Massachusetts Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education
75 Pleasant Street, Malden, Massachusetts 02148-4906
Telephone: (781) 338-3700
TTY: N.E.T. Relay 1-800-439-2370
June 10, 2011
Richard DeCristofaro, Superintendent
Quincy Public School District
159 Burgin Parkway
Quincy, MA 02169
Re: Mid-cycle Report
Dear Superintendent DeCristofaro:
Enclosed is the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Mid-cycle Report
based on the onsite visit conducted in your district on April 29, 2011. During the MidCycle Review the Department monitored selected special education criteria to determine
your district’s compliance with special education laws and regulations. The review
consisted of information gathered from one or more of the following activities:
interviews, review of student records, examination of documentation, and classroom
observation(s).
The Department determined that one or more of the criteria monitored in your district
was “Partially Implemented” or “Not Implemented.” In all instances where
noncompliance was found, the Department has prescribed corrective action for the
district. This corrective action must be implemented as soon as possible, but in no case
later than a year from the date of this report. You will find these requirements for
corrective action included in the enclosed report, along with requirements for submitting
progress reports using the enclosed form.
Please provide the Department with your written assurance that all of the required
corrective action will be implemented by your district within the timelines specified in
the report. You must submit your statement of assurance to Darlene Lynch, Director,
Program Quality Assurance Services, by June 27, 2011.
1
Your staff's cooperation throughout this Mid-cycle Review is appreciated. If you have
questions about this letter or the enclosed report, please do not hesitate to contact Coretta
McCarter at 781-338-3733.
Sincerely,
Coretta McCarter, Mid-cycle Review Chairperson
Program Quality Assurance Services
Darlene A. Lynch, Director
Program Quality Assurance Services
cc:
Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D. Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary
Education
Vani Rastogi-Kelly, Supervisor, Program Quality Assurance Services
Joann Bragg, School Committee Chairperson
Judith Todd, Local Program Review Coordinator
Encs: Mid-cycle Report
Mid-cycle Progress Report Form
2
MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
MID-CYCLE REPORT
Quincy Public School District
Date of the Mid-cycle Review Onsite: April 29, 2011
Date of this Report: June 10, 2011
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS REPORT IS IN TWO SECTIONS.
Required Special Education Criteria Monitored in this Mid-cycle Review
Current special education criteria available by scrolling down to the special education instrument at
http://www.doe.mass.edu/pqa/review/cpr/default.html
Criterion
Criterion
Implemented

Criterion
Partially
Implemented
(PI) or Not
Implemented
(NI)
SE 7
Transfer of
parental
rights at age
of majority
and student
participation
and consent
at the age of
majority
PI
Method(s) of
Investigation
Student
Records
Interviews
Basis of Determination about
Criterion
A review of student records and
interviews indicated that one year
prior to a student reaching 18 years
of age, the district informs the
parents of the rights that will
transfer from the parent to the
student upon the student’s 18th
birthday. However, the district is
not informing the student of the
rights that will transfer to him or
her upon the student’s 18th
If Partially Implemented or Not
Implemented:
(a) Required Corrective
Action and
Timelines for Implementation
Revise the district’s procedures for
informing the student one year prior
to his/her 18th birthday of the rights
that will transfer from the
parent/guardian to the student upon
the student’s 18th birthday and
documenting this in the Additional
Information section of the IEP. Also
revise the procedures for when a
student reaches the age of majority
and chooses to share decision-
Quincy Public School District Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
June 10, 2011
Page 1 of 6
(b) Progress
Report Due
Date(s) and
Required
Elements
Submit a copy
of the revised
age of majority
procedures and
provide
evidence of
staff training on
these
requirements,
including the
agenda and
Criterion
Criterion
Implemented

Criterion
Partially
Implemented
(PI) or Not
Implemented
(NI)
Method(s) of
Investigation
Basis of Determination about
Criterion
birthday.
In addition, upon reaching the age
of majority, when the student
chooses to share decision-making
with his or her parent, the choice is
not being made in the presence of
the Team and documented in
written form.
If Partially Implemented or Not
Implemented:
(a) Required Corrective
Action and
Timelines for Implementation
making with his or her parent. The
procedures must include making the
choice in the presence of the Team
and documenting this decision in
written form. Train appropriate staff
on the revised age of majority
procedures.
Develop an internal oversight and
tracking system to ensure that one
year prior to reaching the age of
majority the district informs the
student of the rights that will transfer
to him or her upon the student’s 18th
birthday and documents this in the
Additional Information section of the
IEP, as well as documents in written
form the student’s decision to share
decision-making authority which is
made in the presence of the Team.
Develop a report of the results of an
internal review of student records for
those students who have reached the
age of majority subsequent to the
district’s implementation of
corrective action for evidence of
compliance with notifying the
student of the transfer of rights one
year prior to the student reaching age
Quincy Public School District Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
June 10, 2011
Page 2 of 6
(b) Progress
Report Due
Date(s) and
Required
Elements
signed
attendance
sheets
(indicating role
of staff).
Submit a
description of
the internal
oversight and
tracking system
and identify the
person(s)
responsible for
the oversight,
including the
date of the
system’s
implementation.
Submit this
information by
September 30,
2011.
Submit a report
of the results of
an internal
review of
records for
students who
have reached
Criterion
Criterion
Implemented

Criterion
Partially
Implemented
(PI) or Not
Implemented
(NI)
Method(s) of
Investigation
Basis of Determination about
Criterion
If Partially Implemented or Not
Implemented:
(a) Required Corrective
Action and
Timelines for Implementation
18, and following appropriate
procedures when the student reaches
the age of majority and chooses to
share decision-making with his or
her parent.
*Please note when conducting
internal monitoring that the
district must maintain the
following documentation and
make it available to the
Department upon request:
a) List of the student names and
grade levels for the records
reviewed; b) Date of the review;
c) Name of person(s) who
conducted the review, their
role(s), and signature(s).
Quincy Public School District Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
June 10, 2011
Page 3 of 6
(b) Progress
Report Due
Date(s) and
Required
Elements
the age of
majority
subsequent to
the district’s
implementation
of corrective
actions for
evidence of
appropriate
procedures.
Include the
following:
 Number of
records
reviewed;
 Number of
records that
included
notification to
the student
and
documentation of shared
decisionmaking;
 Results of the
root cause
analysis of
any records
not in
Criterion
Criterion
Implemented

Criterion
Partially
Implemented
(PI) or Not
Implemented
(NI)
Method(s) of
Investigation
Basis of Determination about
Criterion
If Partially Implemented or Not
Implemented:
(a) Required Corrective
Action and
Timelines for Implementation
(b) Progress
Report Due
Date(s) and
Required
Elements
compliance;
and
 Specific
corrective
actions taken
by the district
to remedy any
noncompliance.
Submit the
report by
December 20,
2011.
SE 52A
Registration
of
educational
interpreters
Document
Review

Interviews
Based on a review of documents
and interviews, the interpreters
employed by the district are
registered with the Massachusetts
Commission for the Deaf and Hard
of Hearing.
Quincy Public School District Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
June 10, 2011
Page 4 of 6
Additional Special Education Criteria Monitored in this Mid-cycle Review
Current special education criteria available by scrolling down to the special education instrument at
http://www.doe.mass.edu/pqa/review/cpr/default.html
Criterion
SE 24
Notice to
parent
regarding
proposal or
refusal to
initiate or
change the
identification,
evaluation, or
educational
placement of
the child or
the provision
of FAPE
SE 42
Programs for
young
children
three and
Criterion
Implemented

Criterion
Partially
Implemented
(PI) or Not
Implemented
(NI)
Method(s) of
Investigation
Basis of Determination
about Criterion
Student
Records
A review of student
records and interviews
indicated that the district is
sending out evaluation
consent forms within five
days of receiving referrals
from Early Intervention.

Interviews
Student
Records

Document
Review
If Partially Implemented or Not
Implemented:
(a) Required Corrective Action
and Timelines for Implementation
Notices of Proposed
School District Action (N1
forms) at the middle and
high school levels are
complete. The N1 form
provides a description of
the evaluation procedures
and addresses other
options that were
considered, including
indicating why certain
options were rejected.
A review of student
records, documents and
interviews indicated that
the number of students
with disabilities in the
Quincy Public School District Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
June 10, 2011
Page 5 of 6
(b) Progress
Report Due
Date(s) and
Required
Elements
Criterion
four years of
age
Criterion
Implemented

Criterion
Partially
Implemented
(PI) or Not
Implemented
(NI)
Method(s) of
Investigation
Interviews
Basis of Determination
about Criterion
If Partially Implemented or Not
Implemented:
(a) Required Corrective Action
and Timelines for Implementation
integrated preschool
classrooms does not
exceed 6 or 7 when the
class size is 15 students
with 1 teacher and 1 aide.
Quincy Public School District Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
June 10, 2011
Page 6 of 6
(b) Progress
Report Due
Date(s) and
Required
Elements
MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
MID-CYCLE REVIEW
School District: Quincy Public School District
M I D – CY C L E P R O G R E S S R E P O R T
Date Prepared: ____________________________________
Prepared by: __________________________________________________________________
(name and title)
Criterion: _______________________
Topic: ________________________________________________________________________
For each criterion for which you prepare a progress report, please



make a copy of this cover page,
fill in the information requested above, and
attach a complete description of the corrective action taken and any accompanying documentation.
(Description of corrective action for each criterion and any accompanying documentation should include all of the
“Progress Report Required Elements” for that criterion in the Mid-cycle Report.)
Send the whole set of completed progress reports to:
Darlene Lynch, Director
Program Quality Assurance Services
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
75 Pleasant Street
Malden, MA 02148-4906