1/31/2022

Dear Norfolk Families:

Every year, each public school and school district in Massachusetts receives a report card. Just as your child’s report card shows how they are doing in different subjects, the school’s report card is designed to show families how our school is doing in different areas. Links to our school’s report cards are available on our website (NPS Website Link) or on the Massachusetts Department of Education website at: 

Freeman Kennedy 2022 School Report Card

H Olive Day 2022 School Report Card

This is a link to a Quick Facts and Glossary information flier. To see our district’s report card or to search for other schools’ report cards, visit reportcards.doe.mass.edu. 

The report card includes multiple measures of a school’s performance – more than just MCAS scores. It represents a new way of looking at school performance, by providing information on student achievement, teacher qualifications, student learning opportunities, and more.  

Report cards are designed to be useful tools for everyone connected to our school. Families can use the information to have meaningful conversations with us about what the school is doing well and where there is room for improvement. Community and education leaders can use the information to better understand how to support students and our school. Please note that our report cards have some fields that are blank because we do not service Middle and High School students.

The following are a few highlights and next steps on how the Norfolk Public Schools is using the District Report Card to inform our practices. I do want to bring your attention to an error in this report. The report states that 88 percent of our teachers are considered highly qualified when in actuality 100 percent of our teachers are considered highly qualified and are teaching under the required licensure. The error was due to a miscategorization of a teacher’s assignment due to a late hire and unfortunately, the error could not be corrected in time for the release of this report. You will notice that our district continues to outperform the state in the area of student achievement in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science.  The data shows that our students in grades 3 to 6 performed just as strongly in English Language Arts in 2019 as they did in 2020 which is very encouraging given the interrupted learning we faced during the 2020/2021 school year. The pandemic did have a more significant impact on our scores in Mathematics. This is an effect that has been seen across the nation in this subject area.  We anticipated this outcome and have made adjustments to our curriculum and instruction in order to address this unfinished learning. 

Below is an outline of some of the additional supports we implemented during the 2021/2022 school year:

1. Continuing to adjust our curriculum and pacing in order to allow teachers to focus on priority skills that students need to demonstrate mastery with
2. Revising our district intervention practices in order to ensure that we are incorporating the most up to date, research based practices that will meet the learning needs of every student 
3. Offering professional development opportunities for staff on best teaching practices that will support students post pandemic learning
4. Increasing the district’s Math Specialist team by adding an additional teacher to support students and teachers with math teaching and learning
5. Collecting and analyzing various assessment data gathered throughout the school year that will be used to drive our instructional practices and interventions
6. Continuously revisiting our practices throughout the school year and looking for opportunities to enhance our programs and instruction

We encourage you to become involved in helping us improve our school. We see parents as critical partners in the success of our students and school, and we are grateful for your continued support.

Finally, Freeman Kennedy Elementary School receives Title 1 funds. If your child attends a school that receives federal Title I funds, you also have the right to request the following information about the qualifications of your child’s classroom teachers:

• Whether your child’s teacher is licensed in the grade levels and subject areas they teach,
• Whether your child’s teacher is teaching under an emergency license or waiver, 
• The college degree and major of your child’s teacher, and
• Whether your child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications. 

If you have questions about our school’s report card, would like to become involved in school improvement activities, or would like to request information about the qualifications of your child’s classroom teacher, please contact Dr. Allardi, Superintendent of Schools, or Victoria Saldana, Director of Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction.  This letter will be sent to you via your child’s backpack and as a ConnectEd. 

Sincerely,

Victoria M. Saldana

Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

Norfolk Public Schools

508-528-1225 ext. 1815

vsaldana@norfolk.k12.ma.us