Professional Learning and Network Portfolio School Year 2025-26

Introduction

The Office of Effective Practices and Partnership (OEPI) is pleased to offer a variety of professional learning opportunities to support school and district improvement efforts in the 2025-2026 school year. Each of these opportunities advances educational equity and is being offered at no cost to participating teams. They are aligned to DESE's Education Vision and with the following strategic objectives:

Whole Child Supports: Cultivate systems to support that whole child and foster joyful, healthy, and supportive learning environments so that all students feel valued and connected.
Grade-Appropriate Instruction: Promote deeper learning so that all students engage in grade-level work that is real-world, relevant, and interactive.
Diverse and Well-Prepared Workforce: Develop and sustain a diverse, culturally responsive, and well-prepared workforce so that all students have equitable access to effective educators.

All of these offerings are pending budget approval. Districts with a Need Assistance or Needs Intervention (N1 and N2) Special Education Determination will be given priority for the opportunities below.

DESE is currently in the process of selecting a vendor(s) to serve as the provider for the offerings below. The exact structure of each offering (e.g., number and timing of trainings, frequency of coaching/technical assistance, etc.) may vary depending on the selected provider and their proposed model. However, supports have typically included:

Team-specific coaching/technical assistance sessions (onsite or virtual; typically held at least monthly)
Cross-district professional learning sessions (onsite or virtual; typically held at least quarterly)

Applications:

OEPI Professional Learning and Networks:

Student Support Academy

The Student Support Academy is a multi-year professional learning opportunity for school and/or district teams to receive training, coaching, and technical assistance to strengthen their student support systems. Through this work, participating teams will: learn about the features of a holistic, proactive student support system; assess their current student support systems, structures, and practices; receive coaching and technical assistance to identify and implement concrete strategies for improvement; leverage their improved student support systems to identify areas of need; and receive support and/or referrals to address those areas of need.

Note: In addition, our hope is that the new Student Support Academy will provide access to a data technology platform that supports interested teams with an integrated approach to utilizing multiple sources of data for their student support system.

Is this the right opportunity for my school or district?

Examples of common challenges/priorities that the Student Support Academy will help address:

A lack of data systems, making it difficult to aggregate data from multiple sources to get a holistic picture of each student as well as school- or district-wide trends
Inconsistent practices to identify students' needs and connecting them to the appropriate supports
Teaming approaches that perpetuate siloing across domains (academic, social emotional behavioral, school belonging, health & wellness)
Student support teams that wait for educator/support staff referrals in order to provide any support for students
Weak communication structures between tiers 1, 2, and 3, resulting in students receiving supports that are disconnected and potentially misaligned with core instruction and a lack of coordination across students' teachers, support staff, and other providers.
Limited systems and practices to monitor progress and impact (e.g., when a student starts a tier 2 support, it is not clear how long they will need that support, what the specific goals are of the intervention, or the criteria for exiting from that support)

Readiness criteria / expected commitments of participating teams:

A team with decision-making authority to impact systems-level change (i.e. schedules, meeting structures, data systems) within a school or district
Ability to set clear student outcome goals and commitment to monitor progress towards those goals
The goals of the Student Support Academy are a core priority within the larger school or district improvement plan — meaning this is not an "add-on" initiative, but integral to the types of changes the school/district is aiming to achieve
Actively participate in Academy supports and assignments and maintain regular communication with assigned coach, including emails, virtual check-ins, and in-person meetings (on-site and professional learning off-site).
Share data on progress and outcomes (see Evaluation & Improvement Efforts below for more information).

Apply for the Student Support Academy

Tiered Math Academy

The Tiered Math Academy is a multi-year professional learning opportunity for school and/or district teams to receive training, coaching and technical assistance to strengthen their tiered math programming. The purpose of the Tiered Math Academy is to improve math outcomes for students across the Commonwealth. The academy provides strategic support to leaders, coaches, and teacher leaders, helping them to implement evidence-based systems, structures, and practices to support the development of students' math skills in support of reaching expectations of grade level learning.

Goals and Outcomes of participation in the Tiered Math Academy:

Strengthening connections between existing high-quality tier 1 instruction to tier 2 and 3 math supports
Making connections between tiered instruction and existing special education structures, improving the connection between these systems
Developing educators' math content and pedagogical knowledge to support tiered instruction
Increasing capacity at the school and district level by developing in-district trainers and coaches to support this work
Improving student outcomes by utilizing data and enhancing teacher practices
Identifying and improving data monitoring systems and structures

Is this the right opportunity for my school or district?

Readiness criteria / expected commitments of participating teams:

The goal of the academy is to enhance or support systemization of Tier 2 and 3 Math Instruction, so a qualifying condition is that the school/district applying is currently using High-Quality Tier 1 Math Instructional Materials across all grade levels in the applying school(s).
For each school participating, there should be a team with decision-making authority to impact systems-level change able to lead this work.
Assemble a team that includes at least one district administrator responsible for numeracy, at least one coach/lead teacher/interventionist identified as an intervention specialist, interventionists/special education/classroom teachers ready to participate in this learning.
Actively participate in all activities of the academy.
Maintain a culture of inquiry stance towards growth and readiness to incorporate new practices.

Apply for the Tiered Math Academy

Resource Allocation and Scheduling Networks

DESE will work in partnership with a vendor (TBD) to support school and district leaders to make transformational shifts in how they organize resources (i.e. money, time, staff, etc.), structures, and practices so that all students — especially those with the greatest learning needs and those furthest from opportunity — attend a school where they can learn and thrive. We are offering three cohort-based technical assistance offerings to support district and school teams for the 2025-26 school year. Districts can participate in one strand.

Strand 1: Strategic Resource Use Cohort

Overview: We will support district teams to organize resources differently to improve student and teacher experiences, leading to better student outcomes. We accomplish this by improving cross functional collaboration and decision-making between senior finance and academic leaders and supporting them in making strategic operational shifts in how their districts use resources (people, time, and money) aligned to district priorities.

District teams participating in this cohort will:

Develop and practice critical skills for leading and sustaining system-wide change
Understand their current resource use and alignment to district priorities and instructional goals
Ground in the current state of financial constraint and the real need for innovative and needs-driven process to guide tough budget cycles
Develop strategic mindsets and core competencies around budgeting and planning processes
Learn with, and from, other districts engaged in district transformation work

Strand 2: High School Redesign Cohort-Newcomer Focus

Overview: We will facilitate a cohort of Massachusetts high school leaders to understand and improve the experience and outcomes of their English Learner populations, with a specific focus on Newcomers. The cycle would include understanding each school's data and context, learning about innovative models and approaches, making decisions, and engaging in change management. School teams' work would culminate in a plan to implement "Do Now" changes for SY26-27.

District teams participating in this cohort will:

Develop and apply critical learnings around resource shifts to improve the experience of multilingual learners
Understand current and emerging trends in multi-lingual (ML) and Newcomer student population, achievement, and outcomes and how those relate to each district's specific Tiered Focused Monitoring (TFM) requirements
Be introduced to tools and resources to develop, align, or improve ML services and student experience
Define focus areas and identify priority shifts to program, staffing, schedule, or student assignments
Design and begin implementation of strategic "Do Now" changes for SY26-27
Learn with, and from, other schools engaged in this work

Strand 3: High School Redesign Cohort — MTSS Focus

Overview: In partnership with DESE will facilitate a cohort of Massachusetts high school leaders to better understand current successes and challenges in designing and implementing their Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS). Design Teams would review and reimagine their tiered programming, schedules, staffing patterns, and structures, beginning with Tier 1. Through 3 in-person cohort convenings, just-in-time webinars, and 1:1 technical assistance, school leadership teams would spend the year (approximately September – April) engaging in reflection, learning, and design. The cycle would include understanding their current state, establishing focus areas and priorities, learning about innovative models and approaches, and engaging in change management. School teams' work would culminate in a plan to implement changes for SY 26-27.

District teams participating in this cohort will:

Develop and apply critical learnings around resource shifts to improve implementation and strength of MTSS
Understand current state of MTSS programming and the range of student needs
Be introduced to tools and resources to develop, align, or improve MTSS and student experience
Define focus areas and identify priority shifts in resource allocations such as addition or use of flex blocks, increasing or rethinking teacher collaboration time and teaming structures, and strategically adjusting and student assignments and progress monitoring
Design and begin implementation of strategic "Do Now" changes for FY 26-27
Learn with, and from, other schools engaged in this work

Apply for the Resource Allocation and Scheduling Network

Inclusion and Access Network and Supports

In Massachusetts, there remain persistent opportunity gaps for students with disabilities. In fact, in the 2024 Student Opportunity Act plans, 89% of districts (N=320) named students with disabilities as a student group experiencing gaps in student learning experiences and outcomes. DESE is committed to providing the support schools and districts need to reduce and eliminate these gaps. DESE will provide supports across a number of identified areas to support students with disabilities, including:

Building special education teacher skills/knowledge about specific disabilities, including but not limited to:

developing deeper understandings of specific disabilities and how to effectively support students in the classroom; and
helping to improve educator practice through observation, coaching, and feedback structures.

Building and sustaining paraeducator and general education teacher partnerships, including but not limited to:

building paraeducator and general education teacher knowledge and capacity to provide high-quality, evidence-based instruction to students with disabilities in an inclusive classroom, including strategies to support specific disabilities in their classroom;
building paraeducator and general education teacher skills around having strong partnerships in the classroom to provide stronger support for students with disabilities, and
building school and district leadership capacity to understand the systems and structures needed to launch and develop strong paraeducator-teacher partnerships in inclusive classrooms to support students with disabilities.

Building educator and leader capacity around implementing inclusive practices, including but not limited to:

enhancing inclusive practices, with a specific focus on students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms;
supporting general education and special education teachers' ability to collaborate on inclusive practices, and
building the structures necessary to support high-quality inclusive classrooms, including collaboration time and observation and feedback systems.

Designing and planning for purposeful and high-quality substantially separate classrooms, including, but not limited to:

helping schools and districts identify features of high-quality substantially separate classrooms;
training models for schools or districts to adopt for educators working in substantially separate programs; and
building schools and district capacity to monitor high-quality instruction in substantially separate classrooms.

DESE invites schools and districts to apply for a combination of professional learning, coaching, and technical assistance in one or more of the topics listed above. To let us know your interest in the topic areas listed above, please use the link below. More information on the exact structure of the supports is forthcoming:

Inclusion and Access Network and Support Interest Form

Frequently Asked Questions

What should be considered before submitting an application?

Prior to applying for an offering, districts/schools should consider:

Which student groups will this offering help support and how
Their priorities for the 2025-2026 school year
Their team's specific needs and bandwidth
What partnerships and programs they already have in place
The content, duration, structure, and commitments for participation

How many offerings can one school/district apply for?

We recommend participating in one intensive offering, but after a thoughtful planning process, districts may identify and apply for more than one that are well-positioned to support their priorities.
We also encourage districts to consider the partners and programs available outside of OEPI and DESE while planning and identifying the most aligned supports for the school year.

What is the deadline to apply?

Applications submitted early will be given priority, in particular applications from districts who are either identified through our accountability system (having a school(s) in the lowest 10th% across the state) and districts who have significant gaps for specific student populations. You will be notified of your acceptance to an offering over the summer.
Applications will remain open throughout the summer, until offerings are full.

Last Updated: June 10, 2025