PEABODY — Ahead of an impending evaluation by the School Committee, Superintendent of Schools Josh Vadala laid out what he saw as a year’s worth of progress toward two overarching goals for the school district.
Vadala was hired as superintendent ahead of the 2020-21 school year after four years as an assistant superintendent in Revere, making the 2022-23 school year his third at the helm of the Peabody Public Schools and his first in an almost entirely post-COVID-19 environment. The School Committee was set to work on Vadala’s evaluation during its retreat this summer, and will likely present the results during its meeting later this month. The committee will evaluate Vadala’s performance in a number of areas, ultimately determining whether his performance has been “unsatisfactory,” “need(ing) improvement,” “proficient,” or “exemplary.”
For his part, Vadala began his self-assessment with an overview of the district’s two SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals.
The first, a student-learning goal, states that “by June 2023, Peabody Public Schools will foster a sense of hope for every student every day that results in at least a 20% increase in the number of students meeting or exceeding exceptions on state and local assessments.” In evaluating progress on that goal, Vadala pointed to data that shows increases in early literacy for students in kindergarten and first grade, and increased proficiency for students in grades two through eight in Star Reading and Star Math. He noted, however, that the gains for students in grades six through eight are relatively negligible in reading.
Vadala acknowledged that gains for students in grades six through 12 were still essentially a work in progress, with work underway to select new materials for English Language Arts courses and the district working to increase the number of students taking high-level math in sixth grade to better prepare them to take on more challenging courses throughout high school.
“What we’re trying to do is create more pathways for kids to get into that so they can get into the advanced coursework,” Vadala said.
The second SMART goal, geared around professional practice and sense of belonging, states that “by June 2023, Peabody Public Schools will foster a sense of hope for every student, every day that results in an increased sense of belonging for students, staff, and families as measured by attendance, graduation, and discipline rates as well as data obtained from surveys, observations, and qualitative feedback.” Vadala evaluated progress toward that goal in four areas: instructional leadership, management and operations, family and community engagement, and professional culture.
In citing progress toward that goal, Vadala pointed to the implementation of data coaches, the introduction of a new curriculum on Holocaust and genocide studies that he said makes Peabody a leader in the area, and the adoption of high-quality instructional materials.
On the second standard of management and operations, Vadala cited key safety upgrades at Peabody Veterans Memorial High School, including the installation of 29 new high-definition cameras and 26 door locks for classrooms.
Vadala emphasized that 2022-23 was a “great year to welcome our families back” following the pandemic, and pointed to the Welch School Building Project as an example of greater relationship building with families considering the ease of the transition period for that school, with some students exiting during construction. He said the district has continued to strengthen its partnerships with the Peabody Education Foundation, Citizens Inn, the police and fire departments, emergency medical services, and Peabody TV.
On the final standard, professional culture, Vadala pointed to the fact that the district brought in experts in particular fields at the request of some teachers and said school officials were seeing “great results” on surveys of students, faculty, and families with a focus on improving the culture at the high school.
“We see that many communities struggle with relationships between the professions. We have great relationship with our unions,” Vadala said, praising work done by Mayor Ted Bettencourt — who serves as School Committee chair — that has “contributed to a real sense of professional culture.”
Vadala seemed appreciative of the evaluation process in general, saying it was “quite an experience reflecting on a year” where so much work was done across the board.
“We really accomplished a lot in a year,” he said during a School Committee meeting last month. “We’re excited about the start of the new school year.”
