In response to a previous student’s letter to the editor of the Concord Monitor, Pittsfield Superintendent John J. Freeman brought attention to the district’s tremendous progress in transforming its rank from the bottom tenth percentile in the state to the top 20, all while receiving national recognition for its competency-based education model.
Without undermining the alumna’s opinion in her letter, where she cited a lack of support for her academic problems, Mr. Freeman noted the wide range of services available to struggling students:
…Our students who face learning challenges are provided with a broad range of interventions and supports, all personalized to each student’s learning profile and needs. From daily advisory meetings to one-on-one courses with expert teachers, from extended learning opportunities to summer academies, many, many opportunities are available to our Pittsfield youth.
As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, the Pittsfield School Board recently asked the school leadership to develop a more robust system for monitoring individual student progress and providing students with a progressive system of support. This work has already begun and will be in place for the new school year. We will continue working with the community to ensure that all of our young people receive an education that will prepare them well for life after high school.
Read Mr. Freeman’s full response here.
