The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

Potential Changes to 2019 District and School Accountability Reporting

To:

Members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

From:

Jeffrey C. Riley, Commissioner

Date:

March 15, 2019

On September 27, 2018, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) released the first year of results under the new district and school accountability system. Since that time, the Department has been reviewing those results, soliciting feedback from stakeholders, and considering changes that could be made to improve the system. At the March 26, 2019 meeting of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (Board), we will begin the discussion about potential changes to the system for 2019 reporting and review the timeline for public comment and further discussion and action by the Board.

Background

State and federal laws require the Department to implement a system of district and school accountability. On June 27, 2018, the Board approved the amendments to the state regulations that outline the framework for district and school accountability and the accountability system itself, as described in the Summary of the Next-Generation District and School Accountability System. I advised the Board that the Department would implement the new system, see how it works, solicit feedback on it, and consider whether any modifications are needed. Consistent with the Board's June 2018 action, the Department reported district and school accountability results under the new system in the fall of 2018.

Timeline

The potential changes that the Department is considering do not require revisions to the accountability regulations. However, they do require discussion by the Board and the opportunity for public comment prior to final Board approval.¹ As such, the Department has developed the following timeline for this work:

Timeframe	Action
March 2019	Initial discussion of potential changes with the Board
April – May 2019	Department to seek public comment on proposed changes
June 2019	Final discussion and Board vote on proposed changes

By following this schedule, the Department will be able to incorporate any approved changes in time to report the 2019 accountability results this fall.

Senior Associate Commissioner Russell Johnston and Associate Commissioner Rob Curtin will be at the meeting on March 26 to introduce the potential changes to the system and respond to your questions.

Attachment

District and School Accountability System: Proposed Modifications

Note:

¹ 603 CMR 2.03(10): Accountability and Assistance for School Districts and Schools: The Department shall solicit public comment on proposed changes to the framework for district and school accountability and assistance, including changes to the indicators or the weighting of indicators in the framework. After considering the public comment, the commissioner will forward a recommendation for any proposed changes to the Board for approval.