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

Board in Brief
Tuesday, December 17, 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, December 17, 2002 at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Malden.

Commissioner Driscoll opened the meeting by reporting that he has met with superintendents and history and social studies department chairpersons regarding the History and Social Science Curriculum Framework. The Commissioner will report back to the Board in January about these discussions, which have focused on conceptual issues in the revised framework as well as the implications for assessment.

Commissioner Driscoll also reported that representatives from the U.S. Department of Education will be in Massachusetts this week to review the Commonwealth's school and district accountability system. The Department has applied for early approval of its accountability system under the new requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Finally, the Commissioner expressed his condolences for the four Lawrence families who lost their children in a recent accident. The Board observed a moment of silence in memory of the children.

School and District Accountability System: Modifications for Cycle III Rating Process

The Board voted to approve proposed modifications to the School and District Accountability System. These revisions will bring the school rating and review processes into full compliance with the new accountability requirements under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Commissioner Driscoll and Associate Commissioner Juliane Dow presented the modifications to the Board for their discussion and review. The first change adds two performance indicators: attendance at the elementary/middle school level and, beginning in 2005, graduation rate at the high school level. In the interim, dropout and competency determination rates will be used. Second, the Board voted to approve the analysis and reporting of performance for subgroups of students.

The Commissioner will present the modifications to the U.S. Department of Education in support of early approval of our accountability system. The Commissioner also will solicit input from the field on proposed performance and improvement standards for the new indicators as well as on implementation issues.

Update on MCAS Appeals Process and December MCAS Retest

Commissioner Driscoll updated the Board on the MCAS appeals process. Working with the performance appeals board, the Department has been implementing the MCAS performance appeals process that the Board adopted in January of this year. The Commissioner thanked Jan O'Keefe, Jeff Nellhaus, Marie Sheehan and others in the Department as well as Woburn High School principal Bob Norton and the other educators on the performance appeals board for their work on the appeals process.

Based on the review of 402 appeals which were submitted in the fall of 2002, Commissioner Driscoll reported that 204 appeals have been granted. 80 percent of the appeals were in mathematics and 20 percent were in English Language Arts; nearly 50 percent of appeals were granted in each area. Chairman Peyser said, "The success of the appeals process underlines the fact that we're holding students accountable for demonstrating achievement of a standard. The MCAS test is a reliable, efficient, and useful way of measuring whether or not a student is meeting the standard. The appeals process provides us with another mechanism to do so."

Commissioner Driscoll also updated the Board on the December 2002 MCAS retest, which was administered in schools during the week of December 9th. Approximately 54,000 students in the Classes of 2003 and 2004 were tested in either math or English. Results from the December 2002 MCAS retest will be released around March 1, 2003.

Charter Schools

The Board voted to solicit public comment on proposed amendments to the charter school regulations. The proposed amendments clarify the roles of the Board and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education with respect to new charter schools, the renewal of charters, and charter amendments. Chairman Peyser suggested using the public comment period to define the terms "significant change" and "substantive modification" in order to clarify the instances in which amendments to charters would come before the Board of Education. The Department will schedule three public hearings on the proposed amendments to the regulations. After the public comment period, the Commissioner will bring the amendments back to the Board in April for a final vote.

The Board also had an initial discussion about three charter school renewals: South Boston Harbor Academy Charter School, Champion Charter School (Brockton), and Boston Evening Academy Charter School. The Board is scheduled to vote on these renewals at the January 2003 meeting.

No Child Left Behind Act: Overview and Update

Deputy Commissioner Mark McQuillan provided an overview and update to the Board on the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act. He has convened a statewide committee of educators which has been meeting monthly since October 2002 to help districts understand and comply with the many requirements of the new legislation. The Commissioner said the Department will continue to update the Board on the No Child Left Behind Act in upcoming Board meetings.

Approval of Grants

The Board approved $985,000 in grants under two federal programs: after-school programs to enhance participation of students with disabilities, and the refugee children school impact grant program.

Next Meeting

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, January 28, 2003 at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Malden.