Schools

Melrose High School NEASC Report Flames Harsh and Heated Discussion

Melrose School Committee member J.D. LaRock said he was "angry" over a report that paints MHS as "at best mediocre," which drew some rebukes from his fellow committee members.

Dichotomous reactions to the final report from the four-day November visit by accrediting body resulted in harsh words at Tuesday night's meeting from one School Committee member, who in turn received stern rebukes from some fellow committee members.

After an initial presentation (PDF attached) from Principal Joe Dillon and English teacher Paula Conis, who co-chaired the school's steering committee for the re-accreditation process, committee member J.D. LaRock said that NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges) visiting committee's report "angered" him. (The report is attached as a PDF to this article and available for download from the Melrose High School website.)

LaRock cited the report's recommendations that the school institute a formal written curriculum and hold all students to high expectations; findings that what Dillon cited as positive steps such as teacher groups looking at student work were only "minimally in place;" and problems such as teachers finding the evaluation process unhelpful and some teachers not receiving the Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for their students with disabilities.

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"What made me angry … was that there were so many things that, as a fellow educational professional, struck me as basic responsibilities of the school that weren’t being attended to," he said. "I think it’s paints a picture of a high school that is at best mediocre and at worst is in disarray."

After some pointed questions posed by LaRock to Superintendent Joe Casey, Dillon jumped back in after LaRock said that the report's finding that students in co-taught inclusion classes do not have do not have equal access to the  same core curriculum and learning experiences as regular education students was a "devastating finding."

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Dillon reiterated a point he made during his initial presentation—that little in the report came as a surprise, as much of the recommendations were the same findings culled from the two-and-a-half year self-study undertaken by MHS staff preceding the NEASC visit last November. For example, Dillon said he has "mentioned several times at this committee" the problem of varying expectations between course levels in the subject area, , when he raised that issue during the presentation of the current School Improvement Plan.

"I’m not least bit surprised it was cited in the report," he said. "We can look at some of the steps that have been taken to so there wasn’t such a gap. I mentioned that a number of times here. We needed to close that gap and we needed to increase the expectations for all of our students. We’re not there. I’m the first to admit we’re not there. We're now putting a structure in place to address that."

Other committee members chide LaRock

After LaRock responded that he was frustrated with the discussion being a "constant circling back to the idea that you've been aware of these problem and that we have to solve them," and saying that the school's "main piece of work since getting the report back is to create a definition of a leadership team—that does nothing for me," committee member Kristin Thorp interrupted.

"I think you're totally out of order," Thorp said. "I think you’re being totally unfair."

"I’m really trying not to launch into a screed," LaRock replied. "I’m genuinely angry  and concerned."

"Me too," Thorp said.

Earlier in the evening, Thorp said to Dillon that the commendations included in the report are items "that you put in place in the past two years, two and a half years."

Among NEASC's commendations for Melrose High School are: core assignments and common open response questions for all courses; opportunities to extend learning beyond the normal course offerings; each curriculum area adopting academic expectations for which it is responsible; the use of the school-wide rubrics for writing and problem-solving; and the aforementioned teacher groups examining student work, which Dillon as expanding this school year.

"Virtually all the commendations were not things in place when this began in 2008," she said. "That speaks volumes to me. I was thrilled when I read the report because it wasn’t a shock, it wasn’t much of a surprise. Much of the report identifies the self-study as one of the sources of the information."

Committee member Christine Casatelli said that the school's last NEASC accreditation process "was not nearly as successful," with the school receiving a warning.

"This was a much more positive, enriching result," Casatelli said.

She noted the new definition of the school's leadership team—with an eye on shifting from a 'management' team to a 'leadership' team—involves, as Dillon said, a "significant culture change" that requires a long-term effort and constant attention.

Casatelli said to LaRock, "I think calling our high school mediocre is a slap in the face of every student who works hard to earn a degree and every faculty member who works hard to make sure kids graduate with the skills they need." She reiterated that the last accreditation process had the school in danger of losing its accreditation.

"Mr. Dillon was dropped into this place where he had to essentially start from scratch and make major changes," she said. "It's one thing to say we need to make urgent changes, but changes that are sustained take a long time. He was talking about a cultural change that does not happen overnight. You were one of the people who objected to this whole process. Just the self-evaluation and process has yielded so many positive results."

Fiscal downturn's impact on school's improvement?

Committee member Carrie Kourkoumelis said that her son Arthur was valedictorian of Melrose High School in 2008 and she's proud of all three of her  sons who attended the school, and "with all due respect I very much disagree with the assessment that 2008 was a dark time for Melrose High School and that we’ve come to a better place. I see a different way of characterizing that."

Kourkoumelis noted the report's finding of an insufficiency of instructional materials, such as textbooks, and Dillon saying most of the report's findings were expected and not shocking.

"What I’m wondering is why in our various budget cycles, for example, didn’t we hear about the need for these instructional materials," she said, bringing up her request for a book inventory previously marked as confidential and now marked as draft that she said was still incomplete. "This is kind of nuts and bolts, basic to running the district. I was surprised that was didn’t have a document, and it doesn’t seem like this is a matter of national security either. If we so urgently needed these things, why wasn't there fierce advocacy to get these things? We have purchased things in the past few years, some very expensive items."

Dillon replied that he had raised those issues as past school committee meetings, noting requests from department chairmen over the "last several years" for outdated textbooks. He also noted the financial constraints the school has operated under in recent years.

"Each year that I’ve been principal, in October I’ve been told there is a level-funded budget for the following year," he said.

"But that doesn’t mean you can’t advocate fiercely," Kourkoumelis replied.

LaRock later picked up on something both Chairwoman Margaret Driscoll and Thorp had mentioned regarding the NEASC report's findings—the role of the School Committee—and asked Dillon if the committee's education and finance subcommittees could choose an area to focus in on, what those areas would be.

Dillon replied that "I think it spelled out pretty clearly in the report in terms of support of academic programs and personnel," adding that the school is appreciative of for next year and the included in next year's budget, in light of the school's enrollment increasing by over 100 students over the past four years.

"To me, that's support the high school from a budgetary standpoint," he said, adding that the new Spanish textbooks was the end of a "long-time effort" by the foreign language department chairwoman. The principal hearkened back to the budget picture painted by Melrose's state delegation, who addressed the committee earlier in the evening, saying that "it's not something that a reasonable person can expect to see overnight," given the fiscal challenges cities and towns continue to face across Massachusetts.

"I think understanding that the focus is on all students and not on certain segments  of students, and devoting an equitable amount of time around students who are not gifted and talent or not in AP programs," he continued. "One of the areas of the report that shocked or offended you (LaRock) the most is something I’ve been saying since the first day I got here—the gap that exists at MHS. Has the change occurred fast enough for some? Absolutely not. Fast enough for me? Absolutely not."


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