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

Board in Brief
Tuesday, February 24, 2004

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, February 24, 2004 at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Malden.

Comments from the Chairman

Chairman James Peyser opened the meeting by reporting that the Governor's Task Force on State Intervention in Under-Performing School Districts, of which he is a member, will release its report and recommendations on February 25. The report will be posted on the Department's website, and the Board will discuss the report at its March meeting.

Comments from the Commissioner

Commissioner David Driscoll announced to the Board that the Department, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education, is hosting a national forum on high school reform. The forum will be held in Boston on May 21-22, 2004.

Amendment to Regulations on Competency Determination

The Board voted to approve an amendment to the definition of the term "competency determination" in the Regulations on the Competency Determination, 603 CMR 30.02. The Board initially discussed the proposed amendment in November 2003 and solicited public comment on it. The amendment clarifies the definition in the regulations, consistent with the statute. It specifies that local school officials shall award the high school diploma or any other document connoting high school graduation only to a student who has satisfied the competency determination requirement and who has met local graduation requirements. Commissioner Driscoll said, "This clarification in the regulation should ensure that all school committees understand the relationship between the competency determination, high school graduation, and the issuance of diplomas."

Supplement to the English Language Arts Curriculum Framework

The Board voted to approve a supplement to the English Language Arts Curriculum Framework, providing more detailed guidance about the expectations at each grade level and the content of future grade-level assessments. The Board initially discussed the proposed grade level standards in September 2003 and solicited public comment on them.

The curriculum frameworks for English language arts (2001) and mathematics (2000) contain standards written for two-year grade spans, such as 3-4 and 5-6. The MCAS currently tests English language arts at grades 3, 4, 7, and 10 and mathematics at grades 4, 6, 8, and 10 based on these standards. The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires annual testing at each grade from grades 3 through 8 in both reading and mathematics. Therefore Department staff, working with committees of teachers, drafted standards for grades 3, 5, and 7 in these subjects. Educators who reviewed the supplement responded positively, noting that the grade-level standards refine and clarify the framework that they are currently using.

The Commissioner will distribute the supplement to schools and to the English language arts assessment development committee. He noted that the supplement is a transition to a revised edition of the English language arts framework that the Department expects to publish in the spring of 2005, incorporating the grade-level standards through grade 8 in place of the current two-year grade span standards. Similar work is being done on the mathematics framework. The Commissioner will bring the proposed supplement to the Mathematics Curriculum Framework to the Board at the March meeting.

Charter Schools

Chairman Peyser began the discussion on charter schools by making a brief statement, which opened, "In all the controversy surrounding charter schools, what often gets lost is the underlying reason why these schools exist in the first place. To my mind it simply boils down to this: we have an urgent obligation to create more opportunities for students to achieve at high levels. One way to do this is through broad-based education reform, built on a foundation of rigorous academic standards, statewide assessments, and accountability for results. Another is to facilitate the establishment of new schools that aspire to excellence."

The Board voted to renew the charters for three charter schools: Barnstable Horace Mann Charter School, Conservatory Lab Charter School, and Roxbury Preparatory Charter School. The Board also voted to renew the charter of the Robert M. Hughes Academy Charter School in Springfield, with specific conditions.

The Board voted to grant a charter to one Horace Mann charter school: the Marston Mills East Horace Mann Charter School in Barnstable, opening in 2004. The Board also voted to grant charters to three Commonwealth charter schools: the Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School (a regional charter school to be located in Marlborough, Hudson, Maynard, or Clinton, opening in 2005); Community Charter School of Cambridge (opening in 2005); and KIPP Academy Lynn Charter School in Lynn (opening in 2004). Commissioner Driscoll said, "While it is unfortunate the change in funding has turned the development of charter schools into such an emotional issue, the Massachusetts charter school initiative continues to be among the most successful in the nation. I am pleased to welcome the founders of these four schools into our thriving charter school community."

The Board also voted to approve requests from two charter schools, Hilltown Cooperative Charter School (a regional charter school located in Haydenville) and Rising Tide Charter School (located in Plymouth) to amend their charters by increasing their maximum enrollment.

The Board heard presentations from Fitchburg School Superintendent Thomas Lamey and Webster School Superintendent Vincent Simone on their responses to the Tier II reports prepared by the Office of Educational Quality and Accountability (EQA) and transmitted to the Board by the Educational Management Audit Council (EMAC). At the January Board meeting, Joe Rappa of EQA presented the Tier II reports on the Fitchburg Public Schools and the Webster Public Schools to the Board. After reviewing all of the information available on these two districts, the Commissioner will make a recommendation to the Board about next steps with respect to Fitchburg and Webster.

School Building Assistance

The Board voted to approve the annual report on the School Building Assistance (SBA) program, and to authorize the Commissioner to file the report with the Governor and the Legislature. The annual report summarizes SBA activity in FY 03 and includes the SBA priority list and a list of outstanding grant obligations.

The Board also voted to solicit public comment on proposed amendments to the School Construction Regulations. The proposed amendments address the following issues: an annual cost factor adjustment; final audit requirements; procedures governing the sale or lease of state-funded school buildings; recent changes to the state requirement for evaluation of contractors and designers; and some technical and editorial revisions. The Commissioner will bring the regulations back to the Board for final action in May or June.

The Board also discussed Governor Romney's major legislative proposal to address the huge backlog of unfunded SBA projects and the current moratorium on new applications.

Approval of Grants

The Board approved grants under two categories of the federal Perkins Act for career and technical education: a total of $1.1 million to establish new or upgrade existing programs and a total of $200,000 to fund summer transition programs for high school juniors and seniors. In addition, the Board approved a correction in the amount awarded to a grant recipient in January under the federally funded Massachusetts Mathematics and Science Partnership Program (under Title II-B of the No Child Left Behind Act).

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Malden.