In my newsletter message last week, I wrote about the importance of having good attendance and it will be a topic we emphasize throughout the school year. This week we received some great news about Stoughton High and its performance on MCAS and undoubtedly there is a correlation between the fact that Stoughton High's MCAS scores went up for last school year and so did attendance rates at SHS. Being present in school makes a difference.
Earlier this week the state released MCAS scores from last school year and DESE included Stoughton High on its “Schools of Recognition” list! As explained on the DESE website, "As part of its annual accountability reporting process, [DESE] identifies a small number of Schools of Recognition. These schools demonstrate progress toward annual accountability targets, with an emphasis on the performance of all students in the school and the school's lowest performing students group."
Stoughton High exceeded its growth targets and achievement targets overall, and amongst what the state classifies as lowest performing students. This is a credit to the Stoughton High faculty and administration for prioritizing the education of each and every student.
MCAS scores are grouped in the following categories: exceeding expectations, meeting expectations, partially meeting expectations, and not meeting expectations. In 2024, 50% of Stoughton High students met expectations on English Language Arts MCAS, an improvement from the 40% who met expectations in 2023. Meanwhile, students not meeting expectations fell from 13% in 2023 to 6% in 2024. On the Math MCAS, Stoughton High saw an overall increase in the number of students exceeding expectations. Just 3% exceeded expectations in 2023. In 2024, that number jumped to 12%. And in Science MCAS, the overall percentage of students exceeding expectations doubled from 4% in 2023 to 8% in 2024, while the number of students meeting expectations also increased from 44% to 49%.
Coupled with this good news about Stoughton High's MCAS scores is steady improvement in Stoughton High's attendance rates. The average daily attendance rate at SHS was 93.8% in 2023-2024, up from 93% in 2022-2023 and 92.1% in 2021-2022. The percentage of students missing 10 or more days of school is on a steady decline. That number was at 42.2% in 21-22, 39.7% in 22-23, and 37.5% last year. Following the same pattern, the number of students chronically absent, missing 10% of school days or more, was 22.2% in 21-22, 18.1% in 22-23, and 15.6% last year. And, the number of students chronically absent, missing 20% of school days or more, was 10.4% in 21-22, 8.3% in 22-23, and 5.6% last year.
These numbers aren't accidental; it's the result of work by Stoughton High administration and staff. Regular meetings with the Student Support Team, including assistant principals, deans, and school counseling staff, prioritize student attendance. There has also been increased communication with families around attendance and emphasizing the importance of attendance in one-on-one meetings with parents/guardians. It is also important to note Stoughton High's attendance buyback program and reinstituting of Saturday School for students to make up work missed while absent. Buybacks don't improve the attendance rate at SHS, but it reinforces the notion that it is important to be in school and important to make up missed assignments when students are out.
While these MCAS results and the trend in attendance rates are both encouraging, we know there is more work to do to keep growing and improving. But this is a good opportunity to recognize the administration, faculty, support staff, and students at Stoughton High for making significant positive strides. I am proud of this accomplishment. Congratulations!
Sincerely,
Joseph F. Baeta, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Stoughton Public Schools
