WESTFIELD – Westfield Technical Academy (WTA) is the only school in the district to earn Level 1 status from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for 2015.
The high school climbed from a Level 3 to a Level 1 on the state’s latest accountability and assistance report, and last year had a zero percent drop-out rate.
WTA Principal Stefan Czaporowski said students and staff worked hard to make this happen. While Czaporowski took no credit for the advancement, WTA has steadily improved since he became principal four years ago.
“We were probably closer to Level 4 when I arrived,” Czaporowski said. “We had a lot of work to do and we did it.”
Part of that work was in bridging the gap between the two types of classes at WTA. In the past, academic classes and vocational classes were separated and students didn’t always understand the relationship between a geometry class and construction class.
“We weren’t doing a great job at making a connection,” said Czaporowski. “Students used geometry all day in carpentry, but they didn’t realize it.”
Teachers in academic classes now often point out the every day uses for academics, such as math.
“They talk about how in culinary you use fractions when working with a recipe, and how math applies to electrical or manufacturing,” Czaporowski said. “It’s applicable. And when you’re making those connections, [students] perk-up. Teachers are making it relevant.”
Czaporowski credited not just students and teachers for the improvement, but student mentors, as well. WTA has a group of mentors who work with students on academics, social concerns and whatever a students needs.
“They work with students identified as having some kind of need,” Czaporowski said. “It’s one-on-one time the student has in the building with an adult that’s not a teacher, and that really helped us achieve the zero percent drop-out rate in 2014.”
The mentors are most often retired professionals, from teachers to police officers. Some are college students.
“We have great staff and students, but also a great community, school department, and business support,” said Czaporowski. “There are a bunch of great things happening at our school.”
Level 2 schools in the district were Abner Gibbs, Highland, North Middle, Paper Mill, Russell Elementary, and Southampton Road. Level 3 schools were Franklin Avenue, Munger Hill, South Middle, and Westfield High. Fort Meadow Early Childhood Center had insufficient date for DESE to assign a level.
