by Dr. Thomas Jefferson, Superintendent of Schools

In Harvard, we are blessed to have an exceptional school system that is a source of great pride for the community. To say that we have a successful school system is an understatement. The number of students scoring in the advanced level of MCAS in eighth and tenth grades demonstrates our culture of excellence.

 While it is often those MCAS years that receive the greatest notoriety, it’s important to remember that those scores result from a strong elementary school program and a program of studies for juniors and seniors that prepares them for college and life beyond Bromfield. Academic programs are the cornerstone of our schools, but programs in the arts, athletics, and a host of clubs and activities that provide a rich co-curricular experience also enhance students’ experiences. The school programs exist within the context of myriad community organizations that provide a broad range of activities for our youth.

Despite our success, there remain many students who struggle to succeed in our schools. A recurring theme I heard when I came to the district over a year ago was that the Harvard schools were a great place for the students who seemed to be hard-wired for success, but that we needed to do a better job with students who could not learn as easily. My personal observations and analysis of performance data confirmed that, despite the best efforts of many, there are things we can do to help all learners achieve. To meet that challenge, this year our primary instructional goal has been to reach learners with diverse needs. This theme has been the focal point of our professional development for teachers as well as many of our decisions about the design and delivery of instruction.

The foundation of a successful system is a strong early literacy program. That program should be one that helps children develop skills and attitudes they need to do well in future schooling. Under the leadership of Harvard Elementary School Principal Mary Beth Banios and teachers Peggy Bragg and Cindy Hansen, who serve as literacy curriculum specialists, the staff has worked to integrate a system of benchmarks and intervention strategies that can be used in our classrooms. Teachers consult with specialists to monitor the progress of each student. Through this process we’re able to identify students who need modified instruction, as well as those who may benefit from tutoring or supportive technology. The staff continues to monitor interventions to help guarantee that each student progresses appropriately. Data we’ve collected to date encourages us to believe that this approach is effective.

In some instances, we’ve designed co-teaching sections where special education teachers and regular education teachers work hand-in-hand to provide a classroom environment that challenges and supports a wide range of abilities. Many teachers are also forming study groups and will be enrolling in on-line training to strengthen their knowledge of best practices about providing differentiated instruction. New software programs have shown promise at efficiently providing individual tutorial instruction and reinforcement.

Clearly there is still much to be done. Beyond a continued focus of our professional development activities, we will continue to identify optimal ways for organizing classrooms to make learning easier for each student. In the primary grades we have had great success with a tiered intervention program that may serve as a model for all grade levels.

I look forward to sharing with you in future columns our progress, our knowledge of other schools’ practices, and our findings how Harvard schools mirror or diverge from state and national trends.