MCCPS Board of Trustees

Minutes

Academic Excellence Committee Meeting

Date and Time

Monday March 1, 2021 at 7:30 AM

Committee Members Present

Ellen Lodgen (remote), Jessica Xiarhos (remote), Kimberly Sullivan (remote), Matt Cronin (remote), Meg Upton (remote)

Committee Members Absent

Molly Wright, Sarah Plymate Ragozin

I. Opening Items

A.

Record Attendance and Guests

B.

Call the Meeting to Order

Jessica Xiarhos called a meeting of the Academic Excellence Committee Committee of MCCPS Board of Trustees to order on Monday Mar 1, 2021 at 7:36 AM.

C.

Accept Remote Participation

Jessica Xiarhos made a motion to In light of the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, Governor Baker issued an emergency Order on March 12, 2020, allowing public bodies greater flexibility in utilizing technology in the conduct of meetings under the Open Meeting Law. This committee makes a motion to accept this Executive Order for this meeting of the Academic Excellence Committee, on March 1, 2021.
Ellen Lodgen seconded the motion.
The committee VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
Roll Call
Matt Cronin
Aye
Jessica Xiarhos
Aye
Kimberly Sullivan
Aye
Molly Wright
Absent
Ellen Lodgen
Aye
Sarah Plymate Ragozin
Absent
Meg Upton
Aye

D.

Approve Minutes from 1/25/21

Kimberly Sullivan made a motion to approve the minutes from January 25, 2021 Academic Excellence Committee Meeting on 01-25-21.
Meg Upton seconded the motion.
The committee VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
Roll Call
Matt Cronin
Aye
Molly Wright
Absent
Sarah Plymate Ragozin
Absent
Jessica Xiarhos
Aye
Ellen Lodgen
Aye
Kimberly Sullivan
Aye
Meg Upton
Aye

II. Academic Excellence Committee

A.

Update on Draft Criteria

Looking over the Global Studies for formatting alignment with the other subjects

 

Art - combining new state standards (more specific) and National Art Standards (more broad)

B.

Next Steps - Website?

Website - "Learning at MCCPS"
  •  Criteria for Excellence - section on website with Exhibition and Essential Habits
  • From Website: "To help guide our learning and projects, teachers created a set of critical skills and understandings that we want students to demonstrate at Marblehead Charter. We call these skills and understandings the Criteria for Excellence. Using these Criteria, teachers align their units, projects, and assessment to these skills. Then students produce connected work and evaluate their progress of these Criteria over their five years at Marblehead Charter. It is another way for us to emphasize that learning isn’t just a moment-to-moment event but something that students cultivate over the years."

 

Balance of information on the website
  • "What you do read without scrolling, make sure it stands out."
  • Videos - For example, having Ellen talk about Math/Science in the Upper grades, teacher + student talking about what they're learning, Math/Science in action
  • Keeping grade spans - 4/5 and 6/7/8
  • Moving beyond placeholder blurb. 

C.

Accessibility of Document for Students and Parents

III. Closing Items

A.

Action Items

Jessica will send out Google Doc with all criteria - Art

 

Next meeting pushed to March 29th @ 7:30 am.

B.

Adjourn Meeting

There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 8:10 AM.

Respectfully Submitted,
Jessica Xiarhos
Documents used during the meeting
  • 2021_01_25_academic_excellence_committee_meeting_minutes.pdf