February 9, 2018

Rural Schools Report:

In January, ESE issued a legislative report on Fiscal Conditions in Rural School Districts (download). The report examines enrollment, staffing, and spending trends as well as local aid, school choice, and charter school tuitions to understand the challenges facing rural districts. The report documents the significant enrollment declines that have occurred over the last decade that have made it more expensive for rural districts to provide services. As Commissioner Wulfson notes in the opening of the report, ESE looks forward to supporting the Legislature as it works to address these issues.

New FAFSA Tool:

The Department of Higher Education and ESE have worked together to develop new reports that for the first time will allow Massachusetts high school counselors and college advisors to monitor whether students have filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which determines college applicants’ and returning students’ eligibility for Pell Grants, Work Study, education loans, and Massachusetts State Aid programs.

The two new FAFSA reports (download) are available to counselors through Edwin Analytics. Counselors and other authorized school and college personnel will be able to see whether a student has submitted a completed FAFSA to the U.S. Department of Education or whether the application has been marked “incomplete” or “not found.” Counselors will be able to follow up with students to see if they need help completing the FAFSA and will also be able to monitor the overall FAFSA completion rates for their individual high school and district.

Educators Needed for Arts Curriculum Framework Review:

The Department has started the process to review the 1999 Massachusetts Arts Curriculum Framework and is looking for educators interested in serving as facilitators, joining the review panel, or identifying opportunities to integrate the arts with other subject areas. More information, including application deadlines, is posted on ESE’s new Facebook page. The Department is looking for diverse perspectives and encourages people from typically underrepresented groups to apply. Anyone with questions should email Craig Waterman.

USED Announces Flexibility Opportunity for Districts:

The U.S. Department of Education recently announced new flexibility for school districts to create student-centered funding systems under a pilot program authorized by the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. The flexibility will let school districts combine eligible federal funds with state and local funds in order to allocate resources to schools based on the number of students and level of need. School districts that receive the flexibility will need to award more funding to students from low-income families, English learners, and other groups identified by the school district. Applications for the 2018-19 school year are due March 12, and those for the 2019-20 school are due July 15.

Applications for Planning for Success Training due Friday, February 16:

Planning for Success is ESE’s recommended strategic planning process for districts. The Department is offering two free training opportunities: one for districts interested in building an annual implementation plan, and one for district staff and others who would like to learn to facilitate development of a multi-year strategic plan.

The District Action Planning Network (meetings on May 4, June 8, August 3, September 21, and December 7; participants can earn 12 professional development points (PDPs)) is for districts that already have a multi-year strategic plan—whether created through Planning for Success or not—and would like to learn how to develop an annual action plan to implement their district’s strategic initiatives. As one network participant said, “The action planning process has enabled our district to engage a large group of administrators, educators, and stakeholders in moving forward to align and address the goals of the district with actionable steps and well-articulated progress monitoring of outcomes. The… training helped us focus the work in a simplified and manageable process.”
The Facilitator Training for Creating a Multi-Year Plan (April 17-20, participants can earn 24 PDPs) is for people to learn how to facilitate the state’s recommended multi-year district strategic planning process. Participants may include superintendents or other district or school leaders, staff at collaboratives, and independent consultants.

Applications for both programs are available from Lori Likis at lorilikis@ccoaching.com or Kathy Cross at kcross@doe.mass.edu and are due Friday, February 16. The Department will inform selected participants by March 5. Please contact Ms. Likis or Carrie Conaway with any questions about the program.

VISTA Reminder:

The Department urges superintendents and principals who have not already done so to complete the VISTA 2018 survey. Educator feedback is an essential piece of how ESE determines if the resources it creates are useful. In 2017, for instance, 44 percent of superintendents and 50 percent of principals reported that teachers could to a large extent benefit from support to implement inclusive practices; a large majority of superintendents who used ESE’s Guidebook for Inclusive Practice reported that it was helpful or very helpful.

Results from last year’s VISTA surveys are available online. Superintendents and principals who have not received a link to a survey should contact the VISTA Study Help Desk at MAVISTA@westat.com.

ESE Resource Corner:

Research update: The Department recently posted brief summaries of recent research published on Massachusetts education policy by ESE or other entities. The collection includes recently commissioned policy briefs on teacher effectiveness (download) and class size (download); an issue brief on statewide implementation of the Candidate Assessment of Performance; and reports ondual enrollment (download), the Advancing STEM Advanced Placement program (download), and English learner education in Massachusetts.

Casting Call for Students:

As part of the Leading the Nation celebration, ESE is working with several vocational technical high schools to produce television and radio spots. The student producers are looking for other students to be in the pieces, and the producers are holding a casting call on Saturday, February 17 at Nashoba Valley Technical High School in Westford. Please share this opportunity with students who might be interested.