Press release from the Somerville Public Schools: Results from the Spring 2009 MCAS tests, released by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on Wednesday, September 16, 2009, show that the number of Somerville High School (SHS) students who need remedial help to earn a passing score on the new Science MCAS exam, a condition of graduation for students in the Class of 2010, has been cut in half, from 150 in 2007 to 71 in the 2009-2010 school year. Nearly 100% of SHS students continue to pass the required English Language Arts (ELA) and Math MCAS exams by their senior year. Students in the SHS Class of 2010 are required to either achieve a scaled score of Proficient or higher (240), or earn a score of Needs Improvement (220) and complete all conditions of an individualized Education Proficiency Plan in on Grade 10 ELA and Math tests in order to fulfill the MCAS component of their high school graduation requirements. A score of 220 or higher on a Grade 9 science test is being introduced as another MCAS graduation requirement for the Class of 2010, as the State continues to incrementally fulfill its obligations under NCLB. High school students get five opportunities to pass each of the MCAS exams before the end of their senior year.

While SHS continues to outperform most urban school districts across the Commonwealth, the elementary test results show improvements in only six of the fourteen tested English language arts (ELA) and Math subjects administered annually to students in Grades 3-8. Spring 2009 grade level results are:

• Grades 3 - 5: Grade 3 ELA showed a 6% improvement over the previous year and a good improvement relative to the state average. All other test results remained flat.

• Grades 6 - 8: The Grade 6 math performance moved from 20% below the State average in Spring 2008 to only 9% below in Spring 2009. Grade 7 and 8 results show declines in ELA and Math achievement and a worsening of the state performance gap in all tests. Commenting on the results Superintendent Pierantozzi says, "I am disappointed that the elementary results do not fully reflect the emphasis we have placed on math and science instruction over the last two years." When asked to explain the reason for the discrepancy he responds, "The test is getting harder and the rigor of our instruction has not caught up yet. We have every reason to be proud that our students are doing okay on what has been called the toughest statewide standardized test in the country, but it still is not good enough. We can and we will be better. I fully expect our initiatives to result in acceleration in improvement and student performance in 2010."

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) measures District and school progress towards improvement targets set by the State based intended to ensure Somerville reaches the goal 100% proficiency by 2014 as required by the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. The District did not meet its AYP targets in either ELA or Math. The Somerville Public Schools remains in "Corrective Action" due to the pace of improvement for special education, low-income and English language learner demographic subgroups. "We have a duty to ensure every student is proficient in core subjects if we are to achieve our vision of having every student ready for college and prepared to function as a full, participating member of our society and economy," says Assistant Superintendent Dr. Vince McKay in a memo to the District's senior leadership team. "Our success in meeting the evolving high school standards if proof we can do this," he continues. The Long Range Goals and District Improvement Plan of the Somerville Public Schools lay out strategies for continuously improving instructional delivery to ensure every student acquires core content knowledge

In the current school year the District is introducing the following improvements:

• With funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, engaging the Focus on Results consulting group to work with every school to set and continuously monitor progress towards targeted, data-driven improvement goals in FY10;

• Introducing online, local assessments three times a year which deliver immediate results to teachers on the core subjects individual students are proficient in, and areas needing additional instruction and practice to promote student mastery;

• Increasing the amount, quality and convenience of remediation services for elementary and high school students who need additional time to master concepts and subjects;

• Increasing the rigor and relevance of middle grades instruction in order to keep students in Grades 6-8 engaged in their learning and academic achievement.

Assistant Superintendent McKay, who is responsible for ensuring these and other improvement strategies are implemented efficiently and with integrity, says "There is a direct link between our improvement activities and student performance. For example, early literacy was a focus of our professional development last year, and the results are evident in the improvements in Grade 3 ELA MCAS scores."