Swampscott Public Schools Director of Teaching and Learning Sarah Kent gave an update on the state of the department at Thursday’s School Committee meeting, covering development programs for teachers, progress in reading and mathematics objectives and a new innovation pathway for high school students to follow.

Kent said that data collected this fall showed that 46 middle school students in the district were two or more grade levels below where they should be in ELA. By the end of the school year, that number was cut in half.

“That means we are closing gaps, and that’s really exciting,” said Kent.

Over the course of the school year, the number of students two or more grade levels behind in elementary school math has also decreased from 69 to 22 students

Across the state, about 41% of students in grades 3 through 8 are at or above their grade level in mathematics, Kent said. In Swampscott, about two-thirds of both elementary and middle school students are at or above their grade level, much higher than averages across the state..

Kent also announced that a new summer school program for elementary school students is being introduced this July. Participating students in the three-week program will focus on math and ELA learning.

The program is meant to help students from falling behind during the summer months, which she called a “summer slide.”

“Keep them in rhythm, that’s all we want to do,” said Kent.

At the high school level, a third Innovation Pathway will be available for students to pursue next school year.

“Innovation Career Pathways provide career connections through innovative curriculum, hands-on and real world experiences in specific high-demand industries in Massachusetts,” read Kent’s presentation to the School Committee. “IPs are designed to create strong partnerships with employers in order to expose students to career options and help them develop knowledge and skills related to their chosen field of study before they graduate high school.”

The new Innovation Pathway will be in media arts and communications, joining advanced manufacturing as well as business and finance.

“We’re going to take all that JoE (Douillette) and his team do and form it into a pathway, add some new stuff but make it something that is an official designation kids can have on their diplomas and use when they are applying to schools,” said Kent.