Re “A new way to excel on MCAS” (Editorial, Nov. 12): We wholeheartedly support your insights on the educational value of the Thompson Island experience, from which many of our students benefit each year. However, we want to underscore how this program has grown in recent years, and how much Boston’s public school teachers, principals, and administrators have contributed to this partnership.

In the past year, 35 Boston Public Schools brought more than 4,000 students to Thompson Island (up from 31 schools and 3,500 students in 2011), and leveraged the island as an important foundation for their curriculum. The school science department has collaborated with educators on the island to create the activities that bring the school curriculum alive.