The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
Proposed Amendments to Regulations on Accountability and Assistance for School Districts and Schools, 603 CMR 2.00
I am presenting to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (Board) proposed amendments to 603 CMR 2.00: Accountability and Assistance for School Districts and Schools. I will be asking the Board to vote on March 27, 2018 to solicit public comment on the proposed amendments.
The regulations describe the Commonwealth's framework for district accountability and assistance, including the annual accountability determinations for districts and schools and the support that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) provides to districts and schools.
As we discussed at the December 2017 and January 2018 meetings of the Board, the proposed amendments are needed to implement the redesigned accountability system that the U.S. Department of Education approved as part of the Massachusetts state plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The amendments we are proposing will:
- Align the regulations with our approved accountability system, which meets the federal requirements outlined in ESSA;
- Update the measures used to make accountability determinations to reflect changes to our statewide assessment system; and
- Clarify in the regulations the Board's role in reviewing and approving potential changes to the accountability system.
The proposed amendments remove all references to accountability and assistance levels (Levels 1 to 5), and update the description of how districts and schools will be classified in accordance with our redesigned accountability system. These changes will enable the Department to make annual accountability determinations under the new system beginning this fall.
With the Board's approval, the Department will solicit public comment on the proposed amendments. I will also share the proposed amendments with the Board's Advisory Council on School and District Accountability and Assistance at their meeting on May 8, 2018, for the council's review and comment. After reviewing all the comments and determining whether further changes are needed, I plan to bring the amendments back to the Board in June 2018 for final adoption.
A redlined version of the regulations is attached, along with a motion to solicit public comment on the proposed amendments. Senior Associate Commissioner Russell Johnston and Associate Commissioner Robert Curtin will be at the Board meeting on March 27 to answer your questions.
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