The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
Update on Commonwealth of Massachusetts Virtual School Applications
Chapter 379 of the Acts of 2012, "An Act Establishing Commonwealth Virtual Schools" (Act), allows the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (Board) to grant certificates to operate a virtual school. The law states that the Board shall grant not more than three Commonwealth virtual school certificates for the 2013-2016 school years.
The application process for new Commonwealth of Massachusetts Virtual Schools (CMVS) began last summer. On July 15, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) invited districts and educational collaboratives to submit a Letters of Intent regarding submission of applications for new Commonwealth of Massachusetts Virtual Schools (CMVS). The Department received six Letters of Intent from potential applicants for school to open for the 2014-2015 school year. On September 25, the Department released a Request for Proposals (RFP); only entities that submitted Letters of Intent were eligible to submit applications in response to the RFP.
On November 4, the deadline for submitting applications, the Department received only one application, from The Educational Cooperative. The application can be accessed on the Department's website.
| Proposed Name of CMVS | District or Collaborative | Opening Year | Grades | Proposed Maximum Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Connections Academy of Learning Excellence @ TEC Commonwealth Virtual School | The Education Cooperative | 2014-2015 | K-12 | 1,500, expanding to 6,000 by the fifth year |
The Department's Office of Digital Learning will coordinate the application review process over the next few months. The process includes a rigorous review of the written application by a review team, an interview of the applicant group, a public hearing in Malden, and a review of public comments submitted to the Department. I will make final recommendations to the Board for consideration at its meeting in February 2014.
For more on Commonwealth of Massachusetts Virtual Schools, please visit their website. Additionally, should you have any questions or require additional information, please contact Luis Rodriguez, Director of the Office of Digital Learning (781-338-3247); Cliff Chuang, Associate Commissioner (781-338-3222); Jeff Wulfson, Deputy Commissioner (781-338-6500); or me.