DESE Update: October 26, 2018

Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to Meet:

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will meet from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, October 30, 2018 in Malden. The meeting will be streamed online at https://livestream.com/accounts/22459134. Agenda items include a discussion with a panel of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) educators, a review of the 2018 MCAS and accountability results released last month, first-quarter reports on chronically underperforming schools (download), an initial discussion about the Board’s FY2020 budget proposal, an update on implementation of the Language Opportunities for Our Kids (LOOK) Act, and a discussion about protections for transgender students.

Picture of the Week:

On October 23, 2018, Commissioner Riley visited 1LT Charles W. Whitcomb Middle School in Marlborough, where students showed him the projects they had created as part of their school’s work with i2 Learning. The visit was part of Massachusetts STEM Week. Gov. Baker, Lt. Gov. Polito, Secretary Peyser, Commissioner Riley and others kicked off the week at Dearborn STEM Academy in Boston on October 22.

Math Alignment Summit:

The Department, in collaboration with the Department of Higher Education, invites high school teams to register for the 9-16 Math Alignment Summit being held from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 15 in Leominster. This summit is designed to bring high schools and Massachusetts public institutions of higher education together to launch a plan to design vertically aligned mathematics pathways to support student success. High schools should plan to bring a team of four to five people, including a district administrator, a math department chair or district coordinator, one or two high school math teachers, and a guidance counselor. Registration will close on November 7. Contact Allison Little at alittle@dhe.mass.edu with any questions.

Panelists Sought for Health Curriculum Framework Review:

The Department has started the process to review and revise the 1999 Massachusetts Comprehensive Health Curriculum Framework and is looking for educators and other individuals interested in joining a panel to inform this process. Applications from potential panelists are due November 9. The Department seeks a panel that reflects diverse perspectives and expertise, including multiple racial, ethnic, cultural and religious perspectives. Further details about the panel are available online. Please email questions to achievement@doe.mass.edu with the subject line “CHCF Panel”.

Deadline Extended for Systemic Student Support (S3) Academy:

The Department is pleased to announce a new Systemic Student Support (S3) Academy aligned with our Safe and Supportive Schools initiatives and our existing academies for Positive Behavioral Intervention & Supports (PBIS), tiered literacy, tiered math, and inclusive Tier 1 Instruction. The academy will be facilitated by the Rennie Center and Boston College Lynch School of Education’s Center for Optimized Student Support and will focus on K-8 schools. This year, the academy will include three in-person workshops (in December, February, and April) and two virtual convenings (in January and March), as well as additional targeted support and technical assistance. By the end of the year, participants will have developed a plan to advance a system of integrated student support that is embedded in/aligned with their overall school and district improvement efforts (including the work of establishing safe and supportive schools). The application deadline has been extended to Friday, November 9. Application instructions and slides from an informational webinar are available online. To learn more, email rshor@doe.mass.edu.

School Health Services Grant:

Public school districts and local boards of health that provide school health services are invited to apply for Comprehensive School Health Service Model Programs grants and Regional Consultant Programs grants, which are administered by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Bureau of Community Health and Prevention’s School Health Services Unit.

This procurement offers two opportunities: Model Comprehensive School Health Service Program contracts at approximately $50,000- $250,000 annually, dependent on student enrollment and rates of economically disadvantaged students; and Comprehensive School Health Service Regional Consultant Program grants of approximately $150,000 per year in each of six regions.

Details are available at RFR 191929 Comprehensive School Health Services on Commbuys. Applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent by November 12. Applications are due by 4 p.m. December 5.

DESE Resource Corner: Policy brief on curricular materials

The Department recently engaged Dr. Morgan Polikoff and Shauna Campbell of the University of Southern California to write a policy brief distilling research on the selection, implementation, and effects of curricular materials. The brief, tailored specifically for Massachusetts school and district leaders, is available for download from the DESE website. Key findings include:

Curriculum materials can be powerful and cost-effective levers for improving educational outcomes.
Though teachers view all materials as imperfect, they generally want access to an adopted curriculum.
Nearly all teachers supplement and adapt formally adopted materials and value the autonomy to do so.

Through several new initiatives designed to support local decision-making about curriculum, DESE hopes to increase access to high-quality curricular materials for teachers and students across Massachusetts.