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The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

Virtual Schools - Recommendation for New Commonwealth of Massachusetts Virtual School

To:
Members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
From:
Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D., Commissioner
Date:
February 14, 2014

In August 2013, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) received six Letters of Intent for new Commonwealth of Massachusetts virtual schools (CMVS). In November, we received a single application, which was submitted by The Education Cooperative (TEC).

bmitted by TEC addresses the elements specified in the virtual schools statute, the application has some areas that need further development. As explained below, I am recommending that the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (Board) grant a certificate to the board of trustees of the TEC Connections Academy Commonwealth Virtual School (TECCA), but I am also recommending that the Board impose on the certificate a number of conditions related to areas where improvement is needed.

TEC proposes to operate a CMVS for grades K-12 with a maximum enrollment of 6000 students. The executive summary is enclosed. The full application can be accessed on the Department's website at Virtual Schools Application Process webpage.

Proposed School NameLocationOpening YearGradesProposed Maximum Enrollment
TEC Connections Academy Commonwealth Virtual School (TECCA)Dedham2014-2015K-12 6000

Application Review Process

The Department's Office of Digital Learning conducted a multi-step review of the final application. The goal in this process is to ensure the applicant demonstrates the greatest potential for creating a successful, high quality CMVS.

The review process included the following:

Summary of Recommendation

I recommend that the Board award a certificate to the board of trustees of the TEC Connections Academy Commonwealth Virtual School (TECCA). To assist the school in meeting our high standards, I am recommending that several conditions be placed on its operating certificate, with each of these items subject to the review and approval of the Department. These conditions are:

In addition to these conditions, I recommend that some terms of the certificate vary from the application submitted to the Department. The variations are summarized below; the full version of the terms is enclosed.

A motion for your consideration is attached to this memo. The motion provides for granting a certificate to the Massachusetts TEC Connections Academy Commonwealth Virtual School provided it complies with the terms and conditions of its certificate.

Future Virtual School Activity

Looking forward, later this year, the Department's Office of Digital Learning will post a Request for Proposals for school committees and educational collaboratives interested in opening a CMVS for school year 2015-2016. The Department anticipates bringing recommendations for additional Commonwealth of Massachusetts virtual schools to the Board for review and a vote in February 2015.

Associate Commissioner Cliff Chuang and Luis Rodriguez, Director of our Office of Digital Learning, will be present at the Board meeting on February 25th to answer any questions you may have.

Enclosures:

Download PDF Document
Terms of the Certificate
Download PDF Document
Summary of Application Review
Download PDF Document
Executive Summary
Download PDF Document
List of Application Reviewers
Download PDF Document
Interview Summary
Download PDF Document
Summary of Public Comments
 
Motion