Credit: Grace Zocco

Principal Allyson Mizoguchi answers the committee members’ questions after giving a presentation during the Wayland School Committee meeting on Dec. 3.

On Wednesday, Dec. 3, the Wayland School Committee met at the Wayland Town Building, discussing the possible implementation of competency determination tests (CDTs) for tenth graders, Wayland Middle School’s Yondr pouches and the hate crime prevention grant.

Most of the committee was in attendance, including chairperson Erin Gibbons and representatives Elizabeth Cullen, Erin Mueller and Kate Sambuco. Not in attendance was representative Christina Rodrigo. In addition to the committee, Superintendent David Fleishman, Assistant Superintendent Betsy Gavron and Wayland High School Principal Allyson Mizoguchi were also at the meeting.

Takeaway one: Competency determination tests

In November of 2024, Massachusetts voters elected to remove the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) as a graduation requirement. In response to this change, Mizoguchi and Gavron proposed using CDTs, benchmark assessments that would replace the MCAS as a separate graduation requirement.

“The voters of Wayland did not support [the MCAS] vote, however, it was state wide, and it did pass,” Fleishman said. “As a result, districts had to come up with their own competency determination based on [Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)] guidance.”

If WHS implements CDTs as a graduation requirement, students will need to pass their core classes—math, science, english and history—and demonstrate proficiency in topics previously tested in the MCAS, such as math, science and english. CDTs will have two main standards: mastery of common skills and satisfactory completion of courses.

“[Mastery is shown] in successful completion of core courses, [which] for [WHS, is] in science, biology, Algebra I or II, English nine and ten and U.S. History I,” Mizoguchi said.

According to Mizoguchi, DESE gave examples of what the CDTs could look like, including final exams and a portfolio showcasing work completed in core classes over the school year.

Because freshmen have biology and algebra exams, they won’t need to take CDTs on those subjects. However, because English I doesn’t have a final exam, there would need to be a benchmark test.

“U.S. history, English nine and English ten, they don’t have a final exam,” Mizoguchi said. “So what the [district] did was [meet] with our department chairs and talked about what students were already doing, or what are they [are] doing that we could tweak that will successfully show at least half the standards connected to that content area.”

Takeaway two: Yondr phone pouches follow up

District Director and WMS Principal Deborah Romeo spoke about the newly implemented Yondr pouches.

“Homeroom teachers check pouches everyday as part of attendance,” Romeo said “Kids take them out [of their bags], Yondr recommended that because we had to keep sending the message to the kids that this is a part of the middle school program.”

According to Romeo, the data following the implementation of Yondr pouches suggests that there is less phone usage. Last school year, there were about 83 devices taken by teachers. So far this year, there have been 44 devices taken, but 24 were before the implementation of Yondr.

“More kids are leaving devices at home, and that was not necessarily something that was expected,” Romeo said.

Mueller asked Romeo if students were indeed leaving their devices at home, and Romeo responded that they’re skeptical. It was mentioned that the administration followed up with students’ parents, reaching out and asking if they are leaving their devices at home.

“We did that double check because families told us in the returning student form what devices the kids had,” Romeo said. “When there was a change, and a student didn’t have that device, it caused us to pause and wonder.”

Takeaway three: Hate crime prevention grant

Speaker Caroline Han talked about the hate crime grant and past grants that Wayland schools have received. She also mentioned what the Wayland schools are doing to be more inclusive and make everyone feel safe.

“Our first grant, we were awarded with was at the beginning of 2024, and we were rewarded with 50,000 dollars, then another 50,000,” Han said. “Earlier this year, we were awarded 25,000 [dollars], and that was because we could only apply for 25,000.”

According to Han, WMS has been holding assemblies where diversity and identity have been discussed. After these assemblies, work was given to students, allowing them to talk about their different identity markers and times where they felt included verses excluded.

“What was fascinating was sometimes the kids who share stories are not the kids that you would think,” Han said. “It’s an opportunity for kids to connect around the feeling of not belonging, or the feeling of being teased or targeted, which cuts across all sorts of identity markers.”

Han went on to show examples of what all the Wayland Public Schools have done and are doing to help make students feel safe and seen at school. According to Han, restoring the community includes circle practice, where classmates sit in a circle and allow everyone to talk and listen to each other.

“Circle practice is foundational because when there is a harm, the one reason why it doesn’t work to just go to tier three is because the harm doer feels no sense in what community they are restoring,” Han said “So if [community] doesn’t exist, then the repair and restorative piece doesn’t work.”