2024 Annual Report to BESE

Annual Report: 2023 – 2024

For the 2023-24 school year, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's (DESE or the Department) leadership and staff focused on deepening DESE's support for districts and schools in alignment with the agency's Educational Vision and three strategic objectives and core functions:

• Strategic Objective 1: Cultivate systems to support the whole student and foster joyful, healthy, and supportive learning environments so that all students feel valued, connected, nourished, and ready to learn.
• Strategic Objective 2: Promote deeper learning so that all students engage in grade-level work that is real-world, relevant, and interactive.
• Strategic Objective 3: Develop and sustain a workforce that is diverse, culturally responsive, well-prepared, and committed to continuous improvement, so that all students have access to effective educators.
• Core Functions: Setting expectations, promoting and measuring quality and compliance, supporting implementation and catalyzing innovation, and communicating and partnering with stakeholders.

The Department's 2023-24 Annual Report is below, with opening letters from Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) Chair Katherine Craven and Acting Commissioner Johnston.

Strategic Objective 1: Whole Student Supports

During the 2023-24 school year, DESE undertook several initiatives to promote the physical and mental health and wellbeing of students. Continuing its commitment to mental and behavioral health, DESE provided professional development opportunities and grant offerings to support student, staff, and family wellbeing. Among the notable new initiatives was the September 2023 BESE vote to approve the updated Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Framework, the first revision since 1999. This framework provides a clear pathway for schools to implement programming and strategies that promote students' mental, emotional, and physical health while emphasizing the critical role of school climate and culture in shaping student outcomes. student outcomes.

Additionally, DESE launched a campaign in January 2024 to address the ongoing impact of the pandemic on chronic absenteeism, encouraging schools and families to work together to improve student attendance. The Department also hosted the second annual Family Engagement Summit, which brought together over 700 participants to foster collaboration and center discussions on students' lives, thriving schools, and authentic family-school partnerships.

Strategic Objective 2: Deeper Learning

The Department's initiatives in this area included ongoing professional development opportunities and grant offerings to support the adoption and implementation of high-quality instructional materials.

A significant milestone during the 2023-24 school year was the Healey-Driscoll Administration's proposal of Literacy Launch: Reading Success from Age 3 through Grade 3 . Ultimately funded at $20 million for its first year (2024-25), this initiative is designed to help districts adopt evidence-based early literacy materials and methods and accelerate reviews of teacher preparation programs. The goal is to empower teachers to use these evidence-based approaches.

The Department also made significant strides in the implementation of academic supports and interventions that provide all students, particularly students with disabilities and English learners, equitable access to deeper learning. Initiatives to accelerate student learning included state-sponsored high-dosage tutoring programs in grades K–3 (literacy) and grades 4–8 (math). DESE also offered grant funding to districts or order to support the implementation of Acceleration Academies, an evidence-based academic intervention during school vacation weeks and over the summer.

During school year 2023-24, DESE also continued to expand high-quality college and career pathways through initiatives such as My Career and Academic Plan (MyCAP), Early College, and Innovation Career Pathways.

The Department also provided districts with technical resources to begin implementing the new Individualized Education Plan (IEP) form, marking a significant step forward in supporting students with disabilities. Additionally, DESE developed and disseminated resources, tools, and best practices to help districts meet the needs of growing numbers of newcomer English Learner students and students with limited or interrupted formal education.

Strategic Objective 3: Diverse and Effective Workforce

The Department continued its efforts to recruit and retain a more diverse and effective educator workforce through cohort-based learning experiences and grant offerings aimed at promoting educator diversification. The Department also selected five Regional Licensure Assistance Centers to provide targeted support to emergency license holders working in Massachusetts schools, and to the districts employing these emergency licensed educators. These centers aim to streamline the path to provisional licensure and address critical staffing needs across the state.

Core Functions

Additionally, DESE implemented several key initiatives aligned with its core functions. During the 2023-34 school year, DESE announced the full launch of the Education-to-Career Data Hub , a website designed to improve equitable access to data for a wide range of stakeholders, including policymakers, educators, researchers, students, and families. In spring 2024, DESE also unveiled updates to the District Standards and Indicators, the framework that guides all district reviews. These revisions incorporate the values, priorities, and terminology outlined in DESE's Educational Vision and other core documents. The updated framework also features a strengthened equity lens, emphasizing districts' responsibilities to serve all students, particularly those who have been underserved.

The Department also signed a new contract with Cognia to collaborate on the development and production of the MCAS. Highlights of the new contract include the new grades 5/8 Science test, the full translation of all Math and Science MCAS tests into Spanish, and improved turnaround time for results. Additionally, DESE began working with the Holyoke School Committee to prepare for the district's transition back to local control.

Across core functions and of note in school year 2023-24, DESE provided support for the approximately 3,000 newly arrived homeless students who entered Massachusetts schools through the emergency assistance shelter system. This included additional funding to address students' immediate needs and to reimburse associated educational and transportation costs as well as a range of state resources, including technical assistance, guidance, professional development opportunities, and grant offerings

Closing

While much work remains, DESE's efforts in 2023-24 reflected a commitment to improving student learning and expanding educational opportunities for all students across the Commonwealth. The Department continues to work towards its goals: ensuring all Massachusetts students are known and valued, providing them with relevant, real-world, and interactive learning experiences, and equipping them with the supports they need to excel at grade level or beyond.