5. Presidential Scholars:
Three Massachusetts students were recently named Presidential Scholars: Amelia Ao of Wayland High School, Jaiden David Edelman of Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, and Saviel Ortiz of Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical High School. They are among 161 high school seniors recognized for their accomplishments in academics, the arts, and career and technical education fields.
The program also gives scholars the opportunity to nominate a Distinguished Teacher. Amelia nominated Kenneth Rideout, a physics teacher at Wayland High; Jaiden nominated Rachel Schubert, an English teacher at Martha’s Vineyard Regional; and Saviel nominated Kathleen Keyes, a business technology teacher at Greater Lawrence. Congratulations to these three students and their teachers!
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6. Translated Letter to Families Available:
The Commissioner’s May 8 letter to families about remote learning is now available online in five languages besides English.
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7. Accountability and Assistance Advisory Council to Meet:
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Accountability and Assistance Advisory Council will meet virtually from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 27. Topics for discussion include accountability and assistance matters as they relate to the current health situation. The agenda and meeting log-in information are available on the council’s website.
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8. Influence 100 Now Accepting District Applications:
Influence 100, a DESE initiative launched in the fall of 2019 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, is accepting district applications for the SY2020-2022 Cohort. The program has two components: a two-year fellowship program for rising leaders who desire to move into the superintendent role in the next five years and support for participating districts as they work to become more culturally responsive and diversify their educator workforce. Influence 100 is a two-year engagement with DESE that includes professional development and technical assistance for district leadership teams.
Districts interested in applying must complete the online application by Friday, June 5. To be selected, districts must demonstrate a strong commitment from the superintendent and school committee to diversifying their educator workforce and supporting a fellow through the leadership development program and district-based mentorship. The Department will select up to 15 districts and 25 fellows for Cohort 2, which will join the network of 15 districts and 26 fellows in the SY2019-2021 Cohort. Districts will be notified by Monday, June 15 if they were selected for Cohort 2.
Selected districts will identify up to two staff members to participate in the fellowship program, with guidance and criteria provided by DESE. This is a no-cost opportunity to districts. If selected, participating fellows receive a small stipend from DESE.
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9. Reminder on Restraint Reporting:
All districts, collaboratives, charter schools, and approved special education schools are required to use the Restraint Application Tool in DESE’s Security Portal to meet the data collection and reporting requirements of 603 CMR 46.00 for the 2019-2020 school year. The tool is where the use of any physical restraint is reported and includes notification of injuries to students and staff. At this time, the data collection tool is only for Massachusetts enrolled students for restraints occurring during the school day.
A button to certify that the restraint data for each school/district is complete and accurate was added to the online tool on Friday, May 22. The person identified to certify that all restraint data is correct, even if 0 restraints have occurred, must be assigned the Restraint Certification by their local Directory Administrator to grant them permission to certify and submit their data. Anyone who does not have access to the Security Portal but believes they should should contact their Directory Administrator.
The 2019-2020 school year restraint data collection will close at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30. Anyone with questions about this data collection should contact restraint@doe.mass.edu.
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10. Seeking Educators to Apply for the CURATE Fellowship:
The Department, in partnership with the Rennie Center, encourages Massachusetts teachers to apply to become CURATE (CUrriculum RAtings by TEachers) Fellows. CURATE convenes teachers to evaluate and report on the quality of various curricular materials. Their work leads to a series of reports that provide guidance to schools and districts as they select high-quality core curricular materials. This is a great opportunity to make a positive impact across the Commonwealth while connecting with peers from other districts and deepening knowledge about evaluating curricular quality. Fellows receive a stipend for their work, and most work occurs remotely.
Learn more about the CURATE Fellowship and apply here. Know a teacher who is passionate about ensuring access to high-quality, standards-aligned curricular materials for Massachusetts students and educators? Nominate them for the CURATE Fellowship! The priority deadline for fall 2020 panels is Tuesday, June 30. Email Maria Hernandez for help with any CURATE questions.
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11. Tuition Rate for Virtual Schools:
The Commissioner has adjusted the FY21 base tuition rate that each Commonwealth of Massachusetts Virtual School will receive to $8,666 per pupil. This amount was calculated by multiplying the FY20 base tuition rate of $8,497 by the Chapter 70 inflation rate of 1.0199. Sending districts will be charged the base tuition rate plus the $75 per pupil administrative fee, which will be $8,741 per pupil.
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- Camp Kinda: EdNavigator has created Camp Kinda, a free, at-home summer experience designed to keep kids in kindergarten through eighth grade engaged while they’re at home. Each weekday from June 1 to September 1, participating families will get three to four hours’ worth of daily activities, all connected to a weekly theme. Activities will include online and offline offerings. Use registration code KINDA2020.
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