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

Commonwealth Pilot Schools Update

In November 2006, Commissioner Driscoll recommended that the Board formally declare four schools - Academy Middle School in Fitchburg, the English High School in Boston, and the Duggan Middle School and Putnam Vocational Technical High School in Springfield - to be chronically underperforming schools within the meaning of G.L. c. 69, section 1J, the state statute on school performance accountability.

The four had been formally designated as underperforming schools three years earlier. Notwithstanding the various improvement efforts made by faculty and leaders in the schools and district staff, in the two years following Board approval of the schools' improvement plans, these four schools failed to demonstrate significant gains in student improvement and were found not to have created the necessary conditions for improved performance in their schools.

As an alternative to designating the four schools chronically underperforming, Board Chairman Anderson recommended that the Boston, Fitchburg and Springfield public school districts be given the option, by agreement of district management and local teachers' union leaders, to convert the four schools into Commonwealth Pilot Schools. The schools would remain within the district, but have school-based decision-making authority to be exercised by a participatory school governing board, under the direction and oversight of the district superintendent and the Commissioner of Education.

In December 2006, the Department developed guidelines for the new Commonwealth Pilot Schools program, and engaged the Center for Collaborative Education (CCE) to provide assistance and support to the districts during the planning and early implementation phases of this new program. CCE staff have extensive experience supporting pilot school development and support with the Boston Public Schools, where pilot schools have been an organizational option since 1995. A copy of the Commonwealth Pilot School Program Guidelines is included with this memorandum for your information.

In February 2007, the Department received applications from Boston, Fitchburg and Springfield outlining their preliminary plans and actions taken to prepare for the four schools to convert to Commonwealth Pilot Schools. As a result of the short planning window prior to the application deadline, there were still many matters to be worked out at that point, but the Department recommended that the Board give preliminary approval for all four schools to be accepted as Commonwealth Pilot Schools. In March 2007, the Board voted this approval.

In April 2007, the Department reconvened the panels that reviewed and advised the Department on the schools' initial applications, and conducted a second review to assess each school's progress in preparing for implementation of the school redesign elements included in its Commonwealth Pilot School conversion application. District and school leaders were provided feedback and recommendations from the practitioners who served on the review panels, and the Department deemed the schools to be making satisfactory progress in their planning and preparations for a September 2007 launch as Commonwealth Pilot Schools.

We are pleased to report that all four schools have had a positive school opening and are working diligently to bring to fruition the visions for school change that emerged from the Commonwealth Pilot School conversion planning sessions that they participated in last winter. At our meeting on September 27th, CCE Executive Director Dan French, Springfield Superintendent Joseph Burke, Springfield Union President Timothy Collins and Duggan Middle School Principal Jonathan Swan will provide us with some details on the changes accomplished to date and some of the challenges of converting to a Commonwealth Pilot School.

In addition to bringing you this update on the current Commonwealth Pilot Schools, I am pleased to inform you that we are working with the CCE and the Boston Foundation to encourage more Commonwealth Pilot Schools. With the Board's approval, we propose to invite a second cohort of up to 12 schools currently at risk of being designated chronically underperforming to apply to become Commonwealth Pilot Schools in the coming year. The schools would be from up to six additional school districts, and we anticipate at least two Commonwealth Pilot Schools per district. They would participate in the school redesign and conversion planning process during the 2007-08 school year in anticipation of reopening as Commonwealth Pilot Schools at the start of the 2008-09 school year. The CCE will again provide support to districts and schools engaging in this planning, and the Boston Foundation has announced a grant opportunity to help fund the costs incurred by the district design teams. This grant opportunity is open to both districts considering Commonwealth Pilot School conversions and districts exploring the establishment of voluntary pilot school conversions. Associate Commissioner Juliane Dow will join us at the meeting to answer any questions that Board members may have regarding the Commonwealth Pilot School program.

Enclosures:

M.G.L., Chapter 69: Section 1J.

2007 Guidelines for Commonwealth Pilot Schools Option