Commissioner's Update
April 9, 2009
Dear Superintendents, and Leaders of Charter Schools and Collaboratives:
In this Update I have two announcements and six items for your review.
2005-2010 State Performance Plan for Special Education and 2007 Annual Performance Report for Special Education now available
Two new reports are now available at http://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/spp/:
- Massachusetts' 2005-2010 State Performance Plan for Special Education; and
- Massachusetts' 2007-2008 Annual Performance Report for Special Education.
The Performance Plan is a six-year strategic plan required by the federal Office of Special Education Programs that outlines the state's efforts to improve outcomes for students with disabilities. It includes baseline data, targets, and improvement activities for 20 indicators, including graduation and dropout rates, assessment results, and other performance and compliance based indicators. The 2007-2008 Performance Report is ESE's most current annual report on progress for each of the 20 indicators outlined in the Performance Plan. chool district level data for several indicators are available at http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/state_report/special_ed.aspx.
Improvement Evident in Correction of Non-Compliance Issues
Following the release of the 2006-2007 Performance Report, federal regulators determined that Massachusetts was in "need of technical assistance" due to the low rate (63%) of non-compliance issues corrected within one year of identification. In response, the ESE wrote to all districts in April urging improvements in the correction of non-compliance issues. This year our rate has increased significantly for 2007-2008 to 78%. Thank you for the work you have done to achieve that gain. We still have work to do to reach 100 percent one year correction of non-compliance, but appreciate the efforts you have made so far. We intend to continue working with you to help move our rate up even higher this year.
In terms of the other 19 indicators:
- 16 demonstrate continued good performance or improvement;
- 2 do not yet have sufficient data to report a trend; and,
- 1 (the indicator related to suspension and expulsion) reveals two districts with suspension practices that the ESE is now reviewing.
ESE will use the information in this year's Performance Report, as well as other performance and compliance information about districts, to craft coordinated technical assistance intended to provide districts with greater capacity to implement interventions and strategies that hold the most promise for improving outcomes for students with disabilities. We look forward to hearing from you about ways ESE can support your efforts in the months and years ahead.
Items Posted at www.doe.mass.edu:
- SOFAR Guide for Helping Children and Youth Cope With the Deployment of a Parent in the National Guard or Other Military Reserves
- 2009 MCAS-Alt Summer Scoring Institute
[ No longer available ]
- Spring 2009 Update Requirements for the Participation of Students with Disabilities in MCAS
 
- Invitation to Serve on MEPA Standard-Setting Panels in July 2009
[ No longer available ]
- School Choice Receiving District Status, 2008-2009 and 2009-2010
- Vacation's More Fun with the MassValuePass
Sincerely,
Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D.
Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education
last updated: July 20, 2010
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