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The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

Briefing for the October 30, 2018 Regular Meeting of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

To:
Members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
From:
Jeffrey C. Riley, Commissioner
Date:
October 19, 2018

The next regular meeting of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will be on Tuesday, October 30, 2018, at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's offices at 75 Pleasant Street in Malden. The regular meeting will start at 8:30 a.m. (coffee will be available at 8 a.m.) and should adjourn by 1 p.m. If you need overnight accommodations or any additional information about the schedule, please call Helene Bettencourt at (781) 338-3120.

Overview

The business agenda for the regular meeting on Tuesday leads off with a presentation by educators about their work with students in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) disciplines and their participation in STEM Week, which is October 22-26. We will review and discuss MCAS and accountability results for 2018. The Board's Budget Committee will report on its October 22 meeting and the Board will have an initial discussion of the FY2020 education budget proposal. Other items on the agenda for discussion are the first-quarter FY2019 reports on four chronically underperforming schools, an update on English learner education, and information on the Safe Schools Program for LGBTQ Students.

Regular Meeting

Comments from the Chair

Chair Sagan will report on current issues and activities.

Comments from the Commissioner

  1. Milken Educator Award. On October 16, I had the pleasure of honoring Jennifer Gordon, a librarian at Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School in Cambridge, who is the state's 45th winner of the prestigious Milken Educator Award, which comes with an unrestricted financial award of $25,000. Ms. Gordon is the only Massachusetts recipient in 2018-2019 and one of up to 40 recipients across the country this school year. The Milken Award recognizes exemplary elementary and secondary school teachers, principals and specialists who are furthering excellence in education. During an assembly at the school, Secretary Peyser and I joined Dr. Jane Foley, senior vice president of the Milken Educator Awards, in presenting the award to Ms. Gordon. We hope to have Ms. Gordon meet with the Board later this school year.

  2. Grants received to support social-emotional learning and student health. The Department recently received three grants under federal programs to strengthen support for students' social-emotional learning and health. The grants are for: (1) school climate transformation ($3.4 million over five years to support schools with social-emotional learning); (2) statewide family engagement ($4.6 million over five years to collaborate with the Federation for Children with Special Needs and other partners); and (3) healthy schools for student success (($1.8 million over five years to support six districts in adopting the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model). I look forward to discussing these and related initiatives at a future Board meeting.

Comments from the Secretary

Secretary Peyser will brief the Board on current issues and activities.

Items for Discussion and Action

  1. STEM Week — Discussion

    The week of October 22–26, 2018 is STEM Week in Massachusetts, to raise awareness of and encourage participation and partnerships in science, technology, engineering, and math. At the Board meeting on October 30, a panel of STEM educators will make a presentation about their work with students and their participation in STEM Week and respond to your questions.

  2. 2018 Student, School, and District Performance Results — Discussion

    At the October 30, I will present a summary of the 2018 MCAS results as well as results from the first year of reporting under the Commonwealth's new accountability system. The Department released the assessment and accountability results to the public on September 27, 2018. Associate Commissioner Michol Stapel, MCAS Chief Analyst Bob Lee, Senior Associate Commissioner Russell Johnston, and Associate Commissioner Rob Curtin will join us for the discussion.

  3. Chronically Underperforming Schools: First-Quarter FY2019 Reports — Discussion

    Senior Associate Commissioner Russell Johnston will join us at the meeting to present the first of four FY2019 quarterly progress updates to the Board on the four chronically underperforming schools, focusing on activities from July-September 2018.

  4. Board of Elementary and Secondary Education FY2020 Budget Proposal and Report from the Board's Budget Committee — Initial Discussion

    The Board's Budget Committee is holding its second meeting on October 22. Katherine Craven, who chairs the committee, will present the committee's report on October 30 for discussion of possible budget priorities and program initiatives to propose for FY2020. The Board will vote on its FY2020 budget priorities at the November meeting.

  5. Update on English Learner Education: Implementation of the LOOK Act — Discussion

    In June 2018 the Board voted to amend several regulations to improve the instruction of English learners and implement the Language Opportunity for Our Kids (LOOK) Act, Chapter 138 of the Acts of 2017. The memo under Tab 5 provides a brief summary of key provisions of the LOOK Act and the regulatory amendments. At the October 30 meeting, Senior Associate Commissioner Heather Peske and Paul Aguiar, Director of the Office of Language Acquisition, will update the Board on the Department's work related to the LOOK Act and regulations since June and respond to your questions.

  6. Information on Safe Schools Program for LGBTQ Students

    Board member Mary Ann Stewart asked to place an item on this month's agenda for discussion, relating to Ballot Question 3 and its possible impact on transgender students. The memo under Tab 6 provides some background information.

Other Items for Information

  1. Update on Early College Initiative

    The memo under Tab 7 provides a brief update on the Early College initiative that our Board and the Board of Higher Education launched in January 2017. We will have a more detailed progress report and discussion on this at the next joint meeting of the two boards in January 2019.

  2. Report on Grants Approved by the Commissioner

    Enclosed is information on grants that I have approved since the last meeting, under the authority the Board has delegated to the Commissioner.

  3. Report on Scheduling of Comprehensive Audits and Reviews

    The memo under Tab 9 explains how the Department is addressing the provisions of G.L. c. 15, section 55A, regarding the scheduling of major reviews to reduce administrative burdens on schools and districts. The Board voted in December 2010 to delegate this scheduling task to the Commissioner, and I am submitting this report for FY2019 comprehensive audits and reviews to you in accordance with that vote.

  4. Charter Authorizing Overview and Anticipated Schedule for 2018-2019

    Each year the Board votes on various matters under its statutory role as charter school authorizer. The enclosed memo summarizes the statutory framework for charter schools and the Board's responsibilities as the state's sole charter school authorizer. It includes a tentative schedule of charter school authorizing agenda items for 2018-2019.

  5. Commissioner Riley's Goals for 2018-2019 (Updated)

    I appreciated the feedback the Board offered last month on my statement of goals for 2018-2019. My updated memo is under Tab 11.

If you have questions about any agenda items, please call me. I look forward to seeing you at the meeting in Malden on October 30.