4. Supplemental Guidance for Student Groups and School Events:
As a supplement to DESE’s Guidance for Courses Requiring Additional Safety Considerations During School Year 2020-2021 (download) and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Youth and Adult Amateur Sport Activities Guidance (download), DESE recently posted guidance for student groups that involve mixing of cohorts and school events that may require additional safety considerations. The guidance covers non-athletic student activities before and after school, volunteering, gatherings with outside participants, and leaving school grounds.
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5. Additional Childcare Options for Remote Learners:
The Baker-Polito Administration recently announced that childcare programs will be able to care for children during regular school hours in order to help families who need childcare while their children are learning remotely, and DESE and the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) release guidance on care options for hybrid and remote learning models. Governor Baker has signed an Executive Order that allows EEC to authorize currently licensed after-school and out-of-school programs (such as YMCAs, Boys and Girls Clubs, family childcare homes, and others) to operate during the school day while children are learning remotely.
The Department of Early Education and Care will also exempt informal remote learning parent cooperative arrangements organized by families, if the groups are supervised by unpaid parents. These parent cooperatives are still subject to any state orders regulating gatherings in place under the COVID-19 state of emergency.
In addition, the Executive Order creates a temporary license exemption for remote learning enrichment programs, which will provide a supervised setting where children up to age 14 can attend remote learning instruction during the school day. These programs will need to first be approved by their local municipality before they can apply for the license exemption. Programs run by a school district do not need to apply for this exemption.
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6. Educational Options for the 2020-2021 School Year:
Since the publication of the Initial Fall School Reopening Guidance in June 2020, DESE has received inquiries regarding various educational options. The Department recently posted a question-and-answer document that outlines the different public and private options (download) available in Massachusetts this year, including home schooling and microschools, and the approval processes for private options.
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7. Vocational Technical Advisory Council:
The Department is seeking members for the Vocational Technical Advisory Council. The council’s purpose will be to advise, assist, and provide support and advocacy for high quality programs that prepare students for a successful transition to further education and careers.
The council will be comprised of members appointed by the commissioner on behalf of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Appointments will be for a three-year term, and no member may serve more than two consecutive terms. Membership will include a diverse group of individuals reflecting state and federal statutory requirements of membership, including local education officials; representatives from higher education, business and industry, labor and trade organizations, and parent/family organizations; and students.
Anyone interested in joining the Vocational Technical Advisory Council is asked to please email a letter of interest and resume to Elizabeth L. Bennett (Elizabeth.L.Bennett@mass.gov) by Friday, September 11.
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8. Input Sought on Required “Lowest 10 Percent” Calculation for FY21 and FY22:
The state’s charter school statute requires the calculation of the “lowest 10 percent” of districts based upon two years of MCAS results. Because of the pandemic, there were no MCAS tests this year, so DESE is requesting input on the best way to calculate the “lowest 10 percent” in FY21 and FY22. This document provides a description of the “lowest 10 percent” as required by the charter school statute and DESE’s proposed approach to calculating the lowest 10 percent in FY21 and FY22 in the absence of MCAS results from FY20. People can submit comment specific to this proposal to charterschools@doe.mass.edu by Wednesday, October 14. Please note that this preliminary input will help DESE formulate a proposal that will go out for public comment.
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- Cube satellite challenge: The U.S. Department of Education has launched CTE Mission: CubeSat, which invites high school students to design and build cube satellite (CubeSat) prototypes. Schools interested in entering the challenge must form a team and submit a mission proposal by 5:59 p.m. on October 16, and no in-person collaboration and/or prior experience with CubeSat is required. Curated educational resources are available to students and teachers online in the CTE Mission: CubeSat Resource Hub. To learn more, schools can join a virtual information session on Tuesday, September 1. Up to five finalists will be selected to receive prizes and participate in Phase 2, which runs from January to May 2021.
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- Education Pioneers COVID Response Fellowship: Education Pioneers is offering the COVID Response Fellowship, a new program to provide a limited number of school districts, charter school networks, and state education agencies with COVID-specific help at no cost over the next 12 months. Education Pioneers will pay COVID Response Fellows, who will be placed as chiefs of staff to senior administrators.
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Note:
Because of the Labor Day holiday, the next Commissioner’s Weekly Update will come out on Tuesday, September 8.
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