5. Deadline Extended for U.S. Presidential Scholarship Nominations:
Commissioner Riley is seeking nominations of high school seniors for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. Schools may nominate up to two students (of different genders). Students can be nominated in the general category or the career and technical education student category. All high schools are encouraged to consider submitting nominations via the online submission form. The deadline has been extended to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 6.
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6. 2020 School Health Profiles Data Collection Concluding:
The Department will close out data collection for School Health Profiles on Friday, November 6. Principals and lead health education teachers who have not started or need to finish their surveys have received an email with a link to the questionnaire for their school. This year’s data will help DESE understand the impact the pandemic has had on connections to health education and services in schools. Any principals and lead teachers with questions about School Health Profiles are invited to email osfs.schoolbasedsurveys@mass.gov. The Department appreciates their time and attention to this effort.
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7. LearnLaunch Workshops:
Learn Launch has added additional sessions of Support Parents and Support Educator Well-Being workshops due to high demand.
- Support Educator Well-Being is an interactive, 60-minute workshop that will lead school and district leaders through steps to be able to support the development and well-being of educators during the first three months of school. The workshops will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, November 9 and at 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 17. Register here and explore the Communicate Clearly Building Block tool here.
- In Support Parents, workshop participants will use specific templates and tools to leverage increased parent engagement in remote and hybrid learning environments to create more positive, personal connections that will sustain learning. This will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, November 13 and at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, November 20. Register here.
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8. Updates to Edwin:
The Department is pleased to announce two newly updated reports in Edwin:
- Edwin Attendance and Suspension Monitoring Report: The Edwin Attendance and Suspension Monitoring Report (EW611) has been updated for this year to include overall attendance, in-person attendance, and remote attendance as reported to DESE through SIF. The Department will hold a webinar from 10:00-11:00 a.m. on Monday, November 9 that will include an overview of the report, questions and answers on its uses, and discussion on using the Early Warning Indicator System and other data to support students in this unique school year. Registration is open online.
- FAFSA Completion Reports Live in Edwin: To apply for federal and state financial student aid, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The Departments of Elementary and Secondary Education and of Higher Education, in partnership with the Executive Office of Education, developed reports in Edwin Analytics that allow schools and districts to monitor whether students have completed and submitted their FAFSA: FAFSA Completion Report Summary CR307and FAFSA Completion Report Detail CR607. To access the reports, sign into Edwin. For information on the tool, please download https://www.doe.mass.edu/ccte/ccr/ewis/fafsa-tool.docx.
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9. Early Learning-Related PD Opportunities:
- Early Learning Training Series: Physically Distant - Still Connected: Designing Environments for Independence, Engagement, and Relationship: In Part I (6:00-7:30 p.m. on Monday, November 9), “Moving from Tub to Tray – Designing Classrooms and Materials for Independence,” participants will learn how to restructure classroom materials for independent, constructive use. In Part II (3:30-5:00 p.m. on Monday, November 16), “Still Connected –Supporting Learning through Meaningful Relationships,” participants will have the opportunity to analyze teacher-student interactions, adopt a framework for strengths-based language that supports distanced learning, and consider how routines will need to shift. Registration is open at the links above.
- Elementary Principals Year-Long Professional Development Series Update: The next fall networking meeting will be on Tuesday, November 10 (7:30-8:30 a.m. and 3:30-4:30 p.m.). Participants are asked to register online. For more information about the year-long PD series for elementary school principals, “Creating a Caring Community: Caring for Ourselves and Our Staff Using a Trauma-Informed Lens,” download the flyer.
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10. Building Equitable Supports for Children with Disabilities:
The free Building Equitable Supports for Children with Disabilities initiative for school district early childhood education teams recognizes the inequities that often exist in special education programs. The initiative will provide up to 50 participating school district teams with individual coaching, regional team coaching, and a series of six monthly Professional Learning Community webinars. Webinar topics will include implicit bias and understanding race, racism, and equity in special education; inclusion supports; wellness practices for early childhood educators; and trauma-informed practices.
The initiative is funded by DESE and the Department of Early Education and Care and administered by the Collaborative for Educational Services (CES). Applications are due Tuesday, November 10. Click here to view learn more and to apply. Anyone with questions about the initiative is invited to contact Emily Koester at ekoester@collaborative.org.
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11. Mass Literacy:
The Department is pleased to announce the launch of Mass Literacy, a statewide effort to promote evidence-based literacy instruction in grades preK-3. This new guide contains resources that outline the instructional practices proven to work best for the most students. Developed by local educators and literacy experts, Mass Literacy is an important step toward ensuring all Massachusetts students become strong readers and writers.
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12. Professional Learning through Kaleidoscope:
The Department’s Kaleidoscope Collective for Learning is pleased to announce two professional learning opportunities—Transforming Instruction Through the Lens of Authentic Work (3:45-5:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 18) and Engaging Students as Complex Thinkers (3:45-5:00 p.m. offered twice: Tuesday, December 15 and Thursday, January 14). In these sessions, teachers will explore practices that ask students to apply disciplinary thinking and skills, such as those of scientists, mathematicians, sociologists, writers, and researchers, to real-world problems in ways that build student engagement in remote, hybrid, and in-person learning. Educators will have time to collaborate with colleagues from across the Commonwealth to strategize ways to apply these practices and mindsets in their own virtual or in-person classrooms. Please register online.
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13. InSPIRED Statewide Affinity Network:
Registration is open for all educators of color to join the InSPIRED virtual Statewide Affinity Network, a group created to help Massachusetts retain a diverse educator workforce. The network aims to create a safe space for educators of color to network, discuss their experiences, explore professional development opportunities and/or consider action that would make for a more equitable experience and help their schools retain a diverse workforce. This opportunity is open to any and all educators of color (e.g., aspiring educators, paraprofessionals, current teachers, school counselors, and school administrators). Registration is open through Monday, November 23 at https://tinyurl.com/MAaffinitynetwork, and more information is available at the same link.
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14. Support for Designing Transitions to Full or Partial In-Person Learning:
As leaders across the Commonwealth are rapidly designing alternatives to fully remote models, DESE is providing an opportunity for system leaders to participate in a learning-and-action cohort facilitated by Education Resource Strategies (ERS). The Department and ERS will virtually convene leaders from a core group of districts three times through the end of the calendar year to collaborate and receive individualized support and feedback from the ERS team with a focus on developing, reviewing, and adapting design and implementation plans based on emerging best practices and local needs. Through their participation, system leaders will emerge with more strategic, equitable, and sustainable return-to-school models that address family, educator, and community needs.
Interested leaders should complete this form, and team members from DESE and ERS will follow up with additional information. If demand for the learning cohort exceeds capacity, priority will be given to districts that serve a higher number of high-needs students.
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15. DESE Resource Corner:
Good Question!: The Department has worked with community partners to create a series of short videos in response to common questions about teaching and learning, safety, and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents and others can go to the Good Question! page and click on the questions they are interested in to watch a short video reply. Videos will be added on a rolling basis.
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16. Additional Vendor for Screener and Diagnostic Assessments:
In an effort to help educators better understand their students’ academic needs in the 2020-2021 school year, DESE requested proposals from assessment companies for no-cost screening and/or diagnostic assessments. The Department has approved the following assessments and will update the list on a rolling basis. The list now includes Riverside Insights: Iowa Assessments for mathematics (K-1) and English language arts (K-3).
The Department’s master agreement allows districts to use DESE-approved vendors without the district having to do their own procurement. Districts can directly contact the vendor they choose. The vendor may require signing an agreement, and the district may require that the vendor sign a contract or other procurement form. Districts should check with their business officer to verify the process for acquiring the tool, even though it is free. Districts interested in using one of these tools this school year should email Nechama Goldberg at Nechama.D.Goldberg@mass.gov with the name of the selected vendor in order to receive the vendor documentation.
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17. New Website to Help Prevent Child Sexual Abuse:
A new website, www.safekidsthrive.org, developed by the Massachusetts Legislative Task Force on the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse, provides organizations with customizable tools and guidelines to prevent child sexual abuse. Because every child-and-youth-serving organization is different, the website’s flexibility allows visitors to find the guidance and resources appropriate for each organization.
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18. Innovation Pathways Planning Grants Announced:
This fall, 11 districts will receive a total of $283,900 in funding to support the planning of new Innovation Pathways, structures within Massachusetts high schools that are designed to connect students to an industry sector that is in demand in the regional and state economy. This grant is funded by American Student Assistance (ASA). Congratulations to Atlantis Charter School in Fall River; Swampscott High School; West Springfield High School; Excel High School - South Boston; Dearborn STEM Academy in Boston; Chelmsford High School; Bartlett High School in Webster; Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School; Ware High School; Carver High School; Uxbridge High School; and Worcester Public Schools.
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- MassCUE/MASS Conference: The Massachusetts Computer Using Educators (MassCUE) and Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents conference will be held virtually from February 9 to 12. The conference will offer over 250 workshops and social and networking events. Sessions will be live and available on demand until July 31. Visit the conference website to learn more about the presenters and sessions. Registration is now open.
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