Civics Education in Massachusetts

Civics education bill moves to conference committee. On May 30, the House of Representatives passed 4545, An Act to promote…

SMK Public Comment Open (Again!)

Public comment is open through June 29, 2018 for the Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK) requirements for educator licenses. In you…

Accountability System – MTA Public Comments

The MTA submitted public comment on the proposed amendments to the school and district accountability regulations on May 18, 2018.…

Rethinking School Accountability Report

Sen. Pat Jehlen releases school accountability report that highlights the lowlights of Massachusetts school and district accountability rankings. In a…

Seal of Biliteracy – Public Comment

Public comment is open on the propose language for the Seal of Biliteracy as required under the LOOK Act. At…

NAEP Day!

Results released for the 2017 NAEP testing! Massachusetts tops the nation again. Today is a high holiday for education policy…

MTA Comments: Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK) Requirements

The MTA submmited comments on the proposed changes to the SMK Requirements for educators. A 30-day public comment period was…

Professional License Renewal – Public Comment

Public comment is open on changes to Professional License Renewal related to the LOOK Act. At the March Board of…

Bilingual Learning Endorsement & license regulations Public Comment

Public comment is open on changes to academic educator licenses related to the LOOK Act. At the March Board of…

Vocational Tech SEI Endorsment – Public Comment

Public comment is open on changes to vocational technical educator licenses related to the LOOK Act. At the March Board…

BESE March 2018 Agenda

It is a regulation-palooza! Accountability, English learners, Vocational Education and the Seal of Biliteracy are all on the list! The…

Proposed Options for Digital Literacy & Computer Science License

Want to add that Digital Literacy & Computer Science license? Here is one proposed pathway from DESE. The Department of…

Pathway to Special Education Licenses

A license with no required coursework? DESE wants your comment on proposed “Structured Guidance and Supports” pathway for some teacher…

Report: Roadmap to Expanding Opportunity

Ten strategies for public schools are explored in a joint report from the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center and the…

Warren & Clark Review DeVos’ First Year

For profits and against civil rights. The offices of Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Cambridge) and Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-Melrose) released a…

Teacher License Content Guidelines

Should teachers know more than the students’ curriculum? The February 2018 Draft Subject Matter Knowledge Guidelines are open for public…

Ed Prep Guidelines – Round Two

Revised Pre-Practicum Guidelines are out! Public comment is open until March 4, 2018. The latest version of proposed guidelines for…

BESE Meeting – Feb 27, 2018

BESE expected to vote for new Charter school for Lawrence/Methuen/Haverhill. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) is scheduled…

Baker & Education Funding FY19

Early budget recommendations from Beacon Hill have cuts for education programs across the Commonwealth. On Wednesday, Governor Charlie Baker released…

GIC Options Gutted

GIC Slashes Public Employee Health Benefits… Then Schedules Vote to Reconsider On January 18, the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) voted…

Jeff Riley Recommended for DESE Commissioner

A nationwide search yielded the Lawrence Public Schools appointed receiver Jeff Riley as the next Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary…

Selection of Commissioner set for January 29

Save the date for the final step in the selection of the next Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education! A…

Teacher Shortages & Local Solutions

Teacher turnover and lack of qualified applicants for open teaching positions is hardly news in Massachusetts. The latest brief from…

MA Ed Commissioner: Interviews & Public Feedback – Jan. 26

Public interviews are Friday, January 26 for the three finalists for Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education. Learn about the…

BESE Meeting Jan. 23, 2018

Join from the comfort of your teacher’s room. Watch the live stream starting at 11:15am: livestream.com/accounts/22459134 The Board of Elementary and…

The Great Commissioner Race is on!

Angélica Infante-Green, Jeffrey C. Riley and Penny Schwinn named as finalist for MA Commissioner of Education position. The search process for a…

More on “Blizzard Bags” from DESE

DESE released updated guidelines advising careful planning for districts considering using home assignments in place of snow days. The January…

SEI for Ch. 74 Voc- Tech Educators

DESE is ramping up SEI professional learning courses for educators in Vocational Technical programs. When the Rethinking Equity and Teaching…

Early College Programs in MA

Expanding early access to college in Massachusetts also comes with an expanding list of questions. A joint effort of the…

New Year, New Accountability System

Test scores, student attendance, 9th grade course passing and English language proficiency are some of indicators in the proposed redesign…

The LOOK Act & Educator Licensing Requirements

Yes. The SEI Endorsement requirements remain in place. An Act Relative to Language Opportunity for Our Kids (LOOK) was signed into law…

BESE Meeting – Nov 28, 2017

Join from the comfort of your teacher’s room. Watch the live stream starting at 8:30am here: livestream.com/accounts/22459134 The Board of Elementary…

MA Scores High on 2015 PISA Collaborative Problem Solving Assessment

Massachusetts public schools are a top performer in the international PISA Collaborative Problem Solving Skills assessment. United States students outperformed…

MTA Ed Prep Public Comment

Check out the MTA public comments on educator preparation programs. The Massachusetts Teachers Association submitted public comment on the draft…

New ESL Bill for Massachusetts

The Massachusetts legislature passed an ESL bill removing roadblocks for districts to provide a variety of language acquisition programs. The…

2017 MCAS Results

The 2017 MCAS results and accountability rankings are now public for both the “Next Generation” MCAS and “legacy” Grade 10…

October 2017 BESE Meeting

Wonder what BESE has to say about the MCAS results? Watch it live! The next Board of Elementary and Secondary…

CEPP Guides for Draft SMKs

CEPP has created guides to help educators better understand the draft SMKs. UPDATE: Public comment open until November 17, 2017…

2017-2018 BESE Members

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) members are posted on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website.…

Draft Provisional License Validity Period Guidelines

Got thoughts on how to explain 603 CMR 7.15(14)(g)? See our post on public comment for DESE guidelines here. Provisional…

Draft Foreign Teacher Panel Guidelines

Got thoughts on what should be required for international educators ? See our post on public comment for DESE guidelines…

Ed Prep and Licensure Public Comment Period

In case you thought the license changes were complete…there is more work to do. Sharpen your public comment pencils! ICYMI…

Draft Ed Prep Pre-Practicum Policies

Got thoughts on what is covered in educator preparation programs? See our post on public comment for DESE guidelines here.…

Sesame Street Resources for Helping Kids

Educators know students needs are not captured by analyzing test score data. Since students need more than test preparation to…

Study: Students do better in Unionized Charter Schools

We here at The Policy Minute could tell you all the benefits communities, school administrators, educators, students and families gain…

Early Updates on Early College

The prospective partners in the Massachusetts Early College Initiative sent off their application packages and are eagerly awaiting the acceptance…

BESE Charter School Schedule. Mark Your Calenders!

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) has released a tentative schedule for discussion and vote on charter school…

$516 Million Bill to Local Districts

Local school districts are picking up a larger tab for the state-authorized charter school system. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary…

Two Charter School Proposals Advance

Earlier this year, eight proposals to open new charter schools or expand existing charters schools were submitted to the Department…

US ED Approves DESE’s MA ESSA Plan

Bonus points for you if you knew all those acronyms. For the rest of us, the United States Department of…

Just for New Teachers 2017

The 2017 Just for New Teachers conference registration is now open! Are you an early career teacher or aspiring educator…

Professional Development – Approved Providers

Educators seeking professional learning opportunities to earn Professional Development Points (PDPs) for renewing a Professional License can check the Department…

DESE Special Education Professional Development

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has posted a number of professional development opportunities related to topics in special…

New English Language Arts & Literacy Curriculum Frameworks

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education published the final form of the updated English Language Arts and Literacy curriculum…

New Mathematics Curriculum Frameworks

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education published the final form of the updated Mathematics curriculum frameworks in late June.…

2017 Charter School Applications & Expansion Requests

Tis the Season for new charter school proposals and expansion requests! The Class of 2017 includes four applications for new…

DESE Guidance on License Changes

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is slowly releasing guidance and updates related to the changes to…

DESE’s School & District Profiles – Feedback Wanted

Have you ever checked the DESE School and District Profiles pages for information on your school? DESE publishes public data…

Licensure Changes Approved by BESE

In a short meeting on Tuesday, June 27, 2017, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved the proposed amendments…

2017 MTA Summer Conference

Calling all Summer Conference veterans, rookies and interested parties! The workshop list is UP and registration is OPEN. MTA Summer…

Status Check: Licensure Regulations

Public comment on the proposed amendments to the regulations guiding educator licensure and licensure renewal closed on Monday, May 1,…

Help Wanted! Your thoughts on Educator License Changes

In February 2017, a set of proposed changes to educator licensure was released by DESE. Public comments are open until…

Comments due March 9 on ESSA draft plan!

Public comment on the Massachusetts draft state plan for ESSA closes on March 9, 2017 Please submit feedback through this…

Public Comment 101

Rules governing amending regulations are similar for all agencies. Let’s focus on how to comment on regulatory changes proposed by the…

Charter School Votes – 2017

On February 27, 2017, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) voted on proposals for new charter schools and…

Freezing School Levels for 2017

Commissioner Mitchell Chester is proposing to freeze school and district accountability for level 1-3 for 2017-2018. A proposed change to…

Licensure: Public Comment is Open til May 1

Changes to educator licensure are open for public comment. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted to solicit comment…

February 2017 BESE Meeting

Can’t make it? Watch it live on Livestream at https://livestream.com/accounts/22459134. From the Commissioner’s Update 2-24-17 The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education…

Educator Evaluation – Proposed Regulations & Changes (Feb 2017 Edition)

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) is voting to approve the final changes to the regulations on the…

Agenda released for BESE Meeting – February 2017

The agenda has been posted for the February 27-28, 2017 Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meeting in Malden. This…

Educator Licensure – Proposed Changes

DESE has released the set of proposed changes to educator license regulations as part of the Board of Elementary and…

MA ESSA State Plan for School Accountability

Fire up the comment machines. Massachusetts’s draft state plan for school and district accountability is now available. Public comment is…

Federal Accountability and Teacher Prep Regs- Going, going…gone?

It appears that the Obama-era regulations governing school and district accountability under ESSA and teacher preparation programs under the Higher…

School Spin: Reports and Analysis of Turnaround Practices

Massachusetts wonks got a late holiday gift in the release of two sets of reports on school and district turnaround…

BESE January Meeting Quick Read

LiveStream videos of the BESE/BHE January meetings are available! Monday, January 23, 2017 The BESE discussed the proposed state…

A delay for ESSA?

An executive order by the current White House administration to delay any regulations that have not yet taken affect for…

Follow along! Betsy DeVos hearing for Secretary of Education.

https://www.theatlantic.com/liveblogs/2017/01/senate-confirmation-hearings-day-4/513287/ Follow along at home and enjoy the Betsy DeVos hearing tonight with The Atlantic.

History Frameworks Revision: Out with the old…

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is diving into the past and reviewing the History and Social Sciences…

Now open! Comments on the English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics Curriculum Frameworks

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has revised the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics. The…

BESE meetings live stream!

Watch the excitement of policy making from the comfort of your own couch. Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meetings…

Public Forums on School/District Accountability: ESSA Part 2 of Many

Do you have an opinion about your schools? Probably. Does your opinion match with what MAssachusetts uses to measure schools…

Next Generation High Schools

The United States Department of Education has released guidance on stragies for supporting innovation in high schools. Spoiler alert: Nothing…

Redesigning Massachusetts School & District Accountability: ESSA Part 1 of Many.

The federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was reauthorized in December 2015. The most recent iteration of this law…

Out with Instructional Technology, In with Computer Science?

Are we throwing out the digital baby with the bathwater? In June 2016, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education…

Charter School Newsletter – September 2016

The September 2016 Charter School Newsletter from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is available online. Topics in the…

Technology and Shiny New Objects!

The September 9, 2016 Commissioner’s Weekly Update was a virtual playground of DESE news on computer-based testing, funding opportunities and real-life…

Autism Endorsement

Massachusetts established an Autism Endorsement in 2016. As certain as death and taxes, there will be confusion over this new…

10th Grade MCAS til 2018?

MCAS 2.0 development is kicking into high gear for grades 3-8. It looks like Massachusetts may be sticking with the…

English Learner Toolkits

Not sure where to jump in and find out how to better support English learners in you classroom, school or…

National Clearinghouse for English Langauge Acquisition (NCELA)

NCELA is a virtual waterpark of policy and instructional resources for wonks and practitioners alike regarding English language learners issues. Wade…

2016 MCAS Results – Preliminary Data

Preliminary 2016 MCAS Results: Districts and schools now have embargoed access to their full preliminary MCAS and MCAS-Alt results in…

Giving Feedback on Practice

Adapted from the MTA Summer Conference Workshop Copiloting: A toolkit for cooperating teachers. The education profession depends on the willingness of professional…

Observational Tools for Teacher/Faculty Feedback (Part 1)

Have you been asked to observe a fellow educator? Are you enrolled in school administrator preparation program? Are you supervising…

Do Your Job, Superintendents

The annual checklist of district and school state requirements is available for your list-reading pleasure. The 2016-2017 Superintendent’s Checklist is…

Needs Sensing Survey from US ED

The United States Department of Education (US ED) with the Northeast and Islands Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) is collecting information on the…

MA DESE and ESSA Stakeholder Outreach

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act requires state education agencies engage with stakeholders – students, parents, educators, community – in…

MCAS 2.0 Vendor Announced

What is old is new again. Measured Progress, the longtime test developer and vendor for the MCAS exam, has been…