amesbury schools overview april 2014

Amesbury Schools Overview

Prepared by Rob Chamberlain –

School questionsWhat are the right benchmarks?

◦ Comparison of Amesbury’s MCAS to surrounding towns are frequently used

◦ Shouldn’t we comparable to demographically comparable communities?

◦ Do you believe demographics have an impact on what the standardized test measures?

What are the true budget drivers◦ Do we know the rate of increase on budget on SPED as a percentage of the Amesbury budget?

Strong investments in schools is showing results

Amesbury has increased investment in schools over the last 8 years

This investment has led to steady gains against state averages

Amesbury Elementary schools had the highest MCAS scores in the area for the last two years

This is up from the bottom scores in the area in 2007

A strong start will lead to continued excellence as students move the grades.

For example - Last years 5th grade had the highest % of Advanced scores in the area on last year’s MCAS

Analysis Approach•It is important to look at MCAS as one piece of data. There are other feedback measures to support planning and improvement across all student groups.

• It is critical to look at details:• the specifics of various subgroup performance against each specific goals.

• The performance of a class (cohort) as they move through the grades.

• Performance by subject level

• A comprehensive approach is the best way to help our students reach excellence.

Thoughtful analysis will support better planning• areas of excellence and specific areas or groups that need additional focus for

improvement.

Success in Middle School and High School starts in Elementary

Significant and steady progress has been made in Amesbury over the last 7 years

Amesbury has had the top scores of all elementary schools in the area the last two years

This year’s 6th graders had the most Advanced scores in 5th grade ELA in the region

All Amesbury schools have made consistent progress vs. demographically similar districts In 2013 Amesbury had the top scores vs. similar districts identified by the

DESE

Segments - subgroups, cohorts, high needs?

It is important to look at scores by segments and to follow trends over time by each category.

Segments are way to break down scores by different characteristics which makes analysis more meaningful. There are consistent performance gaps between subgroups so understanding the makeup of each population and how each group is performing relative to peer groups and goals is important.

Segments where there are consistent performance differences include:1. Gender – boys score lower than girls on MCAS – fairly consistent test gap2. Income – Lower Income correlates strongly to lower test scores 3. ELL – English Language Learners 4. Race 5. Special Needs

Demographic overviewsT itle

% of Amesbury

District

% of

Newburyport% of S tate

Low- income 23.6 9.3 37

S tudents W ith

Disabilities19 14.7 17

Free Lunch 18.4 7.7 32.1

Reduced Lunch 5.3 1.7 4.9

High Needs 35.6 21.6 47.9

Amesbury demographics drive improvement goals Amesbury should look at each group when it is analyzing and planning improvements

Why this population difference is important • Across all districts in the state Females outperform Males on MCAS scores• In the 2013 test 24.6% Females scored advanced on MCAS vs. 20.1% of Males. • Amesbury has a higher population of boys that will impact any simple comparison to districts with a different % of boys vs. girls • This holds true for other subgroups – SPED, Low Income, High Needs, etc. where Amesbury has a higher share of students in those

groups than surrounding communities• Looking at scores generically as the Daily News did isn’t best practice.

Amesbury Amesbury % Newburyport Newburyport % State State %

Male 1,237 53% 1,174 50% 489,289 51%

Female 1,100 47% 1,175 50% 465,484 49%

Total 2,337 100% 2,349 100% 954,773 100%

E nrollment by Gender (2012-13)

Amesbury ELA scores compared to demographically similar towns-

The Department of Education identifies peer communities based on town demographics

Amesbury progressed from #5 in this group in 2007 to #1 in Language Arts

Test Year Test Year Test Year Test Year Test Year Test Year Test Year

Subject Org Name (group) 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

ELA Amesbury 68.04% 67.13% 68.58% 70.34% 72.02% 71.99% 76.19%

ELA Danvers 75.16% 74.57% 73.98% 72.64% 74.90% 72.65% 75.54%

ELA Beverly 66.58% 63.82% 67.87% 69.43% 69.58% 68.56% 71.65%

ELA Bellingham 69.23% 66.58% 67.06% 71.11% 69.45% 69.28% 73.37%

ELA Plymouth 73.01% 69.07% 72.00% 72.06% 72.25% 69.82% 71.65%

ELA Bourne 67.79% 64.14% 67.20% 68.68% 69.84% 69.15% 70.01%

ELA Ludlow 66.35% 64.32% 63.01% 62.86% 60.97% 61.30% 66.40%

ELA Westfield 61.25% 61.02% 63.02% 64.39% 63.45% 63.09% 65.37%

ELA Northbridge 69.29% 67.08% 70.08% 69.33% 67.87% 65.99% 65.11%

ELA Middleborough 62.20% 58.36% 60.71% 59.91% 61.74% 63.51% 63.35%

ELA State Totals 64.99% 63.02% 64.97% 66.51% 67.03% 66.34% 68.95%

Amesbury diff from State 4.69% 6.52% 5.56% 5.76% 7.44% 8.52% 10.50%

Amesbury Rank 5 3 4 4 3 2 1

towns were identified by DOE for having similar special populations

The % of students scoring Proficient or Advanced by year in demographically Similar schools

Amesbury Middle School ELA has gone from 5th to first since 2007

Amesbury Math compared to demographically similar towns


Subject Org Name (group) 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

MTH Amesbury 46.83% 53.58% 53.25% 56.13% 56.48% 58.94% 65.29%

MTH Danvers 50.23% 56.42% 54.62% 61.03% 61.34% 57.79% 63.42%

MTH Beverly 49.55% 49.23% 51.50% 52.97% 53.91% 56.91% 64.68%

MTH Bellingham 50.72% 52.86% 54.98% 53.59% 55.55% 52.77% 59.42%

MTH Plymouth 54.14% 55.19% 55.63% 57.38% 56.20% 56.18% 60.83%

MTH Bourne 51.39% 51.59% 49.96% 56.69% 55.52% 56.79% 59.22%

MTH Ludlow 50.91% 53.09% 50.67% 47.60% 54.40% 52.51% 58.55%

MTH Westfield 40.81% 44.46% 44.09% 43.71% 43.42% 44.58% 53.16%

MTH Northbridge 51.58% 52.18% 50.86% 50.87% 49.62% 46.73% 50.07%

MTH Middleborough 46.71% 47.28% 45.41% 46.53% 47.26% 45.78% 50.91%

MTH State Totals 50.36% 52.45% 52.71% 55.24% 55.50% 55.53% 60.81%

Amesbury diff from State -7.01% 2.15% 1.02% 1.61% 1.77% 6.14% 7.37%

Amesbury Rank 8 3 4 4 2 1 1

The % of students scoring Proficient or Advanced by year in demographically Similar schools

Amesbury Middle School Math has gone from 8th to first since 2007

Relative to State

Average

Relative to

State Average

Relative to

State Average

Relative to

State Average

Relative to

State Average

Relative to

State Average

Relative to State

Average

Amesbury -0.3% 7.5% 8.0% 6.8% 11.1% 19.9% 27.0%

Amesbury Elementary Schools – Cashman and AES

Amesbury Elementary Schools went from #4 in 2007 to #1 the last two years

Percentage of students who earned Proficient or Advanced have progressed from about just below the State Average in 2007 to 27% above state average in 2013

This is separate from comparing Amesbury to more proper peer communities

What plans led to being #1?


Town 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Amesbury 55.52% 57.70% 59.06% 61.23% 62.77% 68.98% 72.45%

Newburyport 59.46% 53.66% 56.11% 58.66% 60.86% 64.38% 61.90%

Triton 57.33% 61.97% 64.70% 67.51% 61.12% 57.53% 64.32%

Pentucket 63.41% 65.18% 61.78% 64.80% 65.06% 68.00% 62.12%

State Totals 55.68% 53.67% 54.71% 57.34% 56.49% 57.55% 57.04%

Town Local Rank Local Rank Local Rank Local Rank Local Rank Local Rank Local Rank

Amesbury 4 3 3 3 2 1 1

Newburyport 2 4 4 4 4 3 4

Triton 3 2 1 1 3 4 2

Pentucket 1 1 2 2 1 2 3

Amesbury Class of 2021 MCAS trends • It is important to monitor how a graduating class

(cohort) progresses over time

• A strong start makes excellence in future grades more attainable

The Bars show how each of the surrounding districts did compared

to the Massachusetts state average for Advanced

The line indicates % of students who score excellent

- Amesbury Class of 2021 had the highest scores in the area in 3rd grade and 4th grade.

- Amesbury is the only school district in the area to have the % of advanced students higher

than the State Average in 4th grade last year.

State Average advanced %

Amesbury advanced %

Amesbury Class of 2015 MCAS trends

• This Graph show the average town scores for proficient and above in the surrounding towns relative to the state average.

• For the class of 2015 they started below the State average in Elementary school and made progress.

Surrounding communities had stronger scores in elementary and were able to maintain that advantage

Progress is happening at Amesbury Middle School

In the 2013 MCAS test the AMS 5th graders had the highest percentage of Advanced scores in the area.

This is a strong indicator of the groundwork laid at the elementary schools to be extended through to all levels.

Progress of 4th grade advanced ELA

Amesbury is also focused on driving Advanced scores.

Amesbury has had a higher % of 4th grade students score advanced on MCAS than the State or Newburyport since 2009.

Our advanced scores are trending upwards. If we are focused on giving our students a strong start, they can have a strong finish.

This graph shows the % of students scoring advanced in 4th grade over the years.

% scoring Advanced

Test Year

Progress of 4th grade advanced Math

We should also look at sub scores.By subject and performance level, Amesbury is also doing well driving Advanced scores.

Once again, Amesbury has had a higher % of 4th

grade students score advanced on MCAS Math than the State or Newburyport since 2008.

- Newburyport is still lower than State Average

% scoring Advanced

Test Year

Amesbury Middle School -

This shows gains against the State Average at AMS.

Plans are in place to build on recent success in the Elementary schools

Amesbury Middle School has made consistent gains from below state average in 2007 to above state average in 2013.


Town 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Amesbury 54.39% 58.85% 59.19% 62.33% 63.05% 61.89% 64.14%

Newburyport 63.57% 66.14% 67.01% 70.49% 69.87% 67.80% 75.50%

Triton 62.18% 66.08% 68.55% 69.91% 71.48% 71.77% 68.91%

Pentucket 68.46% 70.36% 72.89% 72.70% 69.24% 66.67% 71.06%

State Totals 55.21% 56.63% 57.43% 59.36% 59.77% 59.46% 60.09%

Town Local Rank Local Rank Local Rank Local Rank Local Rank Local Rank Local Rank

Amesbury 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Newburyport 2 2 3 2 2 2 1

Triton 3 3 2 3 1 1 3

Pentucket 1 1 1 1 3 3 2

Relative to State

Average

Relative to

State Average

Relative to

State Average

Relative to

State Average

Relative to

State Average

Relative to

State Average

Relative to State

Average

Amesbury -1.5% 3.9% 3.1% 5.0% 5.5% 4.1% 6.7%

Amesbury vs. State Averages by Gender

Overall performance:

Amesbury vs. State by Gender

School Investment trends

• Schools are the largest local cost

• Chapter 70 , the main form of state reimbursement, hasn’t kept pace with needs or mandates

• Sped costs are accelerating as a % of the budget

• Overall the investments are showing positive results.

School Investment Summary

• In Amesbury we have invested in schools and those investments are showing results. • This increases in local spending is largely driven by gaps in Chapter 70 aid and increases in Sped costs• The results of this investment is a positive trend vs local communities and demographic peers. ..

Trend Budget and State Revenue• No other city or town that received

a similar amount of Chapter 70 money in 2000 is receiving less aid in 2013 except for Amesbury

• Amesbury has continued to invest despite this loss of State revenue

Investment in schools is paying off

The bulk of new spending in Amesbury has been dedicated to schools

This spending has resulted in the top scoring elementary schools in the area.

The middle schools are making strides as elementary cohorts move up.

Per Pupil costsYour District: AmesburyComparable District: Newburyport

Year Pupils (FTE) Total Per Pupil Pupils (FTE) Total Per Pupil Pupils (FTE) Total Per Pupil

FY07 2,648.7 $29.1M $10,973 2,594.1 $29.7M $11,458 994,069.2 $11.8B $11,858FY08 2,621.0 $30.3M $11,568 2,538.3 $31.0M $12,199 989,656.7 $12.3B $12,448

FY09 2,535.4 $30.8M $12,154 2,507.6 $31.4M $12,523 985,165.3 $12.8B $13,006

FY10 2,571.0 $31.8M $12,384 2,499.1 $32.3M $12,938 986,207.9 $12.9B $13,053

FY11 2,535.2 $32.9M $12,966 2,509.8 $33.6M $13,369 984,581.9 $13.2B $13,361

Total Per Pupil Expenditures

Newburyport StateAmesbury

Expenditures Expenditures Expenditures

$0$2,000$4,000$6,000$8,000

$10,000$12,000$14,000$16,000$18,000$20,000$22,000$24,000$26,000$28,000$30,000

FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11

Avg Teacher SalariesAverage Teacher Salaries

Year Total Avg Total Avg Total Avg

FY07 198.8 $10.9M $54,914 212.9 $11.4M $53,499 73,759.5 $4.3B $58,258

FY08 167.0 $10.3M $61,540 159.0 $10.8M $67,884 69,331.4 $4.4B $64,164

FY09 171.5 $11.2M $65,260 167.5 $11.8M $70,349 68,289.5 $4.6B $67,572

FY10 168.1 $10.9M $65,040 169.4 $12.6M $74,245 67,747.0 $4.7B $68,781

FY11 163.4 $11.5M $70,341 170.1 $12.3M $72,536 66,882.2 $4.7B $70,340

Amesbury Newburyport State

Teachers

(FTE)

Salaries Teachers

(FTE)

Salaries Teachers

(FTE)

Salaries

$30K

$40K

$50K

$60K

$70K

$80K

$90K

$100K


How are we spending compared to foundation budgets

Percent Net School Spending above Foundation Budget

YearFoundation

Budget

Actual

Spending%

Foundation

Budget

Actual

Spending%

Foundation

Budget

Actual

Spending%

FY07 $19.5M $23.3M 16% $17.4M $24.8M 30% $8.0B $9.5B 16%

FY08 $19.8M $25.2M 21% $18.1M $25.4M 29% $8.4B $10.0B 16%

FY09 $20.8M $24.5M 15% $19.0M $26.5M 28% $8.8B $10.1B 12%

FY10 $21.2M $26.0M 18% $19.3M $26.6M 28% $9.1B $10.4B 13%

FY11 $21.2M $26.4M 20% $19.0M $27.7M 32% $8.9B $10.6B 16%


-60%

-50%

-40%

-30%

-20%

-10%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%


Is Amesbury investing enough?

Year Required

Spending

Actual

Spending %

Required

Spending

Actual

Spending %

Required

Spending

Actual

Spending %

FY07 $21.4M $23.3M 8% $21.5M $24.8M 13% $8.4B $9.5B 12%FY08 $21.9M $25.2M 13% $21.4M $25.4M 16% $8.7B $10.0B 13%

FY09 $21.7M $24.5M 11% $20.8M $26.5M 21% $8.7B $10.1B 14%

FY10 $22.5M $26.0M 14% $21.1M $26.6M 21% $9.1B $10.4B 12%

FY11 $22.0M $26.4M 17% $20.6M $27.7M 26% $9.2B $10.6B 13%


Percent Actual Net School Spending above Required Net School Spending

-50%

-40%

-30%

-20%

-10%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%


amesbury schools overview april 2014

Government & Nonprofit