Weigh in on the state NCLB waiver!

The state is currently looking for public input into their renewal of the NCLB waiver.
PLEASE GO TAKE THE SURVEY!! It's quick, largely multiple choice, but has a comment field!

Colleagues: Thank you so much for agreeing to help us spread the word about our statewide survey regarding our ESEA flexibility waiver:

In February 2012, Massachusetts received a waiver of some requirements of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA, also known as the No Child Left Behind Act). This waiver allowed the state to revise its school and district accountability system in exchange for implementing several key initiatives:

• College- and career-ready expectations for all students
• Differentiated recognition, accountability, and support for schools and districts
• New approaches to educator evaluation and support
• Reducing duplication and unnecessary burden on school districts.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is seeking feedback from stakeholders about what changes we might make to further improve our accountability system. We welcome feedback from all community members, including parents, students, teachers, school and district administrators, school committee members, and other interested citizens. Stakeholder input will be used to inform the proposal to be submitted for federal review at the end of February 2014.

A primary way we are gathering feedback is through a statewide survey, at the following link: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1482037/ESEA-waiver-stakeholder-survey/

• The survey is available in English and Spanish. To switch to the Spanish version, click on the bar at the top of the first page that says, “Seleccionar otro idioma / Select another language.”
• This survey will be open until January 10, 2014.
• Individual responses will be kept confidential, and only a summary of the results will be reported.
• If you have questions about Massachusetts’ ESEA flexibility waiver, please email esea@doe.mass.edu. If you have questions about the survey, please email research@doe.mass.edu.

Carrie Conaway
Associate Commissioner for Planning, Research, and Delivery Systems
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
75 Pleasant St., Malden, MA 02148