Marblehead METCO program remains close to status quo

MARBLEHEAD – Marblehead’s Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) program has 79 students this year in Grades 1-12, including 15 new students.That’s up two students from last year, but there is only one first-grader this year.Superintendent of Schools Paul Dulac said the program is “in the range we’ve had the last few years.”The program gives Boston’s inner-city students an opportunity to commute to Marblehead and be educated at Marblehead public schools, in a voluntary desegregation program.This year Marblehead had 26 METCO students at Marblehead High, 11 at Marblehead Veterans Middle School, 31 at the Marblehead Village School, five at the Bell School and six at the Coffin School.Program Director Francois Fils-Aime, a former Boston charter school principal, began the school year Aug. 31 with a METCO parent council meeting at the 12th Baptist Church in Roxbury. Marblehead administrators and teachers were on hand when parents received parent handbooks and students received backpacks containing school supplies, donated by Kathy Wilder and the Community of Friends of Marblehead.Fils-Aime is in his second year directing the local program.He is keeping an eye on student scores in the MCAS exams. Forty-one of 45 METCO students in grades 3-10 have passed the English and math exams.”These results would not be possible without the determination of the students and the teachers and staff,” he said.There are four students who did not pass one of those high-stakes exams, which are required for high school graduation.Fils-Aime said tutors are helping students to move from “Needs Improvement” to “Proficient” and from “Proficient” to “Advanced.”All the 2010 METCO seniors graduated from Marblehead High, having passed their MCAS exams, and are attending college.