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A message from the
Massachusetts Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education

March 29, 2019
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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
  2. Picture of the Week: Family Institute for Student Success Pilot
  3. Last Chance for VISTA
  4. Future Teacher Signing Days
  5. Edwin “Office Hours” Webinars
  6. Vacancies on State Special Education Advisory Council
  7. State Seal of Biliteracy Program
  8. DESE Resource Corner: Updated staff and student feedback surveys available
  9. For Your Info:
    • First NESSC Massachusetts State Champion
    • Conference on vaping and adolescents

1. Board of Elementary and Secondary Education:


At the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meeting on March 26, Chair Paul Sagan said that he was stepping down now that his four-year term was over, and Secretary Peyser announced that Governor Baker had named Board member Katherine Craven as the new chair. Matthew Hills, a former Newton School Committee chair, will fill the vacancy created by Chair Sagan’s departure.
 
The meeting’s agenda items included a discussion of family engagement initiatives, updates from the receivers of chronically underperforming districts, a unanimous vote to renew the certificate of Greenfield Virtual Commonwealth School (download) with conditions, student assessment updates, a discussion of charter schools and school finance, and an initial discussion of potential modifications to the state’s district and school accountability system.
 
A recording of the meeting is available at https://livestream.com/MADESEStreaming.
A row of 31 adults and kids, some holding certificates, and a few holding balloons, stand in a row. A few are smiling at the cmaera, and the others are talking and smiling at each other.

Picture of the Week:

At this week’s Board meeting, members heard a presentation about family engagement initiatives, including the DESE-sponsored, nine-week Family Institute for Student Success Pilot in Lawrence and New Bedford. Pictured are some of the members of the family institute’s inaugural graduating class in Lawrence.

3. Last Chance for VISTA:


Principals and superintendents: the Views of Instruction, State Standards, Teaching, and Assessment (VISTA) survey closes this weekend. The Department is asking any principals and superintendents who have not yet participated to please take a moment to provide feedback through the survey.
 
Superintendents and principals who have not received a survey or who are having trouble accessing their survey 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.

4. Future Teacher Signing Days:


As the Commonwealth celebrates its aMAzing educators, DESE is encouraging districts to consider hosting a Future Teacher Signing Day. Much like when a student-athlete commits to play a sport at a specific college, a Future Teacher Signing Day recognizes the graduating seniors who are choosing to pursue a career in education. Hosting such an event acknowledges that teaching is a valuable career worthy of celebration and may help inspire others to become educators.

While districts may hold an event whenever it suits them, but DESE encourages officials to consider doing so during Teacher Appreciation Week, which runs from Sunday, May 5 through Saturday, May 11 this year. Districts that plan to host a Future Teacher Signing Day are asked to email Brian Devine, director of educator licensure, at bdevine@doe.mass.edu and include the date, time, and location of the event.

The Department will host a conference call from 3:30-4:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 4 about Future Teacher Signing Days to answer your questions and for districts to share ideas. Superintendents and principals should have received dial-in information for the call in an On the Desktop email on March 21.

5. Edwin “Office Hours” Webinars:


Based on feedback from the field, DESE has started monthly Edwin “Office Hours” Webinars for authorized Edwin users from schools and districts. Each session will include a brief overview of a particular Edwin report or set of reports as well as an extensive Q&A block to explore questions about any Edwin reports. Questions do not need to be about the highlighted report(s). The next webinar will be on Thursday, April 4 and will highlight the Workforce report. Sign up online.

6. Vacancies on State Special Education Advisory Council:


The Department’s State Special Education Advisory Council is seeking candidates for vacancies in the following statutorily designated membership categories:
  • Parents of children (ages 3-22) with disabilities,
  • Related service personnel and/or educators, and
  • Representatives of higher education institutions that prepare special education and related services personnel.
The Department prioritizes diversity of membership when selecting new members. Interpretation services are available upon request. Interested individuals are encouraged to submit a resume and letter of interest by Tuesday, April 30 to akrukonis@doe.mass.edu or by mail to Amy Krukonis, Office of Public School Monitoring, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 436 Dwight St., B40, Springfield, MA 01103. Anyone with questions should email Ms. Krukonis.

7. State Seal of Biliteracy Program:


The State Seal of Biliteracy (a key element of “An Act Relative to Language Opportunity for Our Kids”, also known as the LOOK Act) begins with the graduating class of 2019. Participation in the State Seal of Biliteracy Program is voluntary for districts. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopted regulations last year with the criteria that school districts must use to award the State Seal of Biliteracy.
 
Districts that wish to participate should identify a primary and secondary contact for communicating with DESE about the district's participation. The identified contacts should:

8. DESE Resource Corner


Updated staff and student feedback surveys available: Research shows that students’ feedback about their learning experience correlates with indicators of educator effectiveness such as student engagement, students’ belief in their own abilities, and academic gains. When used with other information, staff and student feedback help provide a more accurate and comprehensive picture of an educator’s practice than observations or achievement data alone. 
 
The Department’s model staff and student feedback surveys have been revised to reflect recent updates to the Model Classroom Teacher and School-level Administrator Rubrics.  Available in standard, short, and mini formats, DESE’s model feedback surveys are designed to yield meaningful information for educators about their practice and are aligned to the Standards for Effective Teaching and Effective Administrative Leadership Practice.  For additional information on incorporating staff and student feedback into the evaluation process, please see the Quick Reference Guide: Student and Staff Feedback and a helpful Implementation Guide developed by DESE’s teacher and principal advisory cabinets.

9. For your info:

  • First NESSC Massachusetts State Champion: Each year, the New England Secondary School Consortium’s state and regional Champion Awards honor the unique contributions of New England leaders working to raise graduation rates, lower dropout rates, and send more students on to college and postsecondary-certification programs. Dr. Lourenço Garcia, the executive director of data and accountability for Revere Public Schools (and former principal of Revere High School), recently became the first NESSC Massachusetts State Champion. Congratulations, Dr. Garcia!
  • Conference on vaping and adolescents: The Massachusetts Health Council will hold a forum on “Vaping: Addiction and the Adolescent Brain” from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22 at Bentley University in Waltham. Speakers will include Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel. Tickets cost $50 and include lunch.
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