District/School Administration Administration
Board in Brief

Thursday, May 27, 1999

Report by the Chairman

Board Chairman James Peyser opened the meeting with a brief report on the forum on school and district accountability that the Board sponsored on May 18th. Information presented at that forum by Dr. Paul Hill of the University of Washington and others will be considered by the Board in establishing the Massachusetts system for school and district accountability. The Chairman also reported on the ongoing work of the Joint Board of Education-Board of Higher Education Commission on Educator Preparation. In concluding his opening remarks, Chairman Peyser stated that the Board plans to move forward in June to amend the Special Education Regulations, after giving careful consideration to comments the Board has received from the public and from the Joint Committee on Education. The Chairman said the regulatory reform effort is intended to improve educational outcomes for all students, including students with disabilities.

Report by the Commissioner

Commissioner David Driscoll reported on several matters. Results from the April administration of the Massachusetts Educator Certification Tests show that a record 5,144 candidates took the tests to become certified, and 57% passed all three sections of the test (reading, writing and subject matter knowledge), up from 41% in April 1998, the first time the test was given. He said this improvement is encouraging, although performance on the writing section dropped in April compared to the results in January 1999.

Commissioner Driscoll reported that 63 outstanding individuals, out of 800 applicants, have been named as the first recipients of the $20,000 Signing Bonus for New Teachers. 41 percent of the bonus recipients are mid-career professionals who are entering teaching for the first time. All of the recipients will be engaged in an intensive preparation program this summer. Beginning this fall, they will each be teaching in one of thirteen Massachusetts school districts, as part of a four-year commitment under the Teacher Quality initiative. The Commissioner also reported that the Department is working with the Governor's Office and others on a design team to develop a plan for regional professional development centers and on-line professional development tools for educators.

School and District Accountability System and Proposed Amendments to Regulations on Under-Performing Schools and Districts

The Board discussed several components of the School and District Accountability System proposed by the Commissioner. Upon considering several options for a school performance rating system, the Board voted (4-2, with 1 abstention) to adopt a rating system based on MCAS results, using scaled scores to measure both performance and improvement over time. Attendance and dropout data would also be examined when a school is under review to determine whether it should be declared under-performing. The Board considered options for administering the district performance evaluation and school inspection processes, and asked Commissioner Driscoll to present at the June meeting a revised proposal outlining the administrative structure and projected budget for the School and District Accountability office. Finally, the Board unanimously voted to seek public comment on the proposed amendments to the Regulations on Under-Performing Schools and Districts presented by the Commissioner. After the period of public comment, the Board will take final action on the regulations.

MCAS Testing Schedule for FY 2001 and Beyond

Commissioner Driscoll presented his recommendations to change the MCAS testing schedule as of the 2000-2001 school year. The changes are intended to reduce the number of tests in any one grade level by including more grades in the testing, and to provide more timely, frequent and useful information on student and school performance in reading and mathematics. The Board voted to add a 6th grade mathematics test, and to move the science and technology test and the history/social science tests to the 5th grade instead of the 4th grade. Further, the Board voted to redesign the English language arts tests by separating it into reading tests and writing tests, so that reading and writing can be reported out separately. The reading test will be administered in grades 3,4,7, and 10. The writing test will be administered in grades 4, 8 and 10. The Board also voted (5-2) to develop an MCAS reading test at grade 3, in place of the Iowa test. The grade 3 reading test will be aligned with the Massachusetts learning standards in the English language arts curriculum framework, and will help identify students who need early assistance to meet the state learning standards. A question try-out for the new grade 3 MCAS reading test will be administered in the spring of 2000, instead of the Iowa test.

Health Education Curriculum Framework

The Board discussed the revised draft Health Education curriculum framework, which was presented in February and has since been modified based on public comment. Chairman Peyser said the framework is much improved, but he expressed concern that the learning standards need to be clarified further. Member Abigail Thernstrom agreed with the Chairman that several sections seemed to be overly ideological. The Board voted unanimously, on a motion by member Edwin Delattre, to postpone a vote on the framework. Chairman Peyser requested that members send specific written comments to the Commissioner, so that they may be incorporated into a final version that will be presented at a future meeting.

Certification Program Approval

Commissioner Driscoll reported that the Joint Commission on Educator Preparation, established by the Boards of Education and Higher Education, is focusing on criteria for approving programs for the preparation of teachers and other educators. The Board of Education plans to consider amendments to the Regulations for Certification of Educational Personnel after the Joint Commission submits its recommendations. To allow time for that process, the Board unanimously endorsed the Commissioner's recommendation to extend the current approvals of educator preparation programs through December 31, 2000.

Recertification: Second Cycle Options

Under the certification statute, all professional educator certificates granted by the Board of Education must be renewed every five years, and any certificate granted prior to October 1, 1994 must be renewed by June 18, 1999. The first cycle of recertification, governed by regulations that the Board adopted in 1994, will end this June. Commissioner Driscoll presented a set of revised recommendations for the second cycle of recertification, which are intended to strengthen the quality of professional development and the accountability for it. The proposed changes would increase to 150 (from 120) the professional development points that educators must earn over five years to renew a certificate; provide alternative options including a content-specific test and a performance assessment; require educators to get a supervisor's sign-off on their professional development plans, to confirm that they address school and district improvement goals; and establish a consumer information data base of evaluations of professional development programs, which will be current and accessible to all educators and the public. Board members asked the Commissioner to explore additional ways to address the quality of professional development for educators. Chairman Peyser indicated that at the June meeting, the Board intends to adopt emergency regulations that will define the standards for the second cycle of recertification.

Other Matters

Traditionally, the Board of Education holds its May meeting at the high school of the student Board member. This meeting took place at Falmouth High School, where Rebecca Urbach, outgoing student member of the Board of Education, is a senior. Commissioner Driscoll and Chairman Peyser recognized her contributions, thanked her for her work, and presented her with a citation and a gift from the Board of Education. Ms. Urbach will attend Barnard College.

Next Meeting

The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Malden, on Tuesday, June 29, 1999.