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

Board in Brief
Tuesday, February 24, 2009

This is "Board in Brief," issued at the request of Commissioner Mitchell D. Chester to bring you up to date on Board of Elementary and Secondary Education matters. This is a report on the regular meeting held on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Malden.

Comments from the Chair

Chair Maura Banta reported on opportunities she had to represent the Board over the past month, including during events with Teach for America and the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education. The chair said she asked Board member Jeff Howard to chair a committee that will look at performance and proficiency gaps. The chair announced that Board members Harneen Chernow, Gerald Chertavian, Beverly Holmes, and Dana Mohler-Faria will join the committee. The group held its first meeting on February 23rd, and will meet regularly for the next 6 to 9 months. Chair Banta noted that some Board members attended a presentation by the Mass TeLLS coalition on February 23rd. The chair also thanked Dr. Fortmann and Dr. Stotsky for their offer to work with the Department on review of the curriculum frameworks.

Comments from the Commissioner

Commissioner Chester referred Board members to the materials under Tab 9 of their Board packets, which included a partial inventory of Department activities related to 21st century skills and a crosswalk between the goals and priorities established by the Board last August and the recommendations of the Task Force on 21st Century Skills.

Comments from the Secretary

Nicholas Martinelli from the Executive Office of Education attended the meeting as Secretary of Education Paul Reville's designee. Mr. Martinelli said Governor Patrick and Secretary Reville are meeting today with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in Washington, D.C. to advocate for increased education funding. Mr. Martinelli also reported that Higher Education Commissioner Richard Freeland and Early Education and Care Commissioner Sherri Killins have begun work in their new positions.

Public Comment

Fourteen individuals addressed the Board on topics including charter schools and the MCAS history and social science assessment.

Charter Schools

New Charter Applicants

The Board voted to approve a new charter for Gloucester Community Arts Charter School. The opening of the school in 2010 will be explicitly conditioned upon Commissioner Chester's determination that the fiscal year 2010 state budget provides sufficient Chapter 70 aid to Gloucester Public Schools to maintain foundation-level spending.

Mass TeLLS

Eric Hirsch from the New Teacher Center at the University of California at Santa Cruz and Beverly Miyares from the Massachusetts Teachers Association led a presentation on the results of the Massachusetts Teaching, Learning and Leading Survey (Mass TeLLS). A total of more than 40,000 teachers and administrators participated in the survey conducted last year. The survey and final report are located on the Mass TeLLS website at http://www.masstells.org/.

Update on State Education Budget

On behalf of Secretary Reville, Mr. Martinelli said that Governor Patrick has appointed Jeff Simon to oversee implementation of the federal economic stimulus package - the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - in Massachusetts. Mr. Martinelli said that the Governor and Secretary Reville are highlighting the Commonwealth's needs in their meeting today with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

Commissioner Chester presented a budget chart that showed the Governor's FY2010 budget recommendation, House 1, in relation to the Board's budget request and the FY2009 state budget after so-called 9C cuts. The commissioner said the Governor has proposed a statewide IT consolidation and a consolidation of many education programs. The House Ways & Means budget may be available in time for the March Board meeting.

MCAS History and Social Science/U.S. History Assessments

The Board voted to waive the history and social science Competency Determination requirement of 603 CMR 30.3(4) for the classes of 2012 and 2013, in light of significant budget challenges. The effect of the waiver is that students in the graduating classes of 2012 and 2013 must meet the Competency Determination standards in English language arts, mathematics, and science and technology/engineering, but not history and social science, as a condition of high school graduation. The Board will establish a timeline to reinstate the history and social science requirement for the Competency Determination as expeditiously as possible.

State System of Accountability and Assistance: Next Steps in Accountability and Assistance Redesign

Deputy Commissioner Karla Brooks Baehr presented an overview of the Department's redesign of the state framework for school and district accountability and assistance. The Board-appointed Advisory Council on Accountability and Assistance has been meeting since November 2008 and is chaired by Joseph Esposito. Commissioner Chester noted that the Department is developing a growth model for accountability purposes and said he will report on the growth model at the March 24, 2009 regular meeting.

Charter Schools

Charter School Renewals

Report on Conditions for Benjamin Banneker and North Central

The Board had renewed the charter of Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School with three conditions in January 2006. At its February 24, 2009 regular meeting, the Board voted to place the school on probation with specific conditions.

The Board had renewed the charter of North Central Charter Essential School with four conditions in February 2007. The school has met three of the conditions. The Board voted to extend the fourth condition for the school.

Proposed Revisions to Graduation Rate Standard for FY09 AYP Determinations

For use in 2009 AYP determinations, Commissioner Chester recommended that the Board establish a four-year graduation rate of 65 percent for the class of 2008 or a two percentage point increase in the four-year graduation rate from the class of 2007 to the class of 2008. The Board will vote on the commissioner's recommendation at its March 24, 2009 regular meeting.

Next Meeting

The next regular meeting of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is scheduled for Tuesday, March 24, 2009 at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Malden. The Board will also hold a special meeting on charter school policy on the evening of Monday, March 23, 2009.