Cashman School Council Meeting
Council appointed a co-chair and notetaker and reviewed the draft School Improvement Plan with discussion of staffing shortages, assessment practices, report-card communication, and classroom supports.
The School Council convened to set community norms, appoint a co-chair and notetaker, and review parent and staff concerns. Community members raised staffing shortages (two open special-education positions: a multi-grade special ed role and a language-based teacher), noted positive response to split recess periods, and expressed concern about recent homework changes for third graders. Participants also discussed ways to increase parent presence in classrooms and school engagement, and suggested bringing high school volunteers into the elementary setting.
The bulk of the meeting focused on a detailed review of the draft School Improvement Plan and associated data protocols. Council members reviewed beginning-of-year scores, use of benchmark and MCAS-released writing prompts, and current interventions (WIN, ELA interventions, leveled groups, ST Math). Feedback included questions about ACCESS testing pulls and consult models for Levels 3–4, use of AI supports in Wit and Wisdom materials, a desire for more math-focused strategic work, and requests for paraprofessional rubrics and additional training for writing support. Concerns were raised about missing teacher comments on report cards and limited progress-monitoring communication; the group discussed standards-based report card rubrics (not meeting/approaching/meeting/exceeding), timing of conferences, math grouping structures (team-teaching model in grades 4–5; fewer groups in grade 3), SEI curriculum alignment, and further differentiation with new materials like Amplify. The council scheduled the next meeting for December 18, 3:30–4:30.