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

Briefing for the June 25, 2008 Regular Meeting of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

The next regular meeting of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will be on Wednesday, June 25, 2008, in the Patriot Room at the Massachusetts Archives, 220 Morrissey Blvd. in Boston. The meeting will start at 1 p.m. and adjourn by 5 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 convene at the Massachusetts Archives at 1 p.m. on June 25th following Governor Patrick's announcement of the Readiness Project initiatives at 11 a.m. at the John F. Kennedy Library. Our business agenda includes a discussion of the Readiness Project, a vote on the District Plans for School Intervention submitted by the nine Commissioner's Districts that have Commonwealth Priority Schools, an update on the review of the English Language Arts Curriculum Framework, and a possible vote on the Randolph Turnaround Plan. Other items on our agenda for a vote are amendment requests from three charter schools, the annual list of non-operating schools, and a vote authorizing grant approvals over the summer.

REGULAR MEETING

Comments from the Chairman
Chairman Reville will brief the Board on current issues and activities. Governor Patrick has announced two new appointments to the Board effective July 1st: Maura O. Banta of Melrose, who will chair the Board, and Beverly A. Holmes of Springfield. The press release is enclosed following this memo. We also have a new student Board member, Andrew "AJ" Fajnzylber, who is entering his senior year at Brookline High School and is the newly elected chair of the State Student Advisory Council. Zachary Tsetsos, our outgoing student member, will present a brief report on the work of the State Student Advisory Council this year and will introduce AJ.

Comments from the Commissioner

1. Proposed state budget for FY09. I will update the Board on any new developments in the proposed FY09 education budget



2. Honors for Ron Honesty. I am pleased to inform you that the Boston Chapter of the Association of Government Accountants selected Ron Honesty, the Director of our Grants Management unit, for its 2008 achievement award. The AGA Boston Chapter gives the award each year to a Boston area government employee in recognition of outstanding achievement in developing, implementing, and improving financial management in government services. Ron was selected for the improvements he made in our grants payment system, which have greatly facilitated the flow and accounting of funds to school districts and other grant recipients. Ron was formally recognized at the AGA's awards dinner on May 29th.



3. Advisory council nominations. The Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 established advisory councils to advise the Commissioner and the Board on matters related to improving public education and student achievement. We are seeking applications from educators, parents, students, business leaders, and other community members who have a demonstrated commitment to excellence in public education as well as experience and expertise specific to the advisory council. Councils with openings for the fall of 2008 are: Adult Basic Education, Arts Education, Community Service Learning, Educational Personnel, Educational Technology, English Language Learners/Bilingual Education, Gifted and Talented Education, Global Education, Interdisciplinary Health Education and Human Services, Life Skills Management, Mathematics-Science Education, Parent and Community Education and Involvement, Racial Imbalance, Special Education, and Technology-Engineering Education. The recruitment memo is posted on the Board's website: http://www.doe.mass.edu/boe/sac/recruit.html
   
   The Board appoints advisory council members upon recommendation of the Commissioner. I expect to bring recommendations to you in September. Advisory councils meet at least four times a year, and members serve without compensation. If you know of good candidates, please encourage them to apply by the July 31st deadline. Interested parties should submit two copies of a letter of intent along with a resume to Commissioner Mitchell D. Chester at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148-4906 (Attention: Advisory Councils).



4. Update and plans. I am enthusiastic and energized after my first month on the job as Commissioner. I will update the Board on our progress and on plans for moving forward.

ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION AND ACTION

1. Governor's Readiness Project Recommendations - Discussion
   
   Chairman Reville will lead the Board in a discussion of the Governor's Readiness Project Action Plan, released earlier in the day.



2. Districts' Plans for Commonwealth Priority Schools - Discussion and Vote
   
   Last month the Board received recommendations from the State Review Panels that reviewed the District Plans for School Intervention submitted by the nine Commissioner's Districts: Boston, Brockton, Fall River, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, New Bedford, Springfield, and Worcester. The panels make recommendations to the Commissioner and the Board on the adequacy and viability of each plan, and they have recommended approval of all nine districts' Plans for School Intervention. At our meeting last month, Board members discussed the standards and process for the review and asked for additional information that we have provided to you under separate cover. I recommend that the Board vote at the June 25th meeting to accept the plans from these nine districts.



3. English Language Arts Curriculum Framework Review: Second Progress Report and Next Steps - Discussion
   
   As part of our ongoing review of the seven curriculum frameworks, in November 2007 the English Language Arts Curriculum Framework Panel began its work. The Board received and discussed the Panel's first progress report in April 2008. The Panel has done additional work, based on your comments in April, and now presents this second progress report for your information. Based on the discussion at this month's meeting, I will ask the Panel to proceed with its work so that a draft of the updated English Language Arts Curriculum Framework can be presented to the Board this fall.



4. Charter Schools: Proposed Amendments for Conservatory Lab Charter School, Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School, and Roxbury Preparatory 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, including changes to a school's maximum enrollment; grades served; and location of facilities, if the change involves relocating or expanding to another municipality. I recommend that the Board vote this month to approve charter amendment requests from three charter schools: Conservatory Lab Charter School (grades served), Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School (location of facilities), and Roxbury Preparatory Charter School (maximum enrollment and grades served). The enclosed memo provides details.



5. Non-Operating Schools - Vote
   
   By statute, towns that do not operate their own public schools, generally because the town is small and is not a member of a regional school district, must request and receive approval annually from the Board to tuition their students to public schools in other towns. This item is presented for your approval this month.



6. Randolph Public Schools: Proposed Turnaround Plan - Discussion and Possible Vote
   
   In November 2007, the Board voted to designate Randolph Public Schools as an underperforming district. In February 2008, the Board voted on actions and benchmarks for Randolph. The Board also voted to defer action on the question of chronic underperformance and state receivership for the district for 120 days, with the understanding that the Department would appoint a District Support Team to work with local school, municipal, and community leaders to define actions to be taken over the next 24 months and to assist in a community-wide, consensus-building effort. At our meeting last month, the Board received the progress report from our District Support Team, chaired by former Malden superintendent Joan Connolly. The Turnaround Plan submitted by Randolph officials is enclosed. On June 25th, Supt. Richard Silverman and other representatives from Randolph will be present to respond to questions about their Turnaround Plan. We have scheduled discussion of this item to begin around 3:30 p.m. to accommodate Randolph school and community officials who have a commitment earlier in the afternoon. I will make a recommendation to the Board at the meeting.



7. Authorization to Commissioner on Grants - Vote
   
   The state budget takes effect on July 1st, but the Board typically does not meet in July. For that reason, in June the Board votes a standard motion to authorize the Commissioner, in consultation with the Chairman and members of the Board, to approve grants and any other matters that require action between the June meeting and the next regular Board meeting. I will report to the Board on any such approvals. The motion is enclosed.




OTHER ITEMS FOR INFORMATION

8. Education-Related News Clippings
   
   Enclosed are several recent articles about education.



9. Massachusetts Reading First Evaluation Report: Executive Summary
   
   At the May Board meeting, members requested information on the evaluation of the Massachusetts Reading First program. The executive summary of the Year 5 evaluation is enclosed under Tab 9. The full evaluation report is available online at: http://www.doe.mass.edu/literacy/donahue/.



10. MCAS Performance Appeals for Competency Determination: Annual Report
    
    Enclosed is the 2008 report on MCAS performance appeals. The Board established the MCAS performance appeals process in 2002 to provide a way for students to demonstrate, through their course work, that they meet or exceed the state standard in English language arts and/or mathematics on the grade 10 MCAS tests even though they repeatedly have not passed the tests. The performance appeals system is integral to the fairness and reasonableness of the state competency determination standard for high school graduation. This summer I plan to convene a working group to consider options for adding Science and Technology/Engineering to the appeals process. Based on input from the working group, I will bring my recommendations to the Board in August for initial review and ask for your approval to invite public comment on proposed amendments to the MCAS Performance Appeals regulations.



11. Tentative Schedule for Regular Board Meetings through June 2009
    
    After consulting with Board members, we have prepared a tentative schedule for regular Board meetings from August 2008 through June 2009. Most of the meetings are on the fourth Tuesday of the month; exceptions are noted. We are providing this now for your information and will recommend that the Board vote on the meeting schedule after we have checked with the new Board chair and member(s) to be appointed as of July 1st. Reminder: the Board statute says, "If a member is absent from any four regularly scheduled monthly meetings, exclusive of July and August, in any calendar year, his office as a member of said board shall be deemed vacant." After the Board approves the final schedule, we will post it on our website.



12. Directions to the Meeting
    
    If you have questions about any agenda items, please call me. I look forward to seeing you in Boston on June 25th.