Kane told the school committee to hire an assistant superintendent in charge of curriculum development as a strategy to raise the district's MCAS scores.
Ludlow School Superintendent Theresa Kane has recommended the school committee hire an assistant superintendent for curriculum development as a strategy to raise the district's MCAS scores.LUDLOW - School Superintendent Theresa M. Kane has recommended that the School Committee hire an assistant superintendent in charge of curriculum development as a strategy to raise the school district’s MCAS scores.
Kane recommended that the School Committee advertise and interview to fill the position and bring an assistant superintendent on board after the Christmas break.
She said the school district’s disappointing MCAS scores show a deficiency in the core curriculum, which needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
Kane said it is very disappointing that 50 percent of students in grades four and five failed to achieve proficiency in math and English Language Arts.
She said the teaching staff is attempting to standardize the curriculum.
“Our teachers and principals are giving 110 percent,” she said.
Kane said she looked at 10 comparable school districts to Ludlow and all but two had a position of assistant superintendent in charge of curriculum.
In Ludlow, the position is combined with the special education director.
Kane said there is funding available to establish the position from a School Choice revolving account.
At Ludlow High School, 180 ninth graders failed to show proficiency in math and 75 students failed to show proficiency in English language arts.
Kane did not propose a salary for the position, but she said she would like to see the School Committee vote to advertise an assistant superintendent position at its Nov. 9 meeting.
School Committee member James P. Harrington told Kane he would be more supportive of her proposal if she brought it forward in the spring with next year’s school budget.
“Then we could present the case to Town Meeting with the MCAS data,” Harrington said.
Kane responded that Harrington raised the issue of the district’s poor MCAS scores.
“If the teachers are not given the tools, the work suffers,” she said. “Don’t hold off. This is an urgent need that needs to be addressed now."