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MCAS switches to online testing
Kavanaugh embodies partisan power play
Military matters: appreciate those who serve
Cheer advances to Nationals, makes history
Shaking up the schedule
opinion
news
sports
feature
The Student Newspaper of Algonquin Regional High School
news
79 Bartlett Street, Northborough, MA 01532
November 2018
.
arhsharbinger.com
VOL. 31 NO. 3
Part one in a series
Bridging the Gap
State designs new accountability system to raise lowest performers Calculating Algonquin’s 2018 Accountability Score An accountability system helps the state direct resources and assistance A score is assigned for each of five categories based on improvement relative to state-mandated targets The percentage of points earned out of total possible points for ‘All Students’ (red) and ‘Lowest Performing Students’ (blue) is averaged to calculate ‘progress toward improvement targets’
Achievement: 47.5% weight of total score
1/12
8/12
possible points
Growth: 22.5% weight
7/8
6/8
High School Completion: 22.5% weight
11/12
Progress toward attaining
English Language Proficiency N/A
Data for this category was not factored into the report because the ELL population is not large enough
Additional Indicators: 10.0% weight
1/8
BY ELISSA GORMAN, Editor-in-Chief lgonquin has a lowest performing students. the progress relative to those long history of While the DESE no lon- targets. taking pride in ger levels schools, accord“[The state] gives [the being among the ing to their 2018 report, Al- school] targets every year that best in terms of gonquin has a 46 percent of they want you to reach so that academics, sports “progress towards improve- your students are moving toand extracurricular opportu- ment targets,” and the school wards being proficient in cernities. is in the 83 percentile com- tain areas,” Assistant PrinciAlgonquin also has a his- pared to other Massachusetts pal Tim McDonald said. tory of excelling as a school schools. The numbers have The state assigned Alcompared to state standards. demanded a closer look into gonquin targets of 100, 98.6 In 2016, Algonquin how progress is determined. and 99.1 for English lanheld the status of a level one guage arts, mathematics and What goes school according to the Masscience MCAS respectively, into a rating sachusetts Department of which make up the achieveAccording to the DESE ment category. These targets Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), which Summary of Massachusetts’ are calculated as a Composite was the highest of five pos- Accountability System, an Performance Index (CPI). A sible levels. This level means accountability system is de- CPI of 100 indicates that all that Algonquin was classified signed to evaluate school and of the students are proficient district performance. The or higher. as meeting its state goals. According to the DESE new system in particular aims For growth, which is cal2017 Accountability Report, to measure how a school is culated as a Student Growth Algonquin slipped to a lev- doing and the support a Percentile (SGP) in terms of el two school, classified as school may need. students’ performance comThe Accountability Re- pared to past MCAS tests, Al“not meeting narrowing gap goals.” However, in 2017, port takes into account five gonquin’s targets were SGP’s the graduation rate exceeded indicators: “achievement,” of 50.0 for both English lantargets at 98.1 percent. Four “growth,” “high school com- guage arts and mathematics. hundred and nine students pletion,” “progress towards The targets for graduatook 808 Advanced Place- attaining English language tion rate, extended engagement tests in 2018, with 91.2 proficiency” and “additional ment rate and annual dropout percent earning a score of indicators,” which is com- rate, which comprise the high prised of chronic absentee- school completion category three or higher. This year, the DESE ism and advanced course- were set at 96.9 percent, 100 eliminated the leveling system work completion. The state percent and 1.0 percent. completely, replacing it with of Massachusetts sets annual a new accountability system targets for each school based designed to bridge the gap on past performance, and ‘ACCOUNTABILITY’ between all students and the ratings are assigned based on CONTINUED P. 2
A
46
%
progress
toward improvement targets
0/4
83
rd percentile
compared to other Massachusetts schools
COMPILED FROM MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION 2018 OFFICIAL ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT
International journalists speak about media literacy KATRINA LIU Opinion Editor
PHOTO ANNEMARIE WOOD
Estonian Press Officer Harrys Puusepp answers questions from students about the life of a journalist.
Eighteen international journalists observed and interacted with U.S. History I and Computer Essentials students as they participated in activities while learning about the First Amendment on October 26. The visit concluded with a panel discussion where the journalists thoughtfully answered students’ questions concerning the importance of news and its role in the world, while offering their own questions for students to answer. Ranging from countries like England to Moldova, the journalists were selected to be a part of the International Visitor Leadership Program, organized by the U.S. Department of State. The goals of the program include
examining ways to foster a discerning audience of media consumers and exploring the rights and responsibilities of a nation that allows free press. This program selected to visit Algonquin because of Computer Essentials teacher Catherine Griffin. She was one of the first to use Checkology, an online program run by the News Literacy Project and the Facebook Journalism Project that teaches students how to discern fact from fiction. “Whenever they have something in the Boston area, [Checkology] reaches out to me, and this visit was one of those opportunities,” Griffin said. “[The visit] went better than I could ever hope for. I was so proud of all the students for being open and honest with the journalists and showing maturity.”
‘JOURNALISTS’ CONTINUED P. 6