MA Innovation Schools Newsletter – February 2016
MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
IN THIS ISSUE
Contents
WINTER MESSAGE......................................................................................................................................... 1
FY16 INNOVATION SCHOOLS GRANTS OUTCOMES ...................................................................................... 2
SPRING 2016 INNOVATION SCHOOL VISITS .................................................................................................. 2
INNOVATION SCHOOLS LEGISLATIVE REPORT, ANNUAL EVALUATION, & CODING ..................................... 3
Innovation Schools Legislative Report ...................................................................................................... 3
Innovation Schools Annual Evaluation ..................................................................................................... 3
Innovation Schools Coding ....................................................................................................................... 3
RESOURCES ................................................................................................................................................... 4
FY16 CONTACT INFORMATION ..................................................................................................................... 4
WINTER MESSAGE
Once again, we would like to take the opportunity to extend our thanks to all of you for your ongoing
dedication and commitment to improving public education for all children throughout Massachusetts. In
the five years since the innovation schools legislation was signed into law, 57 innovation schools and
academies have been approved and serve approximately 19,446 students in 25 school districts across
the state.
This newsletter provides you with important information about innovation school initiatives and
includes multiple links to new or updated information. Please review it carefully and pass on the
information to others as appropriate.
MCAS 2.0 Survey
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) is in the process of upgrading
MCAS to better measure the critical thinking skills students need for success in the 21st century.
The new test, informally called "MCAS 2.0," will build upon the best aspects of the MCAS assessments
that have served the Commonwealth well for the past two decades. The test will include innovative
items developed by PARCC, along with new items specifically created to assess the Massachusetts
learning standards.
MCAS 2.0 will be designed to be taken on a computer, although many students will continue to use
paper-and-pencil versions initially. Massachusetts will have complete control of test administration, test
content, testing windows, and the reporting of results.
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As the Department builds the new assessments, we are also seeking the input of educators and
community stakeholders from across the state to review the English language arts (ELA) and math
standards. To share your thoughts about how to improve the standards, please use our feedback form.
If you have general questions or comments about the MCAS 2.0 project, please email us at
MCAS2.0@doe.mass.edu.
Update on the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law by President Obama on December 10, 2015
and replaces the previous version of the law, No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2002.
The Obama Administration notes the following as key highlights of ESSA:
Holding all students to high academic standards that prepare them for college and careers;
Ensuring accountability and guaranteeing that steps are in place and taken to support students
that have fallen behind, with a particular focus on the most under-performing schools, high
schools with high dropout rates, and schools where subgroups are falling behind;
Continuing to ensure that parents and educators have annual assessment information on
performance, while supporting states and districts in the reduction of unnecessary testing;
Empowering state and local decision-makers to develop their own strong systems for school
improvement; and
Protecting students from low-income families and students of color from being taught at
disproportionate rates by ineffective, inexperienced, and out of field teachers.
For detailed information about the new act and up-to-date resources and materials, please visit the
United States Department of Education’s ESSA website at: http://www.ed.gov/ESEA .
FY16 INNOVATION SCHOOLS GRANTS OUTCOMES
The Department has completed its application review of the FY16 innovation schools planning and
implementation grant applications. The innovation schools planning grant supports the in-depth
planning process needed to develop new and/or conversion innovation schools and academies. The
innovation schools implementation grant provides districts and schools support for the implementation
of approved innovation school plans. The Department received eight grant applications and a total of
three grants for $208,000 were recommended for funding.
Due to the funding constraints of this grant cycle, only the top two planning grant applications and the
top scoring implementation grant application were recommended for funding. We would like to thank
all applicants for taking the time to submit applications. Once posted, the list of recipients can be found
at: http://www.doe.mass.edu/Grants/awards.html.
SPRING 2016 INNOVATION SCHOOL VISITS
The Innovation Schools Network was launched in 2012 by the Executive Office of Education (EOE) as a
means to bring together innovation school educators, stakeholders, and prospective applicants across
the state to network and share best practices. Because it is the Department’s aim to provide innovation
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school stakeholders with opportunities to participate in meaningful events, your input was solicited as
we began planning for the current academic year. As a result of your feedback, three (3) innovation
school visits are scheduled for spring 2016.
All visits will be held from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and will include a tour of the school and a discussion
with staff about the implementation of their approved innovation plan.
1. Tuesday, March 29th, 2016: Carlton Innovation School, 10 Skerry Street, Salem, MA
2. Thursday, April 7th, 2016: Linden STEAM Innovation Academy, 29 Westcott Street, Malden, MA
3. Friday, April 29th, 2016: Dr. William Henderson Inclusion Innovation School, Boston, MA
An email will be sent in the coming weeks with additional details and registration information. We are
very much looking forward to these visits and hope to see many of you in attendance.
INNOVATION SCHOOLS LEGISLATIVE REPORT, ANNUAL EVALUATION, & CODING
Innovation Schools Legislative Report
The innovation schools statute requires that the Department submit a report annually to the
Massachusetts legislature. The FY15 Report to the Legislature-Implementation and Fiscal Impact of
Innovation Schools is completed and has been submitted to the EOE for review. Once posted, we
encourage you to read the final report, which will be located on the innovation schools webpage at:
http://www.doe.mass.edu/redesign/innovation/Authorization.html.
Innovation Schools Annual Evaluation
The Innovation Schools Statute (M.G.L., c.71, s.92), requires superintendents in districts with innovation
schools to evaluate these schools at least annually. The purpose of the evaluation is to both determine
whether the school has met the annual goals articulated in its approved Innovation Plan and to assess
the implementation of the Innovation Plan at the school. These reports must be submitted to the local
School Committee as well as to the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Evaluations are required for all innovation schools and academies that have been in operation for at
least one full academic year. The evaluation template found at:
http://www.doe.mass.edu/redesign/innovation/Guidance.html should be submitted via email to Shay
Edmond at sedmond@doe.mass.edu by June 8, 2016. For a list of all required schools and academies,
please view the Innovation Schools Annual Evaluation Memorandum at
http://www.doe.mass.edu/redesign/innovation/?section=news.
Should you have any questions about the evaluation process or the template, please contact Shay
Edmond, Innovation Schools Specialist at sedmond@doe.mass.edu or (781) 338-3217.
Innovation Schools Coding
Providing each approved innovation school (new and conversion) and innovation academy with a
specific program code in the Student Information Management System (SIMS) allows the Department to
collect demographic and achievement data systematically for enrolled students. This streamlined
approach allowed the Department to create an “Innovation Schools and Academies” drop down option
on the Department’s School and District Profile page, which created innovation-school specific search
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capabilities. Please keep in mind that the Department’s ability to collect data specific to innovation
school students does not change the reporting structure for district wide or school wide reporting.
If you have not already done so, please complete the “Notification of a New Public School” form which
can be found at http://www.doe.mass.edu/infoservices/data/diradmin/. All completed forms must be
faxed to the Department’s office of Education Data Services, to the attention of Kerrie Anastas.
Submission instructions are included on the form.
RESOURCES
We are fortunate to have many resources available on our website. We hope that you and your teachers
will find this information interesting and helpful:
1. Department Sponsored Professional Development: The Department’ professional development
website is a great resource for educators to access Department sponsored professional
development, training's, and technical assistance opportunities. Additionally, the website
provides resources and tools on a wide range of areas to support high quality professional
development. http://www.doe.mass.edu/pd/offerings.html
2. Model Curriculum Units: The Department has developed over 100 model curriculum units that
are intended to help educators with implementation of the Massachusetts Curriculum
Frameworks. Due to copyright restrictions, please be sure to submit the brief registration form
in order to access the units! http://www.doe.mass.edu/candi/model/
3. Conferences, Workshops, and Trainings: The Department offers a wide range of conferences,
workshops, and trainings to support educators. The offerings can be found on the calendar
located on the main page of the Department’s website. http://www.doe.mass.edu/forms/
4. Grant Opportunities: Innovation schools and academies are always looking for additional
funding sources to support the continued implementation of approved innovation plans. In
addition to receiving innovation school grants, many schools and academies may be eligible for
additional funding through other funding sources. To access the funding opportunities for FY16,
please go to
http://www.doe.mass.edu/Grants/grants.aspx?sortby=programname&direction=asc.
FY16 CONTACT INFORMATION
As always, should you have any questions or need any assistance please feel free to contact us:
 Shay Edmond, Innovation School Specialist, Office of Charter Schools and School Redesign
sedmond@doe.mass.edu / (781) 338-3217
 Ruth Hersh, Assistant Director, Office of Charter Schools and School Redesign, rhersh@doe.mass.edu /
(781) 338-3211
 Cliff Chuang, Associate Commissioner, Center for Educational Redesign, cchuang@doe.mass.edu /
(781) 338-3222
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