Board in Brief
Tuesday, September 28, 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, September 28, 2004 at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Malden.
Comments from the Commissioner
Commissioner Driscoll opened the meeting by thanking the Legislature and the Governor for supporting a supplemental budget for FY 04 that includes an additional appropriation of $3.271 million for student assessment, which will enable the Department to continue the MCAS program as planned. The Commissioner congratulated Associate Commissioner Bob Bickerton, Administrator Brian Devine and their staff on the successful relicensure of about 64,000 educators. An estimated 95% of the applications were processed online through the Department's ELAR web-based system, which generally resulted in a license renewal within 24 hours. Commissioner Driscoll also commented that he was pleased with the smooth, orderly and optimistic beginning of the new school year across the Commonwealth.
Annual Meeting: Election of the Vice-Chairperson
Under the Board's by-laws, the September meeting is the Annual Meeting of the Board, at which the Vice-Chairperson is elected. The Board voted unanimously to elect J. Richard Crowley of Andover as its Vice-Chairperson. The Vice-Chairperson holds office until the next annual meeting of the Board, and until a successor is elected and qualified. Chairman Peyser and Commissioner Driscoll thanked outgoing Vice-Chairperson Henry M. Thomas, III of Springfield for his three years of service in this role.
Update on Adequate Yearly Progress
Associate Commissioner Juliane Dow updated the Board on Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in Massachusetts. On September 15th, the Commissioner released the 2004 preliminary lists of districts and schools identified for improvement, corrective action, and restructuring, as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The Department will release full reports on Adequate Yearly Progress for schools and districts in early October. Commissioner Driscoll noted that three-quarters of the 208 schools identified as needing improvement or placed in corrective action in 2003 have made progress in their problem areas, and more than one-third no longer bear the "identified for improvement" tag at all.
Follow-Up Report on Four Under-Performing Schools (Arlington, Kuss, Lynch and Roosevelt) and Determination of Chronic Under-Performance
The Board had a discussion on four schools that the Department declared to be under-performing in 2000: the Arlington School (serving grades K-8) in Lawrence, the Kuss Middle School in Fall River, the Lynch Middle School in Holyoke, and the Roosevelt Middle School in New Bedford. Each school has been implementing an improvement plan that was accepted by the Board in 2001. In 2003, based on the final reports of the two-year follow-up reviews, MCAS results and other data, the Board, at the Commissioner's recommendation, decided to defer decisions on the question of chronic under-performance for each of these schools for a year. At this month's meeting, Commissioner Driscoll presented recommendations on each school, based on the 2004 MCAS results and the most recent data on adequate yearly progress. He commended the Roosevelt School for meeting its improvement targets. The Arlington and Lynch Schools have made progress but remain in under-performing school status. The Kuss School has failed to make progress on several important indicators, and as a result the Commissioner said he will recommend that the Board declare it to be a chronically under-performing school. After hearing from school officials at the October Board meeting, the Board will vote on the Commissioner's recommendation.
School District Performance
The Board voted to accept the district improvement plan submitted by the Holyoke Public Schools. In November 2003, the Board approved the Commissioner's recommendation that the Holyoke Public Schools be declared an under-performing school district. Under the Board's Regulations on Under-Performing Schools and School Districts, districts that have been declared to be under-performing must submit a written plan that identifies the specific actions the district will take to improve student performance in all of its schools. Holyoke Supt. Eduardo Carballo updated the Board on the district's plan and responded to questions. The Department will continue to work with Holyoke on the plan to ensure that the benchmarks for measuring the district's progress are clear.
The Board voted to declare the Southbridge Public Schools an under-performing school district. Over the last two months, the Board has reviewed information related to the recommendation of the Educational Management Audit Council (EMAC) that the Board consider a declaration of under-performance for the Southbridge Public Schools. The Board's vote directs the Office of Educational Quality and Accountability (EQA) to conduct a Tier III review in Southbridge and report back to the school district, the Board and the Department. Based on that report, the district will prepare a plan to remedy its performance deficiencies, for presentation to the Board.
The Board had a discussion on setting a threshold that would trigger a consolidated Tier II and Tier III review by EQA. Under the Board's regulations, the EQA will conduct an in-depth review, combining the so-called Tier II and Tier III reviews, "for any district whose level of student performance and improvement is below the threshold established by the Board of Education in consultation with the Education Management Audit Council (EMAC)." The intent of setting the threshold for a consolidated review is to make the EQA review process more comprehensive and timely in districts where student performance is not meeting state standards. This provision takes effect on November 1, 2004. The Board will vote on the threshold at the October meeting.
Charter Schools
The Board voted to renew the charter for the Media and Technology Charter High (MATCH) School in Boston. Commissioner Driscoll and Chairman Peyser commended the school for the impressive results its students have achieved and for its innovative programs. The Board also voted to approve an amendment to the charter of Sturgis Charter School in Hyannis to decrease its maximum enrollment from 540 to 425 students and to change to a regional charter school. The school currently enrolls students who reside in thirteen different school districts.
The Board also discussed the renewal of the charters for Benjamin Franklin Charter School (Franklin), Francis W. Parker Charter School (Devens) and SABIS International Charter School (Springfield). The Board will vote on the renewal of these charters at the October meeting. The Board voted to approve a request from the Marblehead Community Charter School to waive, by two days, the August 1st deadline for submission of its renewal application.
Advisory Council Appointments
The Board had an initial discussion on proposed appointments and reappointments of advisory council members. The Board has a number of advisory councils made up of volunteers who provide advice and comment in specific program areas such as community service learning, educational technology, mathematics and science education, special education, and other areas. The Board is scheduled to vote on the appointments and reappointments at the October meeting.
Approval of Grants
The Board voted to approve $2.5 million in grants under the following federally funded programs: Early Childhood Mental Health project; Building Careers in Early Childhood (teacher training); Even Start family literacy; Community Service Learning; and Career Development Education, and $2 million in grants under the state-funded competitive grant program to provide academic support services for students who have not yet earned the competency determination required for high school graduation.
Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, October 26, 2004 at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Malden.
last updated: October 1, 2004
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