Commissioner's Update
January 15, 2009

Dear Superintendents and Leaders of Charter Schools and Collaboratives:

In this Update I have one announcement and ten items for your review.

The ESE Has Moved

I am pleased to report that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has nearly completed its move into our new location at 75 Pleasant Street in Malden. Our new building is much larger, and has considerably more meeting rooms and conference space. Moving is stressful and disorienting at first, but it is nice to have our entire staff under one roof again. Once we unpack I am confident we will be well positioned to move forward and better serve all of you. For your information we have attached a map showing our new location and its proximity to the Malden Center T station, our old building and the CBD Garage, where visitors should continue to park.

Items Posted at www.doe.mass.edu:

1. New Expanded Learning Time Planning Process
2. Training Sessions for Qualified MELA-O Trainers (QMTs): Winter-Spring 2009
   [ No longer available ]
3. Release of Fall 2008 Massachusetts English Proficiency Assessment (MEPA) Results
   [ No longer available ]
4. Spring 2009 MCAS and MEPA Test Administration Workshops: Registration Due by January 30, 2009
   [ No longer available ]
5. MEPA Locator Survey for LEP Students in Grades Kindergarten through 2
6. Ordering Materials for MCAS and MEPA Test Administrations: Response Required by January 23, 2009
7. Massachusetts English Proficiency Assessment (MEPA) Statewide Results: Spring 2008   
8. Opportunity to Give Feedback on MCAS Parent/Guardian Reports and Interpretive Materials: Please Respond by January 23
   [ No longer available ]
9. Mass In Motion
10. The "SOFAR" Guide for Helping Children and Youth Cope with the Deployment and Return of a Parent in the National Guard and Other Reserve Components

Sincerely,

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