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The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

Briefing for the May 14, 2018 Special Meeting and the May 22, 2018 Regular Meeting of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

To:
Members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
From:
Jeffrey C. Riley, Commissioner
Date:
May 11, 2018

The next regular meeting of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (Board) will be on Tuesday, May 22, 2018, at Marblehead High School, 2 Humphrey Street, Marblehead. The regular meeting will start at 10:30 a.m. (coffee will be available at 10 a.m.) and adjourn by 2 p.m. The Board also will hold a special meeting on Monday, May 14, 2018, from 5–7 p.m. at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's (Department) offices in Malden. If you need overnight accommodations or any additional information about the schedule, please call Helene Bettencourt at (781) 338-3120.

Overview

At the special meeting in Malden on Monday evening, May 14, the Board will discuss the school and district accountability system. No votes will be taken.

We are holding the May 22 regular meeting at Marblehead High School in honor of Hannah Trimarchi, who in June will conclude her one-year term as elected chair of the State Student Advisory Council and as a member of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Marblehead Superintendent Maryann Perry and Marblehead High School Principal Daniel Bauer will welcome the Board to the school on Tuesday morning and make a brief presentation at the start of our meeting. Depending on the schedule for the state budget debate, State Senator Crighton may also join in welcoming the Board and thanking Hannah for her service.

Our business agenda on May 22 includes a presentation on New Mission High School, a Title I Distinguished School, and the Dever School, a Level 5 turnaround school, with Boston Superintendent Tommy Chang. The Board will discuss the draft revised History and Social Science curriculum framework, in preparation for a vote in June. The Board will receive preliminary information on automated test scoring. Hannah Trimarchi will present a summary of the State Student Advisory Council's annual report; the Board will hear about the proposed FY2019 state education budget; and we will review the proposed schedule for regular Board meetings through June 2019.

Special Meeting

School and District Accountability and Assistance System Overview — Discussion

At your December 2017 and January 2018 meetings, the Board discussed the overall design of the district and school accountability system and the proposed weighting of indicators. At the March 2018 meeting, the Board voted to solicit public comment on proposed regulations for the new accountability and assistance system. We will continue the discussion at the May 14 special meeting. Senior Associate Commissioner Russell Johnston, Associate Commissioner Ventura Rodriguez, and Associate Commissioner Rob Curtin will present an overview of the accountability system, focusing on the assistance that the Department will provide to districts and schools that are identified as in need of support. The special meeting is an opportunity for the Board to review and discuss the system in detail. No votes will be taken. At the June 26 Board meeting, I will ask the Board to approve the accountability and assistance system along with the final regulations.

Regular Meeting

Comments from the Chair

Chair Sagan will brief the Board on current issues and activities.

Comments from the Commissioner

  1. 2019 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year. On May 8, 2018, Jamil Siddiqui, a mathematics teacher at East Bridgewater Junior/Senior High School, was named the 2019 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year. Mr. Siddiqui, who lives in East Bridgewater, is the state's 57th recipient of this award and automatically becomes the state's candidate for the National Teacher of the Year Program.

    Mr. Siddiqui has spent his entire 24-year career in East Bridgewater, and 14 of his former students are now math teachers themselves. He has also mentored new teachers and, as department head, helped teachers learn from each other. We look forward to having Mr. Siddiqui make a presentation to the Board sometime in FY2019.

    Mr. Siddiqui will join other outstanding educators, including the Massachusetts History Teacher of the Year, the finalists for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, and Teacher of the Year finalists and semifinalists, for an awards ceremony at the State House on June 21, 2018.

  2. Leading the Nation update. Thanks again to Board members for attending the Leading the Nation State House event on April 5. We had an overflow audience of nearly 400 people in the Great Hall. Speakers and panelists included leaders who made possible the 1993 Education Reform Act as well as current leaders in the field of education. We were treated to a moving spoken-word performance by a Revere Public Schools middle school student, and I had the honor of being sworn in as the 24th Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education by Governor Charlie Baker.

    May 7–11 was Leading the Nation Week, and 87 school districts, charter schools, and educational collaboratives across the Commonwealth participated in celebrating student success. The Department selected seven local events to highlight for a media tour, including a senior send-off/teacher appreciation rally, jazz and choral performances, and a showcase of K-12 student academic work. The selected schools were: Brockton High School, Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School, Maynard High School, Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School in Rochester, Revere High School, Salem Academy Charter School, and Springfield Renaissance School. I am now working with the Department's communication team to determine how we might use the Leading the Nation brand to convey our objectives around closing achievement gaps and celebrating teachers.

  3. Update on students from Puerto Rico. The Department continues to work with Massachusetts school officials to assist them in meeting the educational needs of students who enrolled in our public schools in the wake of last fall's devastating hurricanes. Districts have received the first round of payments from the $15 million state supplemental appropriation for this purpose, and the second round of payments will be made at the close of this school year.

    We recently notified school officials of two new developments. First, in April 2018 the Department received a memo from the Puerto Rico Department of Education (PRDE) providing updated graduation requirements. Twelfth-grade students who have enrolled in Massachusetts schools for this academic year (2017-2018) will be able to earn a high school diploma from Puerto Rico if they complete a minimum of 18 credits on their 10th-12th grade level courses. The PRDE is waiving the 20 hours of occupational experiences and 40 hours of community service for this year.

    Second, on April 27, 2018, the U.S. Department of Education announced two programs to assist districts and non-public schools serving students displaced during 2017-2018 by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma or Maria, and by the 2017 California wildfires. These funds will supplement the state aid already allocated for this purpose. The Emergency Impact Aid Program will provide up to an estimated $8,500–$10,000 per displaced student based on quarterly enrollment and special education and English learner status. Districts must reach out to non-public schools to identify eligible students (guidelines and required non-public parent applications will be provided). Recipients may use the funds to cover expenses for the 2017-2018 school year.

  4. Early College and Innovation Pathways. Work is proceeding on the early college initiative, under the leadership of the Early College Joint Committee (ECJC) that our Board and the Board of Higher Education established in January 2017 with the Executive Office of Education. Last summer the Commonwealth launched a process for districts and colleges to obtain formal designation for the two new types of High Quality College and Career Pathways: Early College and Innovation. These complement the existing high quality Chapter 74 career/vocational technical pathways. In February 2018, the Department received 18 submissions for Early College designation and 7 for Innovation Pathway designation and a related competitive funding opportunity.

    A team comprised of staff from the Department of Higher Education, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and Executive Office of Education reviewed the applications in relation to the criteria and interviewed each applicant group. Based on the team's review and recommendation, the ECJC voted on April 25 to award the first set of Massachusetts Early College Program Designations to five applicants: Bunker Hill Community College and Charlestown High School, Boston; Bunker Hill Community College and Chelsea High School; Holyoke Community College and Holyoke Public Schools; Massasoit Community College and New Heights Charter School of Brockton; and Salem State University and Salem Public Schools. In addition, I approved the first set of Innovation Pathway Designations to four districts: Nantucket, Northampton, Uxbridge, and Tewksbury. Through the generous support of the Council of Chief State School Officers, JPMorgan Chase & Co., and the New Skills for Youth initiative, each of the nine designees will receive funding to support their work as they prepare to launch their pathways in the fall.

    All 25 Early College and Innovation Pathways applicants who advanced to the final designation phase were invited to convene on May 3, 2018 to share information and initial technical assistance. For those applicants not yet ready for designation, staff is providing feedback on program design so the applicant partners can plan for resubmission of those elements that require additional development. We look forward to working with the newly designated Early College and Innovation Pathways groups and supporting those in the pipeline. More information is on the High Quality College and Career Pathways web page.

  5. Adult Education grant awards. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has completed its review of submissions for organizations to be funded under the FY 2019-2022 Open and Competitive Requests for Proposals for Adult Education and Family Literacy Services grants, across 16 local workforce development areas for Community Adult Learning Centers (CALCs), and statewide for Adult Education in Correctional Institutions (AECI). The Department received 81 CALC proposals and 12 proposals for AECI.

    The grant priorities are to: (1) support innovation in the development of adult education services to effectively serve eligible individuals most in need of education services in the 16 local workforce development areas, in coordination and collaboration with core partner services; (2) improve and accelerate participant outcomes, especially educational functioning, level completion, high school equivalency credential attainment, and enrollment in post-secondary education or training; (3) design, implement, and evaluate adult education services; and (4) leverage other funding, including other DESE competitive and entitlement grants.

    These grants are competitive four-year grants. All grant-funded programs address the overarching goal of preparing adult learners for success in their next steps, within the context of career readiness. In addition, the Department has issued a competitive Request for Proposals for Primary Instruction by Volunteers and Distance Learning Services for adult education and received one application for Distance Learning and one for Primary Instruction by Volunteers.

Comments from the Secretary

Secretary Peyser will brief the Board on current issues and activities.

Items for Discussion and Action

  1. Welcome from Marblehead High School

    Marblehead Superintendent Maryann Perry and Marblehead High School Principal Daniel Bauer will welcome the Board to Marblehead High School and make a brief presentation. State Senator Crighton planned to attend but may need to attend the state budget debate. Information about the school is included in your materials under Tab 1.

  2. New Mission High School, Boston (Title I Distinguished School) — Presentation

    New Mission High School in Boston was recognized last year as a National Title I Distinguished School. Based on review of the school's program and student results, the Department selected the school for category 3: excellence in serving special populations of students (specifically, high needs students). The National Title I organization has posted information about the school on its website. We have invited Superintendent Tommy Chang and Principal Naia Wilson to present to the Board this month about the strategies the school isusing to help students excel.

  3. Level 5 Schools: Update from Dever School, Boston, by Supt. Tommy Chang — Discussion

    In the fall of 2013, four schools were designated as chronically underperforming (or Level 5) schools in response to their low performance and lack of improvement while Level 4 schools: John P. Holland Elementary School (UP Academy Holland) and Paul A. Dever Elementary School (Dever) in Boston, Morgan Full Service Community School (Morgan) in Holyoke, and John Avery Parker Elementary School (Parker) in New Bedford. The Board received the third-quarter FY2018 update on each school last month.

    At the Board meeting on May 22, Boston Superintendent Tommy Chang will provide an update on the Dever School, one of the four Level 5 schools. The presentation will focus on progress in the priority areas under the school turnaround plan.

  4. Draft Revised History and Social Science Curriculum Framework — Discussion

    At the November 2017 Board meeting, Department staff presented an abbreviated draft of the revised History and Social Science curriculum framework for the Board's review. At the January 2018 meeting, the Department provided an overview of the full draft of the revised framework and the Board voted to invite public comment on it. On May 22, Senior Associate Commissioner Heather Peske and other members of the staff will review with the Board the latest draft of the framework, as revised in response to comments the Department received during the public comment period. We are looking forward to a robust discussion with the Board at this meeting, in preparation for the anticipated vote by the Board on adoption of the final revised standards at the June 26, 2018 meeting.

  5. Preliminary Information on Automated Test Scoring — Discussion

    At the May 22 meeting, I will present preliminary information on our initial investigations into the use of computers to help score English Language Arts essays on the next-generation MCAS tests. The use of automated scoring is under consideration for several reasons, especially the potential to report test results to students, their parents, and schools more quickly than at present. Deputy Commissioner Jeff Wulfson, Michol Stapel, Associate Commissioner for Student Assessment, and Bob Lee, Chief Analyst, will be at the meeting to answer your questions.

  6. State Student Advisory Council End-of-Year Report for 2017-2018 — Discussion

    Board member Hannah Trimarchi will present her end-of-year report on activities of the State Student Advisory Council. While Hannah will continue to serve as SSAC chair and as a Board member through June, it is fitting for her to present the report this month, since we are meeting at her school. She will submit the full 2017- 2018 report on behalf of the SSAC in June.

  7. Update on FY 2019 State Education Budget — Discussion

    Board members received information about the FY2019 House education budget proposal in April. We will send the Senate Ways and Means Committee version to the Board when we receive it. At our meeting on May 22, we will discuss the proposals in relation to the Board's budget priorities. Senior Associate Commissioner/CFO Bill Bell will join the discussion.

  8. Proposed Schedule for Regular Board Meetings through June 2019 — Discussion

    Enclosed is a list of proposed Board meeting dates for the upcoming school year. Please review it in anticipation of a vote on the schedule at the June meeting.

Other Items for Information

  1. 9Report on Grants Approved by the Commissioner

    The enclosed memo informs the Board about grants that the Commissioner has approved under the authority delegated by the Board.

    If you have questions about any agenda items, please call me. I look forward to seeing you at the special meeting in Malden on May 14 and the regular meeting at Marblehead High School on May 22.

If you have questions about any agenda items, please call me. I look forward to seeing you at the meetings in Malden on October 23 and 24.