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A message from the
Massachusetts Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education

September 21, 2018
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News from Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Contents:

  1. Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Meeting
  2. Picture of the Week: Oak Middle School, Shrewsbury
  3. Embargoed Release of Assessment and Accountability Data
  4. Hurricane Recovery Assistance for Homeless Students
  5. Prevention of Substance Misuse and Promotion of Social and Emotional Learning
  6. Registration Open for Building Inclusive Communities Conference
  7. For Your Info: Mass IDEAS Planning Grant Request for Learning

1. Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Meeting:
 

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met in Malden on Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018. The Board reviewed Commissioner Riley’s goals, and heard from 2019 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Jamil Siddiqui about how to keep teachers passionate about their work, a progress report on the arts curriculum framework review, an update on the next-generation MCAS and planning for the high school Competency Determination standard, and an overview of the foundation budget. A video of the meeting is available at https://livestream.com/accounts/22459134.

Picture of the Week:

Commissioner Riley has had several school visits lately, including this one to Oak Middle School in Shrewsbury, where he stopped by the design lab and saw students building everything from a ukulele (below) to a soccer ball out of cardboard. Throughout the school, students were often out of their seats and engaged in hands-on learning, from taking a variety of measurements in science class to watching a social studies teacher balance on Roman arches he had just built to connect the lesson to real life.
Two middle school girls stand at a workbench. One is holding cardboard cut in the shape of a ukulele, and the other is using a hot glue gun to glue the sides together.

3. Embargoed Release of Assessment and Accountability Data:


Early next week, (the week of September 24), DESE will provide districts and schools with embargoed access to their official 2018 MCAS data via Drop Box Central and Edwin Analytics in the Security Portal. Official embargoed district and school accountability data will be available via the Accountability Data application in the Security Portal at that time. Districts and schools have had embargoed access to their preliminary 2018 assessment data since mid-August and have had embargoed access to their preliminary 2018 accountability data since early September. The official release will include MCAS achievement and growth results and accountability information for districts and schools, including the identification of Schools of Recognition.  
 
The Department plans to make 2018 MCAS and accountability data public the morning of Thursday, Sept. 27. District leaders may discuss the data publicly at that time. Additional details regarding the data that will be available next week can be found in the assessment and accountability reporting schedule (download). Superintendents, assistant superintendents, and principals should have received an On the Desktop email on Sept. 20 with more information about a teleconference and the timing of the official release. For help with questions about assessment results, e-mail mcas@doe.mass.eduor call (781) 338-3625. For help with questions about accountability reporting, e-mail esea@doe.mass.edu or call (781) 338-3550.

4. Hurricane Recovery Assistance for Homeless Students:
 

The U. S. Department of Education has released $15 million of federal assistance under the Hurricane Education Recovery Assistance for Homeless Children and Youth Program. Massachusetts has been awarded $356,270 for school districts that reported enrollment of homeless students (as defined by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act) displaced by the hurricanes and wildfires of 2017 during the 2017-2018 school year. Funds will be distributed soon through a request for proposals based on each districts’ number of qualifying students. The money must be used to support the students’ educational and related needs over the next two years.

5. Prevention of Substance Misuse and Promotion of Social and Emotional Learning:
 

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is offering training in evidence-based prevention of substance misuse and promotion of social and emotional learning in the Life Skills Training Program and the Good Behavior Game. Trainings will occur throughout the month of October in multiple venues across the Commonwealth. The training, curriculum, and student supplies are available free of charge. Registration is available online.

6. Registration Open for Building Inclusive Communities Conference:


Registration is now open for the Oct. 29 Building Inclusive Communities Conference, which is aimed at building inclusive communities in early childhood. The Departments of Early Education and Care and Elementary and Secondary Education are collaborating on the event, which will run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Devens Common Center. At the October event, districts can apply to be one of 10 districts that will have a year-long opportunity to work with national  experts to build local capacity for inclusive practices. Please contact Lauren Viviani at lviviani@doe.mass.edu with any questions.

7. For your info:
  • Mass IDEAS Planning Grant Request for Learning: Mass IDEAS has released a planning grant opportunity to help communities develop innovative, high-quality schools for all students. Grants provide up to $150,000 and 15 months of supports like coaching to help teams plan new school models or redesign existing schools. Teams interested in designing schools in any K-12 grade span and using any public governance type are encouraged to apply. Interested applicants can take advantage of help from Mass IDEAS, including office hours, a webinar with experienced school designers, and in-person writing workshops. More information is available online. Applications are due Nov. 5.
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