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

Board in Brief
Tuesday, March 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 special meeting held on Monday evening, March 23, 2009 and the regular meeting held on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Malden.

Special Meeting

Chair Maura Banta thanked Board members for submitting questions on charter school topics they would like to have addressed at the special meeting. Commissioner Chester said the Department tried to design a session that would focus on the broader framework of charter schools. Secretary of Education Paul Reville made a presentation on the alternative approaches to educational governance in Massachusetts, which includes Commonwealth Charters, Horace Mann Charters, Pilot Schools, Commonwealth Pilot Schools, and Readiness Schools (in development).

Associate Commissioner Jeff Wulfson and Charter Schools Director Mary Street made a presentation centered on four major policy topics: (1) statutory objectives for charter schools; (2) accountability; (3) enrollment; and (4) funding. Associate Commissioner Wulfson said the reasons cited nationally for the development of charter schools include: to create choice within public schools, to increase opportunities for learning, to encourage innovative teaching, to encourage parent involvement, to create new opportunities for teachers, and to create competition to drive improvement. The statutory objectives of the Massachusetts Education Reform Act drew upon many of those reasons.

Commissioner Chester said the education system needs to do a better job of replicating practice that is working, and that is true in charter schools and traditional public schools. The commissioner said he intends to strengthen the Department's capacity to identify and promote best practices.

Secretary Reville said the Legislature left us with unresolved dilemmas around two broad competing theories of action: (1) that charter schools were to be a network of laboratories for school improvement, limited in number, highly developed, and producing ideas and practices that would migrate back to the mainstream system; and (2) that charter schools would establish the leading edge of a parallel system.

The Board engaged in a discussion about charter schools and asked for additional information or clarification on a number of issues. Among the areas identified for follow- up by the Department were: asking parents why they choose charters; analyzing the credentials of teachers in charter schools; looking at student performance across schools, including charter schools, and employing the growth model to draw comparisons. Chair Banta said the Board identified some key policy questions including how to determine whether charter schools make a difference, and how the Board could best use its time in future charter discussions.

Chair Banta asked the Department to collect additional data to address Board members' questions, and asked Commissioner Chester to come back to the Board with a recommendation on options for the Board to handle charter school policy in the future.

Regular Meeting

Comments from the Chair

Chair Maura Banta said the Board had a productive meeting the night before on charter schools, one of many discussions on this topic. The chair said the Board has asked the Department to collect additional data and information. The chair reported on opportunities she had to represent the Board over the past month, including through meetings with Teach Plus, Teachers21, and the Rennie Center, and at a National Association State Boards of Education and Council of Chief State School Officers meeting in Washington. The chair also had the opportunity to meet with Mike Smith from USED Secretary Arne Duncan's staff, visited the Salemwood School in Malden to learn about the Bay State Reading Program, and moderated a panel at the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education conference. Chair Banta thanked Board members Sandra Stotsky and Tom Fortmann for their work to review the English Language Arts framework revisions, and thanked Board member Jeff Howard for his leadership in chairing the Performance and Proficiency Gap task force. The task force will meet monthly for the next twelve months to develop a set of policy initiatives and present recommendations to the Board next spring. Board members Harneen Chernow, Gerald Chertavian, Beverly Holmes, and Dana Mohler-Faria will also serve on the task force.

Comments from the Commissioner

Commissioner Chester said there is tremendous energy at the federal level as the Administration implements the stimulus package to support states and create an opportunity for reform. The commissioner said he was at various meetings with President Obama, Vice President Biden, and Secretary Duncan in the past month to learn more about federal efforts to invest in activities that will benefit students. The commissioner said he attended the recent swearing-in of new Higher Education Commissioner Richard Freeland, and is pleased that both Commissioner Freeland and Early Education and Care Commissioner Sherri Killins would be serving on the Board's Performance and Proficiency Gap task force. The commissioner said the Department recently released its review of the Fall River Public Schools, which is the first full report under the new statutory arrangement that brought the responsibilities of the former Office of Educational Quality and Accountability (EQA) to the Department. Commissioner Chester also talked about the review panel that is being set up to look at the Science and Technology/Engineering (STE) framework, three recent hires at the Department, and the announcements of the first two installments of the federal stimulus money.

Commissioner Chester said he has asked Lehigh University professor Perry Zirkel to work with the Department as it addresses the USED finding that the Massachusetts structure for special education appeals must be modified to make it consistent with federal law. The commissioner said Professor Zirkel will meet with interested parties in Massachusetts to get their input, look at options used in other states, and present possible options to him. The commissioner will then report back to USED on how the state will proceed. The goal is to have an effective appeals process for parents and school districts that is consistent with federal law.

Comments from the Secretary

Secretary Reville said Governor Patrick was very active in advocating for education funding as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The secretary said he and Governor Patrick met privately with Secretary Duncan and his senior staff, and that he and Commissioner Chester wrote a letter to Secretary Duncan commenting on a number of issues related to the legislation. Secretary Reville said the stimulus funds will not be a panacea, and the law specifies how most of the money is to be used. The secretary said we still have to make tough decisions, even with the stimulus funds. The secretary said that Early Education and Care Commissioner Killins will be sworn in later this month. The secretary talked about the recent Ways and Means Committee hearing on the FY2010 education budget presentation, the convening of a new early childhood task force, and his visit with Board member Howard and Wendell Knox to the Harlem Children's Zone.

Public Comment

Two individuals addressed the Board on technology enhancement, the use of stimulus funds, and regional transportation.

Update on State Education Budget and Federal Stimulus Funding for Education

Chair Banta thanked the governor, secretary, commissioner, and Department staff for their hard work on this year's budget. Commissioner Chester said there is much interest in how districts should include federal stimulus funds in next year's budgets. The commissioner said the Department issued guidance on March 19 and now has a page on its website devoted to updates and information on ARRA. The commissioner said it is important that districts use the funds not only to shore up but also to invest strategically. The commissioner has directed districts to invest at least 50 percent of stimulus funds in strategic educational investments in line with the President's goals around data systems, college and career readiness standards, teacher effectiveness, and turning around the lowest performing schools.

Commissioner Chester said that if the Legislature level funds Chapter 70, the governor will commit to use the stabilization funds to bring 166 school districts up to foundation.

Secretary Reville said the governor's top priority has been to preserve and protect core services from harmful erosion, and to encourage the kinds of reforms and improvements that will lead to a closing of gaps in performance. The secretary added that the work ahead will be done in collaboration with the Legislature, and the federal stimulus funds have created an exciting opportunity to move forward while addressing the revenue shortfall.

Measuring Student Progress in Massachusetts: Development of the Growth Model

Commissioner Chester said the development of a growth model is exciting because it will allow us to measure individual youngsters' progress through the system over time. The commissioner said the growth model would take away an excuse that is often heard in the conversation about student performance. Deputy Commissioner Jeff Nellhaus made a presentation on the growth model, describing the derivation of the metric and how results can be used by districts, schools, teachers, and parents. Secretary Reville commended the Department and noted that the development of a growth model was a long time coming. He said the complexity reflected in the discussion is indicative of the challenge facing the Department to present results in ways that educators can use and to provide clarity on best practices and interventions. Deputy Commissioner Nellhaus said the Department is engaged in a pilot study this spring with several districts to see what types of interpretive materials are needed to support the data.

Charter School Policy - Recap of Special Meeting

The Board held a brief discussion to recap the previous night's special meeting on charter school policy.

Progress Report on Mathematics Curriculum Framework Revision Process

Deputy Commissioner Nellhaus presented a report on progress in updating the 2000 Mathematics Curriculum Framework. He said the two most significant changes identified are: (1) the reorganization of the current standards in grades K-8 to prepare students for full-year Algebra by grade 8; and (2) to suggest that the framework outline a body of standards at the high school level to create a bridge course before Algebra II as well as a set of standards for students who complete Algebra II and are not on a calculus track but wish to continue their coursework in their senior year. Deputy Commissioner Nellhaus said that from here, based on input, the Department would move to the second phase where it would invite and review suggestions and modify the framework accordingly. Board members requested the opportunity to have further input before the draft revised framework is finalized.

Proposed Revisions to Graduation Rate Standard for FY09 AYP Determinations

Commissioner Chester discussed his recommendation of the graduation rate standards to be used in the 2009 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) determination and noted that the proposal was refined based on the Board's discussion in February. The Board voted to approve the following standard:

• a four-year graduation rate of 65 percent applied to the 2008 graduation cohort, or
• a five-year graduation rate of 70 percent applied to the 2007 graduation cohort, or
• a two percentage point increase in the four-year graduation rate from the 2007 cohort to 2008 cohort.

Commissioner Chester said this standard is not intended to be aspirational nor is it intended to lower expectations. Rather, he said, this recommendation sets a reasonable target that will identify schools with the lowest graduation rates so the state and district can focus on improving them. The commissioner said our goal is to continue to raise the bar as we move forward.

Charter Amendment Request from MATCH Charter Public School

The Board voted to approve an amendment request from MATCH Charter Public School in Boston to increase its maximum enrollment by 40 additional seats.

Next Meeting

The next regular meeting of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is scheduled for Tuesday, April 28, 2009 at a location to be determined.