Two years ago, the Swampscott school district was one of the top 50 in the Greater Boston area. Flash forward to 2013, and the district has plummeted 26 spots.
But according to school officials, comparing Swampscott to other districts doesn’t necessarily paint an accurate portrayal of the education our students are receiving.
“[Swampscott students] are absolutely receiving a good education,” Swampscott Assistant Superintendent Pam Angelakis said in a recent interview. “I work on what we’re concerned with in our own district. I hesitate to compare us with other districts.”
According to Boston Magazine’s annual Best of Schools report, Swampscott was ranked as the 40th best district in Greater Boston in 2011. But when the publication collected the data this year, Swampscott came in at number 66 — a 26-spot drop from 2011 to 2013.
Boston Magazine’s report used data collected from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, focusing on district-wide elements such as total enrollment, average class size, per pupil spending, student-to-teacher ratio and standardized test scores — ACT, SAT, AP and MCAS.
Mean scores were calculated for each category, and then communities were ranked on a weighted average of each district’s difference from the mean. Only the districts that lie in — or partially within — the Greater Boston I-495 boundary were included in the study.
Why the massive change in Swampscott’s ranking? The drop in ranking might not necessarily indicate drastic changes in the district, but could in fact be due to the method by which the data was ranked.
In 2011, regional school districts were treated as one entity on Boston Magazine’s ranking scale. But in 2013, the report broke apart those regional districts, and instead ranked each community within those regional districts separately.
For instance, in the 2011 report, the communities of Dover and Sherborn were clumped together into one district — since the communities share schools — and ranked as the number one school district. But in the 2013 report, Dover came in at number one, while Sherborn came in second.
In the 2011 report, nine regional school districts were ranked above Swampscott. But in the 2013 report, those nine districts were broken up into the 19 communities they represent, bumping Swampscott — and several other single-community districts — to a lower spot on the list.
Looking at Swampscott’s numbers
When comparing Swampscott’s data over the 2011-2013 period, the changes were minimal; some areas saw improvement, while others saw a decline.
For instance, MCAS scores at the high school level saw significant improvement in all three subjects tested — English, math and science — over the two-year period. But over that time span of time, the SAT scores of high school students dropped — the largest decline was seen in math scores, from 544 in 2011 down to 521 in 2013.
Some minor decreases in 8th grade MCAS scores were seen in all three subjects from 2011 to 2013, while minor increases were seen in 5th grade scores.
Enrollment numbers, per pupil spending, the student-to-teacher ratio, classroom size and the percentage of students graduating high school all remained nearly the same from 2011 to 2013.
In a recent interview with the Swampscott Reporter, Angelakis addressed Swampscott’s 2013 MCAS scores, shedding light on what’s going on in our schools when it comes to standardized testing.
Q: What was your initial reaction to the 2013 MCAS results for Swampscott?
A: I was very pleased, but I think there is room for improvement. We continue to see what types of questions are challenging for students, for example, short answer versus open response. We scored above the state average in all categories.
Q: In many grades, there was a decrease in the percentage of students achieving advanced and proficient levels combined, especially in mathematics. What do you make of that?
A: Every district sees patterns. However, we can’t compare a grade from year to year because the results depend on the cohort of students being tested. There are many factors that would make the groups different. For instance, a pupil coming in from another school in the middle of the year may have to catch up, and thus skew the data. It is more helpful to track every school class throughout the years, looking at whether it’s improving. Each principal will begin analyzing data this way.
Q: How much time do teachers spend preparing students for the MCAS? Do you think it’s been effective?
A: It’s hard to give a figure for the percentage of time spent on preparation. For a long time, we have incorporated MCAS types of questions into student work. Teachers embed them into the curriculum. We need to look at what to do in the future. Third grade math scores were super. Also, Hadley Elementary consistently receives good scores in math. We should learn from these examples.
Q: In 2013, Swampscott and Marblehead spent nearly the same amount per pupil, $12, 592 and $12,727, respectively. Yet in the 2013 Best of Schools report published in Boston Magazine, Swampscott ranked 66th, while Marblehead ranked 40th this year. How would you explain the difference?
A: Look, obviously, I’m not happy about our students performing in some areas not far above the state average [on the MCAS]. We always want them to improve. Through our analysis, we are looking at which skills students need help with.
BY THE NUMBERS
According to Boston Magazine’s 2013 and 2011 Best of Schools report, as well as the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, here is how Swampscott performed in both years.
You can also click here to access Boston Magazine’s 2013 Best of Schools report, or click here to access the 2011 report.
2013 SWAMPSCOTT
-2013 Best of Schools ranking = 66
-Enrollment = 2,283
-Average class size = 21
-Graduation rate = 95.7
-% of students attending college after graduation = 78.8
-Per pupil expenditures = $12, 592
-% scoring 3-5 on AP exams = 67.3
-Average SAT reading score = 522
-Average SAT writing score = 529
-Average SAT math score = 521
-Student to teacher ratio = 13 to 1
Grade 10 MCAS Scores
English = 97
Math = 93
Science = 88
Grade 8 MCAS Scores
English= 91
Math = 61
Science = 58
Grade 5 MCAS Scores
English = 70
Math = 62
Science = 70
2011 SWAMPSCOTT
-2011 Best of Schools ranking = 40
Enrollment = 2,273
Average class size = 20
Graduation rate = 96.3
% of students attending college after graduation = 78.8
Per pupil expenditures = $12,448
% scoring 3-5 on AP exams = 66.4
Average SAT reading score = 529
Average SAT writing score = 537
Average SAT math score = 544
Student to teacher ratio = 13 to 1
Grade 10 MCAS scores
English= 88
Math = 86
Science = 68
Grade 8 MCAS scores
English = 96
Math = 63
Science = 60
Grade 5 MCAS scores
English = 77
Math = 60
Science = 60