May Board of Ed: competency determination

 Tutwiler: thank Curtin for him and his team for preparation of conversation; "your work is greatly appreciated"

recommending two additional changes to regulations

Curtin: notes that this is specific to competency determination law; NOT a broader set of statewide graduation requirement
statutory language covers ONLY THROUGH GRADE 10
cannot consider full implementation of MassCore, for example
"this is an interim solution coming off the November ballot question"
have fielded an "inordinate number" of questions
larger work of Statewide Graduation Council and Legislature, not the Board

proposed changes (before comments):
removes obsolete language regarding MCAS
defined terms
specified new minimum requirements to earn CD (set of courses through grade 10) for class of 2026
adds U.S. history for class of 2027
narrow exception for students who cannot verify via transcript (using MCAS)
requires adoption of policy and allows DESE to audit

comments: 30 via email; 146 via survey
no major changes; two minor
"equivalent of a year" (some districts have block schedules and do a full year in a semester)
rights of students who are English learners added to parallel that of students with disabilities

alternative pathway question: DESE recommending no change
MCAS can be local requirement for CD, is required federally for reporting
Statewide Graduation Council will consider use of assessments as part of their work

West: final assessment for "a course"
regs, student would have to show mastery subject by subject

non-regulatory steps by DESE
public posting of CD and graduation requirements (DESE comprehensive database)
public reporting of performance in school courses in alignment with other outcomes
review of local graduation policies as part of DESE district review

Hills: how often do you expect to audit per year, what might trigger that, what happens if a district is 'offsides'?
"I don't say that loving what's implied by my question"
Curtin: first have to outline and define what that audit procedure will look like; can't tell you that we have defined that policy
this is a question that those of us who write policy care a lot about as well!
Hills: absolutely appreciate the time and effort
"I want to again thank you for dispassionately going through it with the team"
"I say this with a former school committee chair: I have a lot of concern about the curriculum/grade framework...I'm not even sure how that works in a way that actually is good and productive, which might mean that there is a lot less there than meets the eye"
perfect world recommendation from graduation council will go to Legislature and be adopted, but could go a decade
"my concern is it's not going to be interim for just a couple of years"

West: I think I am as dissatisfied as Member Hills is, but I don't see how we get anywhere more satisfactory than where we are in the legislative language
focus only on content through grade ten in law
"incumbent on us...as a Commonwealth...to move quickly" for recommendations to the Legislature, "because that is the body that needs to act next"
picture of what audit process could look like: aggregate performance of 10th graders deemed as showing mastery in their courses on MCAS and look at what is or isn't reasonable in grades
"that's the audit that we need"
"don't think we need to go page by page through teachers' lessons plans to see if they're setting a reasonable benchmark"

ROLL CALL: 
Hills, no; Tutwiler, abstain; 8-1-1 (we lost Moriarty)