Massachusetts
April 30, 2015
Massachusetts Receives Federal Approval to Develop Innovative Science Assessment
April 24, 2020
Last week, the U.S. Department of Education gave Massachusetts the green light to “pilot a new kind of science test for fifth and eighth-grade students” as part of a federal innovative assessment program for the 2020-2021 school year. This approval will give the state the...
Massachusetts Education Officials Prioritize Funding for After-School Programming
January 1, 2020
Educators in Massachusetts are increasing their commitment to supporting after-school care and services, according to a letter from Ardith Wieworka of the Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership published in the Boston Globe. Under the state’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), local school superintendents have “the ability to...
Massachusetts & “Uncomfortable Conversations” on School Spending
June 24, 2019
Daarel Burnette II reports for Education Week that several superintendents in Massachusetts “are spending more money on schools that enroll mostly wealthy students than they are on schools that educate mostly poor students, even though the state designed its funding formula to do the exact...
Funding Fight Could Make Massachusetts “Run Afoul” of ESSA
May 24, 2018
The Boston Globe’s editorial board writes that, “One would think any state that has enjoyed the public policy success Massachusetts has with education reform would stick to its time-tested formula.” But this year, the state Senate’s budget “underfunds the MCAS, the exam that tests Bay State students’ subject...
State Plan Submissions and Drafts
October 17, 2017
Approved State Plans Alabama: Final Plan Approved (5/7/18) Alaska: Final Plan Approved (5/16/18) Arizona: Final Plan Approved (9/6/17) Arkansas: Final Plan Approved (1/16/18) Colorado: Final Plan Approved (5/7/18) Connecticut: Final Plan Approved (8/15/17) Delaware: Final Plan Approved (8/2/17) District of Columbia: Final Plan Approved (8/28/17) Georgia:...
New Federal Limits under ESSA Impact Some Special Education Students in MA
August 25, 2017
Under ESSA, new federal limits “on the number of students allowed to take an alternative to the state’s MCAS exam could have significant impacts for some special education students in Massachusetts.”
Education Advocacy Groups Team Up to Discuss the Impact of ESSA
January 31, 2017
Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth – in partnership with the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education and Springfield Business Leaders for Education – is hosting a forum on February 2 to discuss the impact of ESSA. The event is “aimed at increasing community dialogue” regarding...
MA Board of Ed Schedules Meeting to Discuss ESSA
January 22, 2017
The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has scheduled a “special meeting” on Monday to discuss the timeline for the state’s ESSA accountability plan. The board will review academic standards designed to help prepare students for “college and careers.”
MA Stakeholders Seek to Improve Under-performing Schools
July 26, 2016
Stakeholders in the Massachusetts education community shared a series of ideas Thursday that they hope the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will incorporate into a the state plan to measure the success of schools under ESSA. Several organizations, including MASSCreative, the Boston Student Advisory...
MA Stakeholders Aid in Development of New ESSA Plan
July 26, 2016
As part of a statewide listening tour, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education held a forum last week on the future of Massachusetts’ accountability system. Stakeholders in the Massachusetts education community shared a series of ideas that they hope will be incorporated into a...
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Releases State ESSA Primers
May 16, 2016
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s primers include individual state by state accountability system fact sheets, which detail each state’s current accountability system, what could change under ESSA, and what to be asking state leaders. See details about your state here.
The Worcester Education Collaborative & The Research Bureau Hold Meeting to Discuss ESSA
April 15, 2016
The Worcester Education Collaborative and The Research Bureau held a meeting to discuss implications of the ESSA on Massachusetts education with panelists from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, the Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary & Secondary Education and the Harvard School of Education. See the...