December 15, 2017

Board to Meet:

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will meet Tuesday, December 19, in Malden. The agenda includes an update on the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership, a discussion of proposed changes to the state’s school and district accountability system, a vote on tuition rates for virtual schools, and a discussion about improving education for English learners.

The meeting will be streamed online.

Culturally Responsive Holiday Celebrations:

Recently, ESE staff members have received requests from districts looking for guidance on how to celebrate holidays in ways that are culturally responsive, and engage students and staff from all races, ethnicities, cultures, and religions. The Department appreciates these efforts to support all staff and students and encourages districts to explore these ideas further.

While ESE does not have published guidance on the topic, the Anti-Defamation League, Teaching Tolerance, and Colorín Colorado all have materials that educators may want to consult when planning school calendars, events, classroom instruction, and more. They include:

This list is not meant to be exhaustive or authoritative but may give district and school leaders some new ideas or reinforce great work they are already doing.

LOOK Act:

On November 22, 2017, Governor Baker signed into law An Act Relative to Language Opportunity for Our Kids (the LOOK Act). Broadly, the new law provides greater flexibility in which language acquisition programs districts can provide to English Learners (ELs) while maintaining accountability for timely and effective English language acquisition. Like the Rethinking Equity in the Teaching of English Language Learners (RETELL) initiative, the new law aims to strengthen instruction and better support the academic achievement of ELs.

Under the LOOK Act, districts that intend to offer new English learner programs are required to submit specific information to the Department for its review of compliance with federal and state requirements. The Department plans to provide districts with detailed information about the application process for new English learner programs in the future. The LOOK Act also includes a number of other requirements, such as:

  • School districts with a large number of ELs must establish EL parent advisory councils.
  • The Department must create new licensure endorsements for teachers providing instruction to ELs in language acquisition programs, such as two-way immersion.
  • The Department must establish benchmarks, guidelines and success templates for ELs. Districts must adopt procedures relating to them.

In addition, to encourage students to study languages, districts will be able to award a State Seal of Biliteracy to students meeting state criteria for attaining proficiency in English and at least one other language.

The Department will work with districts and other stakeholders to ensure timely and smooth implementation of the LOOK Act. The full text of the LOOK Act is available online. More information about the implementation of the LOOK Act will be posted at http://www.doe.mass.edu/ell/ as it becomes available.

2017 School & District Report Cards:

Last week, ESE made the 2017 school and district report cards available on ESE’s School and District Profiles website. As a reminder, all districts receiving Title I funds are required to distribute report cards annually to all parents or guardians of students enrolled in district schools. The Department asks that districts distribute report cards to families by the end of January 2018. For more information, including details about electronic distribution, see ESE’s report cards website or contact ESE at esea@doe.mass.edu or (781) 338-3550.

Additionally, ESE plans to redesign school and district report cards for 2018 and has launched an online feedback form to gather input from a variety of stakeholders. The survey includes closed-ended questions about priorities for the reports as well as the opportunity to provide open-ended feedback. Please distribute the link widely so that as many community members as possible can participate: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4011401/School-and-District-Report-Card-2018-Redesign.

Quick Reference Guides to the 2017 Mathematics Curriculum Framework:

Four new quick reference guides (QRGs) to the 2017 Curriculum Framework for Mathematics are now available! These QRGs, also available on the updatedMath Implementation Resources page, together illustrate the learning trajectory from pre-kindergarten to grade 12. Each QRG describes how students might demonstrate proficiency in the eight Standards for Mathematical Practice (found in the framework) at a given grade span: pre-K-2, grades 3-5, grades 6-8, or high school. All QRGs are two-page resources designed to be widely accessible and easy to distribute, and additional QRGs will be released on a rolling basis throughout the school year.

Upcoming Twitter Chat on Standards-Based Learning in Mathematics:

The Department is partnering with Massachusetts educators to facilitate a series of Twitter chats related to standards-based learning using the hashtag #SBLchatMA. The chats follow a question-and-answer format, and people can access them simply by searching for the hashtag on Twitter. Archives of recent English language arts/literacy (https://storify.com/Rikrowe/10-18-17-sblchatma-debut) and science and technology/engineering (https://storify.com/Rikrowe/11-29-17-sblchatma) chats are available, and a math chat is scheduled for 8–9 p.m. on December 20. Please feel free to email InstructionalSupport@doe.mass.edu with any questions about these chats.

Student Government Day Will Be Friday, April 6, 2018:

The annual Student Government Day will be held on Friday, April 6 in 2018.Registration is now open, and information about the event is available online. The Department hopes to see many students at the State House in early April!