Preview of BESE meetings next week

February Board Book

The Board Book arrived this weekend with the information and backup needed in preparation for the upcoming meetings on 2/22 and 2/23. The agenda hasn't been posted publicly, yet; absent requests from Board members to add to or adjust it, here's a preview of what we can reasonably expect:

At the special meeting in Malden Monday night (5-7 PM) we'll hear updates on the status of receiverships for Southbridge and Holyoke Public Schools. This is the first monthly update on Southbridge since the Board voted to bring the district into receivership last month. We'll hear about the search process for an external receiver, status on setting up the Local Stakeholder Group, and strategies for family and community engagement. The report on Holyoke includes an update on the Therapeutic Intervention Program (TIP) at the Peck School and an overview on the status of the turnaround plan. Following that we'll go into Executive Session to discuss strategy with respect to pending litigation.

At the regular meeting in Malden Tuesday morning (8:30-1:00 PM) we'll first hear comments from the Chair, the Commissioner, the Secretary, and the Public. Among the Commissioner's comments will be remarks about recent studies on curriculum and assessment:

• a study out of Harvard University on teachers' perspectives for the first full year of common core curriculum implementation in five states, including Massachusetts;

• from the Fordham Institute a study that examines how well MCAS, PARCC, SBAC, and ACT measure college-and-career-ready standards; and

• a similar study conducted by the Human Resources Research Organization. Spoiler alert (but perhaps not...!): both assessment studies found limitations with MCAS, while the "newer" assessments generally rated "higher".

As we'll be wrapping up "charter school season", the first five "Items for Discussion and Action" are related to charter schools, including a discussion on the Report to the Legislature (as required by MGL, c.71, s.89(kk) and recommendations for new charter schools (Libertas Academy Charter School, Springfield and New Heights Charter School, Brockton); discussion and VOTES on both schools.

The final four are "Other Business Items": 6.) discussion & VOTE on Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School; 7.) discussion and VOTE on the Revised Definition of College-and-Career-Readiness, Incorporating Civic Learning; 8.) discussion of Governor Baker's State Education Budget Proposal for FY17; and 9.) discussion of the new student assessment process.

Tentative Board Agenda Items for December

Board members received this list of tentative Agenda items for December back in September:

• Accountability Determinations (interested in this item, given the Board's support of Margaret McKenna's amendment at the November meeting)
• Competency Determination (now that there's a new hybrid test in the works)
• Submit Budget to Secretary of Education (probably other budgetary/fiscal announcements, including an update to the Board about the Foundation Budget Review Commission's final report)
• Safe & Supportive Schools report

December's Board meeting is planned for Tuesday, 12/15. Board members receive the Agenda and back-up for meeting items about 10 days before.

Delivery & Content

Contents of this month's Board Book Mailing
(photo credit: mas)

Two weekends before a Regular Board of ESE Meeting, I receive a UPS delivery of the Board Meeting Book.

The delivery also contains a packet of any mail sent to me c/o the Department in Malden.

Since my first meeting in September, the Board Book has varied in size from 1" to 2.5". This month, as we enter "Charter School Season", the contents of my delivery included a 3.5" Book, replete with anticipated agenda, back up, reports, and recommendations relevant for discussion and/or action at the Special Meeting (Monday, January 26) and the Regular Meeting (Tuesday, January 27), and four pieces of mail.

Some Charter materials have been distributed electronically. Items in the Book pertaining to Charters this month include:

• Information on (4) New Charter Applicants (for initial discussion). By statute the Board votes approval of new charter schools at its February meeting. In November 2014, the Department received final applications to establish four charter schools. The Department provided an overview of the process for reviewing and granting new charters and a summary of the charter applications that are pending.

• Proposed Amendments for UP Academy Boston Charter School, Salem Academy Charter School, Hampden Charter School of Science, and KIPP Academy Lynn Charter School (discussion and vote)

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School of Excellence: Report on Conditions and Commissioner's Recommendation for Probation (discussion and vote)

• Boston Renaissance Charter Public School: Report on Probation and Commissioner's Recommendation for Renewal (discussion and vote)

It's a lot of reading, to be sure. Presentations will be distributed at the Special and Regular Meetings, too, and there is room for them in the Book. Several Tabs do not have material (Minutes of the December Board Meetings, State Graduation and Dropout Results for 2013-14, Update on PARCC, i.e.), which I find most challenging; it is difficult to bring intelligent discussion to the table when materials are distributed the night before the meeting, or, at the meeting.

The four pieces of mail that were forwarded by the Department are:

• Season's Greetings from the Nashoba Valley Technical High School Committee, Administration, and Staff (of Westford MA), stamped by the Department "received December 17, 2014"

• Season's Greetings and a 2015 desk calendar from SABIS Educational Systems, Inc (Eden Prairie MN), no date stamp

• Western MA Education Leaders Coalition (WMELC) Position Statement of December 3, 2014, with Cover Letter and List of WMELC Member Districts and Educational Collaboratives, sent January 14, 2015 (stamped January 16, 2015) from the office of Superintendent of Ludlow Public Schools, Todd H. Gazda on behalf of the WMELC, and signed by Michael J. Kelliher, Chairman on behalf of the Ludlow School Committee; Todd H. Gazda, Superintendent of Schools; and Brian Bylicki on behalf of the Ludlow Education Association. (An email containing the same information was sent to Board members on Friday, January 16, 2015).
• The 3-page WMELC Position Statement expresses concerns about:
1. Amount, Pace and Cost of Unfunded Mandates
2. Validity, reliability and implementation of PARCC exam
3. Amount, Frequency and Cost of Standardized Testing
• WMELC Member Districts and Educational Collaboratives include:
• Agawam Public Schools
• Collaborative for Educational Services
• East Longmeadow Public Schools
• Hadley Public Schools
• Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative
• Ludlow Public Schools
• Monson Public Schools
• Palmer Public Schools
• Southwick Tolland Granville Regional School District
• West Springfield Public Schools

• A booklet, with Cover Letter, entitled "Fitchburg Public Schools Perspective" sent from the Office of the Superintendent (Fitchburg MA). The letter is signed by Andre Ravenelle, Superintendent of Schools. The booklet contains "letters of support, transcripts of testimony presented at the public hearing as well as a number of artifacts" believed to help give Board Members "a detailed, yet broad perspective of the work of the Fitchburg Public Schools."