Commissioner's Update
September 19, 2008

Dear Superintendents and Leaders of Charter Schools and Collaboratives:

In this Update I have three announcements and nine items for your review.

New FY2009 Transition to Full-Day Kindergarten RFP Released

The purpose of the state-funded competitive grant is to encourage the voluntary expansion of high-quality, full-day kindergarten across Massachusetts. This grant is intended for districts ready to implement full-day kindergarten (FDK) in September of 2009.

The larger purpose of the state-funded Kindergarten Development Grant program is to enhance the educational experience of children by: increasing the number of full-day kindergarten classrooms; improving overall quality and curriculum; increasing inclusion; promoting continuity of curriculum from preschool (pre-K) to third grade; and developing other program components. The program will help to achieve the goal of preventing the achievement gap from starting.

Letters of Intent to Apply are due Tuesday, September 23, 2008 and all proposals must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, October 17, 2008. For more details, review http://finance1.doe.mass.edu/Grants/grants09/rfp/702.html or contact the Office of Elementary School Support via email at ecaille@doe.mass.edu or 781-338-6355.

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

Technology Plan Data Collection

From September 12 to October 10, 2008, the online forms for the annual Tech Plan Update Report will be open for districts to enter their data for the 2007-2008 school year. This report will give us data on how you have implemented your long-range technology plan over the past year. Districts need to report on their progress in implementing their technology plan in order to be eligible for technology grants and E-Rate discounts.

To access the forms, log in to the Department's security portal and click "Tech Plan." The first page contains instructions for completing the forms. When you are ready to begin entering data, use the drop-down menus to select your district and the year "2007-2008."

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will review the data, as well as each district's long-range technology plan. We will send out letters of approval by April, 2009 so that districts will be eligible for FY2010 technology grants and E-Rate discounts.

Please be sure to enter your data by the October 10 deadline so that you will receive your letter of approval in April. If you need help with updating and submitting your report online, contact Baiba Ozols at bozols@doe.mass.edu. If you need help accessing your online forms, contact the Data Collection Office at 781-338-3282.

Free ALEKS Mathematics Subscription to Help Study Participants Prepare for the Mathematics MTEL

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is continuing a pilot study to examine the potential benefits to teachers and teacher candidates of using a web-based tutorial program to prepare for the Elementary (#53) or Middle School (#47) Mathematics MTEL. The following test dates are included in this pilot: November 22, 2008 or March 7, May 9 or July 11, 2009. Study participants will receive a free subscription for up to three months to Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces (http://www.aleks.com/) software, a web-based assessment and learning system.

After an initial adaptive diagnostic assessment, ALEKS will provide each participant with a summary report that can guide the participant's use of the learning mode tutorial where the program provides detailed explanations, opportunities for practice, and tracks the mastery of concepts and skills. Please note that although the ALEKS system addresses some of the same content as the MTEL mathematics tests, it is not specifically designed for or aligned with the MTEL mathematics test objectives or test items.

Participants in the study will be asked to use ALEKS for a minimum of 10 hours, complete three surveys to document their experience, and register for and take the #53 or #47 Mathematics MTEL. Although participants' MTEL and ALEKS resultswill be used as part of the study, data will be kept in strict confidentiality. No information that could be used to identify participants or their schools will be published in the study. For more information or to sign up for the study, please contact Emily Veader at eveader@doe.mass.edu or (781) 338-3541.

Items Posted at www.doe.mass.edu:

1. Department Collection of Contracts and Collective Bargaining Agreements
2. MCAS-Alt Training Opportunities
3. License Renewal Reminder
4. Fall Statistical Reports
5. Individual Non-Public School Report
6. Nominees Sought for New Advisory Council on School and District Accountability and Assistance
7. Bank of America Charitable Foundation and Massachusetts Cultural Council Roll Out Big Yellow School Bus
8. MEFA College Savings Art Competition
9. Massachusetts Partners with U.S. Department of Energy to Educate Engineers of Tomorrow "Real World Challenge"

Sincerely,

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