Peabody Superintendent, Essex Tech Clash Over Admissions Policy

PEABODY, MA — Peabody Superintendent Josh Vadala called the rescinded Essex Tech admission offers to 22 Tanner City students "a serious breach in ethical standards expected from a public school" in an open letter to the community on Wednesday.

The letter charged that Essex Tech cited its own standards for what constituted successful completion of eighth grade, and proper elevation to high school, that was in conflict with the district standard of Peabody Public Schools and state standards in denying those students chosen through the first year of the blind lottery admission drawing system.

"It is an extraordinary and rare action to take that is fraught with its own consequences," Vadala said.

The letter was an escalation of a long-simmering clash between North Shore public school officials and the regional technical and agricultural high school over what the officials have called selective admission standards that create an unfair playing field between the districts and the tech schools that draws students and resources away from individual districts.

Last year, the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education forced the career and technical high schools to abandon any admissions policies that involved applications, interviews, recommendations and attendance reviews in favor of a lottery system designed to make access to CTE schools more equitable for all students.

• How MA Education Board Vote Changes North Shore CTE School Admissions

"We welcome the admissions reforms, and we welcome Essex Tech to the reality of public education," Vadala said. "The new blind vocational school lottery means equal opportunities of access for students.

"It doesn't mean reshuffling the deck when a vocational school disagrees with the outcome, denying opportunities to those who can benefit."

• Essex Tech Superintendent Rejects MA 'Lottery' Admissions Proposal

Many technical school officials, including Essex Tech Superintendent Heidi Riccio, initially opposed the change — arguing that because of the nature of the practical programs that the schools offer, including the use of dangerous equipment, it was necessary to consider attendance and other factors in admissions.

The new lottery system drew a record 1,746 admission bids for between 550 and 560 Essex Tech freshman seats. Riccio said at the time of the lottery that the 1,200 rejections were "pretty hurtful for kids" and urged that more be done to create more vocational school capacity to meet growing demand.

• 'Pretty Hurtful For Kids': Essex Tech Superintendent Responds To Lottery Admissions Frustrations

Riccio told Patch on Wednesday that the admission decisions in Peabody were based on the number of classes that the students in question failed.

"Some students had one to two courses that they failed, and they took summer school outside of their home district and gained entrance," she said. "Other students had more than two failed core classes. It was these students for whom it would be impossible to make up three to four, and we aligned with our own promotion policy."

She said the school has created the Hathorne Learning Academy — what she described as a four-day bootcamp that includes STEM, ELA and "executive functioning skills" — that she said 18 students attended to enhance academic standing and facilitate grade promotion.

"We plan to continue working on this program," she said.

But Vadala argued that, in public schools, there is no rejection under almost any circumstance and that it is the job of every public school to create a pathway to promotion each year for every student.

"This is flatly not true," he said of the assertion that Peabody Public Schools should not have allowed the students in question to graduate from the eighth grade. "The actions — both in private and now in public — represent both a startling departure from the norms of what is expected in public school districts, as well as a serious breach in ethical standards expected from a public school.

"Here in Peabody, we have programs, services and resources available to ensure that every student is deserving of promotion."

He said that less than 2 percent of Peabody students are held back in grade promotion and that the number is about 1 percent statewide.

"We acknowledge that not every student who comes through eighth grade is ready for honors-level courses," he said. "But every rising ninth grade student in Peabody has a seat waiting for them, with the appropriate level of educational support and guidance and all of the resources we can muster available to them.

"That's how we operate in a public school in Massachusetts."

He added that "numerous studies have shown that grade retention is not an effective intervention for students performing below grade level" and that holding students back in a grade can increase high school dropout rates.

"There are many reasons to promote an eighth grader who worked through struggles, including failure in a class may not be totally academic related but may be caused by skill deficit, attendance, or immaturity," he said.

Riccio said she believes students being prepared to advance to the next level of school "is a statewide problem" and that she wonders if "we held students in the fourth grade, would they have a better outcome?"

"What wraparound services are there for middle schools?" she asked. "What is the definition of promotion?

"I am empathetic with students who may have a life situation happening that is a bit different than being consistent in defining promotion."

Vadala said, ultimately, it is up to each public school to ensure that every student who chooses to enroll is accepted and supported through their academic journey.

"The goal of all public schools, including vocational technical high schools, must be the same," Vadala said, "to teach the whole child and prepare them for the next grade and next chapter of their lives.

"We prepare students for adulthood, whether that means college or starting a career after high school. We have an absolute duty to all children in our district, regardless of their background, socioeconomic status, or the level of support they may need."

More on Patch:

• Danvers Delays Vote On Capping Share Of Essex Tech Enrollment