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A message from the
Massachusetts Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education

March 29, 2021
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News from Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Contents:

  1. Pooled Testing Costs Covered through End of This School Year
  2. Picture of the Week: Letourneau Elementary in Fall River
  3. Massachusetts Academic Excellence Roadmap
  4. Special Education Transportation
  5. COVID R.E.L.I.E.F. Communities of Practice Alliance
  6. Single District Virtual Schools Webinar
  7. Reminder about LearnLaunch Workshop on Returning to School
  8. Elementary Principals April Early Learning Convening
  9. Perkins V Public Comment
  10. Personal Responsibility Education PD Webinars
  11. Summer Grant Opportunity
  12. Ed Prep Reviewers Needed
  13. Available Now! GLEAM K-12 Program Grants
  14. Reminder about Kaleidoscope PD Opportunities

1. Pooled Testing Costs Covered through End of This School Year:


The Baker-Polito Administration has announced that data from the pooled testing initiative in schools has found low positivity rates among students and staff – far less than 1 percent – and the administration also announced that the state would use federal funds to continue to pay for the testing through the end of the school year. Initially, state funding had been set to end on Sunday, April 18.

More than 1,000 schools are enrolled in the COVID-19 pooled testing initiative, and more than 329,000 students, educators and staff are eligible to be tested on a weekly basis. Of the collected pooled tests, Massachusetts is not aware of any in which there was more than one positive individual, suggesting that there is extremely little evidence of in-school transmission of COVID-19 in Massachusetts.

Schools who are not yet enrolled in the program are encouraged to do so by contacting K12Covid19Testing@mass.gov and can learn more here.

2. Picture of the Week:

Students starting their week at Letourneau Elementary School in Fall River. The school is using a hybrid model and plans to bring all elementary students back to in-person learning by Monday, April 5. (Photo courtesy of Fall River Public Schools)
kids at desks

3. Massachusetts Academic Excellence Roadmap:


To help schools and districts address students’ varied academic needs in the 2021-22 school year and beyond, DESE is creating an Academic Excellence Roadmap. The Roadmap, which will be released in mid-May, will include easy-to-navigate guides, resources, and training opportunities about evidence-based strategies for accelerating student learning. It will be designed for use by Massachusetts school system leaders and educators.
 
To help in the development of this guide, a vendor will be engaging stakeholders to ensure the Roadmap’s content addresses questions from the field and that it is user-friendly. The Department is seeking a diverse group of instructionally-focused staff (including superintendents, assistant/instructional superintendents, chief academic officers, and other district-level instructional staff, building principals, academic deans, instructional coaches, teacher leaders, etc.) to participate in this process. Interested staff members should complete this initial interest form by Friday, April 2, and a member of the project team will follow up once more information is available.

4. Special Education Transportation:


Considerations for special education transportation that supplement the School Year 2020-2021 Reopening Transportation Guidance (download) are now available for download at https://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/sped.html and https://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/on-desktop.html. The Department consulted with special education transportation experts at Easterseals and the National Association of Pupil Transportation (NAPT) in preparing this document.
 
Students with disabilities may require transportation as part of their Individualized Education Program (IEP). Parents of students for whom transportation is provided for in their IEPs and who transport their student are eligible for reimbursement, as described in 603 CMR 28.07(6). In these cases, the student maintains the right to access transportation for a disability-related need at a future date. The IEP should not be amended to reflect the temporary change in transportation arrangements, but the family should be notified in writing of this temporary change if they agree to transport their student.

5. COVID R.E.L.I.E.F. Communities of Practice Alliance:


Families, family engagement specialists, and others are invited to join the COVID R.E.L.I.E.F. (Recognizing Emotional Learning, Innovations, and Engaging Families) Communities of Practice Alliance. The alliance, with support from DESE, is creating an interactive online space where participants will generate shared wellness goals and strategies to support students’ academic success through social and emotional learning, mental health, and family and community partnerships. Representatives from schools, families, and community partners will have the opportunity to design activities and action plans to promote school environments aligned with the Whole School Whole Community Whole Child model. The alliance will meet from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. on the fourth Monday of the month from March 29 through June 28 and resume in August. Participants are asked to register online, and they will have access to a wellness portal to help build sustainable local infrastructure and regional partnerships.

6. Single District Virtual Schools Webinar: 


District administrators and staff are invited to a webinar about the Single District Virtual School Option. This webinar will provide information to assist school committees, superintendents, and districts that are considering operating a virtual school that only enrolls students who live in the school district operating the school. The webinar will outline submission requirements for districts that are interested in this option. The webinar will run from 11:00 a.m. to noon on Monday, April 5. To participate, please register online.

7. Reminder about LearnLaunch Workshop on Returning to School:


LearnLaunch, in collaboration with DESE, will offer a workshop on “Returning with Strong Relationships and Routines” to help school and district leaders welcome students and teachers back to an in-person model by rebuilding relationships and integrating students into the school social environment. Through discussion of examples and concrete strategies, participants will develop a vision for safe, joyful, and transformative spaces for both students and teachers through June. These workshops will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 6; Thursday, April 8; and Tuesday, April 13Register here and explore the Engage Learners Building Block tool.

8. Elementary Principals April Early Learning Convening:


In collaboration with the Massachusetts School Administrators Association (MSAA), DESE’s Early Learning Team is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the next professional development session in a year-long professional development series for elementary principals related to early learning. The next convening will be held from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, April 12. (Please note that this date is a change from the original calendar.) The session will include a 60 minute presentation with Dr. Nicole Christian-Brathwaite focused on trauma-informed practices for students, staff, principals and families, followed by breakout sessions in which principals can connect and network with each other. To join the session, please register here.

9. Perkins V Public Comment:


The Department is seeking public comment on proposed revisions to the State Determined Performance Levels (SDPLs) for the federal Strengthening Career and Technical Education for 21st Century Act, commonly known as Perkins V. The U.S. Department of Education allows for revisions to performance measures within Perkins V. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, DESE is proposing changes to several performance levels and is accepting public comment until Thursday, April 15. To examine the proposed performance levels, see the Perkins V Manual website.

10. Personal Responsibility Education PD Webinars:


The Department’s Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) is offering the following webinars to support and strengthen educators’ capacity to provide evidence-based sexuality education. More details and registration are online.  All webinars will run from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.:
  • Thursday, April 15: Working with Parents
  • Thursday, May 6: Answering Student Questions About Sexuality
Feel free to reach out to DESE’s Office of Student and Family Support at achievement@doe.mass.edu with questions.

11. Summer Grant Opportunity:


The Department has posted the RFP and application for the Development and Enhancement of Quality Summer Programming (fund code 527), a summer grant for districts and/or schools where at least 45 percent of the student population is categorized as economically disadvantaged. Applicants may apply for one program per district for up to $50,000 per program. Proposals are due Friday, April 30. Please contact asost@mass.gov with any questions about the grant.

12. Ed Prep Reviewers Needed:


The Department is accepting applications for the 2021-22 cohort of educator preparation reviewers. The ed prep formal review process was designed to elevate educators’ diverse perspectives, and ed prep reviewers serve an integral role in evaluating the impact of preparation providers across the state. Reviewers will conduct a document review, observe virtual focus groups, and work in partnership with a team of education professionals to evaluate a programs’ performance relative to program approval criteria (download).
 
This application is open to all who are interested, including teachers, coaches, administrators, professional support personnel, district personnel, and non-profit leaders. The Department is seeking to amplify the voices of Black, Asian, Latinx, Native American, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander educators. 
 
More information, including FAQs, the application, and a nomination form, is available online. Anyone with questions on this issue is asked to email EducatorPreparation@mass.gov. Applications are due Sunday, May 2.

13. Available Now! GLEAM K-12 Program Grants:


Growing Literacy Equity Across Massachusetts (GLEAM) K–12 program grants will support deep and lasting improvements to schools' multi-tiered system of support for literacy, enabling schools to better serve all students, especially historically underserved students. This competitive grant provides two to three years of funding, access to customized support from literacy experts, and opportunities to collaborate with a network of educators doing similar work. Proposals must be received at DESE by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 13. For information, visit the GLEAM program website.

14. Reminder about Kaleidoscope PD Opportunities:


The Department’s Kaleidoscope Collective for Learning is pleased to repeat two professional learning opportunities this spring: Engaging Students as Complex Thinkers (Tuesday, May 18) and Designing for Equity (Tuesday, June 8). Each 90-minute session will also explore instructional practices that use authentic work to build and sustain student engagement in remote, hybrid, and in-person learning. Educators will engage with colleagues from across the Commonwealth to strategize how to apply these practices in their own classrooms. Registration will close on a rolling basis for each session. Please click here to learn more and to register.
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