By Adam Swift
There are positive trends for the Chelsea schools with the latest indicators of success presented at last week’s school committee meeting.
Those indicators, presented by assistant superintendent of schools Dr. Tamara Blake-Canty, included the school attendance rates, drop-out rates, and mobility rates for December. Several school committee members did ask questions about the high school attendance rate for the month.
“Our indicators of success offer us a transparent way to measure our progress, to celebrate our growth, and to identify where additional support or adjustment is needed,” said Blake-Canty. “It also reinforces our dedication to deliver on our promises to our families and to all of our beautiful students.”
Blake-Canty said all the indicators of success are connected to the district priorities of rigorous and culturally relevant instruction for all students.
“In terms of daily attendance, pre-k through eighth grade shows a strong outcome at above 90 percent on average,” she said. “High school is holding steady, close to 77 percent on average for the month of December.”
The high school dropout rate for December was 1.96 percent, which Blake-Canty said is the second-lowest rate the district has seen in the six years since it has been measuring it as an indicator of success.
“It indicates that nearly all students are remaining enrolled and progressing towards completion,” she said.
The mobility rate showed healthy enrollment across the board for December, according to Blake-Canty. Overall, 42 students entered the district in December, while 22 left the district.
“Cumulatively, from September to current, we’ve had 297 students in, 169 students out,” Blake-Canty said. “That is a difference of 128.”
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Almi Abeyta said one of the reasons the district tracks mobility is because it recognizes that it is a very mobile community.
“We have so many students coming in, and a lot of students going out, so we do track where we are gaining students but also where we are losing students,” she said. “It shows the pattern of immigration, too, because we are a gateway community and when immigrants come to this country, oftentimes we are the first stop and then families move out of Chelsea.”
School committee member Katherine Cabral asked if there were programs being put in place to address the lower attendance at the high school in December, with the rate dipping close to 76 percent, which is lower than the rest of the district.
Administrators said that they have seen a dip in attendance in December and that they are working collectively with the staff at the high school to address attendance and put in place more proactive programs to involve the students and families.
Blake-Canty also noted that there is typically a dip in attendance across all districts during the holidays in December.
“We are definitely watching it, and it should jump back up in January, and if it doesn’t jump back up, then we will all be at the high school calling families,” said Abeyta.