MASC 2019 Summer Institute / Equity Summit

Join your MASC colleagues at an information-packed summer institute that will update you on issues around equity and achievement and prepare you to tackle the leadership challenges of the school year ahead. Register for one day or both, but register - you will thank yourself for the rest of the year!

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Public Policy Updates: May Board of Ed

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education held their regular May meeting at the Malden Public Library on Tuesday, May 21. The agenda can be found online here. 

Chair Katherine Craven told the Board that there is a plan, as she had said last month, to take the meetings on the road; the Board plans to meet next month in either Holyoke or Revere. Vice-Chair James Morton said that the subcommittee appointed to evaluate Commissioner Jeffrey Riley would be reporting out at that meeting. 

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Public Policy Updates: April 2019 Board of Education

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met for its regular April meeting on Tuesday, April 23 at Newton North High School. Every year, the Board has one meeting at the school of their student member; this year, that is Maya Mathews, a senior at Newton North High School.

The agenda of the meeting can be found online here; a video of the meeting is here.  

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MASC Statement Regarding "Innovation Zones" (H. 3632)

As presented at the Local Government Advisory Commission meeting on April 9, 2019 by MASC Past President Beverly Hugo (Framingham School Committee) and MASC Vice President Ellen Holmes (Ashburnham-Westminster School Committee)

We find many areas of concern that need to be discussed and resolved before we could withdraw our objections to the governor’s proposal for Innovation Partnership Zones, or whatever name might be in use at any given time for the model of school turnaround.

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Implementing later start times presentation now available

The presentation from "The Science of Sleep and School Start Times" presentation on Tuesday, April 2 in North Middlesex can now be found here. 

Part II of the presentation regarding implementation is Saturday, April 6 at the Courtyard by Marriot in Marlborough. 

MASC Statement Regarding MCAS Test Question

The Massachusetts Association of School Committees joins its colleagues in advocacy in noting the inappropriateness of a portion of the MCAS test that was blatantly insensitive to many students as well as to their. MASC recognizes the cultural insensitivity of this and many other elements of standardized tests that undermine cultural sensitivity and joins those in the education community calling for more careful scrutiny of test components as well as the overall use of test data to label students.

However, we commend Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeff Riley for acting quickly and decisively to remove the question going forward and to ensure that no student will be penalized if the question had already been responded to. “This was an unprecedented flaw in the testing process, but an equally unprecedented immediate correction and redaction by the Commissioner,” said Devin Sheehan of the Holyoke School Committee and President of MASC. “We hope this ushers in an era of collaboration on the appropriate use of testing and test data going forward.”