School Climate

Sub-Committee Presentation

Cambridge Public Schools May 22, 2023

Strategic Initiatives

OBJECTIVE 1:

Deliver Ambitious Instruction & Effective Supports

OBJECTIVE 2:

Provide Accessible College & Career Pathways

OBJECTIVE 3:

Implement Effective Staff Learning & Support

OBJECTIVE 4:

Build Welcoming & Supportive Schools & District

1. Define a districtwide

instructional framework

that guides consistent, high-quality instruction in every classroom.

4. Collaborate to implement city-wide plan for universal

preschool to promote equitable access as a foundation

for student success.

7. Strengthen and expand

educator and leader career pathway programs, prioritizing hard-to-staff roles and diversification of staff.

10. Improve families access to resources within and

beyond CPS.

2. Align instructional practices and resources to instructional framework

across content areas and grade bands.

5. Implement a system of individualized student success planning and

supports that prepare students for effective transitions and

post-graduation success.

8. Establish a comprehensive, role-based professional

learning strategy and system that improves practices in alignment with district vision.

11. Promote positive school cultures and climate through

district-wide vision of inclusive and restorative discipline policies and practices.

3. Establish robust

multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS)

to support students’ academic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs.

6. Embed college & career exploration and

experiences across the JK-12 continuum.

9. Improve evaluation systems

for all staff to support professional growth as part of a culture of continuous improvement.

12. Develop a multi-year facilities improvement

plan based on pending building study.

About this Data

The Student Discipline Data Report reports the disciplines that public school students in Massachusetts received for the offenses committed, as reported by school districts in the School Safety Discipline Report (SSDR). For more detailed information on the SSDR collection, see the documents at the School Safety Discipline Report (SSDR) page on the DESE website.

Data Source: DESE

Defining Discipline

from DESE

• all incidents involving bullying, drug, violent, or crime-related offenses on school property and any resulting reportable disciplinary actions imposed on the student offender(s) and

• any other offenses in violation of the student code of conduct that result in a disciplinary action which removes the student from their regular educational environment (in-school or

out-of-school suspension, removal or expulsion).

District: Historical Discipline Data

# of Students Disciplined

The past three years represent the lowest levels of disciplinary incidents in the time period examined.

District: 2021-22 Students Disciplined

(%) by Student Group

Students with disabilities, low income students, African-American/Black students and Hispanic/Latino students all proportionally had the highest discipline rates in CPS in SY21-22.

Defining

In-School & Out-of-School Suspension

• In-school suspension is defined as a disciplinary action imposed by school officials to remove a student from participation in school activities for 1 day or more. Students suspended in school remain in school during the suspension period but are removed from academic classes and placed in a separate environment.

• Out-of-school suspension is defined as a disciplinary action imposed by school officials to remove a student from school and from participation in school activities for 1 day or more. Students suspended out-of-school are not in school during the period of their suspension at any time. Out-of-school suspension does not exceed 90 days in a school year.

District: Suspension Rates, 2013-2022

The past three years represent the lowest levels of suspension rates in the time period examined.

District: 21-22 Suspension Rates

(%) by Student Group

Students with disabilities and African-American/Black students had the highest out-of-school suspensions rates in SY21-22.

2021-22 In-School Suspension Rates

(%) by Student Group, CPS vs. State

When we compare in-school suspension rates to the state, we find that all student groups in CPS are below state averages.

21-22 Out-of-School Suspension Rates

(%) by Student Group, CPS vs. State

When we compare out-of-school suspension rates to the state, we find that all student groups in CPS are below state averages.

School Discipline Law

Chapter 222 of the Acts of 2012

• Discourages exclusion for reasons other than the following:

• Possession of a dangerous weapon
• Possession of a controlled substance
• Assault on a member of the educational staff
• A felony charge or felony delinquency complaint
• Conviction, adjudication, or admission of guilt with respect to a felony

• Principals or their designees are expected to exhaust all options before excluding students from their education. Below are typical options to consider before excluding a student from school:

• Peer Mediation
• Collaborative Problem Solving
• Restorative Practices
• Conflict Resolution

Behavior within the MTSS Framework

Supporting Student Behavior

Multi-Tiered System of Support

Mental Health

03

Tier 3: Intensive Supports

Restorative Practices: Harm Circles, Restorative Conferences

02

Tier 2: Targeted Interventions

Restorative Practices: Restorative Conversations/Chats

01

Tier 1: Universal Supports

Restorative Practices: Community Building Circles

Behavior

SEL

Restorative Practices are a set of tools used to develop healthy communities through building, maintaining, and repairing relationships among community members. Restorative Practices are designed to foster healthy dialogue and increase mutual understanding and empathy among the participants and offer a way to handle conflict that restores trust and connection within the community. (Pathways to Restorative Communities)

Efforts Underway

• Launching Welcoming Schools Initiative, which will include:
• Codifying MTSS expectations for behavior
• Launching School Climate Surveys
• Instituting Tier 1 SEL Practices focused on culture and climate
• Forming District-Level Student Support Team
• Adopting common behavior tracking system across schools
• Reviewing Guide to Policies for Students and Families

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• Hiring a Restorative Practices Specialist who will provide training and ongoing coaching to schools around restorative practices and support peer mediation programming in our upper schools and CRLS.

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• Providing district-wide Restorative Justice training through Suffolk University Center for Restorative Justice.