reports suggesting they are not interested in district comparisons as there are so many varying circumstances that you need to take into account, which would invalidate those comparisons. They urged caution in making ‘across schools within district’ comparisons as well as across districts. In grades 3 - 8, individual students only took ½ the test, which resulted in less precision of results at the individual student level.
In Watertown, MCAS is one of multiple measures of ‘Unfinished Learning’ that we are comparing with other assessments (i-Ready, literacy, pre-assessments, etc.) at the student- and grade-levels to better target individual student instruction and monitor growth. As we work to help students make grade-level progress, we are using DESE’s resource --the Acceleration Roadmap, which emphasizes the importance of understanding students’ strengths and needs and the use of just-in-time supports to help students learn grade-appropriate material.
MCAS Parent/Guardian Reports will be mailed home on October 15th and we will present our 2021 MCAS Results at the November 8th School Committee Meeting.
Rubicon Atlas Curriculum Management System (Atlas, henceforth)
It’s October and as promised, our WPS Atlas Curriculum Management System is open to our parents, guardians, and students on our public site. Our Principals have shared our K-8 curriculum brochures (K| G1 | G2 | G3 | G4 | G5 | G6 | G7 | G8) and our grades 9 - 12 WHS Program of Studies, which house a general overview K - 8, and specific course descriptions at the high school level. If you desire more detailed information around your child’s curriculum, you may find it on our Atlas Curriculum Management System’s Public Site link. Directions for use are on the homepage.
The curriculum maps in Atlas identify the following sections for public view on most courses. (The course development is ongoing.)
Course Descriptions
Unit Description
Standards & Benchmarks
Enduring Understandings
Essential Questions
At the elementary level, Curriculum Maps and Course Descriptions are available for all core elementary subjects: Math, Science, Literacy - Reading & Writing, Social Studies. Some elementary units that take place later in the year are under construction and will be updated in Altas prior to implementation. Elementary English as a Second Language units are under construction.
At the secondary level (WMS, WHS), ~90 percent of the courses display curriculum information. Secondary ESL units for English Language Development (ELD) classes are still under construction.
Parent/Family Orientation
Try following the simplified instructions on the Atlas homepage link. In addition, our Digital Learning & Libraries Department will schedule Parent/Family Orientation Sessions both during the school day and again in the evening in October. These sessions will be recorded and then shared on our curriculum webpage for viewing anytime. The October date and Zoom links will be shared via upcoming Principal Newsletters.
WMS Staff/Parent/Caregiver Diversity Council
Thursday, October 7 at 6:00 pm on Zoom. Join Zoom Meeting
Agenda
- Meet, Greet, and Share (norm-setting and community-building)
- School Improvement Plan / District Improvement Plan goals and connection
- Vision and Goals for the year (breakout rooms)
- Open Discussion and Questions
- Next Meeting, Date and Time for meetings
- Closing
We are excited for the first meeting of the WMS Staff/Parent/Caregiver Diversity Council, and we hope that many of you will join this meeting and share your vision for the work to be done by this council at WMS!
Community Service!
Mr. Chris McDermott will be organizing and directing the Community Service program at WMS again this year (thank you, Mr. McDermott!) and he wanted to share two community service related forms with you and your children.
First, this form will be used by all students to log their hours.
Second, this is the form he made a couple of years ago as a place for caregivers to submit ideas for community service opportunities.
We will send you more info about snow shoveling, coats, and plastic collection as he receives it.
If you have any questions, please contact Mr. McDermott at christopher.mcdermott@watertown.k12.ma.us
PTO Meetings
Yes, there is a PTO in Middle School, and we want as many of you as possible to be involved! :)
Meetings are typically held on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 7:00 pm and are currently scheduled for the following:
October 13
November 10
December 8
January 12
February 9
March 9
April 13
May 11
June 8
We will start with having meetings on Zoom, but can transition to in-person if the group would like to do so. Looking forward to seeing you there! Join Zoom Meeting
Watertown Middle School
