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A message from the
Massachusetts Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education

February 10, 2020
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News from Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Contents:

  1. Signal Success
  2. Picture of the Week: Johnson Elementary School in Natick
  3. VISTA Surveys
  4. March Early Learning Network Meetings
  5. Soliciting Public Comment on the Alternative Licensure Assessment Pilot
  6. Registration Open for Safe and Supportive Learning Environments Conference
  7. School Choice Reporting Requirement for the 2020-2021 School Year
  8. For Your Info: AP success

1. Signal Success:


High school staff are invited to attend a training with experts from Commonwealth Corporation on how to implement a well-designed work readiness curriculum called Signal Success. This curriculum is intended for high school students who will be participating in an internship.
 
The training takes place in one session, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and there are three different dates and locations:
  • Wednesday, February 26: Meline Kasparian Professional Development Center, Springfield
  • Thursday, March 26: WestEd Learning Innovations, Woburn
  • Wednesday, April 22: WestEd Learning Innovations, Woburn
For additional information and a registration link are available online. Please email Kerry Akashian at Kerry.Akashian@doe.mass.edu with any questions.

Picture of the Week:

In recognition of the 100th day of their school year on February 7, these first grade students at Johnson Elementary School in Natick dressed up as 100-year-olds! (Photo by Brenna Turner, Natick Public Schools)
Four first grade girls dressed as 100 year olds.

3. VISTA Surveys:


The Department’s 2020 Views of Instruction, State Standards, Teaching, and Assessment (VISTA) survey window is open for educator feedback, but only for the month of February. The Department has shortened not only the survey window, but also the length of the surveys, cutting each survey by over a third. The survey should take no more than 15 to 20 minutes and covers four strategic areas of the agency's work: educator effectiveness (hiring, developing, evaluating, and retaining effective educators); the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks; social and emotional learning, health, and safety; and DESE supports.
 
Superintendents and principals should have received individual links to their surveys from Westat on February 3. Anyone who has trouble accessing their survey can email the VISTA Study Help Desk at MAVISTA@westat.com. Anyone with specific questions about the survey itself can email Shelagh Peoples, DESE’s VISTA coordinator, at speoples@doe.mass.edu.

4. March Early Learning Network Meetings:


The Department’s Early Learning Team and teams from the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) will host three regional networking opportunities in March that will focus on alignment and coordination of early childhood practices from birth through grade 3. Practitioners are encouraged to create a community team to attend that includes 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. The meetings will run from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 5 at EEC’s Worcester office; Thursday, March 12 at EEC’s Lawrence office; and Wednesday, March 18 at the North River Collaborative Professional Development Center in Rockland. 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.
 
Additionally, the Early Learning Team is also hosting network meetings in March for elementary principals focused on trauma informed practices and safe and supportive learning environments for young children. Principals who are interested in attending can register online for one of the meetings (Wednesday, March 4 in Dedham; Friday, March 6 in Rowe; Wednesday, March 11 in Salem; or Friday, March 13 in Mashpee).

5. Soliciting Public Comment on the Alternative Licensure Assessment Pilot:


The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted on January 28 to release a proposed amendment to the Regulations for Educator Licensure and Preparation Program Approval (download) for public comment. The proposed amendment is designed to identify, pilot, and learn more about alternative ways to assess new educators’ knowledge and skills; be responsive to feedback from the field; and promote equitable access for qualified educators. 
 
Interested individuals can provide public comment on the proposed amendment through an online survey through Friday, March 13. The Board is expected to vote on the proposed amendment on April 28.

6. Registration Open for Safe and Supportive Learning Environments Conference:


The Department will hold a statewide conference on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments: Community, Family, and Student Engagement form 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday, March 16 in Leominster. Participants will have the opportunity to learn with and from grade-span colleagues. The day will be designed to provide participants with tools and strategies related to community engagement around better supporting students’ and families’ social, emotional, and physical well-being.
 
Communities are encouraged to bring teams of 6-10 members consisting of district and school administrators, classroom teachers, early education and care and/or afterschool and out-of-school time representatives, Head Start coordinators, and coordinated family and community engagement specialists (CFCEs).
 
Registration is open online. Anyone with questions about the conference can contact the Office of Student and Family Support at 781-338-3010 or achievement@doe.mass.edu.

7. School Choice Reporting Requirement for the 2020-2021 School Year:


The inter-district school choice law (G.L. c.76, s.12B) requires all districts to accept incoming school choice students unless the school committee votes not to participate or votes to limit the number of incoming students in particular grades. School committees must take the required vote annually before June 1.
 
All districts must report their school choice participation plans to DESE no later than Monday, June 1. The Department is now collecting this information electronically, eliminating the need for districts to send individual letters regarding school choice participation. This information will be published on DESE's school choice website to inform families of their school choice options.
 
Please note that if the district does not submit a response, DESE will list that district as open to school choice enrollment.
 
Anyone with questions can contact Rob O’Donnell at rodonnell@doe.mass.edu or 781-338-6512.

8. For your info:
  • AP success: For the fourth year in a row, Massachusetts is the top state in the nation for the percentage of the graduating class that scored a 3 or higher on an Advanced Placement exam. According to results that the College Board released last week, for the first time, one out of every three members of the class of 2019 in Massachusetts graduated with a score of 3 or higher on an AP test. The Commonwealth also had the highest 10-year percentage growth of graduates who scored a 3 or higher.
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