Dedham students do well on tests

The performance of special education students on state standardized tests has been a concern of school officials since the middle school failed to meet federal benchmarks for the group last year.
But according to figures released by the School Department last night, Dedham beat state average scores for special education students in five of the seven grades tested by the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System in 2007.
In grades 3, 4, 5 and 10, special education students came out ahead of the state average score for both math and English, according to the report. The sixth grade scored ahead of the state in English and was similar to statewide performance in math.
The report said seventh-grade scores largely mirrored state scores in both subjects while the eighth-grade English scores were similar to the state and its math scores were below state numbers.
At Dedham High School, the report said 95 percent of students passed the 10th grade MCAS test, a graduation requirement, compared with 85 percent statewide. Of 31 special education students who graduated last spring, 25 attended four-year or community colleges, the report said. Five special education students did not graduate in the spring.
In presenting the results to the School Committee, Assistant Superintendent Christopher Campbell said the district was taking a number of steps, including buying new textbooks, using computer programs and employing individualized goals for students, known as Individual Student Success Plans, to boost the lagging scores in the seventh and eighth grade.
While encouraged by the numbers, School Committee members looked for more ways the district could improve its scores.
Member Margaret Connolly, concerned that some of the students struggling in the eighth grade last year might need more help in 10th grade this year, suggested expanding the individualized success plans at the high school.
Currently the middle school requires individualized plans for students who fall in the lowest two MCAS categories, while the high school only requires them for students in the lowest category.
``I think we need to raise that bar higher,'' Connolly said about increasing the use of the plans at the high school.
School Committee Vice Chairman Margaret Matthews suggested the district should examine how towns in the state that score better than Dedham approach special education.
``We always look at best practices,'' Campbell said.
Daily News staff writer Patrick Anderson can be reached at 781-433-8336 or panderso@cnc.com.