Salem Public Schools
SPS community,
On Tuesday, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released the Spring 2024 MCAS and Accountability results for all schools and districts in the Commonwealth. We are very encouraged by the progress we are making, particularly at the high school level as well as in math district-wide.
At the high school level (New Liberty Innovation School, Salem High School and Salem Prep) we saw extraordinary double digits gains in both achievement and growth in all content areas. These are the largest one-year high school increases in Salem’s history and among the largest increases anywhere in the Commonwealth.
In grades 3-8 Math, we saw a 2-point increase in proficiency rates from the previous year as well as a 5-point increase in student growth. Since the pandemic (2021), SPS has seen a 7-percentage point increase in students who scored either “meets” or “exceeds”. In Science, we saw a 1-point increase in the percentage of students scoring meets or exceeds (grade 5 & 8). Our Math improvement outpaced that of the state, and our ELA and Science results closely maps to statewide trends.
Other highlights included:
SHS and Horace Mann Laboratory School were two of 57 schools statewide named Schools of Distinction.
All eight of our schools improved their accountability percentile rank as compared to the previous year. Two schools (Bates and SHS) made double-digit improvement.
Four schools (Bates, Horace Mann Laboratory School, SHS, and Saltonstall) met or exceeded their performance targets (less than 15% of the 1,588 schools in the state accomplished this goal); two schools (Witchcraft Heights and Collins) made substantial progress while two schools made moderate progress (Carlton and Bentley Academy).
Collins Middle School saw its accountability improve such that it is no longer a school below the 10th percentile and no longer designated as requiring assistance or intervention.
As a district we met 71% of our targets and that our multilingual learners, low income, high needs as well as Latino students made substantial progress towards their improvement targets in 2024. Over the last two years, Salem has met or exceeded more accountability targets than any Gateway City in the Commonwealth.
Student progress towards English proficiency (ACCESS) was 6-percentage points higher than the state average and our rates of chronic absenteeism have improved such that we were ranked in the top 3 of the 26 Gateway City school districts (up from 25th two years ago).
While we are pleased by the improvement, we still have extensive work to do to ensure that every student achieves their academic potential.
Finally, we hope our families will take advantage of the final weekend of Salem Days, which offers free commuter rail transportation Saturday (10:41 a.m., train #1104) – with yours truly – and admission to the Museum of Science. Additionally, we can provide a limited number of $20 food vouchers redeemable at the Museum’s Riverview Cafe.
Enjoy the weekend,
Steve
Congratulations Ms. Stefanov!
The U.S. Postal Service has reopened COVIDtests.gov so that households across the country can order four additional over-the-counter COVID-19 tests for free. These tests are intended for use throughout the 2024 holiday season to detect currently circulating COVID-19 variants. Clear instructions are included on how to verify extended expiration dates.
As the fall and holiday seasons will create increased close proximity gatherings of people, the Administration remains committed to helping Americans access tests to help so that, if they develop a respiratory illness, they can learn whether it is due to COVID-19 and then make the best choices about seeking medical care and reducing risks to family, friends, and co-workers. To order four free, over-the-counter COVID-19 tests, visit COVIDtests.gov.
To emphasize the importance of attending school, DESE's "Power of Presence" initiative asks you to submit a creative piece of artwork, music, photography, videography, writing, etc. to express why you attend school. We hope to hear from everyone: pre-K to adult students, families, school staff, educators, and administrators.
ParentSquare is the communication platform for Salem Public Schools. Families receive communication from the district, school, and their student's classroom all in one space. Families can communicate 1-to-1 with teachers, register for parent-teacher conferences, and more.
If you are not receiving messages from ParentSquare or if you are having trouble, contact your school's front office. You can visit www.parentsquare.com for more information.