Welcome!

Margaret Raymond Driscoll is in her 12th year as a Melrose School Committee member, and she is passionate about excellent teaching and learning for all public school students. She considers it a privilege to collaborate with others who share that passion. You can also follow her on Twitter at @MargaretDrisc. Just to be clear - opinions expressed here do not represent those of the Melrose Public Schools, the Melrose School Committee, or the Massachusetts Association of School Business Officials - they are hers alone.

Saturday, November 1, 2014

MHS Dashboard at 10/28 School Committee

A new approach to capturing data about Melrose High School was unveiled Tuesday night when Principal Marianne Farrell and Guidance Dept. Director John Buxton (with most of the secondary administrative team in attendance) shared their initial iteration of the MHS Data Dashboard. Principal Farrell reported in her cover memo that the Dashboard "represents academic, co-curricular, and post-secondary education data." During her presentation, she noted that while much data is presented throughout the year to the Committee and the community, the Dashboard is one place to collect and update it. She also noted that it is a way to begin including local data (like mid-year and final exam data) along with standardized test data; it is another way to reflect (and improve) on the work that's being done by staff at the high school in order to support student mastery of the subjects they study; it can help parents understand how student work is judged; and it is another way for families and the community to learn what Melrose has to offer. The data reflects both successes and challenges, and Ms. Farrell indicated that we will hear more during the year about next steps the high school will take to support students' college and career readiness. Supt. Taymore noted that the entire Administrative Team (principals, Dept. Chairs, etc.) reflected on the Dashboard before it was presented on Tuesday, and the elementary and middle schools will use it as a base on which to build their own dashboards.

The cover memo and Powerpoint presentation can be found here:http://melrosecityma.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_Meeting.aspx?ID=1582. The MMTV video of the meeting is 1 hour 7 minutes long and can be found here:http://www.mmtv3.org/index.php?categoryid=28. 

Want to learn more about Melrose High School? An Open House is scheduled for Sunday, November 16th from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. (More info is here: http://melrosehigh.melroseschools.com/2014/10/mhs-welcomes-future-class-2019/.)