BIDDEFORD — On Tuesday, the Biddeford School Committee voted to end the freshman academy program at Biddeford High School, against the recommendation of School Department administrators.

On March 13, Assistant Superintendent of Schools Jeff Porter asked committee members to approve a revised program of the pilot program initiated this year with 80 members of the BHS freshman class. Renamed “freshman teaming,” a plan presented by Porter would include all ninth-graders beginning in the next academic year.

Porter shared data with the committee at that meeting, showing mixed results in academics and behavioral issues among those in the pilot program compared to other freshmen.

In part because of these results, the school committee had considered a second year pilot of the program with only a portion rather than the entire incoming freshman class taking part, to gather more data. But Porter said it wouldn’t be feasible to do so.

The program, which teams smaller groups of students with core class teachers, is intended to accomplish a number of goals such as ease the transition for students from the middle school to high school, create a closer relationship between students and teachers, enable greater communication between teachers so they can better address individual student problems, increase student achievement and retain students in danger of dropping out.

Committee member Lisa Vadnais said she was voting against continuing the program because she hadn’t received enough favorable information from teachers and others.

Committee member Bil Moriarty said he was basing his vote against the program in part on negative feedback, including a letter signed by some BHS teachers who opposed the program.

More system-wide improvements, rather than a program addressing just freshmen, are needed to address the many serious problems in the district, said committee member Anthony Michaud, who also voted against continuing the program.

Citing data from the program, former school committee member Laura Seaver said, “There is no evidence this program is successful. I would argue it’s a miserable failure.”

Using the data from the program wasn’t a good reason to vote against freshman teaming, said committee member Jim Emerson, who favored continuing the program. The program wasn’t set up in such a way to obtain data that could be used to accurately evaluate it, he said, and didn’t provide good comparisons between those in the pilot program and other freshmen.

If the committee wants to retain students, improve student achievement and “wants changes in test scores,” they “can’t support the status quo,” said Porter. He had hoped they would support freshman teaming, a program that school faculty and administrators spent two years developing.

BHS Principal Britton Wolfe said many of the issues addressed in a letter signed by more than 20 teachers objecting to the freshman academy had been addressed when the committee revised the program.

In addition, he said there were several students in danger of dropping out who stayed in school because they were helped through the freshman academy.

There needs to be a change in the mindset of residents, said Wolfe. Traditionally, he said school resources were devoted to the students with vocal parents and who did well academically. But the school district must now focus on “what’s in the best interest of all kids.” That’s why freshman teaming and programs that address the entire student body, not just the best students, should be supported, he said.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.