A Tale of Seven Kindergartens - Part I: Intro - 'tis the season

Kindergarten registration season is upon us.  Many parents have bittersweet emotions as they go through the experience of registering their child for kindergarten and realize that their “baby” is growing up.  Of course, in Salem, this process can evoke other feelings that include anxiety, paranoia, confusion, and frustration.  Most of these feelings stem from the fact that Salem offers controlled choice with school assignment.  While most people delight in having choices in life (the more, the better – right?), all the choices can seem overwhelming in this case.  The process can become maddening when you add in the facts that Salem is a level 4 school district in the midst of implementing an Accelerated Improvement Plan and that there are limited resources available to aid families in making this seemingly monumental decision.

Okay, I admit that I tend to over-analyze things a bit.  Thoughts of kindergarten started looming in the back of my head when my son started preschool at age three.  While I had lived in Salem for nearly six years, I felt like a complete outsider when it came to matters with the Salem Public Schools.  Most of my local friends had children of a similar age and had little insight to offer.  Even those who grew up nearby or in Salem felt equally befuddled by the whole process.  I enrolled my son at the Early Childhood Center at Bentley, thinking it would be beneficial to have him “in the system” or that his teacher would offer some suggestions about which school(s) would be the best fit – I discovered that this was not the case for us.

Since going through the experience and becoming involved with the school system, I find myself having the same discussions about kindergarten registration and assignment with a lot of other parents.  This is, after all, what launched my interest in our schools and prompted me to start going to school committee meetings.  Since the topic is one that I can talk about endlessly, it seems worthwhile to compile my knowledge for others.  It’s also easier than trying to have an adult conversation while in the company of any one of my three (sweet, precious, attention-craving) children.  Haha! 

Parents consider a variety of factors when making their decision about what school they want to send their child(ren) to in Salem.  These include geographic proximity to home, school accountability data (MCAS scores, school level and ranking), school methodology and philosophy, and “public” opinion (based on information presented in the news, anecdotes from friends and neighbors).  Some might even base their decision on their perceived odds of getting into a particular school.  The school district offers Kindergarten Information Night (typically held in January or February) and school tours (following Kindergarten Information Night).  The Parent Information Center (at Collins Middle School) and the district web site serve as a constant resource for families.

My opinion about district resources is mixed.  The Parent Information Center and web site have the potential to be THE premiere reference for parents, as they should be.  Sadly, they are not…yet.  I have had multiple conversations with Superintendent Russell about this.  He is aware of areas that need improvement and is receptive to making changes for the better.  But, like anything, it is a work in progress and will not change overnight.  I find that the Parent Information Center is understaffed, though the staff are friendly.  Sadly, they can also be inconsistent when it comes to giving advice and information (based on informal polling that I conducted).  Considering budget limitations, it will be hard to make certain changes and improvements.  The web site is difficult to navigate and, in some cases, basic, important information is not present.  To be fair, some of the web site design issues are not within the school district’s control (the contract is made with the entire city, not individual departments).  Still, there is useful information to be found, if you can find it.

Kindergarten Information Night is also evolving as the district aims to make the registration process easier and less stressful for everyone.  I would describe it as a night of basic information for registration, a review of forms needed, deadlines, general school information (location, hours, etc.), kindergarten screening, and so on.  For some parents, the night is very useful, while for others, not so much.  For me, the presentation did clarify some district and individual school policies and procedures, but did not give any guidance with selecting a school for our child.

As my mom, a former teacher, would advise, a tour is necessary when deciding on any school, public or private.  If you can, I recommend going to all of the schools you are considering during the day when school is in session.  There are a lot of things you can discover about a school, said or unsaid, during a visit.  The only downside is that the quality of tours can be inconsistent based on the enthusiasm and knowledge of the tour guide (based on another informal poll).  Since the tour experience will weigh heavily among other factors, do contact the school principal or assistant principal if you have any questions or concerns.  In my experience, the principals are very responsive and my interactions with them have been positive.  Of course, you are always welcome to reach out to me and I can help you get the information you need.

I know that this is just the tip of the iceberg (and that’s not a goofy reference to our crazy winter) – but I do have more to share.  In the coming weeks, I will delve into the assignment policy, accountability data (school rankings, MCAS scores, etc.), things to consider when going on your school tour, and then offer brief profiles of each school with feedback from current families.  By request, I will also compile advice from current teachers in our schools about what you can do to prepare your child for kindergarten.  I am always open to other suggestions and requests – please feel free to email me at kcasiglia@yahoo.com.  In the meantime, I leave you with a few, hopefully useful, links to get you started on your “journey”.

Important dates, at a glance, are as follows:

            February 25^th – Kindergarten Information Night – 6:30-8 at Salem High School

            March  ^_ School tours contact each school for times and to sign up

April 1^st – Sibling Deadline – for parents who want to receive priority placement at their current school

May 1^st – General Application Deadline*

June 1^st – Notifications go out for families who submit by May 1st

June 18-19 – (subject to change due to snow days) Academic screening for incoming kindergarteners, to be scheduled by each school

August 15^th – Notifications go out for families who submit after May 1st, those applying later will be placed as they arrive

TBA – School Open House event

*General Application Deadline also applies to families wishing to register their child for enrollment at Carlton during any trimester during the 2014-15 academic year.

Link to a useful article in Salem News about important dates and required information to register for kindergarten:   Time to Start Thinking About Kindergarten - http://www.salemnews.com/opinion/x1221279160/Column-Time-to-start-thinking-about-kindergarten

Links on the district web site -

Kindergarten FAQs:  http://salemk12.org/Pages/SPS_DistParentRes/KindergartenFAQs.pdf

Kindergarten Information Night English - http://salemk12.org/Pages/SPS_DistParentRes/KindergartenInformationNight2014.pdf

Kindergarten Information Night Spanish – http://salemk12.org/Pages/SPS_DistParentRes/NochedeInformaciondeKindergarten2014.pdf

Kindergarten Registration Packet English - http://salemk12.org/Pages/SPS_DistParentRes/Kto5Registration2013-2014English.pdf

Kindergarten Registration Packet Spanish - http://salemk12.org/Pages/SPS_DistParentRes/Kto5Registration2013-2014Spanish.pdf

Carlton Registration Packet English - http://salemk12.org/Pages/SPS_DistParentRes/CarltonKRegistration2013-2014English.pdf

Carlton Registration Packet Spanish - http://salemk12.org/Pages/SPS_DistParentRes/CarltonKRegistration2013-2014Spanish.pdf

Kindergarten Videos - https://connect.salemk12.org/wiki/projects/kindergartenvideos

Student Assignment Policy - http://salemk12.org/pages/SPS_DistSchoolCom/SPS_Policy_Manual_Folder/5000/5103.pdf

Salem Graduation Rates Soar!

My apologies to all of my readers who have been waiting with bated breath for a new post.  I feel like I am coming out of hibernation so that I can get back to blog writing.  Of course, there are lots of things going on with Salem Public Schools.  I planned to start off writing about kindergarten registration.  It turns out that this has morphed into a slightly bigger task (from one post to a series of posts), which I am still working on.  In the midst of working on this piece, some pretty significant news came out (nearly four weeks ago).  While I wanted to shout this news out from the rooftops, I was compelled to do a little research to provide some added perspective. Frankly, I am surprised and dismayed that this hasn’t already made headlines.

So….

On January 27^th, Governor Deval Patrick and the Massachusetts Department of Education released the high school graduation rates for the Commonwealth.[1]  Massachusetts tends to do well overall in education when compared to other states.  For 2011 and 2012, our state graduation rate has tied for 5^th best in the country and remained in the second quintile.  Table 1 shows average graduation rates for Massachusetts and states with higher rates- note that data from 2013 is not yet available.[2] 

TABLE 1: STATE AVERAGE GRADUATION RATES 2011 - 2012

	STATE AVERAGE GRADUATION RATE
	89%	88%	87%	86%	85%	84%	83%
2010-11		Iowa	Vermont Wisconsin	Indiana Nebraska New Hampshire North Dakota Tennessee Texas		Illinois Maine	Connecticut Kansas Maryland Massachusetts New Jersey Pennsylvania South Dakota
2011-12	Iowa	Nebraska Texas Vermont Wisconsin	North Dakota Tennessee	Indiana Missouri New Hampshire New Jersey	Connecticut Kansas Maine Massachusetts

While that might not seem significant, it should be noted that, as of 2013, our state’s graduation rate has increased for the eighth year in a row.  Additionally, the graduation rate for students in all ethnic subgroups improved over the past year.  Table 2 shows select data from the report.  Two years ago the state started separating the data into a “high needs” category that accounts for students that fall into more than one non-ethnic subgroup so as to avoid counting these students more than once.  For 2013, this category “includes students categorized as any of the following as of October 1, 2012: 1) Low Income, 2) English language learner, 3) Students with disabilities, as well as students categorized as an English language learner during the prior two school years.”[3]  Overall, the graduation rate of high needs students increased 0.6% - and within that broad category, the rates of English Language Learners and Low Income students improved 2.4 and 1.2 percent, respectively.

TABLE 2: STATE AVERAGE GRADUATION RATES 2013

	# in Cohort	4 yr Rate	Change from 2012
All Students	74, 537	85%	+ 0.3
ELL	4,701	63.50%	+ 2.4
Low Income	30,952	73.60%	+ 1.2
Students with Disabilities	14,597	67.80%	- 0.8
High Needs	38,283	74.70%	+ 0.6
African American	7,112	73.80%	+ 0.4
Asian	4,045	90.60%	+1.1
Hispanic	10,745	66.80%	+ 1.3
Multi-Race Non-Hispanic	1,420	83.80%	+ 1.0
Native American	200	73.00%	+ 2.7
Pacific Islander	95	74.70%	+ 3.6
White	25,037	90.10%	+ 0.4

Although Salem has not shared the same steady increase as the state, the graduation rate for 2013 was 87.5%.  Not only is this an impressive gain from 2012, this is the first time the city’s graduation rate exceeded the state average since 2006.[4]  Graph 1 shows the graduation and drop-out rates for Salem, along with the state average graduation rate, for the past 8 years.  The overall trend has been upward, despite dips in 2008 and 2012.

 

Graph 2 shows graduation rates in Salem for English language learners, students with disabilities, and low income students.  Rates for high needs students is also shown, but recall that data is only available for 2012 and 2103.  Notice the similar trends among low income students and students with disabilities.  There is a lot more variability with English language learners, though we can hope that this rate continues to increase overall.

 

Of course, these numbers are all very interesting, but how do we compare to other high schools on the North Shore?  Similar districts throughout the state?  Gateway cities?  For the full picture, we also have to consider the student demographic – as we know students in the high needs population (again, these are English language learners, low income students, and students with disabilities) face more challenges with succeeding in school.  For each group or “cohort” analysis, I selected overall graduation rate, drop out rate, percentage and graduation rate of high needs students.  Cohort data is specifically based on 4 year graduation rates.  I only used data from 2012 and 2013 for comparison of recent trends in each district (and due to the fact that I don't have time to analyze 6 years of data for 53 schools).   I have also listed the cities in each group (North Shore, Similar Districts, and Gateway Cities) in descending order by overall 4 year graduation rate for easy reference of ranking.

First I selected nearby school districts on the north shore for comparison that include Beverly, Chelsea, Danvers, Everett, Hamilton-Wenham, Lynn, Marblehead, Masconomet (which serves the towns of Middleton, Boxford, and Topsfield), Peabody, Revere, and Swampscott.  I also thought it was fair to include Salem Academy Charter School.  Graph 3 shows a comparison of schools in these districts.  Hamilton-Wenham, Marblehead, Masconomet, and Swampscott have stayed in the top four over the past two years. 

GRAPH 3: NORTH SHORE GRADUATION RATE COMPARISON – 2012-13

 

Table 3 shows graduation rates and demographic data for 2013 as well as changes from 2012 – note that the schools in green are also considered Gateway Cities.  While our place within this group has not significantly changed (we moved up one spot to tie for 9^th place with Salem Academy Charter School), we have gained the most in graduation rates overall (+ 8.6%) and for high needs (+11.7%) students.  The bottom half of the table is filled with green – showing that schools in Gateway Cities, which tend to have a higher percentage of high needs students, have a lower overall graduation rate.  Amongst these schools, I am most interested about Revere High School and Lynn Classical.  They had a high percentage of high needs students that graduated at a rate that was very close to their overall graduation rate.  Compare this to Danvers High School, which had a high needs population of 28.2% in 2013, which only 80.6% of this group graduated (their overall graduation rate was 92.5%).  The number of high needs students in Salem has been relatively constant, (72.9% in 2012 and 72% in 2013), but the graduation rate of this group increased.

TABLE 3: NORTH SHORE GRADUATION RATES

SCHOOL	2013 Grad Rate %	Grad Rate +/- from 2012	2013 Drop Out Rate %	% High Needs	High Needs Grad Rate %	High Needs Grad Rate +/- from 2012
MASCONOMET REG HIGH	98.7	1.1	0	17.1	96.2	4.9
MARBLEHEAD HIGH	96.7	0	0.9	34.1	91.7	-0.7
HAMILTON-WENHAM REG HI	95.3	-2.5	2.4	20.5	88.6	-0.3
SWAMPSCOTT HIGH	94.3	-4	3.3	26.8	44.3	-55.7
DANVERS HS	92.5	1.2	3.1	28.2	80.6	5.2
BEVERLY HS	91.4	6.4	4.1	41.7	81.7	9.3
REVERE HIGH	88.6	2.8	3.6	86.3	87.4	3.5
LYNN CLASSICAL	87.8	6.9	6.5	87	86.6	8.1
SALEM ACADEMY CHARTER	87.5	-8.7	8.3	62.5	86.7	-8.3
SALEM HIGH	87.5	8.6	5.7	72	84.6	11.7
PEABODY VETERANS MEM	83.7	-0.8	8	50.2	74	2.5
EVERETT HS	81.8	4.6	8.4	84	79.7	4.6
LYNN ENGLISH	74.8	-3.3	12.2	84	72.9	-4.4
CHELSEA HS	65.6	5.4	16.9	95.6	64.7	4.3

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), compiles a list similar school districts that they use when assessing achievement and accountability.  These districts are defined as ones that are similar, “based on grades, span, enrollment and special populations.”  The districts comparable to Salem are Cambridge, Fall River, Fitchburg, Framingham, Haverhill, Marlborough, Randolph, Somerville, Waltham, and West Springfield.  Graph 4 shows the trend in graduation rates from 2012 and 2013.  In this group, Salem has soared from 7th place in 2012 (3^rd place was a tie) to 2^nd in 2013. 

GRAPH 4: SIMILAR DISTRICTS GRADUATION RATE COMPARISON – 2012-13

Table 4 shows the corresponding graduation rates and demographic data for these schools.  As noted previously, the schools shaded in green are also considered Gateway Cities.  While Fitchburg had the highest overall graduation rate in 2013, Salem experienced the biggest improvement in both overall and high needs graduation rates within this group as well.  Fall River and Randolph also have larger high needs populations and made impressive improvements.  Interestingly, all of the Gateway Cities, except Haverhill, were in the lower half of the table (with lower graduation rates) in 2012 and now find themselves in the top half for 2013.

TABLE 4: SIMILAR DISTRICTS GRADUATION RATE

SCHOOL	2013 Grad Rate %	Grad Rate  +/- from 2012	2013 Drop Out Rate %	2013 % High Needs	2013 High Needs Grad Rate %	High Needs Grad Rate +/- from 2012
FITCHBURG HS	89.1	8.1	4.2	80.3	79.8	4.9
SALEM HIGH	87.5	8.6	5.7	72	84.6	11.7
CAMBRIDGE RINGE & LATIN	87.3	0.1	4.2	68.7	84.2	0.9
FRAMINGHAM HS	86.7	-0.2	5.6	53.5	79.6	1.4
FALL RIVER BMC DURFEE	84.7	6.8	7	78.6	81.6	8.3
MARLBOROUGH HIGH	84.1	2.4	5.6	53.6	72.7	1.6
SOMERVILLE HIGH	82.9	-0.6	9	83.8	81.1	-0.6
W. SPRINGFIELD HIGH	82	0.5	9.8	57.9	72.1	1.9
WALTHAM SR. HIGH	81.3	-2.2	11.7	62.2	73.3	-1.2
RANDOLPH HIGH	80.2	8.3	9.6	81.3	78.5	13.6
HAVERHILL HIGH	75.3	4.2	13.3	57.8	62.8	9

Lastly, I wanted to compare our rates to those of other Gateway Cities (as I mention them).  Salem’s designation as a Gateway City might have stirred up some concern and confusion but, for my purposes, the classification actually does offer some insight when looking at public school systems within these cities.  Currently, there are 26 communities which have been classified as "Gateway Cities" by the state (in collaboration with the Brookings Institution and the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth, MassINC).  Gateway Cities are defined as, “midsize urban centers that anchor regional economies around the state.”  They “face stubborn challenges” and “retain many assets of unrealized potential.”[5]  These communities include Attleboro, Barnstable, Brockton, Chelsea, Chicopee, Everett, Fall River, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Methuen, New Bedford, Peabody, Pittsfield, Quincy, Revere, Salem, Springfield, Taunton, Westfield, and Worcester.  As I noted earlier, a few of these communities are also located on the North Shore or are a similar school districts, as determined by the Department of Education.  Within this group, we moved up from 14^th to 7^th (tied with Attleboro).  (I have omitted the graph for this group because the tables are easier to read.)  Table 5 shows the data - light green schools are similar districts, and dark green are on the North Shore.)  MassINC recently concluded from the data that, on average, the graduation rate in Gateway Cities increased 1.1 percentage points in 2013 (to 75.3%). There were slight changes in the numbers of students dropping out (decrease by 1 percent), increases in those remaining in school after four years, and a decrease in expulsions.[6]  Within the top 10 Gateway Cities, Salem made the second biggest leap in overall graduation rate for 2013 (Lawrence Performing & Fine Arts High School increased 18.5%).  Among those schools with higher graduation rates, Quincy High is another school with a large percentage of high needs students (in addition to Fitchburg, Lynn Classical, and Revere, which were previously mentioned). 

TABLE 5: GATEWAY CITIES GRADUATION RATES

SCHOOL	2013 Grad Rate %	Grad Rate +/- from 2012	2013 Drop Out Rate %	2013 % High Needs	2013 High Needs Grad Rate %	High Needs Grad Rate +/- from 2012
NORTH QUINCY HIGH	91.8	-2.2	4.5	54.5	90.1	-1
LEOMINSTER HS	90.4	1	4.8	53.4	84.8	3.5
FITCHBURG HS	89.1	8.1	4.2	80.3	79.8	4.9
REVERE HIGH	88.6	2.8	3.6	86.3	87.4	3.5
QUINCY HIGH	88.3	2.8	4.9	74.1	86.5	3.8
LYNN CLASSICAL	87.8	6.9	6.5	87	86.6	8.1
ATTLEBORO HS	87.5	-0.4	6.6	46.7	75.9	-2.1
SALEM HIGH	87.5	8.6	5.7	72	84.6	11.7
BARNSTABLE HS	87.3	-3.3	6.7	49.3	77.7	-5.5
LAWRENCE PFA	86	18.5	9.9	96.7	85.5	18.5
WESTFIELD HIGH	84.9	-2.2	5	43.8	73	-3.4
FALL RIVER BMC DURFEE	84.7	6.8	7	78.6	81.6	8.3
BROCKTON HS	84.3	2.6	6.8	84.1	82.2	3.1
TAUNTON HIGH	84	5.3	10.8	53.7	85.7	18.4
PEABODY VETERANS MEM	83.7	-0.8	8	50.2	74	2.5
WORCESTER DOHERTY	83.2	1.1	6.6	74.1	78.8	-0.4
METHUEN HIGH	82.6	7.7	5.9	52.9	73.9	6.9
EVERETT HS	81.8	4.6	8.4	84	79.7	4.6
PITTSFIELD TACONIC	81	1.2	8.8	61.9	71.7	2.6
LAWRENCE MST	80.9	10.7	12.8	92.9	80.9	10.9
PITTSFIELD HIGH	78.3	-2.6	8.4	60.2	67.3	0.1
MALDEN HIGH	78	-0.2	10	76.5	76.2	1.7
LAWRENCE HHS	76.7	5	12	98.5	77.1	4.9
CHICOPEE HS	76.3	1.4	9.8	67.4	67.8	1.6
LOWELL HS	76	2.2	10.4	76	70.8	2.9
LAWRENCE HLD	75.9	-0.5	8.3	97.2	75.9	0.3
HAVERHILL HIGH	75.3	4.2	13.3	57.8	62.8	9
LYNN ENGLISH	74.8	-3.3	12.2	84	72.9	-4.4
WORCESTER BURNCOAT	72.2	3.8	13.2	80.9	70.1	9.5
SPRINGFIELD CENTRAL HS	69.5	-5.1	18.4	88.1	67	-5.5
LAWRENCE BMF	69.4	2.4	19	98.3	69.7	1.5
CHELSEA HS	65.6	5.4	16.9	95.6	64.7	4.3
WORCESTER NORTH HIGH	65.2	7.7	18	95.5	64.2	8.5
WORCESTER SOUTH HIGH	64.7	-0.7	14.4	92.8	62.5	-4.1
HOLYOKE HIGH	64.6	-3.3	19.4	85.3	60.8	-1.1
NEW BEDFORD HIGH	62.9	4.4	21.2	77.8	56.9	3.5
LAWRENCE INT	48.5	-12	22.3	100	48.5	-13.4
SPRINGFIELD HS SCI & TECH	45	5.1	34.6	94.5	44.3	6.1
SPRINGFIELD HS COMMERCE	35.8	0.4	36.1	91.5	35.5	-0.3

With all this focus on numbers, I don’t want to overlook the important messages here.  Most importantly, we need to celebrate this wonderful achievement in Salem.  (Where are the accolades from our local news outlets?)  This is the highest overall graduation rate we have seen in the past eight years - and the first time we have exceeded the state average.  I hope that the Department of Education has something to say about this when they make their report for this quarter.  Of course this leads into the more serious messages…  Are these rates sustainable?  Do we have the programs and supports in place to maintain these higher graduation rates?  I hope so.  It may not be realistic to expect that we can sustain the same rates of improvement next year or every year.  Still, small improvements or just maintaining these rates would be nice.  What are reasonable expectations for our district, given our diversity?  I will be interested to see how Fitchburg, Lynn, Quincy, and Revere do going forward.  What are they doing that we can learn from?  Either way, I am hopeful that this development will give us some momentum as we carry on with our work in the district.   I am left with the all-too-familiar “we shall see”.  Until then, I’ll be shifting my focus again to the other end of the spectrum - Kindergarten.

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[1] The official press release from Governor Patrick and the Department of Education: http://www.doe.mass.edu/news/news.aspx?id=8000

[2] State average graduation data was accessed on the U.S. Department of Education’s web site: http://eddataexpress.ed.gov/

[3] The actual report on the 2013 Four Year Graduation Rates in Massachusetts: http://www.doe.mass.edu/infoservices/reports/gradrates/2013-4yr.pdf

[4]  The Department of Education started calculating cohort graduation rates in 2006.

[5] Web page “About Gateway Cities” by MassINC, with links to community profiles.  http://www.massinc.org/Programs/Gateway-Cities/About-Gateway-Cities.aspx

[6] A very brief blog post from MassINC about 2013 graduation rates of Gateway Cities.  http://www.massinc.org/INCSpot/New-Graduation-Rate-Data-show-Gateway-City-Gains.aspx