Threat of Winter Storm on Tuesday Postpones MCAS Testing

Due to the expected winter storm on Tuesday, the state announced that the MCAS English Language Arts Composition test for students in grades 4, 7 and 10 has been postponed until Monday, March 25.

Since much of Massachusetts is expecting a winter storm on Tuesday, and with it the possibility of numerous school closings or delayed openings, the MCAS English Language Arts Composition test for students in grades 4, 7 and 10 has been postponed until Monday, March 25, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced on its website.  Originally this composition test was scheduled for Tuesday, March 19, but in an effort to make sure all schools administer the test on the same day, "all schools must administer the ELA Composition test to students in grades 4, 7, and 10 on Monday, March 25, including schools that are not affected by the weather," according to a memo from Elizabeth Davis, Associate Commissioner of …

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Month of the Young Adolescent, Non-discrimination Policy Revision to be Discussed at School Committee Meeting

Meeting to take place 6:30 p.m. in library of Norton Middle School.

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VIDEO: MCAS Scores and More Discussed at School Committee Meeting

Video by Norton Cable TV.

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MCAS, Town Meeting to be Discussed by School Committee

Meeting to take place 6:30 p.m. at L.G. Nourse Elementary while Finance Committee will meet 7:30 p.m. in the selectmen's meeting room and the Water Bodies Committee will congregate 7 p.m. in the first floor meeting room.

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Majority of Norton Students MCAS Scores Proficient or Higher

Scores released by Department of Education Wednesday.

MCAS scores were released by the Department of Education Wednesday, revealing that most Norton students performed in the proficient or higher range in all subjects. Out of 1,506 Norton students, 76 percent placed Proficient or Higher compared to the state’s 69 percent. Sixty-five percent were in the Proficient or Higher category for mathematics while the state is at 59 percent. For science and technology, 61 percent were deemed Proficient or Higher to the state’s 54 percent. The only instances where state percentages exceeded Norton’s as a whole were in the categories for Needs Improvement and Warning/Failing. The category Norton struggled with the most is eighth grade science and technology, where the majority of students at 43 percent …

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55 Norton Students Eligible for John and Abigail Adams Scholarship

The Department of Education and Secondary Education announced that 18,261 students in the Class of 2012 awarded overall.

  The Department of Education and Secondary Education announced that 18,261 students in the Class of 2012 have been awarded the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship, qualifying them to receive free tuition at any Massachusetts public college or university. This includes 55 seniors from Norton High School. “I think these 55 students need our sincere congratulations,” said superintendent Dr. Patricia Ansay at Monday's School Committee meeting. “I know they are going to go far. And we wish them luck.” The 18,261 total is an increase over last year’s 227 students. Students become eligible for this merit-based scholarship based on their performance on the grade 10 MCAS English Language Arts and Mathematics tests. To qualify, a student must score …

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School Committee Notebook

In order of what you care about most, according to our poll.

  We asked, and you answered. Here are the notes from last night's School Committee meeting in order from what you care about the most according to yesterday's poll. #1 High School Building Project Update Since the School Committee last met, there have been no major changes. However, Superintendent Dr. Patricia Ansay met with Norton High School principal Raymond Dewar and about a half dozen engineers met and reviewed classroom designs. According to Dewar, architects also sought input from high school faculty on what they’d like to see. Comments were sent to the project manager. #2 Budget Discussion The operating budget of Norton Public Schools for fiscal year 2012 was $22.5 million. So far, $5.1 million has been spent. There is $1.2 …

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Should Norton Schools Stick with No Child Left Behind Law? [POLL]

State applies for waiver.

In a recent letter to the editor and blog post, School Committee member Andrew Mackie expressed concern over the state’s recent decision to apply for a waiver from the No Child Left Behind law. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the waiver would be "in exchange for serious state-led efforts to close achievement gaps, promote rigorous accountability, and ensure that all students are on track to graduate college- and career-ready." Associated with No Child Left Behind is the controversial MCAS test. While many believe this test holds teachers accountable for the education of students, others say it is flawed, that educators teach to the test and students with learning disabilities are less likely to graduate. What do you think? …

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School Committee Quick Notes

A run down of what was covered in Monday night's School Committee Meeting.

Enrollment at the school is down 40 from last year, with 111 kindergarteners, 125 first graders, 123 second graders and 142 third graders.  Though not all the MCAS questions have been released, staff at the JCS are working to identify specific areas of improvements. As a whole, students received adequate results in math, but need to work on English Language Arts skills. Measurements the staff will take toward this goal include writing programs with concentration in open response questions, implementing complete sentences when students ask or answer questions and practicing multiple choice questions. Though third graders are the only ones taking MCAS at the school, benchmark levels will be studied at in other grades as well. “It’s …

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Parent Talk Q&A

Preparing Students for MCAS

This week's Parent Talk topic.

Each week, our council of experts and smart parents take your questions, give advice and share solutions in this parenting column. This feature will also be the place to drop in for a talk about the latest parenting hot topic. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in as we start the conversation today with a topic and question: Norton Public Schools recently received and reviewed their district's MCAS results. While most students reached the target scores of 95.1 in English Language Arts and 92.2 in Mathematics, curriculum director Jennifer O'Neill noted that there was room for improvement, especially in math. While schools are planning their next steps to improve those scores, such as utilizing a math specialist at Henri A. Yelle Elementary…

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