5. Extension of VISTA 2019 Survey:
The Department is extending the window for superintendents and principals to complete the 2019 Views of Instruction, State Standards, Teaching, and Assessment (VISTA) survey until March 31. Superintendents and principals are encouraged to add their voices to those of their peers who have already completed their surveys. The Department values this feedback!
Superintendents and principals who have not received a survey or who are having trouble accessing their surveys can contact the VISTA Study Help Desk at MAVISTA@westat.com. For help with questions about VISTA that are not related to access, please email Shelagh Peoples, the VISTA coordinator, at speoples@doe.mass.edu.
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6. MCAS Reminders:
As a reminder, DESE recommends that schools conduct an infrastructure trial prior to actual computer-based MCAS testing to confirm that the network is functioning as expected and that students and staff are familiar with testing procedures. An Infrastructure Trial Readiness Guide is available online. High schools that have not yet conducted an infrastructure trial and wish to do so will need to schedule time next week, since grade 10 English language arts testing begins on March 26. Grades 3-8 schools that are new to computer-based testing are also encouraged to complete a trial if they have not yet done so. Students can access practice tests outside the infrastructure trial at http://mcas.pearsonsupport.com/student/.
The Department encourages schools to review the 2019 technology specifications and share them with their technology coordinator. If schools plan to use iPads and tablets, DESE recommends using a wired, external keyboard for testing.
Finally, DESE encourages principals to use the checklist beginning on page 48 of the Principal’s Administration Manual (PAM) to keep track of the tasks related to test administration.
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7. School Safety and Security Grant Opportunity:
The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s (EOPSS) Office of Grants and Research is pleased to announce the availability of $7.2 million in competitive grants for school districts and charter schools to address critical infrastructure equipment and technology needs related to school building security and the safety of students and staff. Priority will be given to districts that demonstrate the greatest need, districts that propose cost-effective solutions to address high-priority gaps, and districts that are taking meaningful steps to establish a safer and more supportive school climate in order to reduce instances of violence. Applications are due at 4:00 p.m. April 3. More information is available online.
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8. Massachusetts 21st Century Community Learning Centers Technical Assistance:
The Department is offering an information and technical assistance session from 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. on Friday, April 5 at the Hilton Garden Inn at Devens for anyone interested in applying for an FY20 Massachusetts 21st Century Community Learning Centers (Fund Code 647) Out of School Time or Expanded Learning Time grant for new schools or sites. This session will help prepare applicants to write their proposal. The online registration form has grant eligibility criteria, and the 21st Century Community Learning Centers site has past years’ requests for proposals (RFPs). This federally-funded, competitive grant program is intended to help schools and districts thoughtfully implement engaging and innovative approaches to learning during Out of School Time (OST) or Expanded Learning Time (ELT) in order to meet students’ specific academic, social emotional, and developmental needs.
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9. Spring Early Learning Network Meetings:
The Department’s Early Learning Team and teams from the Department of Early Education and Care will host three regional networking opportunities in April. Teams that include a family and community engagement coordinator, Early Intervention representative, Head Start representative, community-based early education and care representative, and a public school early childhood coordinator, special education coordinator, elementary principal and/or district administrator are invited to attend. The meetings will run from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 3 at the Holyoke Public Library in Holyoke; Friday, April 5 at the EDCO Collaborative in Bedford; and Wednesday, April 10 at the Falmouth Public Library in Falmouth. More information and registration are available online. Anyone with questions can contact a member of the Early Learning Team at 781-338-3010 or achievement@doe.mass.edu.
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10. Kairos Conference:
Kairos: Mapping Our Way Forward, a statewide conference to reimagine K-12 public education in Massachusetts, will take place on Tuesday, March 19. Registration is full, but parts of the conference will be streamed live online and available for later viewing at https://livestream.com/MADESEStreaming.
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- Songwriting Challenge: The National Endowment for the Arts and the American Theatre Wing are holding the Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge for high school students. Applications are due April 30.
- Survey of volunteer sector: The Massachusetts Service Alliance recently teamed up with researchers at Boston College to conduct a statewide assessment of the volunteer sector. They have created a 15-minute, anonymous survey for anyone from the Massachusetts education, nonprofit, government, or private sector who engages volunteers or unpaid interns. Respondents can enter to win free admission to the 2019 Massachusetts Conference on Volunteerism on May 7. Respondents should submit only one survey per organization.
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- Summer accounting programs for high school students: The Massachusetts Society of CPAs is offering two summer programs for underrepresented students: their Accounting Career Awareness Program, a day program in Boston that will run from July 29-August 2 and from August 5-9, and their Careers in Accounting and Management Professions (C.A.M.P.) program, a residential program in Amherst and Boston that will run from July 22-26. Applications are due May 1 for the Accounting Career Awareness Program. For more information on the C.A.M.P. program, please contact Jyu@mscpaonline.org.
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