school district quality of leadership
grafton public schools
A School District and a Community on the Rise
A District Report for 2004-2005
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“To prepare all students to be life-long learners and responsible citizens.”
GRAFTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
30 Providence Road
Grafton, Massachusetts 01519
Dear Community Members:
During the past several years, the town of Grafton has experienced many changes in and around our community. New housing developments have brought new families into Grafton, as well as a return of many names familiar to the community. Despite these changes, Grafton remains a small, close knit community that has retained its unique character and quaintness.
The changes in our community have resulted in a changing environment in our school system. With many new houses being built, many families have been drawn to Grafton which has created an increase in school enrollments. As one reviews the enrollment numbers for each grade level, the Class of 2006 has 111 students while the current Class of 2016 has a current enrollment of 242 students. There are 2,518 students enrolled in the district instructed by 172 teachers. Despite this increase in size, the Grafton Public School System is committed to maintaining our standards of providing students small class sizes in order to foster a higher level of instruction. Overall, there are approximately fifteen students for each teacher in Grafton.
As a district, we operate five schools for each of the grade levels. While the newest building in the district is the Grafton Elementary School, a serious discussion has begun to address how to cope with the current building situation of Grafton Memorial High School. Our schools remain connected with the Massachusetts Academy for the Math and Sciences in Worcester, as well as the Blackstone Valley Vocational School.
In order to provide the highest quality education, the district has already implemented a Professional Development plan that began in August 2005. Curriculum writing teams have also started a continual cycle of reviewing, revising, and implementing to ensure that our curriculum remains consistent with the State Department of Education’s frameworks, as well as to continue to challenge our students to reach their highest potential.
It is my hope that this report card will show all community members that the Grafton Public Schools are committed to our mission statement of, “To prepare all students to be life-long learners and responsible citizens.”
Sincerely,
Joseph F. Connors, Ph. D
Superintendent of Schools
DISTRICT OBJECTIVES AND GOALS
MISSION STATEMENT
To prepare all students to be life-long learners and responsible learners.
GUIDING BELIEFS
We believe. . .
§ education is the shared responsibility of students, school, home, and the community.
§ investing in the education of our children benefits the community.
§ all students love to learn and are capable of life-long learning.
§ a balanced education develops a student intellectually, socially, physically, emotionally, and creatively.
§ all students are entitled to instructional excellence.
§ students learn best in a safe, healthy, and supportive environment.
§ students learn best when they are actively engaged in their own learning.
§ mutual respect, personal dignity, and social responsibility are essential.
§ education is key to responsible global citizenship.
VISION STATEMENT
Grafton Public Schools is an evolving and responsive community. We provide an interactive learning environment that ensures academic excellence and social responsibility. Our instructional programs foster personal integrity and the critical thinking necessary for global citizenship. We empower our students to be active participants who thrive in an ever-changing world.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
§ To implement and communicate a consistent curriculum throughout the district, Pre-K through Grade 12.
§ To continually improve each student’s performance in school.
§ To use a systems approach to analyzing and using data.
§ To plan for the District’s short-term space needs and future technological needs necessary to accommodate a growing school enrollment.
DISTRICT QUALITY OF LEADERSHIP
Superintendent of Schools: Dr. Joseph F. Connors
30 Providence Road
508-839-5421
Grafton Memorial Senior High School: Mr. James Pignataro, Principal
Mrs. Maureen Cohen, Assistant Principal
24 Providence Road
508-839-5425
Grafton Middle School: Mr. Richard A. Lind, Principal
Ms. Sharyn A. Rainey, Assistant Principal
60 North Street
508-839-5484
Grafton Elementary School: Mrs. Brenda L. Painte, Principal
Mrs. Doreen Parker, Assistant Principal
105 Millbury Street
508-839-0757
North Grafton Elementary School: Mrs. Michelle Tynan
44 Waterville Street
North Grafton 01536
508-839-5483
South Grafton Elementary School: Ms. Evelyn F. Jordan
90 Main Street
South Grafton 01560
508-839-5484
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“To prepare all students to be life-long learners and responsible citizens.”
DISTRICT ENROLLMENT AND DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
The Grafton Public School District has established guidelines for class size limits at different grade levels. For Pre-K to Grade 5, classes should be limited to 22 students, and for Grades 6 through 12, classes should be limited to 25 students. General enrollment information for each school is listed below:
GRAFTON HIGH SCHOOL
· 577 total students, 299 females/278 males
· 35 teachers
· Student-Teacher Ratio: 16.7 to 1
GRAFTON MIDDLE SCHOOL
· 591 total students, 275 females/316 males
· 47 teachers
· Student-Teacher Ratio: 12.7 to 1
GRAFTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
· 694 total students, 323 females/371 males
· 49 teachers
· Student-Teacher Ratio: 14.0 to 1
NORTH GRAFTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
· 298 total students, 160 females/138 males
· 21 teachers
· Student-Teacher Ratio: 14.5 to 1
SOUTH GRAFTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
· 358 total students, 173 females/185 males
· 22 teachers
· Student-Teacher Ratio: 16.7 to 1
DISTRICT ENROLLMENT AND DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
District State
Students Attending School in District 92.9% 89.8%
Grade 9-12 Drop-Out Rate 2.9% 3.7%
Attendance Rate 95.8% 94.1%
Average Number of Days Absent 7.4% 10.8%
In-School Suspension Rate 4.4% 3.6%
Out of School Suspension Rate 3.0% 5.9%
District State
Retention Rate 1.0% 2.6%
English as a Second Language 2.7% 14.0%
Limited English Proficiency 0.5% 5.1%
Low Income 9.0% 27.7%
Special Education 14.9% 15.9%
African-American students 1.2% 8.9%
Asian students 3.5% 4.8%
Hispanic students 1.8% 11.8%
Native American students 0.9% 0.3%
Caucasian students 92.6% 74.2%
DISTRICT FINANCES
Per Pupil Expenditures: GRAFTON STATE
1999 2003 1999 2003
Regular Education $4,587 $5,285 $5,487 $6,779
Special Education $10,682 $13,889 $10,249 $13,542
Bilingual Education $0 $1,624 $7,495 $8,936
Occupational Day Education $0 $0 $9,404 $11,154
All Day Programs $5,366 $6,613 $6,692 $8,273
GUIDANCE AND COUNSOLING SERVICES
The Grafton Public Schools provides guidance counselors at both Grafton High and Grafton Middle Schools. At Grafton High, there are currently three counselors who each handle caseload of about 192 students. There are currently two counselors at the Middle School who handle approximately 295 students each.
Other support services are provided by the Special Education staff members who provide support to their students. This also includes Behavioral Leaning Assistants who are trained in supporting the students with Autism Spectrum Disorder who attend school in Grafton.
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND IMPROVEMENT
In accordance with our district’s Strategic Plan, the Grafton Public Schools have established and already started to implement the Professional Development Plan for the district. This plan began in August 2005 and will continue through May 2006.
The goal of this professional development plan is to create “a process that fosters continuous improvement” and shows that the district is “committed to providing sustained high quality professional development opportunities for its staff.”
The district’s plan also reflects the guidelines set forth by the Massachusetts Department of Education. These guidelines include a “focus on expanding educator’s knowledge of standards based curriculum, instruction and assessment, and analyzing and reducing the gap between the goals for student achievement and student’s actual progress.”
Several of the more specific goals of the District’s Professional Development goals are:
· By June 2006, all teachers would be considered Highly Qualified Teachers.
· To continue the integration of technology into the classrooms.
· Continue training and implementation of Differentiated Instruction in the overall curriculum.
· The establishment of a discussion throughout the district that will focus on aligning the local curriculum with the frameworks established by the Department of Education.
· Continue the use of curriculum writing teams which have already begun to complete the 5 year cycle of reviewing, revising, and re-implementation of the existing curriculum. This cycle is scheduled to continue through the 2017 school year.
· As per the teachers’ contract, $15,000.00 has been set aside for tuition reimbursement for professional development. These funds should allow for each teacher to receive compensation for two courses per year.
· The district has already approved many seminars and programs that have been developed by teachers and other professionals within in the district that were designed for the specific reasons of staff professional development.
DISTRICT PERFORMANCE ON THE MCAS
Students in the Grafton schools between the third grade and the tenth grade participated in the various MCAS examinations last spring. Students were tested in the areas of English/Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science and Technology. Grafton Public Schools still performs at a level higher than the state levels in all content areas and at all grade levels. It should be noted that Grafton students have increased the number of students at the Advanced and Proficient level.
In order to help the community understand that terms and categories used in by the Department of Education in MCAS reporting, a list of key terms and definitions has been included at the end of this report.
Listed below is an overview of the district’s scores on the 2005 MCAS:
Over the past five years, students in Grafton have continued to improve their scores on the MCAS tests. This represents steady progress toward to the overall goal of having all students achieve the Advanced and Proficient status. The following bar graphs represent the progress made in each of the areas assessed by the MCAS examinations:
Despite this progress, the school district has already begun the process of analyzing these test results to identify areas of weaknesses that can be improved on. To address these areas, specific solutions have been developed in these content areas to provide students with opportunities to further develop their skills. These areas will be addressed through the district’s professional development plan during the 2005-2006 school year.
GRAFTON MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL
Mr. James Pignataro, Principal
Mrs. Maureen Cohen, Assistant Principal
The mission of Grafton High School is to prepare our students intellectually, physically, emotionally and socially for their role as responsible citizens in an ever-changing world. Our goal is to nurture the desire for life-long learning by imparting to our students the abilities to think critically, to apply knowledge creatively to new situations, to communicate effectively, to utilize technology, and to view personal wellness from a holistic perspective. A variety of instructional practices in academic and co-curricular programs is utilized to address the varied needs of our students.
Grafton High School provides a safe environment, fosters an appreciation of cultural diversity, promotes mutual respect, values teamwork, recognizes the contributions of students and staff, and encourages community service. Through a shared commitment of our entire school community - faculty, staff, parents and students - the school offers a broad range of programs that blend traditional strategies and innovative practices. The school measures performance through a variety of assessment perspectives.
Grafton High School students will:
Read, write, speak and communicate effectively.
Utilize critical thinking in the processing of information.
Demonstrate the ability to integrate and apply knowledge to complete tasks effectively and to solve problems creatively.
Utilize technology to enhance knowledge and skills.
Exhibit behaviors that promote personal physical fitness and a healthy lifestyle.
Practice responsible and appropriate social behaviors.
Recognize and respect diversity and understand the implications of local and global cooperation.
Understand how society functions, know the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, and demonstrate these through school and community service.
Grafton High School has an enrollment of 577 students and 35 teachers resulting in a student to teacher ratio of 16.7 to 1. All of the teachers are licensed in the subject areas that they are currently assigned to; this represents an increase from the 89% of teachers who were licensed in the 2000-2001 school year. In 2004-2005, all teachers have been classified as Highly Qualified Teachers under the No Child Left Behind legislation.
Guidance services combine the student support efforts of our guidance counselors. This student support team works together and collaborates with the school’s faculty in guiding the academic and social development of each student. The team approach views the whole student as both as an evolving individual, as a learner, and to help our students prepare themselves for life after high school
Grafton High students attended school for 94% of the school year, while the average student was absent approximately ten days per year. Other statistics reflect that Grafton High students drop out of school at a lower rate than the state average. The drop out rate at Grafton High has decreased since the 2000-2001 from 3.6% to its current level of 2.9%.
The current curriculum at Grafton High is aligned with the frameworks established by the State Department of Education. Grafton High offers a class variety at different levels which allows all students the chance to challenge themselves academically, while at the same time be able to achieve success. The various departments at Grafton High also offer elective courses which allow students to choose additional courses that allow them to explore more detailed content areas. In order to graduate from Grafton High, a student must earn a minimum of 140 credits while attending a required number of courses in each of the major content areas. Each core content class represents a five credit course. Students must also pass both the English/Language Arts and Mathematics MCAS. During their senior years, students are required to complete a minimum of 30 credits.
Grafton High School is currently accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. This process is accomplished through observations at Grafton High, as well as a review of the programs of study that have been established here. By being accredited Grafton High School has met or exceeded the guidelines established by the association for institutional quality, as well as displaying the potential to continue with this progress toward educating students at a high level.
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
During the 2005 MCAS tests in Mathematics and English/Language Arts, Grafton High students continued to improve their scores on these high stakes tests. Grafton High students still perform at a high level in Math, and a very high level in English/Language Arts when compared to students throughout Massachusetts. While there are still areas for improvement, overall these results show that there has been a steady increase in the improvement displayed.