Canton Public Schools: October 7 School Committee Meeting Recap: Teacher Award, MCAS Data, New District Communication Initiatives

Press release from Canton Public Schools:

Matthew Reid

October 18, 2021

CANTON — Interim Superintendent Derek Folan would like to share with the school community several notable updates and information provided at the October 7 Canton School Committee meeting. 

A recording of the full meeting can be viewed here.

Additional meeting materials, including the Interim Superintendent’s Report and all documents shared at the meeting are available here. 

CHS Social Studies Teacher Mike Eromin was named the recipient of the William Spratt Award for Excellence in Teaching Secondary Social Studies, sponsored by the Massachusetts Council for the Social Studies. Mr. Eromin was nominated by the Social Studies Department Head, Mr. Pat Connor. Mr. Eromin is known to be an extraordinary teacher who is beloved by his students and respected by his colleagues. He has the ability to design inspirational and impactful lessons that cultivate critical thinking and discourse and drive student achievement and growth. 

CHS teacher Ed McDonough has produced a recognition video about the award, which can be seen here.

The GMS and CHS administration sent out a letter to families recently alerting them to the TikTok Challenges that have been posted on the social media platform. Parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to research the challenges and discuss expectations with their children. There is zero tolerance for any of these detrimental challenges as they undermine the values, school culture, the well-being of all — and the law. They negatively impact the learning environment and the student and staff experience. Thus, the actions of some have resulted in damage to school building bathrooms. Administration is applauding the great, great majority who are doing the right thing in the buildings, and addressing those who are violating school rules. 

Interim Assistant Superintendent Sarah Shannon and Director of Teaching and Learning Debbie Rooney presented a comprehensive overview of the District MCAS data. Parents/guardians will receive their child’s MCAS scores in the mail soon. The individual student reports will look similar to those in the past, but the context and overall purpose of MCAS was different in 2021 and an explanation of those differences and focus areas will accompany the reports. 

COVID-19 and the pandemic greatly impacted the student, staff and family experience in 2021, leading to different learning models and many challenges. In addition, MCAS was shortened and modified, and the testing locations varied — remote vs. in person. A statewide dip in scores was predicted due to these challenges, which was seen in the District’s scores as well, however the majority of the District’s scores were consistent with or above state averages. Districts are encouraged to use MCAS data to inform instructional approaches and intervention strategies to best serve students. Knowing that achievement gaps exist, especially in certain subgroups, the MCAS data — in combination with local benchmark assessments — will help to address certain standards and skill sets. 

Parents/guardians are encouraged to watch this District video, which provides a comprehensive overview of the District MCAS data. Building principals will also be making their MCAS presentations at their School Council meetings, which are open to all. Additionally, they will be recording a video that captures their school’s results and presentation.

The School Committee presentation can be found here. An additional letter to families can be found here.

The District submitted a Statement of Interest with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, for a renovation/expansion or replacement of the GMS building. The SOI is the first step of a multi-step process of seeking funding assistance from the State for a building project, but is not a commitment and in no way commits the Town of Canton and the school department to completing a project. The SOI draws upon a master plan and feasibility study completed in 2018, which provided a thorough analysis of all of the school department facilities as well as frame the school department educational vision for the next several years. The feasibility study added more detail and helped the school department analyze options for future building use. The master plan identified the GMS as the school with the most deficiencies in size, systems and obsolesce in order to provide a full range of programming consistent with the school department’s educational vision. 

CPS was recently made aware that the MSBA would be conducting a senior study visit for the GMS project. The senior study visit will consist of a virtual meeting with school department, town, and MSBA representatives. Following a virtual meeting, a tour of GMS will take place allowing an opportunity for the MSBA to further understand the issues identified in the district’s SOI. Once the content review and senior study visits for all applicants have been completed, MSBA will provide invitations for projects to enter the eligibility period. The District expects to learn if it will be invited into the MSBA eligibility period in January 2022.  

National Coaches Day was October 6. Coaches play a critical role in the development of student-athletes in sports and beyond. They are role models and teachers, and they are recognized and applauded for the many hours they put in to develop great players and strong young adults. 

This press release was produced by Canton Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.