4. Upcoming LearnLaunch Workshops:
Cultivating a Culture of Caring guides educators through strategies for building 1:1 relationships, student community, and communication channels to create a culture of care in remote, hybrid, or in-person models. This workshop will be held three more times at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 2; Thursday, February 4; and Tuesday, February 16. Register for one of the workshops here and explore the Engage Learners Building Block tool.
Relationship Mapping to Support Social Emotional Well-Being, offered at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 10, will guide district and school leaders through research that supports relationship mapping for social-emotional health, and Principal Chris Dodge from the Orange Public Schools, will guide participants through a process to implement this practice. Register here and explore the Include Social-Emotional Learning Building Block tool. (For more about relationship mapping, please see the item below.)
Beyond Screens: Using Zoom to Deepen Engagement, offered at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 9, will guide district leaders, school leaders, and teachers through actionable tips for using Zoom to deepen engagement. It is fast-paced and practical; participants will leave with strategies to implement immediately. Register here and explore the Engage Learners Building Block tool.
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5. PD Opportunities on Strengthening School Mental Health:
The Department and the Massachusetts School Mental Health Consortium (MASMHC) are sponsoring professional development sessions on topics that support comprehensive school mental health efforts. These will be led by John Crocker, MASMHC founder and Methuen Public Schools director of school mental health and behavioral services. The sessions have been informed by requests from people who have signed up to learn about school mental health-related opportunities and by ongoing work with a comprehensive school mental health Collaborative Innovation and Improvement Network (CoIIN). Register online for either or both sessions.
- 12:00-2:00 p.m., Tuesday, February 9: Using Psychosocial Data to Improve Identification and Evidence-Based Interventions (Screening and Progress Monitoring)
- 2:00-3:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 2: Tier II Therapeutic Supports: Establishing a Group Therapy Program.
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6. 2020 School and District Report Cards:
The Department recently made the 2020 school and district report cards available on the report cards website. The site also contains supporting documentation related to report cards, including a glossary and a sample report card cover letter, both of which are available in English and nine other languages.
As a reminder, the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires that districts receiving Title I funds distribute report cards to all parents or guardians of students enrolled in district schools. The Department asks that districts distribute report cards to families by the end of February 2021. For more information, including details about electronic distribution, visit the website, email esea@doe.mass.edu, or call (781) 338-3550.
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7. Schools’ Role in Ensuring Eligible Families Receive P-EBT:
The Department would like to thank districts for their hard work and attention to P-EBT food benefits and ask for their continuing help to make it a success. P-EBT is a joint effort between the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA), DESE, and individual school districts. Success depends on all three to ensure eligible families receive this benefit and to ensure families’ questions are answered. While DTA is the point of contact for questions about P-EBT cards, including timing of issuance, schools should be prepared to answer questions around student eligibility, timing of eligibility certification, and students’ hybrid or remote status.
Common family P-EBT questions can be answered using this information and FAQ from www.map-ebt.org. Families inquiring about P-EBT cards (lost card, card pinning, card issues), timing of funds issuance, etc. can be directed to www.map-ebt.org (which is available in six languages) or the DTA Assistance Line at 1-877-382-2363.
P-EBT benefits are paid out on the 25th of each month. On that day, benefits will be loaded to the account of families who have an existing card. Families new to P-EBT who do not yet have a card will receive one in the mail sometime after the 25th (allow for up to two weeks for mailing), unless they receive DTA benefits (SNAP, TAFDC). Those newly eligible households will receive P-EBT on their DTA EBT card.
The following school district roles are key for P-EBT success:
School Nutrition Staff:
- Regularly determine and confirm students’ eligibility for free and reduced price meals by running Direct Certification at least monthly and processing and approving free and reduced price household applications (if not a Community Eligibility Provision school) in a timely manner.
District SIMS Contacts:
- Send lists of P-EBT-eligible students to DESE by the 10th of each month so that students can be included in the benefits issuance on the 25th of the same month.
- Student records that come in after the 10th will be accepted, but they will be included in the following month’s issuance.
- Ensure that the most up-to-date data on students’ free/reduced eligibility and instruction mode is used each month so that students receive the proper amount of P-EBT funds.
School District/School Administrators:
- Send important information to all households to ensure they know about P-EBT, how to apply for the program if they have not already (through applying for SNAP or completing a free/reduced application), and where to direct their questions.
Critical resources to send out to households include: flyers and social media resources (available in up to 10 languages) and email, robocall and text message templates for Community Eligibility Provision and non-Community Eligibility Provision schools. Other resources for families who may need more food assistance include www.projectbread.org/get-help and Project Bread’s FoodSource Hotline (800-645-8333).
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8. Educator Evaluation Update:
On Monday, February 1, DESE announced that the 2021 MCAS Student Growth Percentile and ACCESS for ELLs test data are not available for use in 2021 educator evaluation.
- Per the January 5, 2021 Assessment and Accountability Update Memorandum, these statewide assessments will be administered in 2021 for essential diagnostic purposes in order to “give Massachusetts educators and families critical insight into academic losses that need to be addressed this spring and summer, and data on which students and districts have been most impacted by the disruptions in schooling.”
- An educator’s impact on student learning should continue to be analyzed across multiple measures and incorporated into judgments of practice alongside all other required types of evidence.
- Overall, DESE encourages districts to continue to approach educator evaluation with critical care and empathy and in accordance with the guiding principles that underlie the 2020-21 Implementation Resources. More information and supports for educator evaluation are available at https://www.doe.mass.edu/edeval/.
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9. Relationship Mapping:
During the pandemic, schools and districts are finding new ways to build and maintain relationships between teachers, staff, and students. Some districts have had success using the relationship mapping technique, which is the systematic identification of student-adult trusted relationships in the school community. The Department’s newest remote learning practice profile provides an overview of this approach, including a few strategies, implementation tips, and relevant resources. This information may be particularly relevant for schools and districts working to increase student engagement. Contact Jackie Gantzer, Jacqulyn.m.gantzer@mass.gov for more information. Please also note the Relationship Mapping to Support Social Emotional Well-Being workshop available from LearnLaunch, above.
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10. PSAT/NMSQT/SAT Information:
The PSAT/NMSQT administration on January 26, 2021 was the final PSAT/NMSQT administration for the school year. If juniors were unable to take the test, there are alternate entry opportunities for the National Merit Scholarship Program which can be found on the National Merit Website.
Sophomores may take the PSAT 10 this spring, and ninth graders can take the PSAT 8/9.
With respect to the SAT: Schools can offer March and April SAT School Day in additional to Saturday administrations. SAT changes (such as the discontinuation of SAT subject tests) are summarized online.
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11. National School Counseling Week and Mass. School Counselor of the Year:
February 1-5 is National School Counseling Week, and the Massachusetts School Counselors Association has planned a series of events. In addition, the association recently awarded the 2021 Massachusetts School Counselor of the Year award to Jessica Descartes of TechBoston Academy, part of the Boston Public Schools. Ms. Descartes is a counselor for students in grades 6-12 who are in sheltered English immersion and students who have had limited or interrupted formal education. Congratulations Ms. Descartes, and thank you to all of the school counselors for their work during the pandemic!
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- CAYL Catalyst Webinar Series: The CAYL Institute (Community Advocates for Young Learners) is launching a webinar series for early childhood professionals from 4:00-5:00 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month. The series will kick off on Thursday, February 4 with early childhood advocate Dr. Maurice Sykes celebrating educators and exploring the need for new leadership for young children. On Thursday, March 4, Early Childhood Education Specialist Luis Hernandez from Western Kentucky University will lead a discussion of how to support young Latino children through early education and care. Registration for the February 4 webinar is available at www.cayl.org.
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