The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
School and District Accountability and Assistance Update - Overview
The attached reports describe the work of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education through our Centers for Targeted Assistance and School and District Accountability over the past several years. Taken together, they are intended to provide members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education with background information on the wide range of activities of those Centers since 2008 when the Board and Department began the work of redesigning and strengthening both accountability and assistance efforts prompted by August 2008 legislation that restored to the Department responsibility for district accountability reviews. No action is required at the September Board meeting. Later this winter I anticipate that I will be bringing to the Board recommendations concerning the future status of these five districts: Fall River, Gill Montague, Holyoke, Randolph and Southbridge.
Accountability Information Session
The reports begin with the Department's Powerpoint presentation for the field that is being used in next week's information session for districts. The PowerPoint outlines the new accountability and assistances framework, describes how federal Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards and designations are integrated with state "level" designations, introduces new "commendation" designations, and presents the actions required of each district based on those designations.
School and District Accountability and Assistance - Level 3 districts
The second report describes the state's newest accountability designation, Level 3. An Act Relative to the Achievement Gap requires that the department identify the lowest performing 20% of schools. Every district that has one or more school of these schools is designated as a Level 3 district under the new accountability regulations. This report outlines the process for designating schools at Level 3 and the responsibilities and opportunities that follow.
School and District Accountability and Assistance - Level 4 schools
This report updates the Board on the status of the 35 Level 4 schools identified in March 2010, and the Department's assistance to the nine districts that are home to the 35 Level 4 schools.
Progress Report on the Department's Level 4 District Accountability and Assistance Work
This report summarizes the work underway and the progress to date in the four districts the Board has identified as Level 4 ("underperforming") districts: Holyoke, Gill-Montague, Southbridge and Randolph.
Update on Accountability and Assistance Work with the Fall River Public Schools
The Fall River Public Schools have been working under the terms of a "Recovery Plan" I approved in 2009. This report details the progress made to date on the Recovery Plan and outlines next steps.
Update on District Accountability Reviews
The final report summarizes the district accountability reviews completed since summer 2008 when state law returned to the Department responsibility for conducting district accountability reviews.