New pathway to college offered to school committee
Must-see local TV: Televised live on cable channel 10 beginning at 7 p.m. tonight, the Lowell School Committee will hear from Supt. Chris Scott, UML Chancellor Marty Meehan, and MCC President Carole Cowan regarding their plan to expand the partnership between the Lowell Public Schools, Middlesex Community College, and UMass Lowell. The goal is to increase the number of LHS graduates going to college, improve their readiness for higher education by better aligning academic requirements, and provide a clear path that enables graduates to earn a two-year degree as an extension of their diploma experience. Whether or not the state will have funding to implement any of the governor’s readiness project, Lowell schools want to be first in line with a plan for meeting the state’s education goals.
Tonight’s agenda will also include a report comparing recent Lowell MCAS data with state averages for 2008. Overall Lowell MCAS scores improved better than the state average on 8 of 14 tests. Based on a report by Paul Schlictman, coordinator of K-12 research, testing and assessment: “Overall state performance in English Language Arts was flat or showed a slight decline in the middle schools (5-8), while Lowell students increased the percentage of students in the proficient or advanced categories in all four grades and significantly outpaced the state in grades 5 and 7. Middle school mathematics gains also significantly outpaced the state in grades 5 and 7.” For instance, statewide grade 5 math scores had a 1 point increase in proficiency and 1 point decrease in warning while Lowell had a 5 point gain in proficiency and 5 point decrease in warning. Seventh graders statewide had a 1 point increase in math proficiency and no change in the warning category while Lowell students had a 6 point increase in math proficiency and an 8 point reduction in warning. If you can’t watch this must-see local TV tonight, visit the LTC website to catch a replay or for streaming video on demand, which should be up by 6 p.m. Friday.