Superintendent unveils district goals; reports 16% average gain on EL ACCESS assessment

Peabody — Superintendent Dr. Vedala presented the district’s improvement plan Aug. 26, outlining two central goals for 2025–26: a student learning goal focused on grade-level standards, high-quality texts and student ownership of learning, and a professional-practice goal centered on building a sense of belonging.

Vedala highlighted work with TNTP and described a category of “trajectory-changing” schools that deliver consistent, coherent instruction and a strong sense of belonging. He said the district will measure whether each student can identify at least one trusted adult in the school building as part of the belonging goal.

The superintendent reported that the district’s English learner program recorded an average 16% growth on ACCESS scores from K–12 last year. "From K to 12, we had an average growth of 16%, which was a huge, huge badge of honor," Vedala said during opening-day remarks cited at the committee meeting.

Vedala said the district will submit the SMART goals and district improvement plan to the committee for receipt and review; the committee voted to receive written communications covering agenda items 6–12 during the meeting.

What to watch: The committee asked for periodic measures throughout the year to track progress on reading and other targets and suggested scheduling check-ins at specific points in the school year so the committee and public can see interim results.