Education Laws and Regulations

Regulations Available for Public Comment

To:Superintendents, Leaders of Charter Schools, and Other Interested Parties
From:David P. Driscoll, Commissioner of Education
Date:July 10, 2006
At its meeting held on June 27, 2006, the Board of Education voted to solicit public comment on proposed amendments to the following Board of Education regulations:

  • Regulations on Competency Determination and Certificate of Mastery (603 CMR 30.00 and 31.00). These two sets of regulations are presented together for public comment, since the proposed amendments are related to each other. The proposed changes are intended to move all Massachusetts high school students toward proficiency in English language arts and mathematics and increase the proportion of high school graduates who are prepared for college, careers and citizenship. Among other things, the proposed amendments to the Competency Determination regulations state that: (1) starting with the class of 2009, a student must either score 240 or higher (Proficient) on the grade 10 English language arts and mathematics MCAS tests, or score at least 220 and complete an Educational Proficiency Plan for the content area(s) in which the student did not attain proficiency, and (2) starting with the class of 2012, a student must meet or exceed the Needs Improvement threshold score of 220 on the high school history and social science MCAS test. The proposed amendments to the regulations on the Certificate of Mastery change the current criteria for the certificate to indicate that the recipient is prepared for college or for employment opportunities that require many of the same skills and knowledge as beginning college students. The proposed amendments also establish a new honor, the Certificate of Mastery with Distinction.

  • Regional School District Regulations (603 CMR 41.00).
    The proposed amendments, which were drafted by the Department of Education in consultation with the Department of Revenue, deal primarily with the process for establishing and amending the annual operating budget in each of the eighty regional school districts in the Commonwealth.

  • Regulations on Under-Performing Schools and School Districts (603 CMR 2.00). The proposed amendments will simplify and shorten the process for identifying and providing state assistance to underperforming schools, clarify expectations regarding the kinds of improvement actions that schools and districts must take, and establish different levels and types of intervention appropriate to each situation. The proposed amendments designate underperforming schools as Commonwealth Priority Schools and designate as New Beginnings Schools those schools that for four or more years have failed to make adequate yearly progress in English language arts and/or mathematics for students in the aggregate and that the Board has determined to need alternative management or governance in order for the school to improve student performance.

  • MCAS Performance Appeals Regulations (603 CMR 30.05).
    The proposed amendments would, among other things, allow school districts to file performance appeals on behalf of students who have taken the grade 10 MCAS tests but have not yet scored a 216. The standards for earning the Competency Determination and for the Commissioner to grant an MCAS performance appeal remain unchanged.

All of the above proposed amendments and Notices of Public Comment are available on our website at http://www.doe.mass.edu/lawsregs/. In addition, the Board also voted at its June 27, 2006 meeting to adopt amendments to the following 3 sets of regulations:



Last Updated: July 11, 2006



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