Skip to main content

December 13, 2020

Good evening/morning-

If you saw Jim's email you know you are welcome to be in the building tomorrow. We will have another sign in sheet created so we know who is present. Thank you in advance for abiding by the district expectations of remaining in your own classroom.

Thank you also for all you are doing and will do over the next couple of days. I know the NEASC timing is less than ideal but I am so appreciative of your participation in the process. I talked to the Chair on Friday and he asked me to stress again that this new process is collaborative. I am looking forward to celebrating our successes at the end of the week and getting back to planning for the great things we had in store. Despite this crazy year I know you are all still focused on our vision of the AHS graduate and you are working harder than ever to meet the needs of all students. I know that will be evident in everything the visiting team sees over the next few days. 

The visiting team is excited to introduce themselves to you. Here is their Zoom intro!

Here is the video introduction/tour of AHS shared with the team: AHS school tour. A big thank you to WACA and our StuCo board for putting this together. It was fun to watch clips of our lipdub from years ago....I think we need to plan a 2021-2022 remake.

We will hear their findings at our Faculty Meeting on Thursday at 3pm: Faculty meeting/NEASC Closing Remarks


I found this article from the Globe interesting. We are certainly being faced with the same concerns and questions. Schools-confront-off-rails-numbers-failing-grades


I will sharing information on the 2021-2022 Course Recommendation timeline with liaisons this week. 


Below are the DESE updates on MCAS and ACCESS testing. Changes to the schedule were made so that we will only be testing members of the senior class ('21) in January. This is a handful of students who have joined us from private or out-of-state schools or those who have not passed the test previously. Hopefully it will have minimal impact on your classes. 

ACCESS testing timelines have been extended through May so we will work on timing for the test once we are back in the building. 

Updates to MCAS and ACCESS Schedules and Participation:


In recognition of the scheduling and logistical challenges that schools and districts are experiencing, DESE is adjusting the schedules and expectations for MCAS high school testing and ACCESS testing as follows:

January-February High School MCAS ELA and Mathematics Tests:
  • Students in grade 11 (class of 2022) will no longer participate in testing during the January-February window. Testing for this class in English language arts and mathematics is being postponed until later in the year.
  • Students in grade 12 (class of 2021), as well as adult test-takers, will remain eligible to participate in one or both tests beginning in January to earn their Competency Determination.
  • The testing window for eligible students is extended through Friday, February 12, giving schools an additional week to complete testing. The full testing window will be Thursday, January 14 through February 12.
ACCESS for ELLs:
  • The testing window for the ACCESS tests is being extended for several months. Schools will be able to administer the ACCESS tests at any time between Thursday, January 7 and Thursday, May 20.
  • Results will be returned in late summer.
The statewide testing schedule will be updated shortly to reflect the changes indicated above, and DESE will provide more information in the coming weeks about testing schedules for the remainder of the school year.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

August 22, 2025

Good afternoon- Thanks to everyone who helped to make New Student Orientation a success last night. It was great to see so many students and staff in the building. I am looking forward to seeing you all on Monday. We start at 8AM in the auditorium. There will be some members of the Class of 2026 painting their parking spots on Monday afternoon. Please try to park in the faculty parking lot or in the back of the building if you usually park in the student section.  New staff, please join the staff  Google Classroom . All information sent to faculty/staff will be housed here. The  class code is a5ca6a4. The custodians have been working hard to make sure each classroom has the correct number of desks (minus study halls). There may be a few classrooms off a desk or two based on student moves at the end of this week. If anyone has furniture in their rooms that is not being used, please let me know. We are short some L-shaped desks, under-desk file cabinets, and bookcases....
Post a Comment
Read more

May 12, 2025

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms & mother figures out there- Best of luck to the special athletes competing in the 5-Town Special Olympics today!  I apologize for the late notice, but we will do a class meeting with the juniors/prom attendees on Tuesday, May 13, and the seniors on Wednesday, May 14, during x-block. Please send your second block seniors to the auditorium, as we are not able to make announcements on 5/14.  Art Saves Ashland, which includes the student art show, as well as the Spring Choral Concert, are happening back to back on Thursday, May 15, starting at 4pm.  The concert is at 7pm in the auditorium. These events showcase the amazing talent of many of our students.  Here is the Early Release schedule for Friday, May 16. You can also find it linked on the school calendar. Departments will continue work on curriculum mapping for the afternoon.  Grand March will begin at 4:30pm in the gym if you are planning to stick around to see our p...
Post a Comment
Read more

March 10, 2025

Good morning- I hope the adjustment to the clocks springing forward hasn't thrown you off too much. I love that it means more light in the afternoon/evening.  On Thursday, March 13 year 2/3 teachers from Milford and Nipmuc High Schools will be here for learning walks. I have shared a schedule with impacted teachers but it may change over the next few days. Thank you for your flexibility and willingness to welcome new educators.  I am sure you saw Jim's message that the School Committee will hear our proposal on Competency Determination for the Class of 2025 at their meeting on Wednesday, March 12. I hope to share an update at our faculty meeting on Thursday, March 13, after school in the library . The meeting will involve MCAS training. As you are aware, the state has moved to a new portal so it will be important information for everyone to hear. Training for staff that do not attend faculty meetings will be scheduled at another time. Following the training, we will be walking...
Post a Comment
Read more