The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Department of Education
350 Main Street, Malden, Massachusetts 02148-5023
Telephone: (781) 338-3700
TTY: N.E.T. Relay 1-800-439-2370
May 15, 2007
Mr. David Hopson
Superintendent of Schools
Gateway Regional School District
12 Littleville Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Re: Mid-cycle Coordinated Program Review Report
Dear Superintendent Hopson:
Enclosed is the Department of Education's Mid-cycle Coordinated Program Review Report (MidCycle Report). This report contains findings based on onsite monitoring conducted to verify the
implementation and effectiveness of corrective action approved or ordered by the Department to
address findings of noncompliance included in the Gateway Regional School District’s
Coordinated Program Review Report issued on February 4, 2004. The Mid-cycle Report also
contains findings based on onsite monitoring of special education compliance criteria that have
been created or substantially changed in response to IDEA 2004.
Another component of the Department’s Mid-cycle Review is the review of your school district
or charter school's self-assessment in the area of English learner education (ELE). (In the
remainder of this letter, please read “district” as meaning “school district or charter school.”) The
purpose of this review is to determine whether your district is implementing the significant
changes in M.G.L. Chapter 71A, governing the education of limited English proficient students,
that were adopted by voters by means of Question 2 in 2002. The Department has reviewed your
district’s ELE self-assessment (documentation and any written analysis of compliance) and, based
solely on that self-assessment, is providing you in this report with findings on your ELE program.
No corrective action needs to be implemented in this area. Your district is urged to request
technical assistance in relation to any of these findings or this prescribed corrective action from
me or from staff in the Department’s Office of Language Acquisition and Achievement at 781338-3534. ELE guidance documents are available on the Department’s website at
http://www.doe.mass.edu/ell/.
We are pleased to indicate that the Department of Education has found your district's approved
Corrective Action Plan to have been implemented and to have been effective in remedying
previously identified noncompliance in Special Education and Civil Rights Methods of
Administration. The Department has also found your district to have implemented special
education compliance criteria that were created or substantially changed in response to IDEA
2004, as well as SE 33, on the access of students with disabilities to the district’s general
curriculum (the curriculum expected to be taught to all students). Finally, the Department of
1
Education has found your district to have implemented the revised requirements of M.G.L. c.
71A. The findings of the Department are included in the attached report. You and your entire
staff are to be congratulated for your success in implementing not only all required corrective
action, but also all new special education and ELE requirements.
The Department will notify you of your district's next regularly scheduled Coordinated Program
Review several months before it is to occur. At this time we anticipate that this CPR will occur
sometime during the 2009-2010 school year unless the Department determines that there is some
reason to schedule this visit earlier.
Your staff's cooperation throughout this Mid-cycle Review is appreciated. Should you like
clarification of any part of our report, please do not hesitate to contact me at 413-584-4839.
Sincerely,
Linda J. Estes, Mid-cycle Review Chairperson
Program Quality Assurance Services
Darlene A. Lynch, Director
Program Quality Assurance Services
c:
David P. Driscoll, Commissioner of Education
Linda Ray, School Committee Chairperson
Margery Gerard, District Program Review Follow-up Coordinator
Encl.: Mid-cycle Coordinated Program Review Report
2
MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
MID-CYCLE COORDINATED PROGRAM REVIEW REPORT
GATEWAY REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
ONSITE MONITORING OF IMPLEMENTATION OF CORRECTIVE ACTION AND OF CERTAIN NEW REQUIREMENTS
Date of Coordinated Program Review (CPR): October 20-24, 2003
Date of Coordinated Program Review Corrective Action Plan Approval: June 1, 2004
Dates of Corrective Action Plan Progress Reports: June 30, 2004
Dates of this Mid-cycle Review Onsite Visit: April 3-5, 2007
Date of this Report: May 15, 2007
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS REPORT IS IN SEVERAL SECTIONS.
Gateway Regional School District Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
May 15, 2007
Page 1 of 11
Criterion
Number/Topic
(Refer to full
text of 20062007 CPR
requirements)
Approved
Corrective
Action
Implemented
and Effective
Method(s) of
Verification
Basis of Determination that
Corrective Action was
Implemented and has been
Effective

Corrective
Action Not
Implemented
or Not
Effective or
New Issues
Identified

Basis of Determination
that Implementation of
Corrective Action was
Incomplete or
Ineffective or
Basis of Finding of New
Noncompliance
Special Ed.
Criteria Cited
in CPR Report
and Monitored
in Mid-cycle
SE 13
Progress
Reports

Documentation/
Student Record
Review
Training has been provided;
Progress reports are thorough
and reflect IEP goals.
SE 18A
IEP Content

Documentation/
Student Record
Review
Training has been provided;
Teacher Summary form has
been revised.
SE 18B; 28
IEP Timeline

Interview/
Documentation/
Student Record
Review
Laptops and eSPED software
have been purchased to
ensure timelines are met.
SE 23
Confidentiality

Documentation
Review
Locking file cabinets and
desks have been ordered and
are in place for all teachers.
Gateway Regional School District Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
May 15, 2007
Page 2 of 11
Required Corrective Action,
Timelines for
Implementation, and
Progress Reporting
Criterion
Number/Topic
(Refer to full
text of 20062007 CPR
requirements)
Approved
Corrective
Action
Implemented
and Effective
Method(s) of
Verification
Basis of Determination that
Corrective Action was
Implemented and has been
Effective

SE 25
Parental
Consent

Documentation/
Student Record
Review
IEPs are not implemented
until written parental consent
has been obtained; service
delivery grids are
implemented as written.
SE 56
Program
Evaluation

Documentation
Review
Special education programs
are regularly evaluated.

Interview/
Documentation/
Student Record
Review
Vision statements include
information regarding a
student’s future direction and
goals. The district uses the
state mandated Transition
Planning Form (TPF 28M/9)
to document the transitional
Corrective
Action Not
Implemented
or Not
Effective or
New Issues
Identified

Basis of Determination
that Implementation of
Corrective Action was
Incomplete or
Ineffective or
Basis of Finding of New
Noncompliance
Special
Education
Criteria
created or
revised in
response to
IDEA-2004
SE 6 ##1 - 3
Determination
of Transition
Services
Gateway Regional School District Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
May 15, 2007
Page 3 of 11
Required Corrective Action,
Timelines for
Implementation, and
Progress Reporting
Criterion
Number/Topic
(Refer to full
text of 20062007 CPR
requirements)
Approved
Corrective
Action
Implemented
and Effective
Method(s) of
Verification
Basis of Determination that
Corrective Action was
Implemented and has been
Effective

Corrective
Action Not
Implemented
or Not
Effective or
New Issues
Identified

Basis of Determination
that Implementation of
Corrective Action was
Incomplete or
Ineffective or
Basis of Finding of New
Noncompliance
needs for all students with
disabilities over 15 years of
age.
SE 8
IEP Team
composition
and attendance

Documentation/
Student Record
Review
IEP Teams consistently have
all required people in
attendance.
SE 12
Frequency of
re-evaluation

Documentation/
Student Record
Review
The district consistently
completes the three-year reevaluation within required
timelines. The district also
re-evaluates before finding a
student no longer eligible for
special education and before
removing a service.
SE 13
Progress
Reports and
content

Documentation/
Student Record
Review
Progress reports are
completed with the same
frequency as the report card
cycle and contain all required
information.
*Please note that recently
enacted IDEA-2004
Gateway Regional School District Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
May 15, 2007
Page 4 of 11
Required Corrective Action,
Timelines for
Implementation, and
Progress Reporting
Criterion
Number/Topic
(Refer to full
text of 20062007 CPR
requirements)
Approved
Corrective
Action
Implemented
and Effective
Method(s) of
Verification
Basis of Determination that
Corrective Action was
Implemented and has been
Effective

Corrective
Action Not
Implemented
or Not
Effective or
New Issues
Identified

Basis of Determination
that Implementation of
Corrective Action was
Incomplete or
Ineffective or
Basis of Finding of New
Noncompliance
regulations have now
changed the content
requirements for IEP
progress reports. Refer to
Administrative Advisory
SPED 2007-1 for guidance.
The Department has changed
the progress report form, and
it is now available on the
Department’s Special
Education website at
http://www.doe.mass.edu/spe
d/iep/eng_toc.html.
SE 14
Review and
revision of
IEPs

Documentation/
Student Record
Review
The district ensures that IEPs
are reviewed on or before the
anniversary date of their
implementation date to
consider the student’s
progress and develop a new
IEP.
SE 25B
Resolution of
disputes

Interview/
Documentation
Review
The district has procedures
and forms in place for
dispute resolution, consistent
with requirements of IDEA2004. The district knows its
Gateway Regional School District Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
May 15, 2007
Page 5 of 11
Required Corrective Action,
Timelines for
Implementation, and
Progress Reporting
Criterion
Number/Topic
(Refer to full
text of 20062007 CPR
requirements)
Approved
Corrective
Action
Implemented
and Effective
Method(s) of
Verification
Basis of Determination that
Corrective Action was
Implemented and has been
Effective

Corrective
Action Not
Implemented
or Not
Effective or
New Issues
Identified

Basis of Determination
that Implementation of
Corrective Action was
Incomplete or
Ineffective or
Basis of Finding of New
Noncompliance
obligation to convene a
meeting with the parent and
relevant Team members
within 15 days of receiving
notice that the parent has
requested an official hearing
with BSEA.
SE 33
Involvement in
the General
Curriculum

Documentation/
Student Record
Review
All students have access to
the general curriculum. Staff
understand the MA
Curriculum Frameworks and
the expectations of the state
for student performance, as
well as understand the rights
of students with disabilities
to be full participants in the
general curriculum.
SE 39A
Procedures for
services to
eligible private
school students
whose parents
reside in the
district

Documentation
Review
The district has procedures in
place to provide services to
eligible students enrolled in
private schools at private
expense whose parents reside
in the district.
Gateway Regional School District Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
May 15, 2007
Page 6 of 11
Required Corrective Action,
Timelines for
Implementation, and
Progress Reporting
Criterion
Number/Topic
(Refer to full
text of 20062007 CPR
requirements)
Approved
Corrective
Action
Implemented
and Effective
Method(s) of
Verification
Basis of Determination that
Corrective Action was
Implemented and has been
Effective

SE 39B
Procedures for
services to
eligible
students in
private schools
in the district
whose parents
reside out of
state

Documentation
Review
The district has procedures in
place to provide services to
eligible students enrolled in
private schools at private
expense whose parents reside
out of state.
SE 46
Procedures for
suspension of
students with
disabilities
more than 10
days

Documentation/
Student Record
Review
The district has appropriate
policies and procedures in
place for suspension of
students with disabilities
more than 10 days and for
conducting manifestation
determination meetings that
meet general requirements of
this criterion.
Corrective
Action Not
Implemented
or Not
Effective or
New Issues
Identified

Basis of Determination
that Implementation of
Corrective Action was
Incomplete or
Ineffective or
Basis of Finding of New
Noncompliance
Gateway Regional School District Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
May 15, 2007
Page 7 of 11
Required Corrective Action,
Timelines for
Implementation, and
Progress Reporting
GATEWAY REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
English Learner Education (ELE) Requirements
Mid-Cycle Review Findings and Corrective Action Based on the Department’s Review Of Local Self-Assessments
(Please refer to full text of 2006-2007 CPR requirements for ELE and related implementation guidance at
http://www.doe.mass.edu/pqa/review/cpr/instrument/chapter71A.doc )
ELE Criterion
Number
and
Topic
Criterion
Determined to be
Implemented
Based on Review
of Local ELE
Self-Assessment

ELE 1
Annual
Assessment

ELE 2
MCAS
Participation

ELE 3
Initial
Identification

Findings of Noncompliance Based on Department’s
Review of Local ELE Self-Assessment
(Criterion Determined to be Partially Implemented or Not
Implemented)
Gateway Regional School District Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
May 15, 2007
Page 8 of 11
Required Corrective Action,
Timelines for Implementation,
and Progress Reporting
ELE Criterion
Number
and
Topic
Criterion
Determined to be
Implemented
Based on Review
of Local ELE
Self-Assessment

ELE 4
Waiver
Procedures

ELE 5
Program
Placement and
Structure

ELE 6
Program Exit
and Readiness

ELE 7
Parent
Involvement

ELE 8
Declining Entry
to a Program

ELE 9
Instructional
Grouping

Findings of Noncompliance Based on Department’s
Review of Local ELE Self-Assessment
(Criterion Determined to be Partially Implemented or Not
Implemented)
Gateway Regional School District Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
May 15, 2007
Page 9 of 11
Required Corrective Action,
Timelines for Implementation,
and Progress Reporting
ELE Criterion
Number
and
Topic
Criterion
Determined to be
Implemented
Based on Review
of Local ELE
Self-Assessment

ELE 10
Parental
Notification

ELE 11
Equal Access to
Academic
Programs and
Services

ELE 12
Equal Access to
Nonacademic
and
Extracurricular
Programs

ELE 13
Follow-up
Support

ELE 14
Licensure
Requirements

Findings of Noncompliance Based on Department’s
Review of Local ELE Self-Assessment
(Criterion Determined to be Partially Implemented or Not
Implemented)
Gateway Regional School District Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
May 15, 2007
Page 10 of 11
Required Corrective Action,
Timelines for Implementation,
and Progress Reporting
ELE Criterion
Number
and
Topic
Criterion
Determined to be
Implemented
Based on Review
of Local ELE
Self-Assessment

ELE 15
Professional
Development
Requirements

ELE 16
Equitable
Facilities

ELE 17
Program
Evaluation

ELE 18
Records of LEP
Students-
Not Rated
Findings of Noncompliance Based on Department’s
Review of Local ELE Self-Assessment
(Criterion Determined to be Partially Implemented or Not
Implemented)
(To be reviewed during next CPR visit.)
Gateway Regional School District Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
May 15, 2007
Page 11 of 11
Required Corrective Action,
Timelines for Implementation,
and Progress Reporting