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

Board in Brief
Tuesday, November 23, 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, November 23, 2004, at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Malden.

Comments from the Chairman

Board of Education Chairman James A. Peyser opened the meeting by congratulating Commissioner Driscoll on his recent election as president of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). Commissioner Driscoll has served as president-elect of the CCSSO for the past year. Chairman Peyser said this well-deserved honor reflects the Commissioner's leadership on educational policy in Massachusetts and at the national level.

Comments from the Commissioner

Commissioner Driscoll thanked Chairman Peyser and emphasized that his duties as president of the CCSSO will not interfere with his responsibilities in Massachusetts. He said he looks forward to working with President Bush's nominee for U.S. Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings, and other national education leaders to strengthen educational opportunities for all students and, in particular, to advocate for some "common sense" changes to the federal No Child Left Behind law.

The Commissioner made note of a report released recently by the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE), Windows of Opportunity: State Strategies to Close Educational Gaps and Raise Achievement Levels for All Students. The report culminates a year of work by a committee of twenty-two state board of education members and other education leaders, co-chaired by Abigail Thernstrom of Massachusetts and Russell Thompson of Missouri. The report offers a series of policy recommendations for state leaders to consider in implementing comprehensive, system-wide improvement. Information about the report is available at www.nasbe.org.

Commissioner Driscoll asked student Board member Emily Levine to report on her visit to students at Holyoke High School, relating to the Board's designation of the Holyoke Public Schools as an under-performing district. With the cooperation of the high school's principal and Holyoke's superintendent, Ms. Levine and members of the Massachusetts Student Advisory Council (SAC) met with Holyoke students to hear their views and discuss their ideas for addressing the problems that led to the district being designated as under-performing. Ms. Levine said the students were very concerned about the declaration. As a result of the visit, Ms. Levine, SAC members and students from Holyoke High School plan to produce a question and answer video explaining what a declaration of under-performance for a district or school means, and how students can become more engaged in the improvement effort. Chairman Peyser commended Ms. Levine for her initiative and affirmed the importance of student voices in this process.

Board of Education Budget Proposal for FY 06

The Board voted unanimously to approve its FY 06 budget proposal. Under the Board's proposal, the state education budget would increase by $31.1 million over the FY 05 total of $3.724 billion. The proposed increases over the current budget include: $14.4 million more to fully fund the 75% special education reimbursement rate for the "circuit breaker" program; $10.5 million more to reimburse school districts for students attending charter schools; $8.3 million more for student assessment; $7 million more for adult basic education; $4.1 million more for academic support services; $1.5 million more for state assistance to under-performing schools and districts; $1.5 million to develop a statewide educator database; $1.1 million to develop the certificate of occupational proficiency; and $900,000 more for programs for gifted and talented students. Commissioner Driscoll noted that since Chapter 70 foundation aid may well be reviewed in the upcoming legislative session, the budget proposal maintains that line item at the current funding level. The Commissioner said the proposed budget, if enacted, will provide the Department with the resources necessary to continue and expand its work with school districts to implement education reform. 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 Amendments to Educator Licensure Regulations (603 CMR 7.00)

The Board decided to defer action on some proposed amendments to the educator licensure regulations. Commissioner Driscoll opened the discussion by acknowledging that the current regulations are more complicated than they should be. He said this is an opportune time to review and simplify the regulations while maintaining the high standards for educator licensure that the Board has established.

Chairman Peyser agreed, noting that the regulations are intended to reflect three main objectives: strengthening focus on educators' content knowledge; strengthening focus on teaching practice; and opening the profession to more non-traditional candidates. He emphasized that the intent of the regulations is to establish the threshold competencies for an individual to earn an initial license. Board member Abigail Thernstrom added that the regulations and the licensure system should provide incentives rather than barriers for academically strong individuals who are interested in entering the education profession, and the requirements for licensure should be aligned with the qualities of good teaching.

The Commissioner said the Department will review the regulations as a whole and he will return to the Board with policy recommendations sometime in 2005. Pending that systemic review, he plans to return to the Board in December with a few proposed technical amendments to make the current regulations clearer and more workable in the meantime. If the Board agrees, it will solicit public comment on the proposed amendments before taking final action on them.

State's Role in Supporting Local Assessment of Student Performance

The Board held an initial discussion on the use of "formative assessment" of student performance by schools and districts to strengthen teaching and learning. Classroom teachers who assess their students' progress regularly in relation to academic standards, and who use the assessment data to adapt their teaching to their students' needs, have a significant impact on boosting student achievement. This issue is receiving increasing attention in Massachusetts and across the nation. Associate Commissioner for Curriculum and Assessment Jeff Nelhaus and Mass Insight's Executive Director Andy Calkins presented an overview of the promising uses of formative assessment in several Massachusetts school districts. The Commissioner said the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is reviewing the role that it can play in supporting local educators in this initiative.

Dissection as a Learning Activity under Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework

The Board held an initial discussion of dissection as a learning activity in schools. In September, the Governor vetoed legislation that would have required the Board of Education to establish guidelines requiring "all public schools that offer dissection as a learning activity to permit those students who choose not to participate in dissection to be allowed to demonstrate competency through an alternative method." In vetoing the legislation, the Governor stated that it is appropriate to leave this matter to the Board of Education, which is statutorily empowered to set statewide curriculum standards. On the Commissioner's recommendation, the Board agreed that the Department should gather more information on current policies and practices related to animal dissection in schools in Massachusetts and in other states. The Commissioner will report on his findings and then make recommendations to the Board at a future meeting.

Approval of Grants

The Board approved grant awards for two programs: $1.6 million under a federally-funded program for school renovation, supplementing approximately $14 million in federal grants under this program that the Board awarded in October 2002; and $99,999 for a state-funded grant for professional development related to gifted and talented students.

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, December 21, 2004, at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Malden.