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A message from the
Massachusetts Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education

January 19, 2018
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News from Acting Commissioner Jeff Wulfson and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Contents:

Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to Meet:


The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will hold two meetings on Tuesday, January 23, 2018 at Bridgewater State University's Rondileau Campus Center, 19 Park Ave., Bridgewater. The first, a joint meeting with the Board of Higher Education, will run from 9:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. and will include discussions on early college efforts and educator preparation and possible votes on increasing access to computer science in high school.
 
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will meet separately from 11:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and that agenda includes a vote to solicit public comment on the draft revised History and Social Science Curriculum Framework, a discussion of the proposed implementation of the state's new school and district accountability system, an update on students from Puerto Rico, an overview of the process for considering new charter schools, a vote on whether to grant Bentley Academy Charter School (a Horace Mann charter) a waiver from regulations requiring approval by the local collective bargaining unit of its accountability plan, and a vote on probationary renewal of the Paulo Freire Social Justice Charter School's charter (download).

Commissioner Finalists: 


On January 16, ESE announced that the Preliminary Screening Committee created by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has selected three finalists in the search for the agency's next commissioner. They are: Angélica Infante-Green, deputy commissioner of the Office of Instructional Support P-12 in New York State Education Department; Jeffrey C. Riley, superintendent/receiver of the Lawrence Public Schools; and Penny Schwinn, chief deputy commissioner of academics at the Texas Education Agency. The Board will interview the finalists at a public meeting on January 26 at the Omni Parker House in Boston. The meeting will also be streamed live at https://livestream.com/accounts/22459134.

The Board is anticipating that it will meet again in public session on January 29 in Malden to select one candidate from among the three finalists to recommend to Secretary Peyser.

Advanced Placement Exam Fee Subsidies:


Advanced Placement Exam Fee Subsidies:
Districts have at least three potential sources for subsidizing Advanced Placement (AP) exam fees for the upcoming spring 2018 exams:
 
  • Title IV, Part A of ESSA: Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants: Districts can use these grants to reduce the fees underserved students pay for AP and International Baccalaureate exams. The amount of the subsidy is up to each district. For more information, contact Kirsten McKinnon at achievement@doe.mass.edu.
 
  • College Board AP Reduced Exam Fee: The College Board has different eligibility criteria for AP exam fee reductions depending on whether a school's or district's nutrition program participates in the Community Eligibility Provision. More information will be available through the College Board in late January 2018. The subsidy applies to all low-income students in eligible schools and will bring the cost down to $53 per exam. For more information, contact apexams@info.collegeboard.org.
 
  • Mass Insight Education Partner Districts: Economically disadvantaged students in Mass Insight Education-served districts are also eligible for additional fee reductions for AP exams in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and English language arts. The subsidy brings the cost down to $5 for economically disadvantaged students. For more information, contact Wesley Chin at wchin@massinsight.org.
Individuals with questions about federal funding for AP exam fee reductions can contact William Bell, senior associate commissioner for administration and finance, at wbell@doe.mass.edu.

Revision of the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework:


The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will vote on whether to open public comment on the revised draft of the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework at the January 23 Board meeting. The draft document will be available for public review and comment via a public survey from January 23 – April 2, 2018. The Board will vote on whether to adopt the final version of the framework in June 2018.
 
In order to gain additional public input, ESE, in partnership with the Massachusetts Council for the Social Studies, will host conference calls, web conferences, and presentations by region across the state. The first web conference, for administrators only, will take place from 3:00–5:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 25. Interested administrators can register online.
 
Information about the revised framework, the public survey, and future calls and presentations will be updated online.

Potential Federal Government Shut Down:


The Department continues to monitor the potential for a federal government shutdown. Federal spending authority is currently authorized through today, January 19. If there is a federal shutdown, ESE does not anticipate any significant impact in the near term; ESEs federal education grant programs are funded for the full school year. There could be a delay in receiving grant requests if federal personnel are not available to process the requests, but this would be a temporary situation. The Department's federal nutrition funds could be impacted if the shutdown stretches into February, but the Department has funding that should last through the end of the January.

Substance Use Prevention Education Training for Elementary and Middle Schools:


The Department of Public Health is funding professional development in the Life Skills Training Program between mid-February and mid-March for elementary and middle schools in multiple locations. Life Skills Training is an evidence-based program that reduces rates of substance misuse. The training, curriculum, and student supplies are available free of charge. Register online or email Kathleen.Herr-Zaya@state.ma.us for more information.

Including Data from Commonwealth Virtual Schools for the School-Attending Children Report:


Cities and towns must complete the School-Attending Children Report by February 23. To assist districts in collecting relevant data from the state's Commonwealth Virtual Schools (Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School and TEC Connections Academy Commonwealth Virtual School), ESE will provide files to districts via the SIMS Exchange File in Dropbox Central by January 31. Among other information, the file will contain the first and last name, date of birth, street address, and withdrawal code (if necessary) for each student enrolled in the virtual school between the start of the school year and January 1, 2018. Please email kklau@doe.mass.edu with any questions.

Planning for Success Training Opportunities:


Planning for Success is ESE’s recommended strategic planning process for districts. The Department is offering two free training opportunities for district staff and others to learn how to facilitate two key steps in this process: developing a multi-year strategic plan and building an annual action plan.
 
  • Facilitator Training for Creating a Multi-Year Plan (April 17-20, participants can earn 24 professional development points, or PDPs) is for people to learn how to facilitate the state’s recommended multi-year district strategic planning process. Participants may include superintendents or other district or school leaders, staff at collaboratives, and independent consultants.
  • District Action Planning Network (May 4, June 8, August 3, September 21, and December 7; participants can earn 12 PDPs) is for districts that already have a multi-year strategic plan (whether created through Planning for Success or not) and would like to learn how to develop an annual action plan to advance their district’s strategic objectives.
 
Applications for both programs are available from Lori Likis at lorilikis@ccoaching.com or Kathy Cross at kcross@doe.mass.edu and are due Friday, February 16. The Department will inform selected participants by March 5. Please contact Ms. Likis or Carrie Conaway (cconaway@doe.mass.edu) with any questions about the program.

ESE Resource Corner


New research on dual enrollment: More than 5,000 Massachusetts public school students enroll in a course at a college campus while still in high school, a number that has almost doubled since 2008. It isn't just high-achieving high school students who are enrolling; substantial numbers of students are using dual enrollment for credit recovery or as a way to re-engage with school after dropping out. Learn more about dual-enrolling students, the courses they take, and their high school and college outcomes in a new report prepared for ESE that is available for download.

For your info:
  • Massachusetts tops in EdWeek's "Quality Counts": This week, Education Week released its annual "Quality Counts" report on state education systems and for the fourth year in a row listed Massachusetts first in the nation in overall quality. The Commonwealth was also top in the nation on two of the indices that went into the overall ranking: K-12 achievement and the publication's Chance for Success Index, which considers outcomes from early childhood through adulthood. Congratulations to all who made this possible!
  • Alternative structured learning time programs: Last week's update included a link to ESE's alternative structured learning day program memorandum. Many schools are exploring the use of technology and pre-planned assignments to provide structured learning time on snow days as an alternative to scheduling additional days in late June. Ralph C. Mahar Regional School District Superintendent Tari Thomas sent along this video on the subject, produced by seniors at her high school.
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