Mendon-Upton Recognized for Achievement in Math

MURSD elementary students achieve in math at levels way above state averages.  (Graphic Courtesy Mendon-Upton Regional School District)

MENDON — Superintendent Dr. Maureen Cohen and Assistant Superintendent Cheryl Kirkpatrick are proud to announce that the Mendon-Upton Regional School District (MURSD) has been added to the short list of districts surpassing pre-pandemic achievement in math.

The Analysis

Out of over 300 school districts in Massachusetts, Mendon-Upton was recognized as one of only 54 districts that have surpassed pre-pandemic student achievement in math in grades 3-8, and state leaders are taking notice.

“Grade 4 student growth MCAS in math has been well above the mean at about the 60th percentile for the past four years,” explained Assistant Superintendent Kirkpatrick. “This strong growth has far outpaced most other districts and, importantly, has been experienced by all students, including students with disabilities.”

Although statewide math proficiency has been somewhat stagnant since 2022, MURSD math proficiency improved, with 62% of MURSD students in grades 3 and 4 meeting/exceeding grade-level expectations, seven points higher than proficiency levels for MURSD elementary students prior to the pandemic and 18 percentage points higher than the state average.

“Strong growth in elementary math has enabled student achievement at both Henry P. Clough and Memorial elementary schools to surge past pre-pandemic achievement levels,” said Assistant Superintendent Kirkpatrick. “At Memorial, 71% of last year’s cohort of fourth graders met or exceeded expectations in math. This is why the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) invited school and district leaders to an invitation-only Celebration Academic Success Convening on Dec. 2, and a follow-up visit on Dec. 11 by the Office of Educator Effectiveness.”

Statewide Achievement

Leaders at both schools indicated that educators working together to implement high-quality curriculum resources and monitor student progress has been pivotal to student success.

“Together we implemented new math resources — a big and sometimes messy change,” said Memorial Elementary School Assistant Principal Lauren Chuk. “With administration working alongside teachers and really listening to them in order to understand and validate the challenges they experience, we addressed implementation challenges together.”

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) invited Memorial Elementary School Principal Wendy Bell and Henry P. Clough Elementary School Principal Liz Garden to present to other school and district leaders at a DESE-sponsored Celebration of Academic Success held on Dec. 2. The principals shared some of their successful practices.

Wendy Bell shared that when Memorial School administrators noticed that educators were struggling with some aspects of the elementary math program, they worked with teachers to help them review the scope and sequence of the program and the implications of making autonomous decisions to not teach certain key lessons.

“We read through all the units and talked about the skills that needed to be mastered in each unit,” said Principal Bell. “Then we supported teams in teaching the curriculum with integrity.”

Over the past few years the district has made important advances in helping educators access academic data and formatively reviewing this data to provide support and adjust practice.

“One of the key structures leading to our success has been grade-level data team meeting time that is sacred,” said Principal Garden. “We meet regularly and review formative data and plan next steps as teams.”

Feedback & Recognition

Following the Celebration of Success Convening, representatives from DESE visited the district on Dec. 11 to witness first-hand how data meetings are conducted, how educators are collaborating, and how co-teaching has supported students along the way.

“They can tell from our results, and our Student Opportunity Act (SOA) plan and progress reports, that we have been able to successfully implement high-quality curriculum resources, use data effectively, and develop cultures where teachers are supported to lead improvement efforts,” said Assistant Superintendent Kirkpatrick. “DESE is interested in learning from Mendon-Upton in order to share effective practices with other schools and districts.”

DESE’s SOA Coordinator Karen Johnston spent time in a grade-level data team meeting and fourth-grade math classes at Memorial Elementary, and a fourth-grade math class co-taught at Clough.

Johnston told MURSD educators that DESE has taken note of the progress that Mendon-Upton has been making, especially in elementary math.

“A school might see how well you are doing and say, ‘How can we do that?’ and we want to help them learn what you’ve done,” Johnston told the MURSD educators following her visit.

To conclude her visit, Johnston had a series of questions for MURSD administrators. She asked for examples of high-impact district decisions that were not connected to grant-funding.

“We analyzed the schedule and made changes that were necessary to provide quality Tier I instruction and the staff worked together to make these important changes to support student learning,” said Principal Garden.

Principal Bell added, “We have also developed and implemented data protocols and routines that guide our team conversations.”

“Grant funding provides the curriculum, data resources, and support for teacher leadership development, from which we have benefitted and for which we are grateful,” said Superintendent Maureen Cohen, “But the reason our students and schools have been so successful is in the way these leaders and teachers have used these resources. The incredible attitude and effort of our educators are the aspects of our success that go way beyond the funding.” 

Looking ahead, grant funding is likely to be extremely limited, and the district will need the support of the community to acquire additional resources.

“We have been fortunate to be awarded over $550,000 in the last 4 years to support our data systems curriculum resource acquisition, and will need the support of the community to continue to upgrade curriculum and as grant funding dwindles.” said Assistant Superintendent Kirkpatrick.

But, working together there is and will be a lot to celebrate.

“I could not be more proud of our young math students, their teachers, and our school and district leaders,” Superintendent Cohen continued. “It’s nice to be recognized and to know others want to learn from us, but what is most important is that our students have regained the ground lost during the pandemic and continue to grow beyond that.”

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On Thursday, Dec. 11, A representative from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Office of Educator Effectiveness, Karen Johnston, visited the Mendon-Upton Regional School District to learn how grade-level data teams at the Elementary level work. (Graphic Courtesy Mendon-Upton Regional School District)

Ms. Johnston also visited fourth-grade math classes at Memorial Elementary, and a Co-taught, fourth-grade math class at Clough, to witness first-hand what MURSD is getting right in its elementary math program. (Graphic Courtesy Mendon-Upton Regional School District)