Saugus Superintendent of Schools Erin McMahon is taking concrete steps toward meeting her goal of propelling town students into the ranks of Massachusetts’ top comprehensive assessment test (MCAS) performers.
A February letter sent to parents by Middle-High School Principal Brendon Sullivan announced the school administration’s decision to cancel “credit recovery summer school” for students who flunk a class during the academic year and want to “make up” the class during the summer.
Sullivan called summer school cancellation ” . . . in keeping with our mission to increase the overall academic rigor and education for all students.”
Saugus students are now among the bottom 10 percent of schools in MCAS performance. McMahon’s bold goal of turning the tables on that dismal status means changing performance expectations for administrators, teachers, parents, and students.
Starting Feb. 12, students who flunked a class can enroll in a Saturday online “grade-recovery” class and work toward changing that “F” to a passing grade. After-school teacher help and National Honor Society peer tutoring is also available.
Change is rarely met with universal acclaim and Sullivan’s emphasis on “rigor” will probably have its detractors. But a majority of town residents have already given McMahon and her fellow educators the tools required to achieve excellence.
The sweeping school-district reorganization exposes the town’s youngest students to science and technology learning opportunities and the state-of-the-art middle school and high school provide older students with the opportunities they need to excel.
Saugus students — and, by extension, Saugus schools — can grow and flourish academically under the bold plan authored by McMahon. But strong growth begins with pruning out programs that don’t fit in with that plan.
Eliminating Credit Recovery Summer School is a clear signal that students have plenty of tools to help them succeed during the academic year and, if they stumble, additional tools available to help them make up lost academic ground.
Sullivan reinforced the urgency underpinning McMahon’s five-year plan when he reminded students and parents in his letter that “few worthwhile things in life come easily.”
