Learning at ARPS
April 13, 2007
Dear Everyone Learning @ Amherst, Region, and Pelham Schools:
This is such a delightful time of year! Classroom and school music programs! Continued dynamic and motivating units and lessons of study! And, the unfolding of spring and all that it offers for our children. It is the time of year, too, when we collect our thoughts and assess our progress on current year projects and initiatives as well as making plans for the 2007-2008 school year!
The Amherst School Committee heard a report this week on the demographics and enrollment projections for our schools. I will provide more information about that in upcoming weeks, and we will post the presentation soon. Envisioning how our schools should be organized in ! terms of time and space is an exciting and challenging venture and one in which I know many of you will have insights.
We are implementing our cycle of curriculum review this spring, as well. While we have been refining all of our curriculum frameworks to insure clarity, we will begin a process of doing a program evaluation on one subject each year to get into a cycle of reviewing curriculum routinely. Mathematics is our first area of concentration.
A mathematics program evaluation committee comprised of teachers, administrators, and parents will be formed to conduct this study, and then a district writing team will be formed to revise the curriculum. The study includes a review of current literature and practice in mathematics; a review of student achievement and data; and a survey of parents, students, teachers, and administrators on their views of our curriculum. The committee wil! l assess our progress compared to our high expectations and standards and make recommendations. The committee will meet this spring and into the summer with several meetings and background work to be reviewed and completed. I know there will be interest from many to participate and space will be limited. Please know that there will be opportunities to provide input into the work even if one does not participate on the committee. If you are interested in participating, please contact Sharon Gross at 362-1828 or grosss@arps.org to request an application.
Exciting lessons and units are underway in our schools and many projects are underway across the districts! ! For now, it is time to take a little break. Enjoy the April break!
Sincerely,
Jere Hochman
Open Seat on the Amherst School Committee
Attached is a letter from Andy Churchill, Amherst School Committee Chair, notifying the Amherst Select Board of an open seat on the Amherst School Committee. Any Amherst resident who wishes to be a candidate for this position is encouraged to submit a letter of interest to the Town Clerk (or to a School Committee or Select Board member who will forward it to the Town Clerk). The candidate who receives the majority of the votes of the Select Board and School Committee at a joint meeting on Friday, April 27 will fill the vacancy until the next town election. The joint meeting will be held at 5:45 p.m. in the Amherst High School Library.
A Message from Superintendent Jere Hochman regarding the Comprehensive Program Review
Three years ago, the Amherst and Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools participated in a State mid-cycle audit of Special Education, English Language Learner and Civil Rights Methods of Administration programs. We received a valuable critique from the State identifying area of strength and many areas where we need to improve. The States mid-cycle audit identified areas of compliance with regulations, paperwork, training and others for us to address, and we have! Our Student Services Department and schools have worked vigorously to bring us into compliance as we meet the needs of all students.
Later this spring, the State will complete a Comprehensive Program Review to analyze our progress and compliance with various regulations. As a part of th! is Coordinated Program Review, Department staff will visit the district during the week of May 14, 2007. Such visits are routinely conducted by the Department to satisfy federal and state requirements for periodic review of specific educational programs and services in schools throughout the Commonwealth. The Department is reviewing several programs during a single visit in order to use Department and school staffs time most efficiently and to encourage strong communication among the programs.
The Department's Coordinated Program Review will address the following programs: Special Education, English Language Learners and Civil Rights Methods of Administration. After reviewing the school districts procedures for these programs, a Department of Education Team will make its onsite visit, during which it will review individual student records, interview administrators, teachers and parents, and observe instructional sites. After t! he onsite visit it will prepare a report for the Superintendent and School Committee with detailed findings for each program.
Using a scale of ratings ranging from Commendable to Not Implemented, the report will rate the implementation of each requirement by the Department of Education. Where requirements are found less than substantially implemented, the district must propose to the Department of Education corrective action to bring those areas into compliance with statutes and regulations. Districts and schools are encouraged to incorporate the corrective action into their district and school improvements plans and professional development plan. The school district may request technical assistance from the Department of Education in developing a corrective action plan. Both the Departments report and the corrective action plan are public information and will be available to the public upon request. The Program Review Final Re! port will be available on the Departments website at www.doe.mass.edu/pqa/review/cpr/reports.
Any member of the public may request to be interviewed by telephone by a member of the Departments visiting team. Those wishing to be interviewed should call the Superintendent's office at 362-1810 no later than May 14, 2007 to leave their name and phone number or they may call the Department of Education at 413-858-4591. A member of the visiting team will contact each person desiring an interview within two weeks after the completion of the onsite visit. If an individual is not comfortable communicating in English or requires s! ome other accommodation, the Department will make arrangements to communicate appropriately with the individual.
I am confident that the Program Review will be a useful and positive experience for staff members and that the report will be useful in planning for the continued improvement of educational services for all students.
AGENDA for REGULAR Meeting of REGIONAL School Committee
7:00 PM, TUESDAY-April 24, 2007
High School Library
1. Welcome
A. Call to Order
B. Agenda Review
C. Minutes-April 3, 2007
2. Announcements and Public Comment
3. Superintendents Update
4. Unfinished/Continuing Business
A. FY08 Budget Update
B. Policies for First Reading & Possible Vote
410.22 Students with Disabilities Requiring 504 Plans
410.23 Students with Disabilities Eligible for Special Education Services
410.24 English Language Learners
5. New Business
A. Handbook Review
6. Reports
A. District Improvement Plan
7. Sub Committee Reports
8. School Committee Planning
A. Calendar review
B. Items for upcoming meetings
9. Adjourn