PITTSFIELD - The recent rise in MCAS scores in Pittsfield and North Adams schools has pleased backers of the Berkshire Wireless Learning Initiative.
Through BWLI, more than 2,300 Apple iBooks have been provided to students and teachers in the Pittsfield and North Adams middle schools. The laptops were distributed to seventh-grade students in January 2006 and to sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders the following fall.
Michael Supranowicz, president of the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce and co-chairman of BWLI’s Steering Committee, believes that BWLI is playing a major role in improving student achievement.
"The laptops have helped open doors for all students and it's great to see positive results at this stage of the program," Supranowicz said. "It's important to recognize the role the teachers have played in implementing new teaching methods through BWLI; their ability to help open those doors for the students has helped increase the achievement levels."
The goals of the initiative are to improve student achievement and transform the way education is delivered in the participating middle schools. One of the ways that the goals will be measured is by looking at trends in standardized test scores.
The results of the 2007 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System results posted on the state Department of Education Web site show rising trends for both cities' schools. DOE's Web site also indicates that the middle schools in both districts are making adequate yearly progress in math and English language/arts.
The Catholic Schools of Pittsfield, also a participant in BWLI, administer the Iowa Tests to its students. According to Donna Quallen, principal of St. Joseph School, the results for last year’s seventh-grade students were very positive in both math and language.
Superintendent of Pittsfield Public Schools Katherine Darlington sees a connection between BWLI and the rise in MCAS scores in her district.
"The Pittsfield Public Schools have shown dramatic improvement in student achievement on MCAS 2007," said Darlington. "Both Reid and Herberg middle schools have met their academic improvement targets in the aggregate and in all subgroups. We are attributing the BWLI one-to-one laptop initiative as a significant factor in helping us to raise student achievement by facilitating online assessments of student progress and providing instructional resources, strategies, and tools for teaching in innovative and engaging ways."
A formal evaluation study of BWLI is being conducted by Boston College's Technology and Assessment Study Collaborative (inTasc). InTasc is working closely with students, faculty, and school and state educational leaders to evaluate the effects of the initiative on teaching and learning.
Student achievement measures are being examined through the analysis of school records and individual student MCAS performance in the three participating public schools – Silvio O. Conte Middle School in North Adams and Herberg and Reid middle schools in Pittsfield.
Although Boston College has issued some preliminary evaluation reports, the impact of BWLI on achievement cannot be fully analyzed until after the end of the pilot program in June 2008. Even without the formal data, though, the schools are noticing that BWLI has had many positive impacts on learning.
In Boston College’s Year 1 evaluation results, BWLI students reported large increases in their computer use across all of the major subject areas and teachers reported large increases in the ways and frequency with which they use technology. In preliminary Year 2 findings, the majority of BWLI teachers report that the program has resulted in improvements in students’ quality of work, ability to work independently, engagement level, motivation, and participation in class.
James Stakenas, vice president of administration and finance at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and co-chairman of BWLI’s Steering Committee, believes that a key to the success of BWLI is professional development for teachers.
"The BWLI Steering Committee recognized right away the importance of professional development for teachers for this program to be a success," Stakenas said. "MCLA has been involved from the start and is gratified that the entire effort shows a positive result. This reflects positively on the teachers, technical support, school administration and MCLA. We are also thankful for the state support and many contributions of the business community to make this happen."
The North Adams Public Schools is very pleased with its MCAS scores throughout the district, and in particular at Conte Middle School.
"We are thrilled with this year’s MCAS performance at Conte Middle School," said James Montepare, superintendent of the North Adams Public Schools. "Conte made adequate yearly progress in both ELA and Math. If you just take a moment to walk the halls at Conte you will see that there is a different kind of atmosphere and a different kind of learner. Students and teachers are engaged not only with their subject area but with each other and BWLI has been the primary conduit for this."
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Former Harry's Supermarket Under Construction for Restaurant
Late last month, the Conservation Commission greenlit some tree pruning on the property. New windows and a new door can be seen in the front of the building.
"It's a substantial renovation that's currently underway here," Brent White of White Engineering said, speaking on behalf of the applicant and owner, Huajie Zhu.
A fire gutted the longtime Wahconah Street supermarket in 2023, and the following year, Zhu purchased the property for $460,000 two years ago to build a restaurant with hibachi in the existing footprint of the more than 100-year-old building.
White explained that the project has been ongoing for over a year, and the Community Development Board granted the property a waiver to reduce the minimum required number of parking spaces so that additional spaces aren't needed.
He noted that, looking at the site plan, there is very little room to do so. A mirror will be installed near the sharp turn on Bel Air Avenue to alleviate traffic concerns.
Pruning will be done on trees in the southeast corner of the existing paved parking lot, as a number of branches are hanging over. The new owners also intend to patch, sealcoat, and re-stripe the parking lot.
A fire tore through the building less than an hour after the supermarket closed for the day three years ago. An automatic sprinkler system is required for the new use.
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