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

Update on Redesign of Accountability and Assistance Framework

As reported to the Board at its October meeting, the Department is undertaking a redesign of the framework for school and district accountability and assistance. The Board-appointed Advisory Council on Accountability and Assistance has been meeting since November and will present its first of two annual reports to the Board at the February meeting at which time I plan also to present the Board with a progress report on ESE's development of an MCAS growth model. In the meantime, we want to update the Board about the emerging design of the new accountability and assistance system and afford Board members the opportunity to pose questions and offer their insights about the work to date and the plans for future action.

The attached    documents outline progress since October:

1. The latest revision of the graphic depicting the emerging framework for district accountability and assistance, Framework for District Accountability and Assistance;
2. A graphic depicting information about districts and schools that we expect will be available through the new MCAS growth model, Growth Model Analysis; and,
3. Highlights of ESE work on accountability and assistance since October, Highlights of Progress to Date.

Deputy Commissioner Karla Baehr and Associate Commissioner Lynda Foisy will address highlights of the framework revisions and respond to Board members' questions.