Commissioner's Update
August 22, 2008

Dear Superintendents and Leaders of Charter Schools and Collaboratives:

For as long as I can remember, for me the end of August has always meant Back to School. This started when I was a kid, and continued into my adult life when I became a teacher, then an administrator, a parent and now Commissioner.

As much as I enjoy the summer, the first few weeks of school are always my favorite time of year. I have already planned several school visits for the first few weeks in September, and intend to schedule others as the school year gets underway so I can learn more about the unique programs and opportunities offered in each district. I would welcome suggestions about particular programs or communities you think I should visit along the way.

Enjoy the last few days of summer and I wish you all a smooth Opening Day.

All the best,

Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D.
Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education

In this Update I have four announcements and one item for your review.

2008 MCAS and AYP Reporting Schedule

As a reminder, the 2008 MCAS and AYP Data Review Schedule has been posted to the Department's website . It is extremely important that you report any MCAS discrepancies during the discrepancy period, which is August 15-25. Additional information regarding MCAS discrepancy reporting has been posted to MCAS Headlines at http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/.

Please note that we have added tentative dates for the public release of MCAS and AYP results (school-, district-, and state-level results). As a reminder, MCAS School- and district-level results are embargoed until Wednesday, September 24, when the Department will release final results to the public.

Items Posted at www.doe.mass.edu:

1. Important Information about the Massachusetts English Proficiency Assessment (MEPA) for Fall 2008 Deadline to Complete Enrollment Verification: September 19, 2008
2. Instructions for Ordering Materials for the November 2008 MCAS Retest and February 2009 Biology Test Administrations
   Deadline to Respond: September 19, 2008
3. Fall 2008 Training Sessions for Qualified MELA-O Trainers (QMTs)
4. Careful Hiring of Education Personnel, Including Substitute Teachers
5. Nominees Needed for Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) Test Review Committees
6. Reminder about Requirement to Report Educator Misconduct
7. Completion of First EPIMS Collection
8. Legal Holiday; Accommodation for Religious Observances
9. Holiday Observances in Massachusetts

Sincerely,

Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D.
Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education