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...
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...
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...
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...
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:...
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.”
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...
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.”
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...
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...
