FYI from BSF, 10.21.22
2022 MCAS Deeper Dive (III)
“Students with disabilities were among those most severely affected by COVID-19’s disruption of schools and communities.”
There were concerns in Boston that missed time and services would only further widen the academic and social gaps between peers. Years later, advocates are still making the same argument, now about late school buses. Described as being in "disarray," Boston special education services were singled out in state audits in 2020 and 2022. And, to some degree, the 2022 Boston MCAS results confirm this, as many of the lowest levels of proficiency and widest gaps exist for students with disabilities.
In a classic short story, Sherlock Holmes solves a mystery by observing something that should have happened, but didn’t, "the dog that didn’t bark."
Across subgroups and tests, the national, Massachusetts, and Boston assessment story is remarkably consistent. Big declines in 2021, with varying ranges of rebound in 2022.
Except for Boston's students with disabilities. The pandemic doesn’t appear to have affected Boston’s students with disabilities MCAS performance much at all.
There is no dip; the line is low and basically flat.
3-8 math performance actually increased from 2019 to 2021.
After a large drop in proficiency for all students with an updated assessment in 2019, performance of 10th grade students with disabilities has been pretty much the same, too.
It is a curious result. Leads one to wonder how effective the MCAS is as a tool in understanding academic progress for students with disabilities. Or contemplate the possibility that achievement was so low or some schools were so ineffective at serving students with disabilities that disrupted attendance and learning didn’t actually matter for student outcomes.
There are exceptions; schools like the Mendell, Manning, Channing, Bradley, and some others (full scatterplot here) posted high proficiency and/or rebounds for students with disabilities. These exceptions often share a commonality: a strong commitment to inclusion.
The codification of inclusion, incorporating students with disabilities academically and socially into general education, was a significant element of the recently negotiated contract between the city and Boston Teachers Union. Like any other educational practice, inclusion is no silver bullet, and requires significant resources, time, training, and effort to get right.
But the research is clear: inclusion does not just benefit a child with a disability; it helps his or her peers, too.
It is not too dramatic to state that the improvement of outcomes for students with disabilities and the future of learning in Boston's classrooms hinges on the success of inclusive practices.
Notes in the Margin
Are COVID cases higher in Boston schools this year? It depends.
A new report from the state auditor asserts $1B+ in unfunded education mandates in Massachusetts. This a relevant backdrop for the two Massachusetts teacher strikes this week, in Malden and Haverhill, that focused on pay increases. Malden settled after one day, but Haverhill has dragged on for the week, resulting in angry negotiators, angry families, and fines (teacher strikes are illegal in Massachusetts).
What academic recovery looks like in math in one Connecticut school.
A more nuanced take on the commonly binary positions on school diversity and school choice.
Other Matters
Two successful Boston public-private partnerships are highlighted:
The Fifth Quarter.
STEM Week.