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

Briefing for the February 26, 2008 Regular Meeting of the Board of Education

The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be on Tuesday, February 26, 2008, at the Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School in Boston, starting at 9:00 a.m. Coffee will be available at 8:30 a.m. The regular business meeting will adjourn by 1:00 p.m. If you need overnight accommodations or any additional information about the schedule, please call Belinda Wilson at (781) 338-3118.

Overview

We will be welcomed to the Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School by Boston Schools Superintendent Carol Johnson and Principal Debra Socia. We are holding our meeting at this school for two reasons. First, it gives the Board the opportunity to hear from Superintendent Johnson about her initiatives for the Boston Public Schools. The superintendent's January 30, 2008 report to the School Committee, "Proficiency, Opportunity and Efficiency: Superintendent's Acceleration Agenda for the Boston Public Schools" is posted at: http://boston.k12.ma.us/bps/news/Plan.pdf and a copy is enclosed in your materials under Tab 12. Second, we will learn about the Frederick Pilot Middle School's unique wireless laptop initiative, which enables every student in the school to have access to a laptop computer for use during the school day.

On our business agenda, the first item is a vote on the salary for our new commissioner, Mitchell Chester. We will then discuss the report and recommendations on next steps in the Randolph Public Schools. I am presenting technical amendments to the Regulations on Under-Performing Schools, for initial discussion by the Board this month. We will have a presentation and discussion on some statewide initiatives relating to educator preparation and licensure. Action items on the agenda include the updated technology literacy standards and several charter school items, including a vote on new charters, renewal of the charter for New Leadership Charter School, and two charter amendments.

Regular Meeting

Comments from the Chairman

The Chairman will present an update on current issues. The Legislature has endorsed Governor Patrick's education reorganization bill under Article 87 to the Massachusetts Constitution. (Chairman Reville's testimony on the bill is enclosed for your information under Tab 11.) As a result of the reorganization, this will be the last meeting at which Chancellor of Higher Education Pat Plummer and Commissioner of Early Education and Care Anne Reale will participate as members. We extend our deep appreciation to them for their service on the Board of Education.

Comments from the Commissioner

• College and Career Web Portal. I am pleased to announce that the Massachusetts Education Financing Authority (MEFA), at the request of Governor Patrick, has agreed to set aside $1 million for the development of the Massachusetts College and Career Web Portal this year. This web portal, modeled after successful sites in other states, will allow students across the Commonwealth to plan for, research and apply to college and financial aid online, all in the same place. Staff from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Board of Higher Education have worked together with key stakeholders for the past two years to develop a plan for building and launching this site. In addition to their financial commitment, MEFA has agreed to house the portal in their office, hire the appropriate staff, run it off their server, and provide us with in-kind contributions of marketing, technology and IT expertise. They already work closely with guidance counselors around the state on college financing issues, and will be able to integrate the portal into their existing system. This is an exciting step forward, and we look forward to working closely with MEFA on the web portal initiative.

• Update on Six Commonwealth Priority Schools. Enclosed under Tab 14 is a memo updating the Board on the six Commonwealth Priority Schools that we have discussed at our recent meetings. The Department is continuing to work with these schools as well as working on the larger issue of how best to support improvement in schools with persistently low performance.

• Budget Hearing. I testified before the Senate and House Committees on Ways and Means on February 19th in support of the Board's FY09 education budget proposal. Committee members were interested in discussing ways to address the achievement gap and other pressing issues. I will brief you further at our February 26th meeting.

Items for Discussion and Action

1. Commissioner's Salary - Discussion and Vote

   The Board voted unanimously on January 17th to appoint Mitchell Chester as Commissioner of Education. By statute, the Board sets the Commissioner's salary. Chairman Reville will present the motion for the Board's approval.

2. Randolph Public Schools: Report and Recommendation on Next Steps - Discussion and Vote

   In November 2007, the Board voted to designate the Randolph Public School District as an underperforming district. The Board directed the Department to conduct a leadership review to determine the district's capacity to address identified problems and improve the quality of educational services to Randolph students. The District Leadership Evaluation Report written by our three-member team is provided for your review and discussion at this month's Board meeting. I am recommending that the Board vote on specific actions and benchmarks based on the findings in the report.

3. Proposed Technical Amendments to Regulations on Underperforming Schools and Districts (603 CMR 2.00) - Initial Discussion and Vote to Solicit Public Comment

   I recommend that the Board amend the Regulations on Under-Performing Schools and School Districts, 603 CMR 2.00, to incorporate the term "Priority 1 School" as equivalent to the term "chronically under-performing school" in the statute. In practice, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has been using the term "Priority 1 Schools." This proposed amendment to the regulations would formalize it. This technical change does not alter the substantive standards in the regulations. With the Board's authorization, we will disseminate the proposed amendments for public comment, in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, and then bring them back later in the spring for a final vote.

4. Educator Effectiveness: Overview of Statewide Initiatives in Preparation and Licensure - Discussion

   At the February meeting, as part of our continuing discussion of educator quality, Associate Commissioner Bob Bickerton and I will provide an overview of our current educator licensure system and highlight four statewide initiatives that are aimed at strengthening educator effectiveness in the Commonwealth. We have invited two speakers during the public comment portion of our meeting to present to the Board on two of the initiatives mentioned in the memo - the Teachers21 bill (Susan Freedman) and the Teaching, Learning and Leading Survey (Kathy Skinner).

5. Updated Massachusetts Technology Literacy Standards - Discussion and Possible Vote

   Working with the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council and the Board's Educational Technology Advisory Council, we have updated the Massachusetts Technology Literacy Standards. The Board originally adopted the standards in 2001. I recommend that the Board approve the updated standards. Since the document has been well vetted and the revisions are relatively minor, the Board could vote to approve the updated standards at this month's meeting. We have invited two partners who have worked with the Department on the standards, Isa Zimmerman and Joyce Plotkin, to present to the Board during the public comment portion of our meeting.

6. Charter Schools:

   1. Recommendations to Grant New Charters - Discussion and Vote

      The charter school statute directs the Board to review applications for new charters and grant the charters in February. At last month's meeting the Board received summaries of the five final applications for new charters that were submitted for consideration this year. I am recommending that the Board grant four new charters, one for a Horace Mann charter school (Silver Hill Horace Mann Charter School in Haverhill, to open in 2008) and three for Commonwealth charter schools (Dorchester Collegiate Academy Charter School in Boston, to open in 2009; and two regional charter schools: Hampden Charter School of Science, to be located in the Chicopee/Ludlow/Springfield/West Springfield region and to open in 2009, and the International Charter School of Southeastern Massachusetts, to be located in Brockton and to open in 2008). Your materials include information about each charter proposal. Associate Commissioner Jeff Wulfson and Mary Street, Director of Charter Schools, will be at the Board meeting to answer any questions you may have about the charter school applications and our process for reviewing and recommending new charters.

   2. Charter Renewal for New Leadership Charter School - Discussion and Possible Vote

      I recommend that the Board renew, with conditions, the charter for the New Leadership Charter School, which is a Horace Mann charter school located in Springfield. The memo under Tab 6(b) outlines the Department's findings based on our evaluation of the school, and presents the conditions that we believe should be attached to the charter renewal. A detailed Summary of Review is also enclosed. The Board may choose to waive its bylaw that calls for discussion at one meeting and a vote at a subsequent meeting, in order to vote on the charter renewal this month. If the Board would prefer to wait until the March meeting to vote, you should vote to waive the provision in the charter school regulations that sets a March 1 deadline for renewals. We have included a motion to waive the regulation for the Board's use if necessary, as well as the motion for charter renewal.

   3. Charter Amendments for Innovation Academy Charter School and Boston Prep Charter School - Discussion and Vote

      Pursuant to the Charter School Regulations, the Board must approve major changes in the material terms of a school's charter. Innovation Academy Charter School requests approval to become a regional charter school and to move the location of its facility from Chelmsford to Tyngsborough. Boston Preparatory Charter Public School requests approval to fully expand its grade span to include grade 12 as proposed in its original charter application. I recommend that the Board approve these requests. Details are provided in your materials.

7. Approval of Grants - Vote

   Presented for your approval this month are grants under the federal program for Technology for Data Driven Decisions ($270,000). I recommend that the Board approve the grants as presented.

Other Items for Information

8. Education-Related News Clippings

   Enclosed are several recent articles about education. Chairman Reville is quoted in the Associated Press story, "Longer school days a hot idea facing big obstacles in Mass." and in the op-ed piece from the New York Times, "The Early Bird Gets the Bad Grade."

9. Initial Report on Expanded Learning Time

   The Board heard a presentation on the Expanded Learning Time initiative in November 2007. Enclosed for your information is the executive summary of the initial report on Expanded Learning Time published recently by Abt Associates.

10. Tough Choices, Tough Times: Executive Summary

    Chairman Reville suggested that Board members review the executive summary of the Tough Choices, Tough Times report, in anticipation of further discussion at a future meeting.

11. Chairman Reville's Testimony on Education Governance Reorganization Bill

    Chairman Reville testified in support of Governor Patrick's state education governance reorganization bill, which passed the Legislature and takes effect on March 10th. A copy of his testimony is enclosed.

12. Proficiency, Opportunity and Efficiency: Superintendent's Acceleration Agenda for the Boston Public Schools

    Superintendent Carol Johnson will welcome the Board to the pilot middle school and speak about her agenda for the Boston Public Schools. Her recent report to the Boston School Committee is enclosed under Tab 12 for your information.

13. Massachusetts Teaching, Learning and Leading Survey (MassTeLLS)

    Kathy Skinner of the Massachusetts Teachers Association will speak to the Board during the public comment portion of the meeting about the Massachusetts Teaching, Learning and Leading Survey. Background material is enclosed under Tab 13 for your information.

14. Update on Six Commonwealth Priority Schools

    This memo updates the Board on the status of six Commonwealth Priority Schools: four in Springfield and one each in Holyoke and Lawrence.

15. Directions to the Meeting

If you have questions about any agenda items, please call me. I look forward to seeing you in Boston on February 26th.