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A message from the
Massachusetts Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education

May 31, 2019
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News from Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Contents:

  1. Reminder on Restraint Reporting
  2. Picture of the Week: Bristol County Agricultural High School
  3. Edwin “Office Hours”
  4. Educator Survey on Family Engagement
  5. Influence 100 Pilot District Application Is Open
  6. Save the Date - Leading with Access and Equity Convening
  7. For Your Info: Excellence through Social Emotional Learning (exSEL) Network

1. Reminder on Restraint Reporting:


Superintendents, charter school leaders, approved special education school leaders, special education directors, and educators with access to the DESE Security Portal Restraint Application Tool are reminded that all districts and approved special education schools should use the Restraint Application Tool in DESE’s Security Portal to track and report restraints for the 2018-2019 school year.
 
The tool now includes notification of injury. This data collection tool is only for Massachusetts enrolled students and only for restraints occurring during the school day. If you do not have access to the Security Portal, please contact your Directory Administrator.

On June 3, a button to certify that the data is complete will be added to the online tool for access. The person identified to certify that all restraint data is correct must have the Restraint Certification role assigned by their local Directory Administrator to grant them permission to certify/submit their data.
 
The 2018-2019 school year collection will close on June 28. All restraint data must be entered by 5:00 p.m. on June 28. The 2019-2020 school year collection will commence once all 2018-2019 data has been certified.
 
Anyone with questions about this data collection should contact restraint@doe.mass.edu.

Picture of the Week:

On May 24, Commissioner Riley visited Bristol County Agricultural High School in Dighton, where he saw how students are working with turtles (above), cows, machinery, trees, and drones.
Commissioner Riley and a student stand inside a greenhouse-like building. They are beside a giant blue vat filled with water with plants floating on top, and the student is holding a turtle and speaking.

3. Edwin “Office Hours”:


Curious about the career vocational technical education (CVTE) data in Edwin? Learn about the CVTE Pathways reports available in Edwin at the June Edwin “Office Hours” webinar at 2:00 p.m. on June 6. Monthly Edwin “Office Hours” webinars are for authorized Edwin users from schools and districts. Each session includes 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). Registration is open online, as is information about the July session on finance reports.

4. Educator Survey on Family Engagement:


Massachusetts has received a Statewide Family Engagement Center grant from the U.S. Department of Education, and as part of year 1 activities, DESE is seeking educators to respond to a brief survey that is part of a needs assessment. The survey asks about educators’ family engagement experiences and will inform efforts to promote and increase family engagement. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and does not include respondents’ names or schools. Anyone who teaches in a Massachusetts school and is interested in responding is asked to complete the online survey by June 28.

5. Influence 100 Pilot District Application Is Open:


The Department is accepting applicants for Influence 100, an initiative to increase the racial and ethnic diversity of superintendents in Massachusetts, create more culturally responsive districts and leaders across the state, and promote better outcomes for students. Influence 100 includes a fellowship program for qualified educators who desire to move into the superintendent role in the next five years and support for school districts to become more culturally responsive and diversify their educator workforce.  The application deadline is June 14. Please note that the application takes between 45 and 90 minutes to complete. For more information, please go to: http://www.doe.mass.edu/amazingeducators/diversity.html

6. Save the Date – Leading with Access and Equity Convening:


The Department is pleased to offer all districts the opportunity to attend the annual Leading with Access and Equity Convening on October 24 at the Best Western Conference Center in Marlborough. This daylong professional development opportunity will focus on systems and strategies to meet students’ holistic needs and ensure that every child has equitable access to a world-class education. The event represents a collaboration across multiple offices and initiatives at DESE, including the Statewide System of Support, Leading Educational Access Project (LEAP), College and Career Readiness, Rethinking Discipline, Systems for Student Success, Special Education, and Student and Family Support. Last year’s participating teams included approximately 700 district and school leaders, educators, student support staff, and community and family partners.
 
The Department will share additional event details at the beginning of the school year. Please contact Susan Fischer at sfischer@doe.mass.edu with any questions.

7. For your info:

  • Excellence through Social Emotional Learning (exSEL) Network: The exSEL Network, which works with districts on issues related to social emotional learning, is accepting applications until June 14. Participants learn how best to support the development of specific social-emotional skills and mindsets through changes in policies and practices. Participating districts are expected to contribute $10,000 to help offset the total cost of these services. All Massachusetts districts are eligible to apply.
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