News

On Wednesday, June 6, the Sudbury School Committee held a regularly scheduled meeting.  The main topics of discussion were the following:

1)      Open Forum for Members of the Public

2)      FY13 Draft Goals and Strategies

3)      Vote on New Educator Evaluation Standards

OPEN FORUM FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC 

Approximately 60 Sudbury residents and others attended the meeting, some of whom wished to address the School Committee.  Given the level of concern of the parents and other community members, the Committee voted in favor of altering the meeting agenda so that Open Forum could cover as much of the first portion of the meeting as possible until the Committee needed to adjourn to a previously scheduled Executive Session. Following the Executive Session, an additional Open Forum was held so that any community members remaining in the room could address the Committee at that time.

Prior to the start of Open Forum, Chair Rich Robison asked Superintendent Dr. Anne Wilson if she would like to make a statement regarding the personnel issue at Noyes School.  Her statement is as follows:

 “I would like to take a few minutes this evening to discuss the recent events at the Noyes Elementary School.   Recent events have indeed sparked much controversy and emotion.  Please know that our focus has been and will continue to be on the education and well-being of our students.

 In situations such as this, we are required to comply with strict state and federal laws that protect the confidentiality of personnel matters and student records.  In fact, the District and the School Committee are barred by Massachusetts and federal laws from commenting on specifics regarding matters involving individual students, personnel issues, and Department of Children and Families (DCF) investigations.  It also is important to note that all educators are required by state law to report to DCF any incident which they suspect may place a child in danger of harm.  The penalties for not doing so are serious.

 I recognize that there has been much inaccurate information in the media, and while I cannot disclose confidential information, I can tell you that there was no fight between students and that there was no report of a fight between students in the first grade class at the Noyes Elementary School.

Information was reported to a school administrator from a member of the Noyes School staff that warranted an immediate investigation.  The well-being and education of students in our schools is our first priority, and based on the report that was received, Noyes school administrators took immediate appropriate action in the best interests of our students.  We have taken appropriate steps to support students and families in the following ways:

• Engaged a qualified, certified substitute teacher who is familiar with Sudbury and our curriculum
• Communicated with parents, on several occasions, about changes in their child’s classroom
• Provided support from the school counselor in class and offered support from the counselor to parents
• Principal Doyle met with many parents, on an individual basis
• Most recently, Principal Doyle, and I met with room 15 parents in a group setting to provide additional support for students and to respond to questions about their children’s education
• Communicated with parents and school staff about procedures and processes related to student behavioral issues

 The education of our students was not interrupted and they are continuing to learn and grow in their classroom.  I have confidence in the administration, teachers, and staff at Peter Noyes – they are an exceptional group of educators who continue to work together, remaining focused, even in these difficult times, on the best interests of our students.

 I want parents to know that we understand your frustration, your concern, your disappointment and even your anger.  This has been a very unsettling situation for all involved.

 We believe that we have done our best to address your concerns and to share as much information as possible within the constraints of the law. No student or parent should feel any sense of responsibility for the measures which have been taken.  As outlined in my letter of June 1^st, this incident has no bearing on the procedures and protocols already in place for teachers to intervene appropriately in any student altercation or misbehavior.

We are committed to working with parents of students in room 15 at Noyes to ensure a successful end to the school year and a smooth and successful transition to second grade.”

FY13 DRAFT GOALS AND STRATEGIES

Dr. Wilson presented a draft of the Sudbury Public Schools (SPS) goals and strategies for FY13.  These goals and strategies are intended to support the SPS commitment to excellence in educating students to be knowledgeable, creative, independent thinkers who are caring, collaborative members of the school and wider communities.

 Strategic objectives for the next fiscal year include:

• Ensuring that all students have access to high quality, research-based, differentiated content and instructional practices in a safe environment. Initiatives that will support this goal are: the implementation of the new Educator Evaluation System; maintaining the Anti-Bullying initiative; developing and implementing a new middle school schedule; implementing a new mentoring program for 1^st and 2^nd year teachers; and adding math coaches at the elementary level.
• Aligning curriculum, assessments, and professional development to meet Common Core Standards.  In order to support this goal, the district will: establish and sustain a Professional Development Council; provide curriculum leadership in Mathematics and ELA by implementing Curriculum Coordinators; provide opportunities for teachers and administrators to work together on Common Core alignment and Common Assessment development; integrate technology into instructional, operational, and administrative routines.
• Analyzing student-learning data consistently to inform instruction and improve student achievement.  This will be accomplished by:  developing and implementing structures and routines to support the use of data to inform instruction; creating and implementing common assessments; integrating technology into instructional, operational, and administrative routines.
• Aligning resources to Instructional Core needs in a manner which sustains excellence and enhances the effective and efficient use of limited resources.  To support this goal, the district will:  develop a budget that reflects Instructional Core needs; provide for technology infrastructure in the budget; integrate technology into instructional, operational, and administrative routines; implement a new Food Service program.

 As a next step, Dr. Wilson will bring the draft goals to the entire SPS staff for comment.  Following this, the School Committee will receive the recommended goals for approval.

VOTE ON NEW EDUCATOR EVALUATION STANDARDS

As previously reported, at the May 30 School Committee Meeting, Dr. Wilson and Sudbury Education Association President Dr. Robert Mealey presented the new regulations for Evaluation of Educators.  The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) requires that all school districts either adopt the DESE model plan or propose an alternate plan, which would need DESE approval.  A Joint Labor Management Committee comprised of Sudbury administrators and teaching staff reviewed the DESE’s model plan and made revisions, which were then approved by the Sudbury Education Association membership.

This new system will be implemented in SPS over a two-year period beginning in FY13 and will apply to all administrators and teachers. Administrators will be expected to meet standards related to:  Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment; Management and Operations; Family and Community Partnerships; Professional Culture.  Teachers will be required to meet standards related to:  Curriculum, Planning, and Assessment; Teaching All Students; Family and Community Partnerships; Professional Culture.

During the June 6 meeting, Dr. Wilson presented a more in-depth view of the elements related to some of the standards.  For instance, one of the standards on which a teacher will be evaluated is Curriculum, Planning, and Assessment.  Performance relative to this standard will be measured by evaluating a teacher’s  level of subject matter expertise and knowledge of child and adolescent development and also by ascertaining his/her ability to design integrated units of instruction and skill in developing well-structured and highly engaging lessons.

More information related to the standards and elements of the Educator Evaluation model plan can be found on the DESE website.

The School Committee voted to approve the new Educator Evaluation Standards as specified in the DESE regulations.  The Committee also approved the changes made by the Joint Labor Management Committee (which were also ratified by the Sudbury Education Association) to the DESE’s model plan.  This revised plan will be submitted to the DESE for approval.

Please contact us with your questions, concerns, and comments at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .  You can also find this update and other important information on the SPS website.

Respectfully submitted,

Lisa Gutch

Vice Chair, Sudbury School Committee