July 25, 2024, by Hilary Jenison
Superintendent of Schools Margaret Adams was rated “needs improvement” overall during the school committee’s evaluation this week, following her second year on the job.
The School Committee met with Dr. Adams on Wednesday, June 24, to conduct her annual evaluation. During the meeting, the Chair of the School Committee, Nes Correnti, read Dr. Adam’s performance review and noted that similar to last year, she worked through the ratings and committee comments with the Vice Chair to complete the evaluation.
Chair Correnti summarized the overall evaluation of “needs improvement” by the School Committee, outlining the following feedback summary.
“Based on the evaluation provided, we summarized that Dr. Adams possesses a sharp intellect and an incredible work ethic, with significant strengths in student learning, facilities management, and equitable access to learning and instruction. Watching her interactions with students, it is evident that Dr. Adams cares deeply for students and is invested in their success, both academically and emotionally. She remains steadfast in her commitment to the strategic plan, achieving significant progress during its implementation. Dr. Adams consistently makes data-driven decisions focused on continuous student achievement. Along with her team, she conducted a comprehensive evaluation of special education programming and developed a Year-One action plan to address identified needs. While Dr. Adams demonstrates proficiency in these critical areas, further development is needed in fostering a respectful, collaborative, and effective professional culture, as well as enhancing communication and engagement across the district.”
At the beginning of the year, Dr. Adams set goals for her second year, which the School Committee approved. There are ultimately three areas of a Superintendent’s evaluation. The first section of the School Committee relates to the assessment of progress towards goals. Dr. Adams identified four goals at the beginning of the year, including a Professional Practice Goal, a Student Learning Goal, and two overall District Improvement Goals. The School Committee concluded that in both the outlined Professional Practice Goal and the District improvement Goals, Dr. Adams made “some progress” and “met expectations” for the outlined student learning goal.
The remainder of the Superintendent Evaluation is based on performance standards, including Instructional Leadership (Rated: Proficient), Management & Operations (Rated: Proficient), Family & Community (Rated: Needs Improvement), and Professional Culture (Rated: Needs Improvement).
Dr. Adams received the evaluation with professionalism and thanked the School Committee and the school community for their support over the past two years. She shared, “I’m grateful for the feedback as it is through feedback that we grow in our roles.” Dr. Adams noted that the “Healing of our community is an important next step to advance the goals of the district. Refocusing on our why, the students who are at the center of all of our efforts as a learning community will also be important. Through the past two years, I’ve learned about the community’s deep commitment and improving the schools to meet the needs of all of our students. I’m confident working together as a community, we can harness this commitment and come together to support our students, teachers and staff in moving forward to begin the healing process. Dr. Adams continued “Despite the challenges of this past year, I’m proud of many of the accomplishments of our learning community.”
Dr. Adams concluded, “Our goals for the upcoming year will focus on building strong relationships with our school community to support a strong focus on keeping our students at the center of our work and I look forward to sharing more information about my plans and strategies in the coming months … I’m honored to be the Superintendent here in Hingham and continue to work to lead the district into the next school year. I’m committed to continuing to work collaboratively with all of the stakeholders in the coming school year.”
Last year, Dr. Adams received a rating of “proficient,” considered to be an excellent rating based on the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education framework, according to Chair Correnti.
The Superintendent’s evaluation was approved unanimously by the School Committee at the conclusion of the meeting.