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

Briefing for the June 22, 2009 Special Meeting and the June 23, 2009 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 Tuesday, June 23, 2009, at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's offices at 75 Pleasant Street in Malden. The meeting will start at 8:30 a.m. (coffee will be available at 8) and will adjourn by 1 p.m. The Board also will hold a special meeting at the Department's offices in Malden starting at 5 p.m. on Monday evening, June 22, to discuss the redesign of the state system of accountability and assistance. If you need overnight accommodations or any additional information about the schedule, please call Beverley O'Riordan at (781) 338-3118.

Overview

Special Meeting

Under the leadership of Deputy Commissioner Karla Brooks Baehr, the Department has been working with key stakeholders, including the Board's Advisory Council on School and District Accountability and Assistance, to redesign the state system for school and district accountability and assistance. The Board has received updates on this work at several points in the past year. At the special meeting on June 22nd, Deputy Commissioner Baehr will present the latest version of the system redesign and proposed next steps, and Board members will have the opportunity for an extended discussion on this important topic.

Regular Meeting

Comments from the Chair

Chair Banta will report on current issues and activities. She will also recap the discussion from the June 22nd special meeting, introduce the newly elected chair of the State Student Advisory Council who will become a member of the Board as of July 1, 2009, and invite Jeff Howard to give an update on the work of the Proficiency Gap Committee.

Comments from the Commissioner

1. Education Committee hearing in Gloucester. Chair Banta and I presented testimony at a legislative oversight hearing that the Joint Committee on Education convened at Gloucester City Hall on June 8, 2009. The purpose of the public hearing was to review the process that the Department and the Board followed, leading to the Board's vote on February 24th to grant a charter to the proposed Gloucester Community Arts Charter School. A copy of our testimony is enclosed for your information under Tab 10.

2. Bureau of Special Education Appeals. I will update the Board on our communication with the U.S. Department of Education and the steps we are taking in response to their directive to change the current organizational structure of our Bureau of Special Education Appeals (BSEA) to bring it into full compliance with federal law. My objectives are to bring our dispute resolution process into full compliance with federal law, and to do it in such a way that we can continue to offer high quality, impartial services to parents, students, and schools.

3. 180-day school year issues. We are continuing to work with school officials and other interested parties to address questions about student learning time - particularly the minimum 180-day school year requirement - in light of health and safety emergencies such as the outbreak of H1N1 flu. I will update the Board on these matters at our June 23rd meeting.

4. Legislative reports. The Department has filed the following reports with the Legislature, in response to directives in the FY09 budget and the General Laws. These reports are posted on our website at: http://www.doe.mass.edu/research/reports/legislative.html.

   • MCAS Academic Support Programs - FY09 reports on the FY09 MCAS academic support for the classes of 2003-2013 which was offered through five grant programs and one contract initiative: District/Approved Private Special Education Schools & Collaboratives; One Stop Career Centers; Work & Learning Programs; Higher Education Institutions; Collaborative Partnerships for Student Success; and the annual competitive contract Connecting Activities (through Workforce Investment Boards). The full report is in your binder under Tab 11 and also at: http://www.doe.mass.edu/research/reports/0509as.pdf or http://www.doe.mass.edu/research/reports/0509as.doc.
   • Addendum to the 2007 Report to the Legislature: MCAS Academic Support Programs - FY07 reports on the funded programs which have submitted their end of year student data to the Department and allows this report to include more complete statistics on students served by these programs who earned their Competency Determinations. The full report is in your binder under Tab 11 and also at: http://www.doe.mass.edu/research/reports/0509as_fy07addendum.pdf or http://www.doe.mass.edu/research/reports/0509as_fy07addendum.doc
   • English Language Acquisition Professional Development reports on state support of professional development for educators of English language learners implementing sheltered English immersion and teaching English language acquisition in the classroom. The full report is at: http://www.doe.mass.edu/research/reports/legislative.html

Comments from the Secretary

Secretary Reville will brief the Board on current issues and activities.

Items for Discussion and Action

1. Update on State Education Budget and Federal Stimulus Funding for Education - Discussion

   I will update the Board on the latest information we have on the state budget for the balance of FY2009 and the budget outlook for FY2010. We expect to receive the conference committee report sometime during the week of the Board meeting. Secretary Reville will brief the Board on the education budget perspective from the Governor's office.

2. Second Report from Advisory Council on School and District Accountability and Assistance - Discussion

   Joseph Esposito, CFO (retired) of Solid Works and former member of the Educational Management Audit Council, chairs the Board's 15-member Advisory Council on School and District Accountability and Assistance. Deputy Commissioner Karla Baehr and others in the Department have been working with the advisory council as we redesign our system for accountability and assistance. By statute, the advisory council is to present its findings and recommendations to the Board at least two times a year. Joe Esposito presented the advisory council's first report to the Board in April and will present its second report on June 23rd.

3. Educational Leadership: Proposed Policy Standards for Principals, Superintendents, and Other Leadership Roles - Discussion and Vote

   I reported to the Board in October 2008 and May 2009 on our work in educational leadership development, which has been supported by funding from the Wallace Foundation. This month I am presenting, for your approval, a slightly revised version of the overarching policy standards for educational leadership that you have seen previously. These will serve as the foundation for amendments to the regulations for licensure of principals, superintendents, and other leadership roles that we will present to the Board in the fall. They will also be the basis for our development of role- and stage- specific performance indicators that will inform preparation programs, as well as the development of new performance-based assessments at the initial and professional stages of licensure. Associate Commissioner David Haselkorn will present the proposed standards and respond to your questions.

4. Annual Performance Evaluation of the Commissioner - Discussion and Vote

   Last month Chair Banta appointed a committee of Board members to conduct the Commissioner's annual performance evaluation. At our meeting on June 23rd the committee will present its report and the Chair will recommend a motion.

5. Approval of Non-Operating School Districts

   1. a. Approvals for 2009-2010 - Discussion and 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.

   2. b. Delegation to Commissioner for Future Approvals - Discussion and Vote

      I am recommending that the Board vote to delegate these annual approvals of non-operating school districts to the commissioner henceforth. We will continue to bring to the Board broader policy issues concerning school district regionalization and collaboration. I will report to the Board on any such approvals that I grant. The motion is enclosed.

6. Schedule for Regular Board Meetings through June 2010 - Vote

   After checking with members, we have prepared a proposed schedule for regular Board meetings through June 2010. With the Board's approval, we will post the schedule on our website.

7. Report from Parent & Community Education and Involvement Advisory Council - Discussion

   On behalf of the Parent & Community Education and Involvement Advisory Council, Chair Margaret O'Hare, Director of Mass. Parent Information and Resource Center, along with council members Abby R.Weiss, Executive Director of Full-service Schools Roundtable, and Kim Hunt, Mass. PTA President, will present draft guidelines on parent and community involvement, for your information and discussion. I would be pleased to review the draft guidelines and any recommendations in the context of other Department activities relating to family involvement in schools and report back to the Board at a future meeting.

8. State Student Advisory Council End-of-Year Report - Discussion

   Board member AJ Fajnzylber will present the end-of-year report from the State Student Advisory Council. AJ has served with distinction as chair of the SSAC and as a member of this Board. We thank him and wish him success and happiness in the future.

Other Items for Information

9. Education-Related News Clippings

   Enclosed are several recent articles about education.

10. Testimony of Board Chair and Commissioner at Education Committee Hearing in Gloucester, June 8, 2009

    Enclosed is the testimony that Chair Banta and I presented at the oversight hearing that the Joint Committee on Education convened in Gloucester on June 8th. The purpose of the public hearing was to review the process that the Department and the Board followed with respect to the granting of a charter to the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School.

11. Reports to the Legislature on Academic Support Services

    These two reports are examples of the reports that we file with the Legislature (and post on our website) on the use of state grant funds to support various education programs. The academic support services grants have been a key part of the state's commitment to assist schools and other organizations in working with students who need to strengthen their knowledge and skills in order to earn the competency determination for high school graduation and be prepared for future success.

12. Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework Review Panel

    This memo updates the Board on the membership of our Science and Technology/Engineering (STE) Curriculum Framework Review Panel and outlines anticipated next steps in the review process.

13. MassINC Report, Incomplete Grade: Massachusetts Education Reform at 15 (Executive Summary)

    This recent report by the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth (MassINC) on implementation of the Education Reform Act includes findings and recommendations that the Board might wish to discuss at a future meeting.

14. Report on Grants and Charter School Extended Loan Terms Approved by Commissioner

    Under Tab 14 is a report on grants that I have approved, per the Board's vote in October 2008 to delegate grant approvals to the commissioner. This authorization allows us to make decisions and inform grant applicants on a timely basis. The Board also delegated authority to me to approve extended loan terms for charter schools, a routine administrative matter. I approved one such extended loan term, for Hill View Montessori Charter Public School. Details are set forth in the enclosed memo.

Directions to the Meeting

If you have questions about any agenda items, please call me. I look forward to seeing you at the Department's offices in Malden on June 22nd.