Peabody school celebrates MCAS results

PEABODY – This year’s improved MCAS scores are a testament to the motto at Peabody’s Welch School: “What we believe, we can achieve.”After earning “Needs Improvement” status in 2006 and falling to “Corrective Action” in 2007, students and staff at the most diverse elementary school in the city certainly felt the pressure to turn things around this year. And they did.”I’m so thrilled with our MCAS scores,” said the delighted school principal Monique Nappi. “I had to sit on this for many weeks?It wasn’t an easy task.”Scores became available to school principals in early September so they could overlook them and make any necessary corrections. The highly anticipated results are otherwise kept secret until the public unveiling, which occurred last week.Overall, percentages rose where they wanted them to and fell where they needed to.The percentage of fifth graders testing at the advanced level for English Language Arts more than doubled from 6 percent in 2007 to 15 percent in 2008. The same students reaching the advanced level in mathematics increased from 0 percent last year to 8 percent in 2008. The percentage of students failing dropped from 8 percent to 2 percent in ELA and 35 percent to 13 percent in math.Third graders also improved in both reading and math across the board. Advanced reading scores went from 4 percent last year to 7 percent this year. Math scores jumped from 7 percent to 16.”What we’re doing here works,” said Nappi. “The staff has really embraced it together.”The “it” that Nappi referred to is the school’s new inclusionary model of balanced literacy. It involves the combined efforts of a reading specialist, a teacher and a reading tutor working together within the classroom.”They’re not pulling students out of the room,” explained Nappi. “It’s all being worked on within the classroom. That works so well because when students can collaborate together and work with adults together, lots of great things can happen.”Because of the design of the MCAS, the Welch School will still carry its “Corrective Action” status regardless of their passing scores this year. The school will have to do just as well or better in 2009 in order to move into the desirable “No Status” category and earn Adequate Yearly Progress.”I’m so sure we will because when you keep something consistently in place, it works the best,” said Nappi. “We’re moving forward, doing the right thing, and we can be very proud of what the staff is doing, what the students are doing, and certainly what (parents) at home are doing.”Nappi and the rest of the Welch School community celebrated their achievement Thursday during their open house.”It was perfect timing,” said Nappi. “The classroom is the most important room in the school building. Anything I can do to support that room I believe is my job.”