THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, December 6, 2019 Page 5 The District Review Report Student learning outcomes in Saugus Public Schools are jeopardized by inconsistent instruction and curriculum districtwide (Editor’s Note: This is part of an ongoing series of stories about The District Review Report of Saugus Public Schools recently issued by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Today’s article looks at shortcomings in the area of curriculum and instruction.) By Mark E. Vogler t is hard to find consistency in the quality of instruction or the curriculum offered at the three levels of the town’s education system. The four elementary schools show the most promise in these areas, while the biggest challenges remain at the Middle and High School levels. Those are the observations of I a team of consultants that visited the school district for a fourday period back in March as part of its research for the “District Review Report of Saugus Public Schools.” Saugus Public Schools Superintendent Dr. David DeRuosi, Jr. presented copies of the lengthy report to members of the School Committee last month. The superintendent had planned to brief the new School Committee on the report at last night’s meeting. The District Review – a process that every school district undergoes periodically (Saugus Public Schools had its last one in 2010) is used to assess a school district’s strengths and weaknesses and offer recommendations that can be used to make significant improvements in a school system. Under the category of “curriculum and instruction” – one of several major components to an effective school system – the report identified these major “challenges and areas for growth”: • In observed classrooms, the quality of instruction was inconsistent districtwide. • The district does not have a high-quality, standards-aligned, documented curriculum; a regular curriculum review and revision process and a sufficient number of people empowered to exercise curriculum leadership. • Although school leaders at every level identified student engagement as a key instructional goal, only the elementary level showed sufficient evidence of student engagement. Districtwide, in most classrooms observed, students did not have sufficient opportunities to engage in challenging higher-order thinking skills. “With limited curriculum leadership and curricular resources, teachers are unable to plan high-quality and rigorous standards-aligned instruction and assessment,” the report said of the impact that could result from the shortcomings. “Without a written curriculum aligned with the current Massachusetts frameworks, the district cannot guarantee the horizontal and vertical alignment of the taught curriculum, which can result in major learning gaps for students, hindering their learning outcomes,” it concluded. “When lessons do not consistently contain clear learning objectives, frequent checks for student understanding, active student engagement in rigorous learning opportunities, and support for students’ varied learning needs, student learning outcomes are jeopardized,” it also noted. “When the quality of instruction is limited, students are not being adequately prepared for college, career, and civic participation.” The report noted a major gap between the approach to learning in the elementary school classes and the middle and high school grades. For instance, in 81 percent of observed elementary classes, in 29 percent of middle school classes, and in 35 percent of high school classes, the review team found sufficient and compelling evidence that teachers conducted frequent checks for understanding, provided feedback and adjusted instruction. “In most elementary classes, teachers conducted checks for understanding by circulating around the room and providing feedback to individual students, pairs, or groups. In a grade 1 mathematics class, the teacher asked students to walk her through how they solved a math problem. Teachers checked students’ do now responses, or provided exit tickets at the end of lessons,” the report noted. “In contrast, in most observed middle- and high-school classes, the team found a limited range and use of effective strategies to check for student understanding. In these classes, teachers called only on volunteers, engaged the same students repeatedly, directed questions at the whole group, and sought and accepted one or two-word individual and group responses. In some observed classes, teachers never checked for understanding during the observation period.” Interviews with district leaders, school leaders and teachers and a document review indicated that the district has not established a regular and consistent curriculum review process, according to the report. It also noted that school leaders and teachers consistently expressed a concern for the absence of vertical alignment at transition points in the district and in content areas throughout the grade levels. Start Your Weekend at the Marina Dance Party! 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