The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
Level 5 Schools: End-of-Year Reports
In the fall of 2013, four schools were designated as chronically underperforming (or Level 5) schools in response to their low performance and lack of improvement while in Level 4 status: UP Academy Holland (UAH) and Paul A. Dever Elementary School (Dever) in Boston, Morgan Full Service Community School (Morgan) in Holyoke, and John Avery Parker Elementary School (Parker) in New Bedford.
Annual Evaluation Reports
This month I am presenting to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education the 2015-16 annual evaluation reports on the four Level 5 schools. As part of a thorough monitoring system for Level 5 schools, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education commissioned American Institutes for Research (AIR) to conduct an independent review of each school's progress toward implementing its turnaround plan and produce an individual annual evaluation report for each school. The four reports are enclosed with this memo.
Turnaround Plan Updates
Two schools, Dever and UP Academy Holland, submitted requests to update their turnaround plans. Dever requested an amendment regarding the school calendar and UAH submitted a request for an amendment related to ELL programming and a modification to the language of the turnaround plan related to discipline. I have approved the amendment requests, which will allow the receivers to implement the requested changes at the start of the 2016-17 school year. For Dever, the modified turnaround plan will incorporate more time for weekly staff professional development and collaborative planning. This entails two changes to the turnaround plan: (1) the addition of a weekly early release for students to provide time to be used for professional development for teachers (Students' day will be from 7:30am-3:30pm four days per week and 7:30 am - 12:30 pm one day per week. Teachers' work day will continue to be from 7:15 am - 4:15 pm, Monday through Friday); and (2) expansion of the school calendar to provide a total of 186 instructional days (or 1386 instructional hours) for students.
UP Academy Holland has amended its turnaround plan to promote greater social and academic growth among the school's English language learner (ELL) population. As a result, the school will no longer offer a language-specific Sheltered-English Immersion (SEI) classes; rather, it will provide a multi-lingual, inclusive SEI classrooms. This change is in response to UP Education Network's determination that: (1) such a programmatic change is in the best interests of the social and academic growth of ELL students at UAH; (2) there are not a sufficient number of language specific student enrolled at UAH for the 2016-17 school year to open language specific classes at any grade; and (3) this change will better position the school to meet its measurable annual goals for ELLs and former ELLs. In addition, the school has modified the language in its turnaround plan to reflect a change in its rationale for its discipline policy. While UAH will continue to focus on high expectations for students, the rationale for these expectations has been modified to clarify the meaning of high expectations and remove the terms that are no longer contextually appropriate.
The approved amendments and modification are included as attachments.
Dever Principal Search Update
Blueprint Schools, receiver for the Dever Elementary School, has conducted a comprehensive search process for the school's permanent principal, including recruitment, advertising, and outreach both within Massachusetts and nationally. Blueprint also contracted with an executive search firm specializing in school leadership searches to generate additional candidates. To date, Blueprint has received 44 applications for the position. Of the 44, 15 applicants met the required qualifications and were screened and 6 were selected as semi-finalists. The interview team, comprised of representatives from Dever, Blueprint and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, is currently completing finalist interviews with two candidates with the expectation that the new principal will be announced by the end of June.
Senior Associate Commissioner Russell Johnston and other members of the Department's school turnaround team will be at the Board meeting to answer your questions.
Enclosures:
- Level 5 School Annual Evaluation Reports, June 2016, provided by AIR, for:
Paul A. Dever Elementary School, BostonUP Academy Holland, BostonJohn Avery Parker Elementary School, New BedfordMorgan Full Service Community School, Holyoke - Paul A. Dever Elementary School Turnaround Plan Amendment
- UP Academy Holland Turnaround Plan Amendment and Modification