Commissioner's District

The state has okayed Worcester's plan for its twelve underperforming schools.
The first thing that leaps out at me on this list? It includes all four of Worcester's middle schools.

According to today's article by Jacqueline Reis, the plans include more time for reading, meeting time for teachers to discuss test results, and training for principals.

Two important points made by the superintendent:
In the district’s analysis, however, Mr. Caradonio pointed out that the district cannot afford all the improvement efforts recommended. Although the district provides some daily after-school tutoring, for instance, it would cost $6.4 million more to provide it to everyone the state recommends have it. And while the district provides some coaching for teachers at Priority Schools, giving each such school two subject-area coaches would cost another $2.2 million
And:
The plan focuses on academic and teacher quality issues and does not delve into other factors that might affect students’ ability to learn, such as poverty, Mr. Caradonio said.

Poking around online, I can't find the report itself. If I do, I'll post a link. Remember, incidentally, that these results are almost entirely based on MCAS scores.