Schools see strong math growth, focus on literacy improvements

Wareham Public Schools are seeing encouraging growth in mathematics, however English remains an area of concern, according to standardized assessment results presented to the School Committee on Thursday, Oct. 29.

Tracie Cote, the district's director of teaching, learning and technology, reviewed results from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) and Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) assessments, highlighting progress in several grades alongside continued challenges in reading and writing.

On the MCAS side, Wareham Elementary School made substantial progress toward its state goals, earning 54% of the possible points. Wareham Middle School and Wareham High School made moderate progress at 48% and 43%, respectively.

NWEA results showed strong growth in mathematics among students in grades three through five, with sixth and seventh grade demonstrating above-average growth. Reading growth, however, varied across grades, even where achievement was near the national midpoint. Early literacy in particular requires targeted support, Cote said.

Cote said that since English results are particularly concerning, educators are focused on reading and writing strategies.

"Our standards haven't changed, but how we assess kids has changed," Cote said during the presentation. She explained that the state is now using AI to score writing, which leads to variations in grading. 

Eighth-grade MCAS results lagged behind other grade levels in both English and math. Cote suggested that the transition to a high school schedule in eighth grade could be contributing to this struggle.

"It's concerning for us, and we are working on it," Cote said, adding that this will be addressed in an improvement plan to be presented to the School Committee in November.

Cote shared that the district's improvement efforts will prioritize foundational literacy skills and support for students receiving special education services. The district has already introduced grant-funded, one-on-one tutoring for 60 first-graders, who receive 15 minutes of additional instruction daily.

Cote also highlighted improvements in chronic absenteeism at Wareham Elementary School, which earned full accountability points for attendance among its lowest-performing students. Both the elementary and middle schools implemented attendance improvement strategies during the previous school year.

"They really met their targets this year and did an awesome job," Cote said.