For immediate release
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Contact: Jacqueline Reis 781-338-3115
Finalists Announced for Kaleidoscope Collective for Learning Pilot
MALDEN — The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has named 22 schools and districts as finalists for the Kaleidoscope Collective for Learning pilot program, a program aimed at involving more students and teachers in deeper learning.
“We were thrilled that hundreds of schools and districts expressed interest, many of which completed applications for the Kaleidoscope Collective for Learning,” Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Rileysaid. “This reflects schools’ and districts’ enthusiasm for deeper learning – learning that is interactive, relevant, collaborative, and coherently aligned to Massachusetts standards.”
In “Our Way Forward,” Commissioner Riley outlined how deeper learning opportunities could help close achievement gaps and prepare students for a strong future. The finalists were selected because they have already begun innovative work involving deeper learning and submitted creative proposals for how to enhance that work. As a group, the finalists include a variety of types of schools, grade spans, and geographical regions.
The finalists named today are:
Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School (Boston)
Andover Public Schools: Andover High School and High Plain Elementary School
Berkshire Hills Regional: Monument Valley Regional Middle School (Great Barrington)
Boston: Eliot K-8 Innovation School and TechBoston Academy
Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School District (Danvers)
Fitchburg: South Street School
Lawrence: ENLACE Academy at Lawrence High School and UP Academy Leonard
Lincoln: K-4 Lincoln School
Mendon-Upton Regional: Nipmuc Regional High School (Upton)
Monomoy Regional: Chatham Elementary School
Nauset: Orleans Elementary School
North Attleborough: Amvet Boulevard School and North Attleborough Middle School
Randolph: Randolph Community Middle School
Revere: Abraham Lincoln Elementary School and Rumney Marsh Academy
Springfield: Chestnut Talented and Gifted Middle School, M. Marcus Kiley Middle School and Mary M. Walsh Elementary School
The next steps in the selection process include:
a convening and training, which were held on December 10,
an event in each finalist district in which the school or district will convene community members to contribute ideas to the school’s or district’s plan, and
a January school visit.
All finalists that complete the three steps will be invited to join the inaugural Kaleidoscope cohort. The cohort will run from January 2020 to June 2021, and members will receive professional development on implementing deeper learning. The Department expects to name a second cohort for fall 2021.
Lessons learned from this pilot will inform efforts to bring deeper learning to more schools and districts in the future.
“We thank all of the applicants for their interest, and we are excited to begin collaborating with our inaugural cohort in January to accelerate deeper learning statewide,” said Senior Associate Commissioner Komal Bhasin, who is leading the Kaleidoscope Collaborative for Learning.
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