District administrators present plans for additional Student Opportunity Act funding to the Westfield School Committee on March 2, 2020. (AMY PORTER/THE WESTFIELD NEWS)
WESTFIELD – Expanding access to full-day kindergarten, early college programs for under-represented students, and drop-out prevention are all focuses of the district’s spending plan for additional Student Opportunity Act funds.
Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski, Director of Curriculum Susan Dargie and Director of Student Interventions Christopher Rogers March 2 presented the plan to the School Committee for the $500,000 additional Act funds included in the governor’s budget.
The Act was signed by Gov. Charlie Baker in November 2019 and is intended to boost investment in public schools annually by $1.5 billion over the next seven years. The Act targets low-income, educationally disadvantaged students, students on individualized education plans (IEP) and English language learners, all of which the state puts in a high-risk category.
Czaporowski said 48% of Westfield students fall into these categories, and the district had been hoping for a lot more funding for that reason.
The bill the governor signed also requires school districts to develop three-year plans to close achievement gaps in these subgroups. At the meeting, Czaporowski said districts receiving less than $1.5 million were able to do a short form, and those receiving more had to do a long form.
“We were able to do a short form,” Czaporowski said, adding that only 25 communities across the state received more than $1.5 million, including Chicopee, Holyoke and Springfield.
“We are hopeful that the House and Senate will increase funding to the economically disadvantaged line item, and that will increase funding for our district,” Czaporowski said.
Westfield’s Act plan selected commitments intended to close gaps for underperforming subgroups, in order to ensure that all students achieve at high levels and are successfully prepared for life, from the goals outlined by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
“When this went through the legislature, there was a desire for more accountability of the funds. This aligns with our district’s goals already,” Czaporowski said about the plan.
Under the commitment to close the MCAS achievement gaps in the subgroups, the district is focusing on students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged and high needs in grades 3-8; and adding English Language Learners and former English Language Learners in grade 10.
Rogers said these are the students that require focused support. “An analysis of our data, particularly MCAS the last couple of years, shows that in grades 3-8 students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged, and ELL students in grade 10 need greater support,” Rogers said. He said everything they’re doing across the district is to serve these subgroups to help them meet the same achievements.
Rogers said the district already has a fully functioning Title I mentoring program, that utilizes former teachers, volunteers and business people from Westfield Education to Business Alliance to provide support for students, beginning at grades 5-6. He said at the upper level, a mentor becomes more of a graduation coach to make sure students have the credits they need, and to pass MCAS. “Mentoring is only one of the interventions that we have,” Rogers said.
Czaporowski said in the second part of that question, how students are being prepared for life, the district is doing a lot through the Alliance and Signal Success, which develops essential skills for students that will bring that success to be prepared for life. He said at the high school levels, the Navience tool helps students discover a career path.
Another program, Westfield Promise, exposes students to college-level work, as does Advanced Placement course work, Czaporowski said. He said many of the students in Westfield Promise are first generation college or in high risk categories that don’t think they can do a college class, he said.
In Westfield Promise, students take a college-level course taught by an English teacher and college professor stretched out over the year as juniors, and then can take a class on campus as seniors.
“We’re looking to expand the cohort at Westfield Technical Academy next year, and already expanded it at Westfield HIgh School this year. One student who wasn’t going to graduate and hated school, enrolled in this program, and now loves school and is going to Westfield State University,” Czaporowski said.
“(Another) area of focus we will be on expanding access to full-day pre-kindergarten for four-year-olds. We’re seeing children coming to kindergarten with no preschool whatsoever,” he said, adding that with the renovated Franklin Avenue Elementary School there is a potential opportunity to have full-day preschool as a part of that program, and there are grants for pilot programs.
Czaporowski said the district is also hoping to expand the Pathways alternative high school drop-out prevention program. He said currently, it’s limited to 50 students and they had hoped to expand it with Act funds, which weren’t enough.
Czaporowski said last year, the district’s drop-out rate was 1.5 percent, and this year 1.35 percent.
“Let’s set a goal that one student dropping out is too many,” he said.
Dargie said because the district chose to focus on programs in both ends of the spectrum, from preschool through graduation, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Educstion will be setting targets.
Czaporowski said at the March 16 School Committee meeting the team will present the plan one more time to the public before it is finalized and submitted to the state.
