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

Board in Brief
Tuesday, November 25, 2003

This is "Board in Brief," issued at the request of Commissioner David P. Driscoll to bring you up to date on Board of Education matters. This is a report on the regular meeting held on Tuesday, November 25, 2003 at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Malden.

Comments from the Chairman

Chairman James Peyser opened the meeting by acknowledging the absence of Commissioner David P. Driscoll, who is recovering from a mild heart attack. Chairman Peyser said that the Board looks forward to welcoming the Commissioner back after a speedy and full recovery. Chairman Peyser thanked Deputy Commissioner Mark McQuillan for his efforts and leadership in the Commissioner's absence. Chairman Peyser welcomed and introduced Governor Romney.

Governor Romney opened his remarks by wishing a healthy return to Commissioner Driscoll. He noted that government has many important responsibilities, but nothing is more important than educating the students of the Commonwealth. He thanked Board members for their vision and courage in implementing education reform, and said that working with under-performing school districts is the next step in the process of reform. Governor Romney said he has appointed a task force to make recommendations about how the state can partner with under-performing school districts to strengthen schools and raise student achievement.

Commissioner's Recommendations on Four Districts Referred for Determination of Under-Performance
(Holyoke, North Adams, Keefe Vocational Technical School and Winchendon)

The Board discussed four districts referred for determination of under-performance. Chairman Peyser reviewed the process to this point, in which the Board has received information related to the recommendation of the Educational Management Audit Council ("EMAC") that the Board consider a declaration of under-performance for the Holyoke Public Schools, the North Adams Public Schools, South Middlesex/Keefe Vocational Technical School District, and the Winchendon Public Schools.

Chairman Peyser made a brief statement, which follows:

The motion that is pending before the Board is certainly historic. In many respects, it is as historic as the vote this Board took four years ago to establish a statewide graduation requirement based on academic achievement. Although there have been other instances when the state has intervened in school districts, the causes of past interventions have been related to fiscal crises or allegations of malfeasance. Today, however, as required by the Education Reform Act, we are considering whether the state should intervene in school districts on the basis of inadequate educational performance.

Before we take up the Commissioner's specific recommendations, we should first make clear what we are not considering today. We are not voting to place any district into state receivership. According to state law and our own regulations, receivership may occur only when a district is declared by this Board to be "chronically under-performing." The motion before us today, however, involves merely a finding of "under-performance," the consequences of which are quite different from receivership.

A declaration of under-performance triggers three things. First, is an in-depth diagnostic evaluation, which will be conducted by the Office of Educational Quality and Accountability, in collaboration with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Office of Accountability and Technical Assistance. On the basis of that evaluation, the Department will engage with the district in a joint planning process, to develop an improvement strategy, which will then be presented to this Board for final approval. The district, supported by the Department, will then be afforded a reasonable period of time to implement its turnaround strategy.

Although there may be some embarrassment in being labeled under-performing, this is not a punitive process. Instead, it is a process that is rooted in collaboration and shared responsibility.

Under-performance does not imply that district personnel are incompetent. Nor does it imply that they have shirked their obligations to their students. Under-performance means that students are struggling to meet the higher standards we have established and the district is struggling in its efforts to help them succeed.

As often as not, these problems will be associated with structural or systemic barriers, rather than irresponsibility. They will more frequently be the result of inadequate capacity, rather inadequate competence.

Accountability for results is an uncomfortable and awkward process. Nevertheless, it is the very essence of education reform. Local decision-making and community pride are hallmarks of our educational system. But they are not ends themselves.

Effort and good intentions are simply not enough. Student learning is the non-negotiable bottom line. And when students are consistently failing to meet expectations, all of us - the state included - have a responsibility to act.

As we embark on this new phase of education reform, we must recognize that educating all children to high standards is hard work - very hard work - and the state doesn't have all the answers. But if the interests of students are to come first, we must be willing to put aside long-standing institutional prerogatives and work together.

Deputy Commissioner Mark McQuillan presented the Commissioner's recommendations on the four districts. He noted that the recommendations reflect a measured response to a complex problem, and rely on considered judgment about which of the four districts - all of which have had serious deficiencies in the management and delivery of educational programs and services - would most benefit from active collaboration with the state. Commissioner Driscoll recommended that the Board vote to declare the Holyoke Public Schools and the Winchendon Public Schools to be under-performing school districts. He also recommended that the North Adams Public Schools and South Middlesex/Keefe Tech be placed on "watch" by the Educational Management Audit Council for the next 12-18 months. All four districts are expected to take immediate action to address the performance deficiencies that have been identified.

The Board voted to accept the Commissioner's recommendation on these four school districts. The Office of Educational Quality and Accountability (EQA) will conduct a Tier III review in Holyoke and Winchendon in January of 2004. EQA will engage in regular monitoring of North Adams and South Middlesex/Keefe Tech during the "watch" status.

Under-Performing Schools: Improvement Plans from Four Schools Cited in 2003
(Gerena Community School, Liberty Elementary School and Duggan Middle School in Springfield and Lucy Stone Elementary School in Boston)

The Board voted to accept the improvement plans presented by the Gerena Community School, Liberty Elementary School and John J. Duggan Middle School in Springfield and the Lucy Stone Elementary School in Boston. Under the Regulations on Under-Performing Schools and School Districts, schools that have been declared under-performing must submit plans for improving student achievement to the Board. The Department evaluates each plan based on a rubric developed for this purpose as well as the detailed fact-finding report that identifies the school's areas of strength and weakness. The Commissioner then makes a recommendation to the Board as to whether to accept the plan.

Associate Commissioner Juliane Dow introduced the school and district representatives to present their plans: Boston Deputy Supt. Janet Williams and principal Elaine Gibson (Lucy Stone), and Springfield Supt. Joseph Burke and principals Peter Levanos (Gerena), Anthony Hill (Liberty) and Maritza Valentin (John J. Duggan). The school officials thanked the Department staff for their help and commended the performance improvement mapping process that the Department coordinated.

Board of Education Budget Proposal for FY 05

The Board voted to approve its FY 05 budget proposal. Chairman Peyser noted that this is the start of a long process that leads to a state budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2004. He said because of uncertainty about revenues and about funding for Chapter 70 and the circuit breaker special education reimbursement program, the Board's budget committee simply plugged in the FY 04 figures for those two items. Vice Chairman Henry Thomas III proposed that the Board increase the line item for the Metco program by $1.5 million to restore its funding to the FY 03 funding level, and reduce by $1.5 million the proposed line item for teacher quality enhancement initiatives. After discussion by Board members, the Vice Chairman's motion passed with two abstentions. The Board then voted unanimously to adopt the budget proposal as amended. In accordance with state law, the Commissioner will transmit the budget proposal to the House and Senate Committees on Ways and Means, the Joint Committee on Education, Arts and the Humanities, and the Secretary of Administration and Finance.

Proposed Amendment to Regulations on Competency Determination (603 CMR 30.02, Definitions)

The Board voted to solicit public comment on a proposed amendment to the Regulations on the Competency Determination. In the spring of 2003, the Department found that a handful of school committees appeared to be confused about the state statutory requirement that all students must earn the competency determination in order to be eligible for high school graduation and the award of the diploma. While all of those cases were resolved, in order to avoid any confusion in the future, the Commissioner recommended that the Board clarify the definition of "competency determination" in the Regulations on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System and Standards for the Competency Determination. After the public comment period, the Commissioner will bring the regulation back to the Board early in 2004 for a final vote.

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, December 16, 2003 at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Malden.