District/School Administration Administration
Education Reform

Education Fact Sheets: Dropout Rates

August 1998

Dropout rates are linked to Education Reform as one indicator of how well schools are engaging their students.

Completing school has become increasingly important to leading a meaningful and productive life of work and citizenship.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education collects dropout data at the end of the school year and compiles and analyzes it over the course of the following school year. Dropouts are defined as students who leave school prior to graduation for reasons other than transfer to another school. The annual dropout rate is the number of students who drop out over a one-year period, from July 1 to June 30, minus those dropouts who returned to school by the following October 1, divided by the October 1 enrollment of that school year. As such, this measure partially accounts for students who drop out and return to school.

Statewide Annual Dropout Rates for Public Schools: 1993-97

In 1996-97, the annual dropout rate ranged from zero percent to 64 percent. At the low end, out of 308 schools, 12 schools had no students who dropped out, and 166 schools had dropout rates of 2.5 percent or less. At the high end, 15 schools had dropout rates in excess of 10 percent. These 15 schools comprised 4.2 percent of the state's grade nine through twelve enrollment but accounted for 17.5 percent of the state's dropouts.

Early Childhood Programs

The Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993

• Section 70 establishes an early childhood commission to develop a plan to provide children ages three to four the opportunity to participate in a developmentally appropriate early childhood education program.
• Section 84 directs the Department to establish a demonstration project to assess various models of parent outreach programs in working with families of children between the ages of one and three years. (Massachusetts Family Network)
• General Laws Chapter 15, Section 54 establishes an early childhood discretionary grant program to provide early care and education opportunities to children of working parents. The law also directs the Board to develop program and teacher certification standards.

Community Partnerships for Children

This is a grant program which helps community agencies build networks to combine resources to provide quality programs for children ages three and four years old and their families. The number of communities participating in the Partnerships program has grown from 109 in 1993 to 315 in 1998. The number of children served has grown from 7,300 in 1993 to 9,000 in 1996, to 10,500 in 1997, with as many as 15,000 in 1998. For FY99, an additional 3,000 children could be served.

Massachusetts Family Network

This is a grant program which helps community agencies build networks to combine resources to provide quality outreach and educational services for families with children ages birth through three years. Since 1995, the number of communities in the Network has grown from 57 to 118, and more communities are expected to participate in 1999. In 1998 the Massachusetts Family Network served 13,000 families with 16,000 children. For FY99, projected 3,500 more families with 4,500 more children.

State Funding for Early Childhood Programs (1995-99)

Policy Reports on Early Childhood

• Children First, the Report of the Special Commission on Early Childhood, was completed in December, 1995, and included the following recommendations: increase affordability and accessibility of early childhood programs for families; promote a consistent level of quality programs; support families with young children to ensure that all children enter school ready to learn; expand early childhood care and programs, and phase in the plan for expansion and integration.

• The Massachusetts Family Network, a report on the programs and recommendations for the future, was submitted to the Legislature in January 1997, and included draft legislation.

• An Evaluation of the Massachusetts Community Partnerships for Children was completed by Tufts University in December 1996.

• A Study of Accreditation in the Community Partnerships for Children Program was completed by the Department in 1998.

Early Childhood - Focus on Literacy

Community Partnerships for Children and Massachusetts Family Network Literacy Activities

Community Partnerships for Children (CPC) programs provide activities and services that promote child and family literacy to 3- and 4-year-olds. CPC programs offer the leadership for public schools, Head Start, private child care, family child care and other agencies to work together to promote and encourage literacy activities. Programming varies among each of the different partnerships; activities and services include:

• parent/child literacy activities;
• story hours;
• thematic literacy kits for providers and parents;
• family events that promote family literacy;
• field trips to the local library;
• book give-aways for children
• computer activities that allow families to personalize their own literacy activities;
• literacy conferences/fairs;
• book lending libraries for families; and
• family literacy seminars or workshops.

The YMCA of Greater Worcester is the lead agency for a CPC program that serves the communities of Northborough, Southborough, Marlborough, Berlin, and Boylston. This CPC program has offered activities that promote literacy in each of the communities. Activities have included story times at the local library for families, family child care providers, and center-based programs. Through the local library, the program has also sponsored training for providers and parents on how to read to children and how to find appropriate books. Funding has also been made available to create areas at the local libraries, where tapes, toys, puzzles, puppets, books, and educational videos are available for parents, providers, and children. The CPC program has also sponsored a family literacy event in one of the communities where the librarian and the character "Arthur" read to the children. The program gives books to the children along with a pamphlet for parents describing what "good reading" is. Local agencies have also been provided books to give to children.

Many of the 23 Massachusetts Family Network programs offer family literacy programs, while others offer various family literacy activities. Family literacy programs are defined as having the following four components: adult literacy, early childhood education, parenting education and support, and parent-child interaction time. The program provides services for children from birth to age 3.

Family Network programs are encouraging family literacy through many kinds of services. For example, one Western Massachusetts program recently started going door-to-door with a movable lending library of family literacy "kits" that contain books, materials and instructions for parent-child time together.

A parent might read the book "The Hungry Caterpillar" and then use the long half of an egg carton and some pipe cleaners to make a caterpillar puppet. The parent and child can talk about what the caterpillar eats, how it changes into a butterfly, and the colors used. This program is finding that parents with low literacy levels, and those who are just learning English, feel comfortable reading these simple books. This program discovered that the toddler room at the local library was not being used, and is starting a campaign this fall to bring new parents into the library, by offering several events there.

In another community, a Discovery Van visits families and child care providers with a movable interactive museum. The topic changes every six weeks, and families can borrow books and other materials for activities to do with children.

Almost all Family Network programs work with libraries to provide story times for parents and children, many of which also include play time and parent-child literacy activities.

Educational Technology

This year the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will introduce some exciting new applications and initiatives, and will deliver enhancements to current applications. Significant strides have been made fulfilling the Department's mission to 1) Enhance student learning and academic achievement and prepare students for the world of work and citizenship; 2) Promote the skills, knowledge, and performance of teachers; 3) Improve the efficiency of education management. The most significant improvements are in the efficiency of education management. As the Tech Plan Update application demonstrated, network technology can dramatically improve efficiency. In the 1998-99 school year, the Department will announce several new initiatives to improve educator professionalism.

Educational Technology Bond Bill

The Governor signed the Educational Technology Bond Bill in the fall of 1996, authorizing a $30 million matching grant program for school districts. School districts have been encouraged to use the grants for networking the classrooms to the Internet. Each grant will provide the district with $30 per student from the state, and the district must provide an additional $90 per student in matching funds. By 1998, 90% of the school districts and charter schools have received their grant awards.

Technology Training and Professional Development Grants

On February 25, 1998, Governor Paul Cellucci announced that school districts and charter schools will receive a new $15 per student matching grants to promote the use of education technology. The focus of this grant program is for technology training and professional development for educators. In order to be eligible school districts must submit:

• their 1998-1999 district-wide professional development plans
• an update of their technology plans
• student and teacher's technology access and protection plan for the Internet (Acceptable Use Policy & Block and Filter Access to Undesirable Materials on the Internet).

School districts with current technology plans are eligible to receive $15 per student Technology Training and Professional Development grants, and 98% of all districts have current plans and reports.

Technology Literacy Challenge Grant

In 1996, Congress approved the first year of President Clinton's 5-year, $2 billion Technology Literacy Challenge Grant. Massachusetts received $3.4 million in the first year and $8.1 million in the second year, and is distributing the funds to school districts through a competitive process.

• Year 1 Grants ($3.4 million)
  The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education distributed TLCF Grants under 4 components:
  • Professional Development ($1.2m for 98 projects)
  • Lighthouse Technology Sites ($1,150,000 for 66 projects)
  • Technology Leader Sabbaticals ($150,000 for 2 sabbaticals)
  • Projects with Statewide Impact ($750,000 for 4 projects).
  
  
• Year 2 Grants ($8.1 million)
  The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is distributing TLCF Grants under 5 components:
  • Model Professional Development ($1.5m)
  • Lighthouse Technology Sites ($2 million)
  • Technology Leader Sabbaticals ($150,000)
  • Projects with Statewide Impact ($3.2 million)
  • Technology Preservice ($600,000).

It will make 30 awards for Model Professional Development, 70 awards for Lighthouse Technology Sites, 9 awards for Projects with Statewide Impact, 2 awards for Technology Leader Sabbaticals, and 15 awards for Technology Preservice.

MassEd.Net
MassEd.Net is a free or discount Internet access service for Massachusetts public school educators. The service is free through September 1998, and will cost each educator $25 per year thereafter, a dramatic savings over typical commercial prices. MassEd.Net is available toll-free anywhere in the state; it features 24 hour-a-day customer care; and it is an unlimited service, so teachers don't have to worry about paying for more time online. As of July, over 17,000 educators have registered their MassEd.Net accounts.

MassNetworks
In order to help Districts and the Department prepare for applying for Universal Service "e-rate" discounts for telecommunications services, MassNetworks conducted a series of lectures and workshops across the state, developed an extensive web site, and published an in-depth help document that was sent to every District. After the first wave of applications were submitted, MassNetworks continued to play a role by keeping in constant contact with the FCC and the Schools and Libraries Corporation.

Information Management System
Information Management System (IMS) applications were made available in the 1998 school year. They were:

• A Consolidation Module of the Student Filter to bring data from numerous files together, label it according to the Department of Education's Student Data Standards and store the data until all required information has been gathered. This data is now in one file and ready for validation and transmission.
• An Online School Directory will provide enrollment, fiscal, testing and other information on all school districts.
• A "Smart Form" application will streamline exchange of information between the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and school districts by replacing current yearly and quarterly paper reports with electronic versions.
• The tech plan update form that allows Districts to send their updated tech plans to the ESE electronically through an online smart form.

Technology Roll-Out Team
In addition to offering training courses and on-demand tech support, the Roll-Out team finished up its extensive district technology surveys and began work on the IMS District Implementation Plans, which are individualized plans for how to bring each District into alignment with the Department's IMS infrastructure. When all the Implementation Plans are complete, the Department will be better able to focus resources on the most difficult aspects of implementation.

Other Technology Initiatives

Training and Professional Development
Besides providing funding for school districts in technology professional development, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has created a technology training and professional development delivery system ­ TTPD-WIRE. This is an online professional development directory service that allows providers to post courses electronically, and educators to browse, search and register for their professional development, as well as evaluate courses they have taken.

ETIS
Educational Technology Integration Services (ETIS) is an innovative program to streamline the process by which public schools and libraries obtain educational technology goods and services. ETIS provides all public educational organizations throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts an easy procurement option for their educational technology needs. At the time of this writing, over 120 ETIS projects worth over $10 million have begun, and the average project size is approximately $120,000.

Foundation Budget

Central to the Education Reform Act is the establishment of a funding formula to provide all schools with "adequate and equitable" education resources. These resources provide the foundation on which the rest of the reform components are built. If Education Reform continues to be funded according to the law, the state will gradually assume a greater share of the spending on education through the year 2000.

The Foundation Budget, Chapter 70 of the Massachusetts General Laws, is based on assumptions regarding educational service requirements for the number and types of students in attendance and a standard of local taxation for every community.

The Foundation Budget:

• is unique for each school system
• starts with enrollment by level (K, elementary, middle, high) and applies standards for class size, support staff, administrative staff, books and equipment, maintenance, athletics, and professional development
• adjusts for wage level differentials across the state and the number of low-income, bilingual, and vocational students in attendance

Minimum Standard of Effort(minimum amount of local taxes needed for education):

• is determined to assure fairness between communities
• is measured by property wealth and personal income and adjusts according to the community's growth/decline in revenues
• adjusts to require less of low income cities and more of wealthier communities

Foundation Gap(difference between Foundation Budget and standard of effort):

• will be filled over a phase-in period through year 2000 by a combination of increased local contribution and state aid
• adjusts to keep pace with inflation

Local and State Share of School Spending, FY93-FY98
(in billions of dollars)

Note: School spending is defined as Chapter 70 "Net school spending" and does not include expenditures for capital, transportation, fixed assets, and certain other costs not covered by the Chapter 70 Foundation Budget.

Gifted & Talented Education

General Laws Chapter 15, Section 1G:
Calls for the establishment of a statewide advisory council on gifted and talented education.

General Laws Chapter 15A, Section 39:
Allows a qualified student enrolled in a public secondary school to enroll as a student in Massachusetts public institutions of higher education. This Dual Enrollment program shall allow the student to earn both secondary school and college credits.

General Laws Chapter 69, Section 1B:
"The Board shall provide technical assistance, curriculum, materials, consultants, support services and other services to school and school districts, to encourage programs for gifted and talented students. The Board shall establish the standards for the recognition of high achievement by students and school districts."

Chapter 69, section 1D:
"Subject to appropriation, the Board shall establish a grant program which shall award grants to school districts for the costs associated with establishing advanced placement courses. The Board shall promulgate regulations defining the standards of eligibility and other implementation guidelines."

"Subject to appropriation, the Board shall establish an advance placement test fee grant program which shall award grants to school districts for the reimbursement of application fees for students based on financial need to assist students with paying the fee for advanced placement tests."

Chapter 69, section 1I:
"Each district shall file a report with the Department every year by a date and in a format determined by the board. Said report shall include, but not be limited to, the following … Programs for gifted and talented students … "

The FY 1999 state budget appropriated $437,970 …
"For the administration of a grant program for gifted and talented school age children; provided, that the funds appropriated in this line item shall be in addition to any federal funds available for said program; provided, further, that the department shall establish criteria for the purpose of identifying children enrolled in a public school in the Commonwealth in grades kindergarten through twelve who excel, or have the potential to excel, beyond their age peers to the extent that said students can benefit from said program; and provided further, that said programs may be made available by any city, town or regional school district."

Current Policy
The Department's policy is to support local districts' efforts to provide appropriate programs to meet the educational needs of all students. Additional aid under Education Reform has been the major funding mechanism for districts to develop and maintain programs for gifted and talented students.

Goals 2000: Educate America Act

On March 31, 1994, a national, bi-partisan commitment to education was made when the Goals 2000: Educate America Act was signed into law. Educators, business and parent organizations, as well as both Republican and Democratic elected leaders, agreed to form a new and supportive partnership with states and communities in an effort to improve student achievement. Goals 2000 funding is available to any state that has a comprehensive plan for addressing higher learning standards for students, rigorous assessment, ongoing professional development for educators, accountability measures at each level of the system, and parent and community involvement. Since 1995, Massachusetts has received nearly $20 million from the U.S. Department of Education to advance its own reform agenda, the landmark Education Reform Act of 1993.

FY95
First-year Goals 2000 funding helped support the development of a comprehensive statewide improvement plan. Based on the priorities of the Education Reform Act, the Department developed its first Five-Year Master Plan for Education Reform, approved by the Board of Education in March 1995. In addition, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education initiated three-year continuation grants across its three programmatic priorities:

• $400,000/year to support 7 districts involved in school restructuring and district improvement plans (Boston, Brockton, Everett, Watertown, West Springfield, Worcester, Southern Berkshire);
• $350,000/year to support 7 districts involved with the preparation of educators (Arlington, Attleboro, Cambridge, Fall River, Norton, Worcester, Amherst-Pelham); and
• $450,000/year to support 9 districts for professional development activities (Fitchburg, Marlborough, Nantucket, New Bedford, Salem, Springfield, Tantasqua, Wellesley, Weymouth).

FY96
School Restructuring and District Improvement Planning: $1 million supported nearly 80 schools and/or districts in developing comprehensive restructuring and improvement plans.

Preservice: Nearly $2 million supported 37 partnerships between districts and teacher education programs, partnerships that aim to prepare and support beginning teachers as they incorporate the Curriculum Frameworks and Principles of Effective Teaching into their practices.

Professional Development: $3.5 million, including $3 million to support curriculum frameworks study groups in 260 districts, was targeted towards enhancing the quality of the education workforce.

FY97
School Restructuring and District Improvement Planning: $750,000 supported nearly 40 schools and/or districts in developing comprehensive restructuring and improvement plans.

Preservice: $350,000 million continued to support 7 partnerships between districts and teacher education programs, partnerships that aim to prepare and support beginning teachers as they incorporate the curriculum frameworks and Principles of Effective Teaching into their practices.

Professional Development: $5 million, including $4.5 million to support curriculum framework study groups in nearly 300 districts, was targeted towards enhancing the quality of the education workforce.

FY98
Beginning in FY98, the priority for grant recipients was "Learning Standards In Action." $5 million has been set aside to support teachers as they integrate the learning standards of the curriculum frameworks into their instruction, curriculum, and classroom assessment. Grant recipients will build upon the work of the FY96 & FY97 study groups, and develop resources such as curriculum units, classroom videos or vignettes, and other support materials to ensure that the state's learning standards in the curriculum frameworks are established in every classroom across the state.

FY99
Goals 2000 funds will be used to support Leadership Academies to help principals and other leaders learn how to use data to drive instruction and curriculum changes; for Content Institutes in the state curriculum frameworks; and for innovative partnerships between districts and higher education to design and strengthen preservice education programs.

Ed-Flex
Goals 2000 aims to provide states and communities unprecedented flexibility provided they achieve results. The Goals 2000 Education Flexibility Demonstration Program allows up to 12 Chief State School Officers the authority to grant waivers from certain federal regulations. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education generally supports the premise that those closest to students make the most appropriate educational decisions for them. For these reasons, Massachusetts was designated the second Ed-Flex state in the country in September 1995. Since then, the Commissioner has received twenty requests from thirteen districts and has granted nineteen waivers from federal regulations to twelve districts. The twelve districts that have received Ed-Flex waivers of certain Title I regulations are: Attleboro, Brockton, Everett, Fitchburg, Framingham, North Adams, North Attleboro, Salem, Southbridge, Wareham, Watertown, and Worcester.

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