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

Board in Brief
Tuesday, August 15, 2006

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, August 15, 2006 at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Malden.

Comments from the Chairman

Chairman James A. Peyser opened the meeting by congratulating Patricia Plummer, who has been named Chancellor of Higher Education. Chancellor Plummer, who served on the Board of Education as the designee of the former Chancellor, is now an official member of the Board. Commissioner Driscoll also congratulated Chancellor Plummer, and thanked her for her partnership with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education over the past several years on joint projects such as the Massachusetts high school reform initiative (funded by a National Governors Association grant) and development of the pre-kindergarten-grade 16 database. Earlier in the day, the Joint Committee on Educational Policy, consisting of members of the Board of Education and the Board of Higher Education along with the Commissioner and the Chancellor, met and discussed progress on these initiatives.

State Budget for FY 07

Commissioner Driscoll updated the Board on the final FY2007 budget for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The FY2007 budget represents a 7.3% increase above the FY2006 budget. Commissioner Driscoll highlighted some of the programs with significant funding increases, including Chapter 70 foundation aid; Extended Learning Time grants; professional development relating to English language acquisition, school leadership, and math and science teaching; Work Based Learning; School-to-Work Connecting Activities; Adult Learning Centers; Kindergarten Development grants; and data analysis/reporting tools for the Department and school districts. He thanked the Administration and Legislature for their support of public education. Chairman Peyser agreed but also expressed concern that the budget for targeted assistance to low-performing schools and districts, an urgent priority, was cut by over $500,000.

Department of Elementary and Secondary Education School Leadership Initiatives

Department of Elementary and Secondary Education administrators Lynda Foisy and Bobbie D'Alessandro updated the Board on the Department's statewide leadership development initiative. The Department has contracted with the National Institute for School Leadership (NISL), a program of the National Center for Education and the Economy, to develop and deliver leadership training for school principals and central office administrators in Massachusetts, starting with 14 urban school districts. This work complements the leadership development efforts already underway through the State Action for Education Leadership Project (SAELP), funded through a grant to the Department from the Wallace Foundation. The NISL program is designed for school principals and district level leaders who are in their first five years of a leadership role. In 2005-06, 87 participants have been trained through NISL, and 240 participants will be trained in 2006-07.

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)

The Board voted unanimously to approve the participation of Massachusetts as a "nation" in the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). TIMMS is one of the only standardized tests given to students in the United States and nations around the world, allowing for international performance comparisons. States typically do not receive individual results, and participate only by testing a small sampling of students whose results contribute to the nationwide average. Commissioner Driscoll said that participating as a "nation" will allow us to compare the mathematics and science performance of Massachusetts' students to their peers in both other states and in other countries. Massachusetts participated in TIMSS as a "nation" in 1999.

Chairman Peyser said, "Participation in TIMMS will provide us with another reliable benchmark against which to calibrate our progress in raising student achievement. This also sends a clear signal that we are not just interested in being a national leader in math and science. Our goal is to be truly world class."

Student Records Regulations

The Board voted to adopt technical amendments to the Regulations on Student Records, as presented by the Commissioner. The amendments concern access to student records by non-custodial parents, and make the regulations consistent with state and federal law.

Approval of Grants

The Board voted to approve grants totaling $4,617,370 under six federal programs: Technology for Data Driven Decisions ($785,566); Enhancing Education Through Technology grant ($877,706); Secondary School Reading Implementation grant ($680,000); McKinney-Vento Homeless Education grant ($759,005); Community Service-Learning School-Based Program ($276,647); and Perkins Tech-Prep Enhancement - FY2007 ($1,238,446).

Authorization to Commissioner

The Board voted to authorize the Commissioner, in consultation with the Chairman and members of the Board, to approve grants and any other matters that require action between August 15th and the next regular Board meeting. The Commissioner will report on any such approvals at the next regular meeting on September 26th.

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, September 26, 2006 at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Malden.