The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meets today for its regular September meeting. This is the first meeting with the new commissioner, Pedro Martinez.
The agenda can be found online here. The livestream will come up over here. I'll update once they start.
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| you'd never know that this was below the Revere Beach Parkway, would you? |
They have new mics and they don't pick up quiet voices as easily.
Public comment:
MTA, Deb McCarthy, Max Page
McCarthy: "every day we have someone hurt on the job site"
look forward to continuation of conversations
"how not to use the MCAS data"
getting MCAS results in the fall for test in the spring (yes, because it wasn't for informing instruction that way, and it never has been, and I don't know why this keeps coming up)
Page: 180th year of MTA
"welcome in the new Board member"
harassment and doxxing; publishing of addresses and phone numbers "just horrific"
"chilling effect across the state"
urge Board to speak out for our "beloved educators"
graduation council: recommendations going to be made
concerned about building back another standardized test
to truly open up on the conversation for deeper learning among our students
Kariss McLaughlin: Deeply concerned about outcomes for marginalized groups
all the data anyone
"statistically irrelevant children": every child is important
(but children can be protected so they aren't individually identified by their data, which is what that actually is)
"hope you will be given the support that you need" (to Commissioner)
Ed Lambert, MBAE: agrees with Commissioner's assessment of MCAS as "sobering"
"another year of stagnation and in some cases decline, which is unacceptable"
cites SOA, "and yet, our outcomes are disappointing"
achievement gaps which (he claims) this was to meant to close
SOA report does not focus on outcomes (which it wasn't supposed to)
"a report about inputs and outputs not outcomes"
three year plans "are seriously deficient"
if you're not talking about inflation here, then you're demonstrating that you don't know what you're talking about
Change and salvage opportunities for students
Dawn Byers: parent of two children of Whitman-Hanson
regional school
"new waiver clause": what checks and balances in place?
school and municipal funding from over a decade
Whitman and Hanson families part of that lawsuit
town officials anticipated Chapter 70 would meet municipal shortfalls
when it came to the region instead, they maneuvered to avoid responsibilities other ways
lacking oversight on local funding
"what kind of waiver requests are expected in this regional" regulation change
both are MBTA Community Act communities
ask that real accountability be assured first before new waivers
someone on the CORI regulation in town of Foxborough:
I think this is a parent complaining that the district is requiring CORI for volunteers
"really need to restrain it to..unmonitored contact with children"
please order Foxborough schools to change
"I'm telling them that they're breaking the law and they aren't complying at all"
Kate (?) McDonald, regarding teacher licensure
early education teaching experience cannot count towards licensure requirement
what does this mean for single parents, for dual income
requires financial flexibility many do not have
system should be flexible enough to recognize diverse experience of educators
MEJA: SOA, has made real progress towards more equitable school funding
future of public schools remains uncertain
COVID deeply affected our education system
local school costs have risen much faster than expected
inflation outpaced Chapter 70
see districts being forced to make painful cuts
DESE has an opportunity to conduct a study to examine adequacy
need this to work
deeper community engagement with parents and students
postcards from families: inflation, pizza, state takeovers
revisiting chapter 70 formula is essential
"very eager and looking forward to working with all of you all"
Ed Inquiry director:
parents told year and year
claim that AI will "fundamentally reshape our economy"
if I had a nickel for every time I've heard that one...
students prepared for yesterday's world but work in modern
will Massachusetts find the "global workforce it needs in ten years"
and we're well over time and into a lot of reading of MCAS scores which I am not going to write down here
Gerry Mroz
"no time to lose...the system is broken"
"looking back to 2019 is not a solution for anyone or anything"
institutional players in the system
"it isn't telling parents 'your child is failing and we aren't doing anything about it'"
well, no, because that would be a lie
move within zone of proximal development
competency-based assessment system is what is needed
"we need to throw away what we've already done and replace the whole system"
Chair Craven:
introducing new members
Isabella Chamberlain, student rep, senior at Hudson High
Kristen Smidy of Westfield replaces Michael Moriarty
"less than 90 days" since Martinez has moved here
Martinez: couldn't be more excited
challenges "but amazing opportunities"
great to travel the state "it's a beautiful Commonwealth"
Craven: how we teach 9/11 in schools
Secretary Tutwiler: am told brevity is a virtue, but not one embracing today
great to be back in session for new school year with only one title
"both a joy and an honor to work alongside" Martinez these few months
"beginning is the most important part of the work" (is that Plato really? Yes, really Plato, from The Republic)
Smidy's "reputation precedes you"
fellow former social studies teacher
Chamberlain: grateful for taking on leadership role
recommendations for high school graduation requirements: Vision of a Graduate
thinkers, leaders, and contributors
with competencies under each
"all students meeting a very high expectation"
truly prepared "for college, careers, and civic life" (aha, the civic life part is new!)
early literacy: Literacy Launch institute
investment in curriculum as well
Prism II grants (partnerships for reading success in Massachusetts): 29 districts
reimagining high school: $100M effort for CTE expansion
West officially being extended as a board member
Martinez: arrived in July
"believe there's no other way to do these roles than the deep end"
DESE staff, superintendents, charter leaders, legislators
co-chair of statewide grad council "so many hours, so many conversations"
connected with different programs
one of 10 states in the country "who actually supports nutrition"
"not enough is being said about that"
literacy sessions
meet one on one with Board members
a few highlights: getting ready for first day of school
"as excited as the children were, nobody was more excited than the parents"
session in Attleboro around restorative justice
embedded in best practices
developing leaders in our children
integrated with that, these wonderful qualities
9/11 is required, part of social science curriculum in US History II
is an expectation that it is taught across all schools
Hills: who appears to be talking about something that isn't on the agenda
SOA report
work to close gaps
Goals not robust enough
"don't think it's too much to ask" imperfect but good analysis
"I don't know where else to put this on the agenda"
"really horrific horrible events in the country"
educators being suspended and put on leave
understand that there are limits on what employees can say; seeing a change in patterns of outcomes
reading people being suspended or put on leave for what they might say privately
"I am wondering why this is all of a sudden happening"
"these are our teachers...that's nearly as innocuous as" may be implied
"I'm not saying there's a role for DESE here"
"and maybe it's all horrific...or maybe people are a lot more scared about the consequences"
Grants: work of the center has been shared several times (I don't know what we're talking about here; oh it's Tom Kane again)
acknowledge events of day but mutual assurance
have it come back as a Board topic...that would be Tom Kane again
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