Commissioner's Update
August 31, 2009

Dear Superintendents and Leaders of Charter Schools and Collaboratives:

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

Curriculum Summit Dates Set for November 3 and 4, 2009

The dates for the 2009 Curriculum Summit have been set. Because of the overwhelming response last year, the Summit has been expanded to two days, allowing us to include more school and district leaders. On Tuesday, November 3, 2009, approximately 400 school and district leaders from one half of the state will be invited to participate in and learn more about various professional development offerings, networks and partnerships that are being organized by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. On Wednesday, November 4, 2009 the program will be repeated for another 400 leaders in the other half of the state. Specific information will be coming out later in September.

Growth Model

We are excited to announce our first release of data from our new growth model this fall. The growth model allows us to measure individual students' progress over time on the MCAS, complementing existing measures of how each student performs relative to state standards. Growth data for both English language arts and mathematics will be available for students enrolled in grades 4 through 8 in 2007-2008 or 2008-2009; we may also release data for students in grade 10 in 2008-2009. We will provide embargoed student-level data to superintendents through the Data Warehouse on October 2; the data will be released publicly in aggregate form on October 27. Informational materials, interpretive guides, presentations, etc., will be posted on the growth model website at http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/growth/, and we also anticipate holding a number of workshops and WebExes to introduce the model statewide. Watch the growth website and future Commissioner's Updates for more details.

2009 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Determinations: 2009 MCAS and AYP Data Review and Reporting Schedule

As a reminder, the 2009 MCAS and AYP Data Review and Reporting Schedule has been posted to the Department's website at http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/2009/results/reviewschedule.pdf and http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/2009/results/reviewschedule.doc.

2009 AYP Information Sessions

On Thursday, September 17 we will host a conference call and online WebEx information session to assist district and school leaders with 2009 AYP reporting, and on Friday, September 18 we will also host a "drive-in" information session at Marlborough High School from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. In addition to presenting information about 2009 AYP reporting, Deputy Commissioner Karla Baehr will address the redesign of the Commonwealth's School and District Accountability system. To register for one or both of these sessions, go to: http://www.doe.mass.edu/conference/?ConferenceID=711. Participation in these sessions is optional, but registration is required for each session you wish to attend.

For additional information and resources related to 2009 AYP determinations, visit our website at: http://www.doe.mass.edu/sda/ayp/2009/.

ARRA Title IID Technology Enhancement Competitive Grants (Fund Code: 776)

I am pleased to announce a technology competitive grant program funded through the America Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Title IID Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT).

Approximately $8,500,000 will be available for this two-year program. Grant awards will range from $100,000 to $400,000 for the grant period. The Requests for Proposal (RFP) and application are posted on our website. Proposals are due at the Department by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, September 30, 2009.

The Department has scheduled three technical assistance workshops for this program. They will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on:

1. Tuesday, September 1, 2009
   Malden - Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
2. Wednesday, September 2, 2009
   Westport - Westport High School
3. Wednesday, September 9, 2009
   Northampton - JFK Middle School

To participate, please register online at http://www.doe.mass.edu/conference/?ConferenceID=707. If you have any questions about this program, please email Connie Louie at clouie@doe.mass.edu or call her at 781-338-6865.

Readiness Centers

Staff in the Center for Targeted Assistance have been working to lay the groundwork for six regionally-based District and School Assistance Centers (DSACs). In coordination with the Executive Office of Education's planned regional "Readiness Centers," the DSACs are being designed to offer school improvement assistance in the following six regions: Southeast, Northeast, Greater Boston, Central, Pioneer Valley, and Berkshire. The initiative will be rolling out this Fall and you will hear more about how your district can benefit from this source of regional assistance in the coming months.

National Day on Writing

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) has identified Tuesday, October 20 as the National Day on Writing. NCTE has organized an on-line National Gallery of Writing to display writing samples from across the country, and is encouraging schools to participate in a "Drop everything and write" type of activity that day. I encourage you to review the material on their website http://www.ncte.org/dayonwriting/ and to consider ways your schools participate by integrating their own type of celebration of writing on that day.

Guidance on H1N1

I know that many of you are concerned about the potential spread of the H1N1 Influenza virus within your schools and districts. We have been working closely with the Department of Public Health and will be issuing new guidance soon answering many of your questions and reflecting the latest recommendations from the Center for Disease Control. Please submit any additional questions in writing to Heidi Guarino at hguarino@doe.mass.edu and we will compile them into a Frequently Asked Questions document for distribution next month. The DPH is also planning to hold an informational conference call for superintendents in early September, and I will notify you about the call-in information as soon as it is scheduled.

No-Cost Student Poll on Hope, Engagement, and Well-Being

The America's Promise Alliance has partnered with Gallup and the American Association of School Administrators on a breakthrough measurement of the thoughts, feelings, and needs of America's students. To determine community needs and targeted solutions to the graduation crisis, we must tap into the attitudes of young people themselves. The Gallup Student Poll is a multi-year effort to engage the largest-ever group of America's students in grades 5 through 12 to measure their hope for the future, engagement in school, and well-being in the community. Survey results are intended to help communities and schools identify needs and resource gaps, target effective solutions, and support local and state dropout reduction efforts.

The Gallup Student Poll is free, online, and confidential. The Poll is administered, aggregated, and analyzed over a two to three week period, with no lag reporting of results. Schools and districts will receive a simple, online scorecard of aggregated results within days after the poll closes. The Alliance and Gallup expect to conduct the poll twice a year (October and March) and the poll is available in both English and Spanish. The survey takes the average student 10 minutes to complete.

We encourage school and district leaders to take advantage of this great opportunity. The next poll period will take place through the month of October 2009. To learn more and to register your district, please visit: http://gallupstudentpoll.com/.

Items Posted at www.doe.mass.edu:

1. Fall 2009 Training/Retraining Sessions for Qualified MELA-O Trainers (QMTs)
2. Reminder about the New Competency Determination Requirement Beginning with the Class of 2010
3. Instructions for Ordering Materials for the November MCAS Retests and Fall MEPA
   Deadline to Respond: September 18, 2009
4. Directory Administration, District Information Update
5. Superintendents' Checklist: School Year 2009-2010
6. Legal Holidays; Accommodation for Religious Observances
7. Caregiver Authorization Affidavits - Mass. General Laws Chapter 201F

Sincerely,

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