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. 1|Page 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 2|Page 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 3|Page 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 4|Page