District/School Administration Administration
Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

Board in Brief
Tuesday, May 28, 2002

This is "Board in Brief," issued at the request of Commissioner David Driscoll to bring you up to date on Board of Education matters. This is a report on the regular meeting held on Tuesday, May 28, 2002 at Randolph High School.

Superintendent of Schools Arthur Melia welcomed the Board to Randolph High School, where the Board met in honor of this year's student Board of Education member, James Madden. Chairman James Peyser and Commissioner Driscoll presented Mr. Madden with a certificate of appreciation on behalf of the Board, and thanked him for his diligent service in representing the students of the Commonwealth.

Chairman Peyser announced that the Commissioner will appoint a blue-ribbon panel to develop and recommend standards for awarding state-endorsed local certificates, starting with the class of 2003, to students who meet local graduation requirements but who have not yet earned a competency determination. The Chairman said he expects the Board of Education to consider the recommendations in the fall.

Commissioner Driscoll thanked Deputy Commissioner Mark McQuillan, Juliane Dow, Jeff Nellhaus, and Barbara Solomon for their work in conducting four well-attended and well-received workshops on the major provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act. The workshops focused on the new assessment, accountability, flexibility and funding components of the federal law. The Commissioner reported that Massachusetts is well-positioned to implement the new law, because of all the work that has been done at the state and local level under the Education Reform Act.

Commissioner Driscoll thanked Senator Richard Moore for his assistance on the History and Social Sciences curriculum framework. The Commissioner also recognized Jeff Nellhaus, the Associate Commissioner for Student Assessment, who was recently presented with the "Friend of Education" award from the Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators Association. Finally, the Commissioner announced that Alan Safran, Senior Associate Commissioner for Student Achievement, will be leaving the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education at the end of June after nearly nine years to become Executive Director of the Media and Technology Charter High School (MATCH School) in Boston.

The Commissioner thanked Alan for his commitment to serving the students of the Commonwealth, and wished him luck in his new role at the MATCH School.

MCAS Update

Associate Commissioner Jeff Nellhaus presented a progress report on the percentage of students in the class of 2003 who have earned a competency determination, based on the results of the May 2001 grade 10 MCAS test and the December 2001 re-test. To date, 76% of students in the current class of 2003 have earned the competency determination necessary for high school graduation.

Bill Guenther, President of Mass Insight Education, briefed the Board on Mass Insight's recent report, "Taking Charge: Urban High School Students Speak Out About Academics, MCAS and Extra-Help Programs." In the study of urban high school students who did not pass the MCAS as tenth graders, most of the students reported that effort and school attendance are key to their success on the MCAS, and that they believe with more effort they can pass the test.

Board member James Madden, on behalf of the State Student Advisory Council, outlined concerns about implementation of the competency determination, relating to the racial achievement gap, fiscal problems, students in vocational/technical and special education and limited English proficient students. Chairman Peyser commended Mr. Madden for articulating the key issues of equity and opportunity to learn, and noted that without MCAS, the great strides the Commonwealth has made toward a stronger and more equitable system of education would not have happened. He cited as examples the increased rigor in curriculum and instruction for all students, and the additional resources targeted to the students who most need academic support. Vice Chairman Henry Thomas said the lack of proficiency in academics is a crisis in the African-American community, and for that reason he is not willing to accept a system that awards a high school diploma to students who do not have the English and math skills they need. Mr. Thomas added that if the state continues to provide appropriate intervention and accountability, increasing numbers of students and schools will be successful. The Board discussed ways to ensure that all students in the class of 2003 receive the remediation and support they need in order to earn a competency determination.

Amendments to Student Records Regulations (603 CMR 23.00)

The Board voted to adopt amendments to the Student Records Regulations to conform to the 1999 state law on access to student records by non-custodial parents and to revise certain timelines. Based on the review of concerns that were raised through the public comment process, the Commissioner withdrew his recommendation to amend the regulatory definition of transcript to include the student's highest performance level on the grade 10 MCAS test. Chairman Peyser stated that the Board will continue to review different approaches to this issue.

Revised Curriculum Framework in History and Social Science - Final Draft

The Board voted to release the final draft of the curriculum framework in history and social science to the public. The document has been revised based on the many comments the Department received on the December 2001 draft. The major changes are in grades 4, 6 and 7. Chairman Peyser commended the Department for producing a framework that is clear, coherent and comprehensive. The Commissioner will send the final draft of the revised framework out to the field in June, and the Department will continue to hold discussions with teachers and other interested parties over the next several months. Commissioner Driscoll anticipates bringing the revised curriculum framework back to the Board for a final vote in the fall.

Renewal of Agreement with Lawrence Public Schools

The Board voted to approve the new partnership agreement with the Lawrence Public Schools. The agreement extends the term of the partnership among the Board of Education, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and Lawrence Public Schools through the 2002-2003 school year.

Initial Review of Proposed Amendments to Regulations on Educator Licensure (603 CMR 7.00)

The Board voted to solicit public comment on proposed amendments to the Educator Licensure Regulations. The proposed amendments address gaps and unintended obstacles in the regulations, especially in relation to adding new fields and levels of licensure, matching the right subject matter test to the relevant license, facilitating support for new teachers, and eliminating individual transcript review. After the period of public comment, the Commissioner will bring the proposed amendments back to the Board for a final vote in the fall.

Charter Schools - Proposed Management Contract and Waiver Request

The Board approved a management contract between the Lowell Community Charter School and Beacon Education Management, Inc. Under the charter school statute, any such contract must be approved by the Board and becomes a term of the charter. The Board also granted the Holyoke Community Charter School a waiver of the provision in the Charter School Regulations that requires a charter school to open for students within 19 months after the Board grants the charter. Because of a recent ruling by the Office of the Attorney General on the public bidding laws, the Holyoke Community Charter School has been delayed in securing a facility. The school facility should be open for students by the fall of 2003.

Other Business

The Board voted to ratify approval of $1.4 million in grants under the following programs, the first two of which are federally-funded and the third is state-funded: Adult Education/Integrated Literacy and Civics Education Services; Perkins New Technology; and PALMS Curriculum Materials for Mathematics and Science & Technology/Engineering. The Board approved six waivers of project cost limits under the School Building Assistance regulations. The Board also voted corrected amounts for three Boston school building projects.

Next Meeting

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, June 25, 2002 at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Malden.