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

Briefing for the October 20, 2008 Special Meeting and the October 21, 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 Tuesday, October 21, 2008, at Holyoke High School, 500 Beech Street, Holyoke. The regular meeting will start at 9 a.m. (preceded by a tour of the high school at 8:30) and will adjourn by 1 p.m. The Board will also hold a special meeting on Monday, October 20, 2008, from 5-9 p.m. at the Delaney House, 3 Country Club Road, Holyoke. If you need overnight accommodations or any additional information about the schedule, please call Belinda Wilson at (781) 338-3118.

Overview

In response to the Board's interest in setting aside time for in-depth discussions of important policy issues, we are holding a special meeting on Monday evening to discuss the state system of accountability and assistance. Our business agenda for the regular meeting on Tuesday includes discussion of the 2008 MCAS and AYP results, an update on Educational Proficiency Plans, an initial discussion of the education budget for FY2010, a continuation of our Monday evening discussion of the state system of accountability and assistance, and an update on initiatives to strengthen educational leadership. The Board will vote on advisory council appointments, several charter school matters, and grant authorization. The Board may also choose to vote on a position on ballot question 1.

Special Meeting

Last month the Board received an overview of the new legislation that assigns responsibility for district and school accountability to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, under standards to be established by the Board. At our special meeting on October 20th, Deputy Commissioner Karla Brooks Baehr, Associate Commissioner Lynda Foisy, and I will join you in an in-depth discussion of how we will move forward with the design of a stronger and more effective system of accountability and assistance. We have put together a binder of materials for your information and preparation for this session. The materials include, among other things, a history of the school and district accountability system in Massachusetts, progress reports from several districts and schools, and the external evaluation report on the Holyoke Public Schools turnaround initiative. Holyoke Supt. Eduardo Carballo will join us at the special meeting. Working in partnership with the Board and our stakeholders, we are determined to produce an efficient, integrated, transparent, fair, and effective system for building the capacity of districts and schools to ensure high level teaching and learning.

Regular Meeting

On Tuesday morning, Superintendent Eduardo Carballo and Holyoke High School principal David Dupont will welcome Board members to join them on a tour of the school at 8:30 a.m. Our regular meeting will convene at 9 a.m. in the school auditorium.

Comments from the Chair

Maura O. Banta, Board chair, will brief the Board on current issues and activities.

Comments from the Commissioner

Teacher preparation in mathematics. In April 2007, the Board took a significant step to improve students' proficiency in mathematics by amending the educator licensure regulations to strengthen preparation and licensing of elementary and special education teachers to teach mathematics. As a result, the regulations now specify the subject matter knowledge requirements in mathematics, focusing on outcomes rather than coursework. These changes are reflected in the Massachusetts Tests of Educator Licensure (MTEL) by means of a revised general curriculum test with a separately scored mathematics subtest that will become operational in March 2009. Under Tab 11 is a one-page summary on this topic that Associate Commissioner Bob Bickerton and Board member Tom Fortmann presented at a National Mathematics Panel event on October 6-7. I will invite them to brief the Board on it.

Comments from the Secretary

Secretary Paul Reville will update the Board on the work of the Executive Office of Education.

Items for Discussion and Action

1. 2008 MCAS Results and Adequate Yearly Progress Determinations - Discussion

   Over the past six weeks the Department has made several major announcements detailing statewide, school and district performance on the 2008 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exams and this year's Adequate Yearly Progress results, as required under No Child Left Behind. This is an opportune time to review and discuss the results with the Board.

2. Update on Educational Proficiency Plans - Discussion

   After we released the 2008 MCAS results, we received a number of inquiries about the requirement for students who did not score at least 240 (Proficient) to complete an Educational Proficiency Plan in order to meet the Competency Determination standard for high school graduation. The memo under Tab 2 and the Q&A document enclosed with it are intended to clear up any questions about the policies surrounding the Educational Proficiency Plan regulation.

3. Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Budget Proposal for FY 2010 - Initial Discussion

   The Board's budget committee has had one meeting to date and will meet again on October 14th. We expect to receive additional information from the Administration shortly about the state's fiscal situation and budget planning for FY 2010. I will send you the updated information as it becomes available.

4. State System of Accountability and Assistance - Continuing Discussion

   We will recap the special meeting on the state system of accountability and assistance.

5. Advisory Councils to the Board - Discussion and Vote

   1. Appointments and Reappointments to Existing Advisory Councils

      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. The advisory councils are made up of volunteers who work with us to improve public education by providing advice and comment in specific program areas such as 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. At last month's meeting the Board reviewed the proposed appointments and reappointments of members to various advisory councils. I recommend that the Board vote on the appointments this month. We plan to convene the advisory councils on November 3rd.

   2. Appointments to New Advisory Council on School and District Accountability and Assistance

      The law under which we are assuming responsibility for district and school accountability also establishes an Advisory Council on School and District Accountability and Assistance. The memo under Tab 5b outlines the responsibilities of the advisory council and presents my recommendations to you for membership. I recommend that the Board vote to appoint members to this new advisory council at this month's meeting.

6. Update on Initiatives to Strengthen Educational Leadership - Discussion

   The memo under Tab 6 provides an update on our statewide initiatives to strengthen school and district leadership, particularly our work to develop new professional standards for school administrators. I anticipate that we will have several discussions of the professional standards over the course of this school year. The Wallace Foundation has provided important support to the school and district leadership initiative. Please note that Board members are invited to attend the Wallace Foundation forum in Boston on November 6th.

7. Charter Schools:

   1. Charter Amendments for Three Schools: Four Rivers Charter Public School, Global Learning Charter Public School, and Hilltown Cooperative Charter Public 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 and grades served. Each of these charter schools has requested an amendment to increase its maximum enrollment for a small, incremental expansion to accommodate additional students in existing programs. We are providing to you the requests from the charter schools as well as comments from the local school superintendents. I recommend that the Board approve the charter amendments as presented.

   2. Approval of Extended Loan Term for Martin Luther King, Jr., Charter School of Excellence - Discussion and Vote

      Under the charter school statute, a charter school may incur temporary debt in anticipation of receipt of funds, but requires approval of the Board if it wishes to agree to repayment terms that exceed the duration of the school's charter. Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School of Excellence requests approval to enter into financing agreements that extend beyond the term of the school's current charter. The Commonwealth has no liability for any portion of these loans. I recommend that the Board approve the extended loan term.

   3. Authorization to Commissioner to Approve Extended Loan Terms for Charter Schools - Discussion and Vote

      Each year, the Department's Charter School Office receives about four requests for approval of extended loan terms for charter schools (such as the one under (b) above), which we review and bring to the Board for approval. Because this process is fairly routine, Chair Banta suggested that the Board consider delegating this approval function to the commissioner. The memo under Tab 7c describes the process and includes a motion. If the Board delegates this authority to me, I would report to the Board on any such approvals.

8. Ballot Question 1 - Discussion and Possible Vote

   At our September meeting, in response to requests from members, Chair Banta asked to have an item added to the October agenda concerning Question 1 on the November ballot, an initiative to repeal the state income tax. We have provided some background information for your discussion.

9. Report on Grants Approved by Commissioner; Continuing Authorization to Commissioner to Approve Grants - Vote

   Enclosed under Tab 9 is a report on the competitive grants that I approved since your September 10th meeting under the authority that the Board granted to me at that meeting. Also, per the Board's request, I am recommending that the Board vote to delegate grant approvals to the commissioner indefinitely. As the memo explains, this will allow us to make decisions and inform grant applicants on a timely basis. We will continue to conduct a thorough and well documented grant review process, and I will report to the Board on any grants that I approve. The motion is enclosed.

Other Items for Information

10. Education-Related News Clippings

    Enclosed are several recent articles about education.

11. Massachusetts Changes to Improve Math Preparation of Elementary Teachers

    Enclosed is the one-page summary on this topic that Associate Commissioner Bob Bickerton and Board member Tom Fortmann presented at a National Mathematics Panel event on October 6-7.

12. MBAE Report, Educating a 21st Century Workforce

    Enclosed is the report recently released by the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, Educating a 21st Century Workforce. The Board might wish to discuss the report at a future meeting.

13. Board/Department Annual Report for FY 2008

    The annual report for FY 2008 includes key data and chronicles the major decisions and actions of the Board from July 2007-June 2008. It is an impressive record of some of our accomplishments in service to the students of Massachusetts. We plan to distribute copies to the Governor and the Legislature and post the report on our website.

14. Directions to the Meeting

If you have questions about any agenda items, please call me. I look forward to seeing you in Holyoke on October 20th and 21st.