District/School Administration Administration
Commissioner's Updates - Archive

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2000

December 20, 2000  

1. Second Annual Chase School Change Awards
2. Guidance on Developing Student Success Plans
3. Kindness & Justice Challenge
4. Graduation Requirement Survey
5. Data of Individual District Graduation Requirements

December 5, 2000  

1. MCAS Testing Updates
   • Additional MCAS Reports To Be Delivered to Schools in January
   • Overview of 2001 MCAS Tests
   • MCAS Grade 3 Test Administration: Extra Time for
   • Pre-Administration Activities
   • Assessment Development Committee Application Deadline
   • NCS Mentor Workshops Postponed
2. Content Institutes for 2001: Request for Proposals
3. Arts Network for Professional Development Applications
4. Announcement of an Educational TV Special on School Safety:
   www.thebostonchannel.com/reaction
5. Addition to Application Form for Assessment Development Committee Membership

November 20, 2000  

1. Assessment Development Committee Member Recruitment for 2001-2002
2. Memorandum on Distribution of Boy Scouts Information to Public Schools

November 6, 2000  

1. MCAS Information
   • Spring 2001 Question Tryouts in Science and Technology/Engineering in Grades 9 & 10
   • NCS Mentor for Massachusetts Training Workshops
   • High School Science and Technology/Engineering 2000-2002 Assessment Development Committee Member Recruitment
2. FY 2001 Special Education Loan Program
3. Board of Education Forum on School Interventions and Turnaround Strategies - November 14th - Public Invited
4. Information on District-wide Student Success Plans
5. Announcement of Early Childhood Grant Opportunity: Community Partnerships for Children
6. Technology Information
   • Literacy Challenge Grant 5: Project MEET School Sites
   • Grant Applications for Teaching State Standards with Technology (TSST)
7. Advanced Placement Information
   • Examination Fee Subsidy
   • AP Incentive Program 2000-2001 Income Eligibility Guidelines
   • AP Incentive Program Fee Reduction Form
8. Notice of Public Comment Period - Proposed amendments to the Charter School Regulations
9. Teacher Recognition Announcements:
   • Nominations for 2001-2002 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year
   • Christa McAuliffe Fellowship Program 2001 Application and Requirements
   • Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program
   • National Teachers Hall of Fame Induction Program
10. Notification of Grant Awards for Outdoor Environmental Education
11. Announcement of 2001 Secretary's Award for Excellence in Environmental Education

October 20, 2000  

1. Pesticide Notification Law Goes Into Effect November 1st
2. November is Family Literacy Month in Massachusetts
3. Opportunities for Public and Private School Educators to Participate in Free, Graduate-Level Content Institutes in the Humanities
4. Announcement of Upcoming Survey on Preschool and Kindergarten Programs
5. Call for Participants in a Study of Early Childhood Programs

October 5, 2000  

1. MCAS Results: Reporting Schedule*
2. Announcement of Annual Student Government Day*
3. Children's Trust Fund Booklet on Protocol for Identifying and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect (mailed to schools only)*
4. Board in Brief, Summary of the September 25 and 26 Board of Education Meetings*
5. Guidance on Using Sliding Fee Schedule for Public Payment of Independent Education Evaluations
6. New Regulations Governing Public and Private Day and Residential Schools
7. Call for Nominations to Serve on Advisory Committee on Character Education
8. FY 1999 Student Exclusion Report
9. Notice of Public Comment on School Construction Regulations
10. Notice of Public Comment on Charter School Regulations
11. Notice of Public Comment on Amendments to Certification Regulations
12. Notice of Public Comment on Amendments to Special Education Regulations

September 20, 2000  

1. Proposed Regulations for Approval of Educator Licensure and Preparation Programs
2. MCAS Update: Training Sessions on the MCAS Alternate Assessment; 2001 MCAS Schedule Information; 2000 MCAS Student Report Format
3. Notice to Update Ed Tech Plans to Qualify for E-Rate
4. A Forum, Effective Schools & Effective Leaders in Urban Districts, offered by the Board and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
5. Working With Your School Committee: A Student Guide, by the Statewide Student Advisory Council

September 5, 2000  

1. Special Education Administrative Advisory: Compliance Issues
2. Special Education Advisory:Changes to Massachusetts Special Education Law
3. Announcement about the 2001 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year

August 16, 2000  

1. Annual Report of the Board of Education
2. Update on the Curriculum Frameworks
3. Update on the MCAS
4. Public Comment Requested on the Draft Science and Technology/Engineering Framework
5. Reminder about School Breakfast Programs
6. National School Lunch, Breakfast, Special Milk and After-School Snack reimbursement
7. School Bus Safety Instructional Guidelines and Suggested Curriculum
8. Pesticide Spraying Notification Requirements
9. Massachusetts Foreign Languages Curriculum Framework and Assessment Survey
10. Advanced Placement Examination fee subsidy
11. Dual Enrollment for the Spring 2001 Semester
12. Flyer on 2001 "Spread the Word" program
13. Booklet on the Fulbright Teacher and Administrator Exchange Program
    (visit grad.usda.gov/info_for/fulbright.cfm)
14. The Parent, Family, and Community Involvement Guide
15. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Candidate Subsidy Program
16. Legal Holidays and Accommodation for Religious Observances for 2000-2003
17. "Board In Brief" summary of the July meeting of the Board of Education

Also recently posted on our website are the following four items:

1. E-Vent for School Council
2. School Choice Districts for FY 01
3. Drop out Rates for 1999
4. School Facts on Massachusetts Schools and Selected Statewide Programs, 2000

July 19, 2000  

• FY 00 Reimbursement for the Tuition of State Wards
• Announcement of Two Forums on Proposed Certification Regulations

July 5, 2000  

• Goals 2000 "Ed-Flex" Application
• News Release regarding Massachusetts Highlighted at National Conference on Teacher Quality Incentives
• Board of Higher Education Tuition Waiver Opportunity
• Low-Cost Advanced Placement Opportunity for Low-Income Students

June 21, 2000  

• Latest draft of the Mathematics Curriculum Framework
• Memo on Individual Professional Development Plans for retirees and those leaving the profession
• Board in Brief, a summary of the June 19th meeting of the Board on Education
• History and Social Science Guide for Pre-K-Four
• Application for the History and Social Science Curriculum Framework Review Panel
• Announcement of a public forum on proposed certification and program approval regulations
• Announcement of summer training institutes for administrators to support beginning teachers
• Memo on the coordination of special education services provided to students in state and county facilities
• Final FY 2000 charter school tuition and reimbursement
• FY 2000 school choice tuition
• Announcement of a middle school pilot math project
• Year-End School Indicator Report
• Newsletter community service learning activities

June 2, 2000  

• English Language Arts Draft Curriculum Framework
• Memo on the new Directory Administration
• Announcement of the President's Student Service Challenge
• Annual Report of the Massachusetts Board of Education
• "Board in Brief," summary of the May 23rd Board of Education meeting
• Announcement about the 6th annual New England Conference on Gifted and Talented Education this coming fall
• Memo on Teacher Recruitment
• RFR on Case Studies Seminars
• Improving Student Reading Achievement: Promising Approaches at Four Massachusetts Schools, a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education case study

May 19, 2000  

• Memo on recertification
• Announcement of a period of public comment on the Proposed Regulations for Teacher Licensure and Educator Preparation Program Approval
• Report of 1999 Massachusetts and Local School District MCAS Results by Race/Ethnicity
• 1999 Youth Risk Behavior Survey
• Announcement of a Bidders' Conference for parties interested in learning more about the Gifted and Talented grant application for 2001.

May 8, 2000  

• Details about the five math education forums in May
• Early Care and Education RFP
• Advisory on Physical Education in the Public Schools
• Chapter 74 Non-Resident Tuition Rates for FY 2001
• FY 99 Preliminary Per-Pupil Expenditures: Summary of All Day Programs
• MCAS Update #3: Testing Schedule for FY 2001 and Scoring Institutes
• Reminder for School Committees to Take Annual School Choice Participation Vote for FY 2001
• "Board in Brief," summary of the April meeting of the Board of Education
• "1999 Annual Report" of the Massachusetts Board of Education
• "Tell Your Children It Pays To Study Hard, " (PDF),an informative brochure provided by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and produced by the Center on Education Policy, which can be reviewed at their website, or by calling 202-822-8065
• A letter from U.S. Education Secretary Riley asking educators to inform students about careers in the military
• Local Technology Plan Benchmark Standards for FY 2003
• Annual survey by the Milken Exchange on Education Technology

April 20, 2000  

• FY 01 Non-Competitive Grants Package
• Educational Technology in Massachusetts, 1999-2000

April 5, 2000  

• Notice of Public Comment on Proposed Amendments to the Regulations on Under-Performing Schools and Districts and the Recertification Regulations, to implement a diagnostic assessment of certain mathematics teachers
• A memo on School and District Policies Prohibiting Discrimination and Harassment
• "Board in Brief," summary of the March Board of Education meeting

March 21, 2000  

March 6, 2000  

• MCAS Update*
• A Memo on the SASID System*
• A memo on the revision to the science curriculum framework
• An invitation to the Recertification Forum to be Held on March 23 in Marlboro
• Recertification guidelines and accompanying question-and-answer pamphlet
• Request for Public Comment on Proposed Revisions to Regulations on Access to Equal Educational Opportunity
• "Board in Brief," Summary of the February Meeting of the Board of Education

February 22, 2000  

• Invitation to the recertification forum to be held on March 23 in Marlboro
• Request for responses for administrator training institutes to support beginning teachers
• Sample template for use in planning individual professional development activities
• Announcement that the Board of Higher Education's Fourth Annual Arthur Gelb College-to-School Report will be available March 6.
• The Walt Disney Corporation website, disneylearning.org, for information on nominating a teacher for Disney's annual American Teacher Awards

February 7, 2000  

• Proposed changes to school construction regulations
• Request for information regarding the federal Emergency Immigrant Education Assistance Program
• Notice regarding special education services for students in private schools
• Board in Brief, a summary of the January 25 meeting of the Board of Education
• Proposed Regulations 603 CMR 31.00: Massachusetts Certificate of Mastery

January 19, 2000  

• Attracting Excellence to Teaching loan forgiveness program
• New Guidelines for Recertification
• Grant opportunities for three early childhood education programs
• Estimated FY 2000 school choice tuition
• Board of Education FY 2001 Budget request
• Annual U.S. Savings Bond Poster Contest for fourth, fifth and sixth grade students
• Opportunity for educators to participate in activities associated with the Governor's Committee of Physical Fitness and Sports
• Case Study Seminars for Beginning Teachers- Enrollment Information
• Summer Mentor Training Institutes 2000
  Request for Responses