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Harrington School Council Minutes
March 15, 2011
Members Present: Suzanne Cherenson, Judy Crocker, Michelle Dardeno, Susie Lee-
Snell, Elaine Mead, Genevieve Ng, Susan Rosie, Liz Sherriff, Grant Smith
Absent: Amy Chamberlain
1. February 152011 minutes were reviewed and approved
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2. Lynne Griffin will offer a parent workshop on self-regulation on May 18, 2011
from 7:00-8:30 at Harrington School. This workshop will be for incoming
kindergarten parents, current kindergarten parents and 1 grade parents.
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3. MCAS is coming up: ELA and English composition in March
Math and Science in May
4. Feedback from evening events
Fewer kids are left at the back of the gym and overall behavior has improved. The
PTA blocked off areas that closed the access to these areas during the talent show
which proved to be helpful. Having the gym closed off and the students engaged
helps maintain positive behavior. It was suggested that an activity be provided at
the International Food Night that related to the theme of multi nations, such as
“Bingo Passport”.
5. Early results were reported on the LPS/Safe Routes to School Transportation survey.
In the first three days of the survey to date, 1000 surveys were completed out of roughly
4000 queried. The main concern appears to be cost. There has been an increase of
families requesting financial assistance this year as well as those living beyond the 2-mile
fee-based distance limit. The results of the survey will be posted in the Minuteman after
they are presented to the Superintendent and School Committee.
6. Discussion regarding Response to Intervention (RTI)- RTI is a proactive and
preventative approach using data to monitor student progress and intervene early
when students struggle. Eight faculty members from Harrington attended a
workshop on RTI. Currently the teachers are looking for a way to monitor behavior
in a systematic manner. The promise of the RTI framework is that it will allow for
more intervention within the regular education program. The goal is to close the
achievement gap at an early age, to be proactive and preventative in an effort to
make a difference with early intervention.
7. RTI in Literacy: At this time there is universal screening 3 times a year in literacy
to monitor progress and identify students who need additional instruction. Grade
level teams are looking at data collaboratively to monitor student progress and
implement interventions to improve student achievement. The goal is to have 80%
of students achieve grade level benchmarks within the regular education classroom.
Of note in the midyear data was that 89% of 1 graders have reached the reading
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benchmark. Only one grade level was slightly below the 80% mark. When the
achievement is below target, classroom teachers implement strategies to improve
student progress in the general education classroom.
8. Parent education and support is needed. The Council discussed the idea that
parents are not always aware of how to access support and intervention, especially
if the child is meeting academic benchmarks. How do we educate the parents about
the support that is available? This will be a topic for continued discussion.