USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Westford > Town of Westford annual report 1956-1962 > Part 70
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An exhaustive study of Westford Academy drop-outs was prepared by the Guidance Staff. Forty-one children have left school prior to graduation over the past three years. This is less than 3 out of 100 Academy pupils and is well below State averages. But those three are a matter of serious concern. Again the need for better vocational opportunities is apparent. True, all of these drop-outs could not have been held, even if there were a Regional Vocational School available. Such a school is still under active investigation. The State Department of Vocational Education has been contacted by area Superintendents and a survey requested as the first step in determin- ing need and ability to support.
Each year our enrollments increase, usually beyond expectation, but population growth can stimulate as well as complicate. This year the Academy went onto a staggered school day, receiving Grade 8 pu- pils at the commencement of the second period and releasing them one period after normal school closing. The staggered plan extended fa- cilities just enough to permit accommodation of all children Grade 8-12 in the Academy. The plan also encouraged the placement of Grade 7 on a similar day, longer than customary for Grade 7. The Rouden- bush staff, in an active planning session last spring, set up an ex- cellent program which has made best possible use of the extra time.
Growing enrollments in Nabnasset necessitated the reopening of the old Nabnasset School. Three teachers were selected to work as a team with over seventy Grade 3 pupils. It is somewhat early to at- tempt to judge the success of this venture, but the plan has apparent popular endorsement of pupils and teachers. There is a growing need that more and more effective use be made of individual staff talents and plant facilities, both indoor and outdoor. At the rate enroll- ments are growing, it is unlikely that customary staff ratios and traditional plant spaces can be indefinitely provided. New patterns of school organization, new concepts of plant, seem to promise at
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1
least a partial solution to this impasse. And the application of modern Data Processing tools to such increasingly complex problems as pupil programming, transportation and reporting, will help free ad- ministrators so that more time might be devoted to the study of some of these promising new staff organizations and school plants.
Staff Turnover has again become a matter of grave concern. Twice the number of teachers were hired for 1962-63 as for 1961-62. This is one of the recurring problems referred to above. Prior to a new attack on Teacher Salary Policy, the School Committee had ap- proved, with the advance blessing of the Town Treasurer, a twenty-six pay plan. This means that teachers are paid bi-weekly rather than semi-monthly. Payday falls on alternate Thursdays. Also, the voters of the Town approved at the polls last spring, Chapter 32B wherein the Town shares costs of employees accident and life insurance through a group program. But no adjustment in the basic pay schedule was budgeted for 1962-63. Starting salary remained at $4200. When
S93, the Minimum Salary Bill, was passed this summer, the starting salary was increased by law to $4500, effective January 1, 1963. Many communities had already gone to $4500 for 1962-63 and contem- plate a further adjustment in September 1963.
The School Committee discussed the salary problem with teacher representatives and reviewed their proposals in terms of effective- ness for holding and stimulating staff and in terms of cost. On the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools, the following Policy Guide was adopted November 19, 1962:
1. A teacher at maximum for any column shall receive no less than half again the beginning salary for the column.
* 2. Ratios shall be established for administrative and supervisory positions, these ratios to pertain to the step and column of the staff member.
3. Fixed amount differentials shall be determined for extra service duties.
4. A CAGS column shall be approved.
5. The MA and CAGS columns will apply only to holders of Master's Degree and Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study Degree.
6. Retention on step or double increment shall be at the discretion of the School Committee, based on adminis- trative recommendation.
7. All teaching personnel shall be allowed two days non- cumulative personal leave per year.
*Revised to read: Ratios shall be established as a guide for budg- eting administrative and supervisory positions.
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With agreement on the beginning salary for each column, December 3, 1962, the schedule, which appears in the statistical section of this report, was readily computed. It is hoped that the adopted Sal- ary Policy will make this recurring problem less of a problem the next time around.
To meet the requirements of S-93, salaries must be adjusted to a $4500 minimum effective January 1, 1963. Provision has been made in the 1963 Operational Budget, but adjustments shall not be made until after the Annual Town Meeting in March.
The recurring problems of growth unfortunately cannot be solved by written policy guides. Each phase presents unique problems. First, how are we going to house our increasing pupil population? It was hoped that an 800 pupil Middle School would temporarily solve our space problem in September 1963. The failure of this project to at- tract the necessary two thirds majority last June, caused the space problem to recur sooner than anticipated. The School Planning Com- mittee, appointed by the Board of Selectmen as provided for by Arti- cle 27 of the March 10, 1962 Annual Town Meeting, drafted a Foreword to the revised "Educational Specifications, Westford Intermediate School." This Foreword is the current guide for planning Westford's future space needs.
FOREWORD
The proposed Intermediate School is only one step, although an important one, in Westford's continuing school building program. Such an overall, long-range program is essential if the Town is to meet its school space needs on time and with due regard both to econ- omy and to educational standards.
Westford's school enrollment has doubled in the past 10 years (1952 - 811; 1962 - 1637) and is expected, on the basis of a conserv- ative forecast formula, to more than double in the next 10 years. Since Westford's present facilities are now being used at or beyond their proper capacity, it would seem clear that our school space too must be doubled by 1972. It is also clear, in view of this year's serious overcrowding in the high school, in view of the prospect of double sessions for grades 7 and 8 next year and in view of the ex- pected shortage of elementary space next year, that the next steps in the long range program must be taken without delay.
To meet these immediate and future needs, the School Planning Committee, appointed July 10, 1962, has recommended the following program:
1. Addition of 6 classrooms to the existing 12 room Nab- nasset Elementary School - to be completed by the fall of 1963.
2. Construction on the *Town Farm site of an Intermediate School for roughly, 600 pupils - to be completed by the fall of 1964.
*Site previously approved by SBAC
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3. Construction of a new expandable Senior High School (Grades 9-12) for roughly, 1,000 pupils - to be com- pleted by the fall of 1968 or 1969.
4. Adaptation of the present High School to use by Grades 7 and 8 and (as necessary) to use by Grades 5 and 6 - to be converted when the new High School is completed.
5. Continued active investigation of a Regional Vocational Program.
6. Construction of new elementary space, as and when the need arises, with initial attention to the rapidly growing Parker Village area.
The proposed Intermediate School should be designed to serve initially Grades 6-8, but it should be suitable for use by Grade 5 as well since there will be a period, after the new Senior High School is built, in which an excess of space for Grades 6-8 and a shortage of space for Grades 1-5 can be anticipated.
*******
The School Building Assistance Commission has expressed concern that provision has not been made in the proposed Nabnasset six room addition for a "modern" Elementary Physical Education Program. It is the feeling of the Administration and the School Committee that an adequate program of Physical Education is now offered in the Nabnas- set School and can continue to be offered in present multipurpose and playground facilities, even with the addition of six classrooms. The other Elementary Schools in Westford have far less facilities; yet, both Cameron and Sargent Schools are offering an organized Physical Education Program. The lack of an Elementary Physical Education Specialist does not necessarily mean the absence of an Elementary Physical Education Program.
Where formerly our Bus Schedules could be counted on to serve for a few years with minor alterations, we must now revise annually for our changing organizational plans. During 1962-63 the staggered school day, combining Grades 7 and 8 for special transportation con- siderations, involved a complete change in scheduling. Next year's double session plan for Grades 7 and 8 will again involve a complete- ly new schedule. And, if the proposed Intermediate School is ready for occupancy in September 1964, then again the bus schedules must be completely revised. The new Westford Map, created by Kenneth Robes, Administrative Assistant, March 10, 1962, has been invaluable in planning bus routes as well as organizational adjustments and future space needs.
It is proper, in this section of the Annual Report, to observe with regret the sudden and untimely death of Claude H. Wright, bus contractor since 1959.
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The 1963 School Operating Budget is up 17.8% over the 1962 Budg- et, as compared with a 17.5% increase the previous year. Since 1958 enrollments have increased 45%; budgets have increased almost 100%. Starting salaries for teachers over this five year period have in- creased 35%, while the maximum salary step has increased 45%. Enroll- ment growth and salary adjustments account for 90% of the annual budget increases. The final 10% serves to strengthen the instruc- tional program.
Members of the Finance Committee are present at all sessions of the School Committee where budgets are under discussion. The final draft is then distributed to all members of the Finance Committee for study and recommendation. Only after joint meetings with the Finance Committee is the Operational Budget finalized. Copies are available for individual study in the Fletcher Library.
TESTING REPORT ELEMENTARY FALL 1962
Westford's Elementary Testing Program is a planned series of tests administered in the fall of the year to evaluate pupil ability and achievement and to enable the teacher to adjust his teaching to the needs of each of his children.
Children in grades one, three and six are tested for general ability in September. The test results are recorded as Intelligence Quotients, (I.Q.) a measure of brightness as compared with age.
Up to this year our Achievement Testing Program had been concen- trated in the month of May, substantially a teacher testing program, because test results were interpreted by teachers as evidence of their degree of success with their groups. It was felt by teachers and administration that a change to fall testing would shift the em- phasis to pupil achievement, permitting the identification of special individual and group needs.
Machine scoring of pupil responses provides prompt and complete data early in the school year as a guide to program adjustment.
First grade children are tested for Reading Readiness, an indi- cation of the child's home experiences prior to school entry. Carry over learnings from first grade are checked at the beginning of the second grade through the administration of the Stanford Achievement Tests. Tests at the first and second grade levels permit early abil- ity grouping within the class, assuring a quick start on the year's work.
In grades three through six the children are given the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. These are a series of graded tests which start at the pupil's own grade and allow him to progress to more dif- ficult material so that he can show just how much material he has mastered. These tests are planned to test understanding of the basic skills rather than just items of subject matter. The tests cover the important areas of the school curriculum, reading, vocabulary, lan-
107
guage arts, work-study skills and arithmetic. Except for reading and vocabulary each of the main subjects are broken down into separate tests so that there is a total of fifteen separate scores for each child. Eleven of these scores are the tests and the rest are aver- ages . The final composite score is an average of the test.
The conversion of all test scores to stanines has permitted a prompt evaluation of a child's progress with reference to his abil- ity. The stanine, developed by the Air Force during World War II for quick evaluation of personnel, converts test scores to a nine point scale (STAndard NINEs) with 5 ss the midpoint and 4-5-6 representing the average span, 1-2-3 below average and 7-8-9 above average. We may as a rule expect à child's achievement to fall within one or two stanines of his ability.
To illustrate the use of the stanine, two children with stanine five in ability were chosen from the third grade group to show how their stanine charts would look. These are actual Westford children. Pupil A has average ability as measured by our intelligence test and might be expected to do average work. Her stanine chart shows that she is doing below average work in most subjects and lower than her ability in all. Pupil B is also an average pupil in intelligence, but she is achieving above her ability in all but one of her tests.
A stanine chart of an average sixth grader is also shown, Pupil C. He is doing work within two stanines of his ability in all tests except vocabulary. This would indicate that this child needs special help in building his vocabulary.
These charts show the teacher at a glance what the child is able to do and what he is doing. She then may make up her teaching groups so that each child is given the help he needs in all subjects. These charts are also helpful in interpreting the test scores to the par- ents.
Through fall scheduling, machine scoring and stanine interpreta- tion, Westford's pupil testing program serves a diagnostic function, a beginning point rather than an end point in the educational process.
Although each grade has wide variation between the highest and lowest test scores, most of the children have scores that cluster around the class average. A comparison of the average scores of our Westford children with the average scores of children all over the country who were tested at the same time in the same grades is inter- esting and informative.
The table compares Westford scores with the national average for the first month of the school year. In all major categories the Westford average exceeds the national average.
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1962 FALL TESTING
IOWA TESTS OF BASIC SKILLS
Grade
Vocab
Read
Lang
Study Skills
Arith
Westford Composite
Nat'l Norm
3
3.3
3.4
3.4
3.3
3.4
3.4
3.1
4
4.5
4.2
4.4
4.3
4.4
4.4
4.1
5
5.6
5.4
5.7
5.3
5.3
5.5
5.1
6
6.9
6.8
6.9
6.8
6.5
6.8
6.1
In addition to the group testing that is administered in the fall, we also have opportunity for individual testing of children who have special problems. This kind of testing is given to children who do not seem to be achieving up to measured ability in order to find out the reason for the difference. Children who test at the extreme ends of the scale are tested individually in order to determine whether they need individual help which they can get only in special groups. The invididual test gives a more accurate estimate of the child's ability, and sometimes points out psychological or physical problems that need the help of an expert or a specialist.
In the final analysis the value of any testing program depends upon the use made of the results. The Westford program includes the following uses:
1. Careful analysis by the individual teacher for grouping and for individualizing her program.
2. Evaluation of total instructional program for areas of strength and weakness.
3. Provision for objective evidence of a child's potential, helpful to both teacher and parent in interpreting a child's progress.
Catherine P. Lewicke Reading Supervisor and Elementary Testing Specialist
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PUPIL "A"
1
2
1 3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Mental Ability
x
Vocabulary
X
Reading
X
Spelling
X
Capitalization
x
Punctuation
X
Language Usage
x
Total Language
X
Map Reading
X
Reading Graphs
X
Use of References
x
Total Study Skills
x
Arithmetic Concepts
X
Problem Solving
X
Total Arithmetic
X
Composite Score
X
PUPIL "B"
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Mental Ability
x
Vocabulary
X
Reading
x
Spelling
X
Capitalization
X
Punctuation
x
Language Usage
X
Total Language
X
Map Reading
X
Reading Graphs
X
Use of References
x
Total Study Skills
X
Arithmetic Concepts
x
Problem Solving
x
Total Arithmetic
X
Composite Score
X
PUPIL "C"
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Mental Ability
x
Vocabulary
X
Reading
x
Spelling
x
Capitalization
x
Punctuation
x
Language Usage
x
Total Language
X
Map Reading
x
Reading Graphs
X
Use of References
x
Total Study Skills
X
Arithmetic Concepts
X
Problem Solving
x
Total Arithmetic
X
Composite Score
X
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TESTING REPORT
SECONDARY
FALL 1962
The standardized Testing Program at Westford Academy, which is only a part of the total evaluative process, is a continuing program that includes periodic measure of intelligence (scholastic ability) and specific aptitudes, and a sequential schedule of achievement testing.
The Testing Program as scheduled grades 7 through 12 serves the administrator, the teacher and the pupil. The Principal uses the test results for an overview of the general level of ability, achievement in one of several subject matter areas, for grouping, promotion policies, or for curriculum revision.
The teacher studies the test results to identify strengths and weaknesses in study skills and specific instructional areas and to emphasize those subject areas and skills where additional emphasis is indicated.
Most important, however, the Testing Program is designed to plan instruction which will be consistent with the natural and developed talents, interests and ability of the student.
GRADE 8:
The Differential Aptitude Test, administered in the Fall is a multifactor battery that measures the relative strengths and weak- nesses in a variety of aptitudes which are important to the student's educational progress, course selection and projected career planning.
The D.A. T. used conjunctively with other evaluative data is used to assist 8th graders and their parents in the critical decision con- cerning course selection and post secondary school plans.
Number of students tested on the D.A. T. - 139 Results are based on National Norms.
VERBAL
NUMERICAL
75-99 %ile - 20% of students (28) 75-99 %ile - 18% of students (25)
50-75 %ile - 30% of students (41) 50-75 %ile - 22% of students (31)
25-50 %ile - 33% of students (46) 25-50 %ile - 22% of students (31)
1-25 %ile - 17% of students (24) 1-25 %ile - 38% of students (52)
Note the apparent weakness in the numerical phase where 60% of our grade 8 pupils scored below the National Mean, whereas the dis- tribution for the verbal phase indicates Westford's grade 8 pupils, as a group, are making normal progress.
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The Iowa Test of Basic Skills is also administered to grade 8 students in the Fall. This test is an important area of appraisal in our total evaluation program. The test battery covers the recognized basic skills: reading, language, work-study and arithmetic. (The test is a continuous evaluation from grades 3 through 9.)
The results of the Iowa Tests are broken down into the four basic skills and sent to the respective Department Head, who in turn discusses the results with the members of the department. The sub- ject matter teacher is then able to identify class and individual weaknesses and follow up with an instruction program geared to the abilities and needs of the individual student.
GRADE 9:
The Otis Quick Scoring Test of Mental Ability is administered to grade 9. Alternate forms of this test are administered in grades 3 and 6, thus affording us a sequential evaluation of the scholastic ability of each student.
Intelligence tests are considered a measure of potentiality rather than achievement and their primary use in our school situation is as a "probable learning rate" (P.L.R. ) or as school aptitude (I. Q.)
So it is that the Principal and Guidance Department consider the I. Q. or P.L.R. of the pupils, either individually or group-wise, in determining the policies of homogeneous instructional grouping and deletion or addition of specific courses.
The teachers acquaint themselves with these I. Q. tests and from the results determine the rate of speed with which instructional ma- terial should be presented in the classroom. Thus some students who are quick to grasp a certain subject may be given additonal work of an enrichment nature while those students whose learning rate is slowest will benefit by repeated instruction.
The Iowa Test of Basic Skills is also administered to grade 9 students and the results are distributed to the Department Head, who again channels them to the respective subject matter teachers.
This test is a continuous evaluation program, grades 3 through 9; the 9th grade being the final phase of the evaluation processes of the fundamental basic skills.
GRADES 7 and 10:
The School and College Ability Test (S.C.A.T. ) assists in esti- mating the capacity of a student to initiate the academic work of the next higher level of schooling. They measure the two kinds of school endeavors; verbal reasoning and quantitative thinking.
S.C.A.T. results are used by the Principal and Guidance person- nel in the following ways:
1. To identify students who are particularly advanced or
112
retarded in learning rate for the next educational level.
2. To indicate need of instruction level appropriate to individ- ual student's needs.
3. To compare a student's learning rate with achievement scores to identify the over and/or under-achiever.
The Sequential Tests of Educational Progress (S. T.E. P. ) is a mul- tifactor test administered in grades 7 and 10 to measure the outcomes of educational experiences, both formal and informal. These tests are constructed in the four major academic areas capable of definition and assessment: Reading, Science, Mathematics and Social Studies. Test scores are reported in percentile bands, known as confidence bands (70-87%). The scores of S.C.A.T. and S.T.E.P. are reported to subject matter teachers, profiled and interpreted for the students.
GRADE 11:
Grade 11 testing, except for the Cooperative English Test which is given to all 11th graders, is primarily planned for the college- bound students. Early in October the students take the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (P.S.A.T. ) which is a two hour version of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (S.A.T.). Both tests use the same type of multi-choice questions and measure the same verbal and mathematical abilities. The verbal section measures ability to read, comprehend, to reason with verbal material and to perceive word relationships. The mathematical section measures reasoning ability rather than spe- cific mathematical content. Both the verbal and mathematical skills measured by these two tests (P.S.A.T. - S.A. T. ) have proved to be im- portant for successful college work.
Verbal and mathematical scores on the P.S.A.T. are reported on a scale ranging from a low 20 to a high of 80 points, one that parallels the 200 to 800 point score scale which is used for the S.A. T.
Following are tables showing Senior 1962 results on the P.S.A. T. and the S.A. T.
PSAT - SENIORS OCTOBER 1962
CEEB - SENIORS
DECEMBER 1962
Verbal
Range
Numerical
Verbal
Range
Numerical
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
75-80
750-800
1
70-74
1
1
1
700-749
3
2
60-64
4
1
2
600-649
3
1
1
1
55-59
2
3
550-599
3
3
3
1
50-54
4
2
4
2
500-549
1
3
1
45-49
1
1
1
450-499
4
3
2
1
40-44
2
2
2
1
400-449
2
2
1
350-399
1
1
30-34
1
300-349
1
1
25-29
1
1
250-299
20-24
200-249
65-69
1
650-699
35-39
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The Cooperative English Test is administered to the 11th grade students to help determine present educational status. This test an- swers many questions for the student:
1. Am I able to read with reasonable speed and understanding'
2. Have I progressed at the level of which I am capable?
3. In what areas must I exert more effort?
The results of these tests are used to supplement other indica- tors of student achievement, such as teacher evaluation and scholas- tic aptitude.
The General Aptitude Test Battery (G.A. T. B. ), consisting of twelve subtests and designed to measure aptitudes said to be neces- sary in certain occupational areas, is administered and scored by State Employment services. This test, open to all Seniors, is usual. ly taken by Seniors who plan to enter employment immediately after High School. The Employment Division representatives administer and interpret the scores to the students and make the score available to the Guidance Department for recording and future use. The represent ative from the Employment Division follows up the test with individ- ual interviews to discuss student's performance on the battery in terms of work and specific occupations.
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