December 22, 2017

Commissioner Search Update and Board Recap:

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met on December 19, 2017 and learned that 17 to 19 people have applied to be ESE’s next commissioner. (That’s slightly more than the 16 applicants the position attracted in the search that led to Mitchell Chester’s appointment in 2008.) Board Chair Paul Sagan said he is “extremely pleased” with the quality of the candidates. About a third of the applicants are from within Massachusetts, and the rest are from outside, though some have experience both inside and outside the Commonwealth, Chair Sagan said.

The preliminary screening committee will conduct confidential interviews during the second week in January and then announce finalists. Chair Sagan anticipates that the finalists will be interviewed publicly on Jan. 22, 2018. The Board could vote to appoint the next commissioner as early as January 26.

Also at Tuesday’s Board meeting, the Board heard an update on the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership and a discussion of proposed changes to the state’s school and district accountability system, voted to increase per pupil tuition for the state’s two virtual schools from $6,700 to $8,265, and discussedtwo efforts to improve instruction for English learners: An Act Relative to Language Opportunity for Our Kids and pilot sheltered English immersion endorsement courses for vocational technical educators.

A video of the meeting is available online.

Information on the LOOK Act:

Earlier this week, ESE sent this On the Desktop message to district and school leaders about An Act Relative to Language Opportunity for Our Kids (the LOOK Act). The document includes important dates districts should keep in mind.

Serving Students from Post-Hurricane Puerto Rico:

Translation services: As districts welcome student evacuees from Puerto Rico, districts may need additional foreign language interpretation and translation services. Districts can purchase services at an already negotiated price through statewide contract PRF63, Foreign Language Interpretation and Translation Services in CommBuys, the state procurement system.

Students with disabilities: Some of the students arriving from Puerto Rico are students with disabilities, and ESE staff are working on emergency guidance to support districts in enrolling and providing services for these students. Senior Associate Commissioner Russell Johnston shared three initial thoughts with the field in the latest newsletter from the Office of Special Education Planning and Policy:

  1. Enrollment: Students with disabilities who are arriving from Puerto Rico must be enrolled in school immediately with special education services, even if the students do not have academic records, individualized education programs (IEPs) or other documentation with them.
  2. Parental consent: Some displaced students may be living here with a family member or friend while their parents remain in Puerto Rico to rebuild. Districts should look to the “person acting as a parent of the child” to identify who has educational decision-making authority for the student.
  3. IEP Implementation: If a Massachusetts district cannot get a copy of the student’s IEP from his or her prior district and evaluations are necessary, the district must provide the student with special education and related services through a temporary IEP upon agreement with the parent or parent representative. The district must then act expeditiously to conduct an evaluation and implement a new IEP based on the student’s identified needs. All IEPs should address students’ needs for English language instruction and mental health services to address trauma.

Webinar and Regional Networking on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments:

As a continuation to the May 24 statewide convening on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments, ESE, in collaboration with the Department of Early Education and Care, the Collaborative for Educational Services, and Massachusetts Advocates for Children’s Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative, is pleased to announce a professional development series available over the next six months that will include winter and spring regional networking meetings and a statewide convening. (More information will be posted on ESE’s social and emotional learning webpage). The next professional development opportunity is a webinar from 12:00-2:00 p.m. Thursday, January 4 on “Bridging the Knowledge to Practice” featuring Joe Ristuccia from theTrauma and Learning Policy Initiative. This webinar will set the foundation for this winter’s networking meetings. Registration for the webinar and a winter regional networking meeting is now open.

Elementary Principals Network Meetings:

The Department, in collaboration with the Massachusetts School Administrators’ Association, will host winter and spring regional network sessions for elementary principals on early learning topics. Elementary school principals can register online for one of the sessions and are encouraged to share the information with other elementary school principals.

Early Learning Program Quality Workgroup:

The Department’s Early Learning team is inviting educators to apply to be part of the 2018 Early Learning Program Quality Workgroup (PQW).  While workgroup members will determine the 2018 work plan, efforts will likely focus on program/instructional quality in kindergarten through third grade and may include informing and drafting resources, including those related to currentpreschool and kindergarten standards for social and emotional learning and approaches to play and learning. Interested individuals should complete theonline survey by January 12. Questions can be directed to Early Learning Team Lead Donna Traynham at dtraynham@doe.mass.edu or 781-338-6372.

Program Reconstruction Meetings about Approved Private Schools:

The Department is having a series of meetings with approved private special education schools in January in order to hear more about program reconstruction proposals from the schools. Districts that send students to these approved private schools are invited to attend or call in and give feedback on the proposals. The proposals could ultimately result in a tuition increase at the approved private schools.

The schedule is:

  • Summit Academy: 10:00-11:30 a.m., January 17
  • Farr Academy: 10:00-11:30 a.m., January 22
  • Massachusetts Foundations of Learning Disabilities (White Oak School): 12:30-2:00 p.m., January 22
  • F.L. Chamberlain: 2:30-4:00 p.m., January 22
  • Brandon: 10:00-11:30 a.m., January 29
  • Hillcrest Centers, Inc.: 12:30-2:00 p.m., January 29
  • Devereux: 2:30-4:00 p.m., January 29
  • Little People’s School, Learning Prep School: 10:00-11:30 a.m., January 30
  • Clarke: 12:30-2:00 p.m., January 30
  • Melmark New England: 2:30-4:00 p.m., January 30

Invitations with call-in information have already been sent to the relevant school districts. For more information, contact Nina Marchese.

2018 E-rate Filing Deadlines:

The E-rate Funding Year 2018 FCC Form 471 application filing window opens at noon on Thursday, January 11 and closes at 11:59 p.m. EDT Thursday, March 22. Districts should update their online profiles now in the E-rate Productivity Center to ensure a smoother filing process. E-rate Productivity Center profiles will lock at 11:59 p.m. EST on January 10.

Qualified Zone Academy Bond Program Update:

The Qualified Zone Academy Bond (QZAB) program, which a number of schools and districts have used to obtain low-cost capital financing for facility improvements, has been eliminated by Congress as part of the just-enacted federal tax law. As a result, ESE will no longer accept applications for QZAB credits.

Save the Date for LEAP Convening:

The Department’s Leading Educational Access Project (LEAP) and the Lower Pioneer Valley Education Collaborative are pleased to offer a LEAP Convening in Marlborough on March 16. This professional development opportunity is based on a commitment to promote educational access and equity to all students, especially the most vulnerable, including low-income students, English learners, students of color, and students with disabilities. Presenters and group facilitators will include Jessica Minahan, co-author of “The Behavior Code”; Lisa Dieker, co-author of “Leading the Co-Teaching Dance”; and Zaretta Hammond, author of “Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain”. Additional details, including registration information for district teams, will be provided in the next few weeks.