Letters to Families

October 25th, 2023

Dear 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. As part of the federal Title I Grant program, schools that receive federal Title I funding are required to specifically reach out to families to review these reports.

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.

You will notice on our report card that Minuteman is doing very well with MCAS and students’ attendance rates. To improve areas of student performance data, Minuteman has started work on our Portrait of a Graduate and implemented new tiered levels of student support to help counteract suspension rates.

Please note there is one section on the report card “Grade 9 Course Passing” where the data is incorrect, the report card shows 47.1% of the freshmen class passed all their classes but the percentage should show 93.2%. This discrepancy was due to a data import error where one of Minuteman’s special education support classes (graded pass or fail) was being interpreted in the system as a “zero”.  We have alerted DESE of the error but please note these report cards come out in the spring, so this is previous data. It should be resolved on the 2023 report card.

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. We need families’ feedback on how to spend our Title I funding. Title I funds are intended to provide supplemental funds for instructional and other academic related services for students who are at-risk for not meeting state academic standards. Please complete this brief survey (link) to share your ideas.

A link to our school’s report card is attached and available here (link). 

Finally, 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 Rose Romano rromano@minuteman.org.

Sincerely,

Katie Bouchard
Interim Principal