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At the Dec. 16 committee meeting, Gerber presented Cunningham’s improvement plan for the 2008-2009 school year, which was put together by Gerber and the school’s site council team based on 2007 MCAS data assessment.
Included in the plan are steps for better parent-teacher communications: PTO meetings that stress MCAS and curriculum benchmarks, increased transparency and weekly updates on the school’s web site.
Also, Gerber said two PTO meetings (in November and March) are designed around “learning walks,” which allow the principal to explain how students are being taught to the state standards. There is also a PTO meeting that allows parents to walk through a day in the life of a student.
Gerber said there are usually about 20 to 25 parents at the PTO meetings. She said she has received
good feedback.
“I have parents calling just to say they are appreciative of the level of communication this year,” she said.
Gerber’s improvement strategies also call for better instruction in math, English and special education.
Gerber’s report states that students “require additional skill and content acquisition” in math based on how they scored on the math portion of the MCAS. Geometry, measurement, and number sense
and operations were cited as the areas in need of the most improvement.
The plan calls for Gerber and teachers from each grade level to establish a “specific mathematical vocabulary” organized according to grade level. Gerber said the school already has created math display charts – called “Math Word Walls” – that are displayed in each classroom.
The school also maintains its math and literary leadership teams, which meet monthly to “review and revise benchmark assessments, data analysis and curricular alignment.”
For English curriculum, Gerber said non-fiction, poetry, and understanding text, style and language are the areas that need improvement.
The report calls for curriculum to better align with state guidelines for English, and that students receive a written description of each task.
Also, reading benchmark assessments are given periodically throughout the year, which will become the standard for future classes.
Members who worked on the Cunningham improvement plan included teachers Roberta Williams and Kathy Mulligan, as well as parents Andrew Flanagan, Jeanne Conley and Mariette Surrettee.
School Committee member Lynda-Lee Sheridan praised their efforts. “I know how important
these action plans are to the day-to-day life of a school,” she said.