MATHESON for Mayor of Malden RESIDENTS SUPPORT MATHESON’S PAYT PLAN: • Residents can choose to opt into a barrel • Fair cost for barrel with no recurring fee • Blue trash bags no longer required • All recycling can be mixed together • Fully funded by new revenues Marching Together for a Better Malden (Paid Political Advertisement) Malden ADVOCATE Vol. 28, No. 40 -FREEwww.advocatenews.net Published Every Friday State Rep. Ultrino files legislation to prohibit discrimination based on hairstyles 617-387-2200 Friday, October 4, 2019 Malden’s MCAS scores point to progress and problems By Barbara Taormina T he state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released a fresh batch of MCAS scores last week, and Malden’s latest results were mixed. Malden’s English Language Mya and Deanna, right, take a stand outside the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School with their hair extensions in and a sign stating that hair isn’t equal to academics. See page 15 for story and photo highlights. (Photo Courtesy of Colleen Cook) Arts (ELA) scores in Grade 6 and 7 were higher than statewide results while Grade 8 ELA scores mirrored those throughout the Commonwealth. Scores on Mathematics tests in Grades 3 to 6 showed Malden trailing elementary students statewide, but in Grades 7 and 8 that gap narrows. And according to state reports, Beebe, Ferryway, Forestdale and Salemwood Schools and Linden STEAM Academy are making “substantial progress toward improvement targets.” But at Malden High, scores on ELA tests showed students lagging behind their peers throughout the state. And according to the Department of Education, Malden High made “limited or no progress toward improvement targets.” MCAS scores are divided into four categories: exceeding expectations, meeting expectations, partially meeting expectations and not meeting expectations. The Grade 10 ELA test results show just over half, or 51 percent, of Malden 10th graders just partially meeting or not meeting expectations. Statewide, 39 percent of 10th graders had scores that fell into the lower two tiers. On the Mathematics test, MalMCAS | SEE PAGE 18 A new chapter begins for Malden Hospital By Barbara Taormina $3.39 A $2.55 GALLON GALLON We accept: MasterCard * Visa * & Discover Price Subject to Change without notice 100 Gal. Min. 24 Hr. Service 781-286-2602 plan to redevelop the Malden Hospital site has been a long time coming, but this week’s presentation at the Beebe School Auditorium proved it was worth the wait. A small crowd turned out Wednesday night for the first public presentation of a community-focused redevelopment plan that’s been in the works for the past year thanks to a partnership between the Friends of Fellsmere Heights and Boston Architectural College’s Gateway Initiative Program. BAC faculty advisor and architect Rashmi Ramaswamy worked with a team of students to produce a plan based on ideas and aspirations of the Friends, their supporters and Malden and Medford residents who had concerns about a proposal for a large private residential development and those who felt the hospital site is a community resource that is meant for a higher use. Leah Emerson, who served as a liaison between the Boston Architectural College designers and the Friends board of directors, began the presentation with the results of an online survey of both Malden and Medford residents. The preservation of open space, tree cover and habitat restoration ranked as one of the highest priorities among those who responded. The use of the site for outdoor recreation and as a potential location for a community arts and cultural center and for a senior housing development were also supported by a majority of those who participated in the survey. Those ideas and others were incorporated into several design options that Ramaswamy presented with a series of slides that all began with a large area of open green space that would be created once the hospital building is razed. Around that central green space, which could be used for sports, concerts or other community gatherings, would be embedHOSPITAL | SEE PAGE 18
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