LYNN — The Lynn Public Schools’ grades from the state are in and show that the district is “partially meeting” its achievement targets. School administrative officials say the results leave them out of trouble, but in need of improvement.
Lynn is meeting 45 percent of its targets, which is based on Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) scores, student growth, high school completion, progress toward English proficiency, chronic absenteeism and advanced coursework completion.
A district is considered to be “meeting targets” at 75 percent.
“I would not by any stretch of the imagination define partially meeting needs as a district that’s in trouble, but we’re also not at that designation performing at a level that I believe we’re capable,” said Superintendent Dr. Patrick Tutwiler.
Although the district is not identified as being in trouble, or “requiring assistance” based on its accountability results, three of Lynn’s schools — Pickering Middle School, Fecteau-Leary Junior/Senior High School and Lynn Classical High School — have been placed in that category by the state, based on their performance.
Thirteen of district’s 26 schools are meeting 50 percent or higher of their targets, which the state considers good, despite it being below the goal threshold, according to Tutwiler.
The measurements are part of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) new accountability system, which rolled out this year. Prior to this year, the state only rated a district on achievement, or MCAS scores, and student growth, according to Tutwiler.
Achievement and growth are still heavily weighted, but also new this year is those measurements are not only determined based on the performance of all students, but half of those results are anchored in the district’s 25 percent lowest performing students.
“In that, we hear the state saying very clearly that you really need to make sure you’re targeting your lowest achievers and bringing them up because half of your accountability is based on their performance,” Tutwiler said. “Heretofore, there was a hyper focus on kids who were at the proficient and advanced level. Now, it’s a different message altogether.”
He called the new system “progressive,” in that the inclusion of new criteria, such as English proficiency and chronic absenteeism, reflects an awareness of issues of equity and shifting demographics of the student population statewide.
Tutwiler said high school performance requires attention and the district needs to support those schools in making bigger strides in achievement. Accountability results at the high school level are low overall, with that level meeting 23 percent of its targets.
Results show the high school level is not meeting its targets for English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics and Science achievement for all students, with a decline in ELA and no change in math or science. For the lowest performing students, targets were not met in ELA and math, with a decline in the former.
English Language Arts growth was a highlight at the high school level, as was its extended engagement rate, or engaging fifth year students to graduate rather than drop out. But the district did see a decline in its four-year graduation rate.
Results were much better at the elementary and middle school level, where the district met 55 percent of its targets. There was a decline in mathematics achievement in grades 3 to 8 for all students, but the district was able to meet the needs of its lowest performing students in ELA and math.
Results showed growth in ELA third grade achievement, which administrative officials attribute to an early literacy focus and newly introduced interventions in that grade.
Science continues to be a point of pride for the district, as Lynn outperformed all other Commissioners’ Districts, or the 10 largest urban districts, on those MCAS scores, according to Deputy Superintendent Kimberlee Powers.
The district’s lowest performing students continue to be English Language Learners (ELL) and special education students.
One of Tutwiler’s goals since taking over as superintendent over the summer has been to close the district’s achievement gap. According to results, there was a 20-point gap on scores for all students and ELL students for the high school ELA MCAS with a similar trend in mathematics.
Addressing the needs of ELL students is a district-wide effort and is one of the improvement efforts with how Lynn Public Schools aims to raise its accountability results.
Other strategies include a deep data dive to respond to areas in need of improvement, the Every Student Every Day initiative, which aims to increase student achievement by reducing chronic absenteeism, defined as missing 10 percent or more of the school year, and the continuance of an extended day program, an after-school intervention effort aimed at raising math test performance.
In addition to Pickering Middle School, Fecteau Leary Junior/High School and Lynn Classical High School, which have been classified as “requiring assistance,” by the state, the district is also requiring six more of its schools join into its framework of support, according to Tutwiler. Data shows they are on the cusp of falling into that requiring assistance category, but with a boost could perform on a higher level.
Those district-identified schools are Connery Elementary School, Tracy Elementary School, Breed Middle School, Marshall Middle School, Harrington Elementary School and Lynn English High School. Those schools were chosen based on performing below the 23rd percentile compared to other schools in that state and meeting less than 50 percent of its targets.
As far as the three schools requiring assistance, Lynn Classical High School is among the lowest 10 percent of performing schools in the state. The school also has a low participation rate among ELL and former ELL students. A 95 percent participation rate is required for eligible students taking the MCAS.
Fecteau-Leary had a low participation rate for all students and among its economically disadvantaged and high needs subgroups. Pickering saw its classification triggered by low subgroup performance, or not meeting the needs of its Asian students.
Tutwiler said the framework of support is in its second year. It is an extra layer of support for schools in need, which has proven to work.
For instance, Powers said last year, there were eight schools required to enter the framework. Seven of the eight last year were elementary and six have exited. The only two that remain this year are Marshall and Connery, as the other schools have done much better.
Tutwiler said the district is committed to meeting its targets, but in an intentional and process-oriented way. A 45 percent to 75 percent jump in one year would be odd and unrealistic, he said.
“I think every district, every superintendent, every school endeavors to be in the meeting targets,” he said. “You want to meet the targets that they lay out, whether you agree with them or not — that’s the goal. You want to meet the need of every student on a high level of every student in your charge. I’d say anything less would be unconscionable.
“We want to make sure that the improvement efforts we’re making are sustainable, that we’re anchoring people in the right set of strategies, the right understanding, giving them the right tools, so year after year, we can ensure we’re meeting the needs of every student.”
