NEWTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE

MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING - JANUARY 22, 2002

EDUCATION CENTER, FRAZIER ROOM, 7:00 P.M.

PRESENT: Chairperson Anne Larner, Vice-Chairperson Susan Albright, Gail Glick, Patricia Kellogg, Marc Laredo, Nancy Levine, Leslie Schneider, Dori Zaleznik

ABSENT: Mayor David Cohen, student representatives

CALL TO ORDER

Chairperson Anne Larner called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. Tonight's meeting will focus on the standards that the Committee and Superintendent have outlined re: the budget.

Supplies and Materials

James Marini, Associate Superintendent for High Schools & Operations, reviewed last year's research on this subject, in terms of how much Newton spends on classroom supplies and materials relative to surrounding districts. A large disparity exists, where they are spending 28% less at the elementary level, 45% at the middle schools, and 46% at the high schools. They have not been able to keep pace with the need to replace textbooks and other materials and have only been able to infuse money into specific areas as they arise in curriculum reviews. In order to meet the standard of what other communities are spending in this area, they would need to request approximately $412,000. However, they would prefer to request less at this time, in order to distribute funding in a planned and thoughtful manner and to develop a program that will address these needs over several years. This budget requests funding to support the reading program at the elementary level, as well as some money for systemwide initiatives.

Susan Albright commented on the fact that they need to infuse money into this area simply to catch up with neighboring communities. This amount is only a beginning.

Jim Marini reminded the Committee that several years ago there was an infusion of funds for textbooks, but he agreed that catching up will take some time. However, they do not feel it is wise to infuse funding all at once because it is too large an amount. It would be wiser to target funding to a multi-year program so that planning is done carefully and in line with the needs in the classroom.

Susan Albright asked if this funding will also address equipment needs in the science labs.

Jim Marini stated that the science program recently received some significant funding as part of the curriculum review for that purpose.

Nancy Levine asked if criteria had been established for the replenishment of texts and equipment.

Jim Marini stated that the principals, in conjunction with the Curriculum Council, which includes department heads and coordinators, will review the needs and make recommendations. A dependable funding stream is now necessary so that they can prioritize and coordinate these needs.

Literacy

Carolyn Wyatt, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction, stated that as of this past June, all K/1 teachers have been trained in the balanced literacy program. This should be very helpful in their ability to sustain their work if the kindergarten grant is not refunded. Their effort in this budget is to put literacy at the heart of the curriculum systemwide.

Greg Hurray, K-8 English Coordinator, talked about the change in environment in the classrooms over the past 10 years. They are a much more diverse place and Newton fortunately supports full inclusion efforts. Any class in the City will host students of different backgrounds, cultures, skills, and learning needs. At the same time that the classroom environment has changed, so have state mandates. This has allowed them to be able to identify what students should know and be able to demonstrate at various milestones in their educational careers.

In the area of reading instruction, a shift has been made from phonics, to whole language, to a balance involving both aspects. They have learned that reading is a configuration of various strategies. Therefore, they teach comprehension now from day one in kindergarten and have moved away from the old method of assigning a text and then testing comprehension, because that only provides limited information. Instead, they have turned to an approach that tries to enhance students understanding of a text before, during, and after the actual reading of the work. In order to do the job properly, all teachers need to be retrained and not just language arts staff. They need to know how to use assessment procedures, differentiate instruction, and monitor progress.

The best way to do this is to hire a full-time literacy specialist for each elementary school, which would allow them to conduct the necessary professional development that is required to meet this challenge on an ongoing basis. In addition, it would help them address the needs of a significant number of students in grades 4 and 5 who currently are not receiving adequate support because the reading specialist in the school is only part-time. The literacy specialist would provide better integration of language arts into other content areas, as well as instituting a systematic assessment procedure for every school, in order to catch students at risk at an early age. Finally, the literacy specialist would coordinate all the various methods that are currently in place to provide reading and writing services -- the classroom teacher, reading specialist, speech and language staff, learning center teacher, inclusion aides,

etc., -- to be sure that they have a consistent program.

Brenda Keegan, Chairperson of the Newton North High School English Dept., talked about how research indicates that students who did poorly on some of the math exams did so not because they could not do arithmetic, but because they could not properly read, comprehend, and answer questions. While many students in the system are strong readers and, therefore, tend to pull up the standardized test scores for the system, too many still struggle. Some students did well when the focus was on phonics, while others did better when it was on whole language. After the second grade, there was not a lot of direct reading instruction and budget cuts eliminated the full-time reading specialists in the buildings. Therefore, if students were not strong readers by that point they tended to continually fall behind each year. For many of these students, special education was the answer, when in actuality all they needed was some reading support. The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exams helped them to focus on the problem. They believe the literacy specialist will strengthen the reading programs in the schools so that students are served early on in their careers and, therefore, realize a considerable cost savings to the system by eliminating the need for special education services later in life.

Gail Glick asked if they knew the percentage of students who receive special education services exclusively for reading.

Greg Hurray will attempt to retrieve that information. Anecdotally he knows that fourth grade teachers express a lot of concern that there are no other academic services for fragile readers at that level.

Marc Laredo would like to understand the benchmarks that will be used to assess this program, so that they can determine the success and effectiveness of the work.

Greg Hurray replied that MCAS scores should improve over the next several years under this new program. There should also be a change in classroom teaching practices and reporting procedures. Both formal and informal instruments for assessment should be utilized to measure progress. Finally, there should be changes in the type of information that parents receive about their child's performance.

Carolyn Wyatt reminded the Committee that they will have further discussion about the literacy initiative as a docketed item before the Committee on 3/11, and at which time they will hear directly from teachers about how the two years of professional development has already impacted their classes. In addition, they will have a docketed discussion about MCAS results and remediation efforts currently in place to assist students in the "warning and needs improvement" category. It is important to keep in mind that this should not be considered a program, but rather an approach to teaching and learning that balances the literacy approach. Phonics must be used. Students must write regularly and read constantly. In addition to MCAS, local assessments must be designed and followed so that every child is a proficient reader and is challenged.

Nancy Levine remarked that they have literacy pilot programs currently active in four schools and she wondered how those fit into this discussion.

Carolyn Wyatt stated that their request for a full-time literacy specialist in each building is actually based on one of the four pilot programs. They have determined that this is the most effective strategy for coordinating and training staff on site, monitoring assessment of students, keeping progress records, and intervening where necessary.

Susan Albright asked if the literacy specialists will provide direct service to students or if they will only train staff.

Greg Hurray responded that they will provide professional development on a regular basis, as well as direct service to fragile readers and writers. Currently he feels they provide good intervention in grades 1-3 through the Primary Intervention Reading Program (PIRP), but these services diminish after that level.

Carolyn Wyatt added that the literacy specialists would work alongside the classroom teacher and other support staff, including the PIRP specialist, so that there would be a triage of people to teach, monitor, and assess students' progress.

Susan Albright expressed some concern about balancing the needs systemwide. She wondered if there was some way to provide the need for an emphasis on literacy at the elementary level, with the need for lower class sizes at the high schools, so that the outcome is proficient readers systemwide.

Brenda Keegan stated that if students came to the high school with stronger reading skills from earlier grades they would probably not need the additional support programs that are now in place, such as Power English. If she had to choose between lower class sizes at the high school, as much as that is very enticing, and full-time literacy specialists at the elementary level, she would choose the latter because she believes that would help students become stronger readers at an earlier age. In the long run, that would benefit the staff at the high schools because there would be less need for remediation.

Leslie Schneider asked about the approach to literacy in surrounding communities.

Greg Hurray replied that almost all of the communities that Newton compares itself to have full-time literacy specialists.

Leslie Schneider asked if they planned to hire new teachers for these roles.

Carolyn Wyatt stated that the plan is to make the current English specialists full-time and change their title to literacy specialists.

Dori Zaleznik wondered if there were any way to institute this program in any other manner than increasing to full-time specialists, if they felt they could not afford to fund it in its entirety.

Greg Hurray does not believe they can be effective under this new plan unless the role is full-time.

Carolyn Wyatt talked about the need to realign staff in similar methods to their literacy pilot programs, but that some of these discussions need to occur as part of contractual deliberations.

Marc Laredo asked what other budgetary costs are involved in the literacy initiative other than staffing.

Greg Hurray explained that they will also require different sets of materials, as they shift from basal readers to trade books. However, this will not require new funding, but simply different purchasing methods.

Carolyn Wyatt added that they will also be shifting some of their professional development money to focus on this area.

Gail Glick asked about the timeframe for getting staff up to par in the area of professional development and whether, at that point, the specialists' duties would change.

Greg Hurray would like to have a balanced literacy program in place by September 2004, with particular goals laid out for each of the three years. He still believes they will need the full-time literacy specialists at the end of that time because new teachers will always be coming on board and need to be trained. However, there may be some shifting of responsibilities, where they would provide more direct services to students.

Superintendent Jeffrey Young asked if they would elaborate on why it is so important to have the professional development component on site rather than running systemwide summer workshops.

Greg Hurray replied that the reason they would not do this type of professional development in summer workshops is because it would not be as effective. The advantage of having someone in each school is that they can provide direct services to teachers, as well as students. The person is then constantly on site for follow-up and assistance.

Jeff Young asked if he could provide an example.

Greg Hurray took the case of the literacy specialist working with two 4th grade classrooms on teaching children how to effectively read textbooks. There are several strategies associated with this activity and the specialist would collaborate with both the classroom and special education teacher. He/she would demonstrate models by co-teaching and eventually would release more of the responsibility to the teachers over several weeks. The specialist would then be available in the school through the rest of the year for follow-up on that work.

Brenda Keegan commented that classroom teachers have many distractions during the course of the day and the specialist can help

them stay focused and offer support. They can research the appropriate books for the curriculum and help structure the classroom so that students in different groups can be doing various things simultaneously.

Sheila Nugent, PIRP Specialist, began working in this system as a primary grade teacher, when there were full-time reading specialists in the schools. Their role was to tutor students who required additional reading support. These positions were cut to half-time during the 1970s. They were far less effective at this point because they had to split their time between providing staff development for teachers and support for children. In order for this program to be effective and if they are going to put time and funding into this initiative, these staff members need to be full-time.

Susan Albright wondered why teachers are not coming out of the educational schools with knowledge in how to teach reading.

Carolyn Wyatt stated that the educational institutions cannot work as quickly as school systems in terms of looking at trends and research and addressing the findings. The institutions are currently aware of the problem and are attempting to remedy the situation, with the help of administrators who are managing public schools and seeing on a daily basis the result of teachers' work. While the educational institutions struggle with these changes, Newton must move ahead to address the problems.

Susan Albright wondered why they would not also be requesting full-time specialists in other curriculum areas.

Carolyn Wyatt stated that initiatives are occurring in other curriculum areas to retrain staff as part of curriculum reviews. They feel that the emphasis on literacy is actually going to spill over and help in other curriculum areas, where much of the work is text dependent and problem-solving and requires good reading skills. The literacy specialists actually become an anchor for needs in other areas.

Greg Hurray added that the integration of curriculum areas is also a large part of the role of the literacy specialist.

Susan Albright asked how the work of the academic challenge specialist will integrate with that of the literacy specialist.

Sandra Delaney, Academic Challenge Coordinator, works directly with staff around the literacy initiative and is now moving her work from the elementary into the middle schools. This sustained professional

development for all staff is key to the plan. Her role is to help staff to find the right level of challenge for every student.

Dori Zaleznik asked how the work integrates with the PIRP program.

Greg Hurray stated that approximately 13% of K-3 students require PIRP support. Of the 113 students who received this assistance in grade 3 last year, 62% were in the "proficient" category on the MCAS exam and 95% passed. Early intervention works and different models to provide this support is even better. The PIRP specialist is retiring this year, so they are not sure exactly what the program will look like next year. However, she has left excellent documentation and manuals and has provided a great deal of training to staff, so they are in a good position to continue this work.

Nancy Levine asked about the rationale of providing each school with a full-time specialist given the various size populations in each building.

Greg Hurray replied that it makes sense to have one person in each building to coordinate and be available for staff, students, and parents. However, some of the curriculum or testing responsibilities may be able to be shifted from the larger to the smaller schools.

Jeff Young concluded the literacy discussion by mentioning that all of the standards that they have been addressing in this budget have to do with catching up and trying to make up for lost time, except for this area, which he believes is the most important of all of the initiatives. This is a way to take a long-range view that will pay off not only immediately but into the future. Reading is the key to unlocking all other learning.

Maintenance and Security

Michael Cronin, Chief of Operations, stated that he is requesting an increase of $575,000 (4%) in this budget. Some of that funding will be used for a preventative maintenance project on climate control in each school, so that they can attempt to minimize the problems in each building and focus on real emergencies. It is their goal to minimize and/or prevent emergencies and reduce the need for custodial overtime. They also hope to develop a plan for security in the buildings within this budget, as well as to reduce the number of maintenance and repair (M&R) orders that are outstanding.

Marc Laredo continues to be frustrated by the lack of funding in this area and the ultimate consequences of those decisions. He asked what other type of projects might be on the back burner if additional money were available.

Mike Cronin replied that replacement of windows and lighting would be two areas that could be addressed.

Marc Laredo requested he cost out these programs for future discussions that the Committee will have around building needs.

Technology

Carolyn Wyatt stated that as in the other areas they have discussed so far, the system is behind in technology in comparison with other communities. Their multiple year plan is an attempt to address that concern, as well as to meet the state mandates and to do so in a sustained manner.

Fran Zilonis, Coordinator of Technology, explained that technology is a tool for helping students in their academic achievement. It is about teaching them the skills for how to access, evaluate, and use technology rather than just about equipment. In the FY03 budget, they are proposing a focus on grades 4 and 5, as they transition into the middle schools. There is a benchmark curriculum for these grades that technology would be linked to, so that it becomes an integral part of the subject matter and not simply an add-on. Their goal is to have five computers per classroom and professional development training for 4th and 5th grade teachers is a key part of this plan.

Another goal in this year's funding is to update the computer labs at the middle schools. They have started a project in the lab at Oak Hill, where they have incorporated PCs and have also been able to install 20 of those in classrooms. They have begun a project this year with a grant from the Newton Schools Foundation, which has allowed six staff members to develop on-line teaching courses, which will begin running in March. In addition, there are a number of grant funded opportunities for professional development that they wish to continue. As teachers develop these exemplary units and lessons that integrate technology into the curriculum, they plan to utilize the in-house Intranet, where these can be reviewed by other staff. A lot of the grant funding focus has been on training in-house staff so that support is available in the buildings and people can share information.

At the high school level, they are working on a summer technology camp, where staff will be trained on the new I-Books that will be in their classrooms in the fall. Technical support is an important strand because if people fear that the hardware and software is going to break down or that no one is available to help when something goes wrong, they will be less inclined to utilize the technology. People's notion of technology has to be

that it is part of how they do business. Just as when people think of writing they reach for a pen, so too should children reach for a computer

as another tool. Research has shown that children write more and better in a digitized format.

She used the model of an immigration unit to demonstrate what a technology rich classroom would look like. Before technology, students

would utilize the library to do research with encyclopedias, books, and atlases. They might conduct their work alone and/or in groups. The teacher might have shown a video on the subject matter. Their work would culminate in a handwritten report. While all of this work is important and useful, adding the technology component only adds value. Students would now access the Internet as another research tool, which would provide a plethora of information, and where they would learn to evaluate web pages. Through the computers they could take virtual tours of the places they are studying, such as Ellis Island, and contact people about the subject matter through email, as well as receive the latest up-to-date information with on-line sources. Their final report could be made via a Power Point presentation taking on the role of the immigrant, or they could present a hyper-studio project, which would involve text and graphics. They could also invite visitors into the classroom to converse with students and support their project via the Internet.

Marc Laredo asked what is currently being spent on technology.

Fran Zilonis replied that they currently spend $99,500, plus a small principals' discretionary fund.

Marc Laredo asked how that minuscule amount could possibly support their efforts.

Fran Zilonis responded that grant funding has been very helpful and staff have been instrumental in this process. Teachers have given up a great deal of their time to learn how to apply for and write grants. The Grants Manager has also been able to secure funds for their needs, as well as the Newton Schools Foundation.

Marc Laredo asked about other equipment they anticipate purchasing this year, in addition to the computers for the 4th and 5th grades.

Fran Zilonis would also like to have a networked laser printer in each class, as well as an LCD projector. At the middle schools they

would need 28 computer stations for each of the three schools, as well as a laser printer. The funding also includes some infrastructure costs.

Marc Laredo asked if they will be purchasing Macintosh or PCs.

Fran Zilonis responded that at the elementary level they plan to continue to purchase Macintoshes, but they have not yet made a decision for the purchases at the middle schools. The PC project at Oak Hill will provide them with some feedback that will help with this decision, which they anticipate making by this spring.

Dori Zaleznik asked if this three-year plan will bring them in compliance with state requirements.

Fran Zilonis replied in the affirmative.

Dori Zaleznik asked about leasing vs. purchasing of equipment.

Fran Zilonis stated that leasing has its advantages because the system is assured of an up-to-date turnover over of equipment on a regular basis and with a fixed cost. However, the commitment of funds for a specific timeframe can be difficult and it can be somewhat costlier due to interest. On the other hand, the system would not have to pay the environmental fees on disposal of equipment, which could make the costs a wash.

Dori Zaleznik suggested that a parallel proposal outlining the costs associated with leasing the same equipment might be a helpful piece of information.

Susan Albright asked about the responsibilities of the additional FTEs being requested in this area.

Fran Zilonis noted that it will be a combination of both support staff and instructional technology specialists.

Leslie Schneider asked about the larger task of integrating technology into the curriculum.

Carolyn Wyatt stated that there is a vision involved in which the linking of the curriculum and aligning it to the frameworks is the beginning of that process. All four middle schools engaged this year in workshops to learn all aspects of the use of technology in the classroom. These workshops were led by staff in the buildings, who are in the schools to support their colleagues after the workshops are over. Their goal is to capitalize on this concept in a short period of time.

Dori Zaleznik wondered if there might come a day when interactive materials could replace textbooks.

Fran Zilonis predicts within five years most of the information that will be used will come from the Internet. While costs will not disappear, the method of delivery will be different. The idea would be to download updates on a regular basis, so that the latest information is always at hand.

Carolyn Wyatt added that the term "textbook" has really been expanded to include a variety of instructional material.

Patty Kellogg asked about wireless technology.

Fran Zilonis stated that the architects and engineers do not believe wireless technology is at the point where they can totally abandon the need to wire buildings. There are currently "dead spots" in the schools where wireless technology does not work. However, there are places where they do incorporate this technology, such as here at the Education Center, in the Telecommunications Lab. Unfortunately, they are at a critical point where they need to install the infrastructure, particularly at the high schools, as part of the renovations, and they cannot rely on an uncertain technology.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 9:45 p.m.