The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

Update on the Early College Initiative in Massachusetts

To:

Members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

From:

Jeffrey C. Riley, Commissioner

Date:

October 19, 2018

Background

At the joint meeting on January 24, 2017, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and Board of Higher Education discussed and voted on a joint resolution to establish a formal early college designation process and an Early College Joint Committee (ECJC) to oversee both the development of criteria and the application process for designating Massachusetts Early College programs. The Early College Joint Committee membership includes James Peyser, Secretary of Education; Chris Gabrieli, Chair, Board of Higher Education; Paul Sagan, Chair, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education; Margaret McKenna, Member of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education; Paul Toner, Member of the Board of Higher Education; Jeff Riley, Commissioner, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) (non-voting); and Carlos Santiago, Commissioner, Department of Higher Education (DHE) (non-voting).

Status of Early College Designation Process

In July 2017, the Department of Higher Education (DHE) and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) launched a two-step application process for districts and postsecondary institutions to obtain formal designation for Early College programs.
Preliminary applications for designation and an optional competitive funding opportunity were due in September 2017.
Final applications to receive designation and implementation grant funding were due in February 2018.
Department of Higher Education and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education received 18 final designation applications.
The Early College Joint Committee met twice, in April and July 2018, to review staff recommendations and confer Early College Designations on those applicants who met the criteria, resulting in nine (9) designated Early College programs engaging nine (9) Institutions of Higher Education and 20 high schools, enrolling more than 1,500 students this fall.
The Early College Joint Committee will reconvene later this fall and again in early winter 2019 to discuss policy considerations and review staff recommendations to confer additional Early College Designations for those applicants needing additional time to meet the designation criteria.

Next Steps

At the next joint meeting of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and Board of Higher Education in January 2019, DHE and DESE staff will present a more detailed progress report on the Early College initiative, followed by discussion.