5. U.S. Presidential Scholarship Nominations Sought:
Commissioner Riley is seeking nominations of high school seniors for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. All Massachusetts high school seniors graduating between January and August of 2021 who are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents and attend a Massachusetts public or private high school are eligible. Each school may nominate up to two students (of different genders). Students may be nominated in the general category or the career and technical education student category. More information is available at the link above. Please submit all nominations via this survey by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 15.
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6. Competitive FY21 Safe and Supportive Schools Grant:
The fiscal year 2020-2021 (FY21) Safe and Supportive Schools Competitive Grant Program (Fund Code 335), funded through state line item 7061-9612, is now accepting proposals. The grant’s primary goals are to support districts’ efforts to create safe and supportive school environments and to coordinate student support initiatives informed by districts’ use of the Safe and Supportive Schools Framework and Self-Assessment Tool. There are two grant options: action planning (for schools to self-reflect and create action plans), and implementation and mentorship/support (for schools implementing action plans and mentoring others to do so, too).
Applications are due Thursday, October 15. The Department is offering webinars at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, September 21 and at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 7 to share information and address questions about this grant and its application process. Registration for the webinars is open online.
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7. Workshops on Engaging Students in Deeper Learning:
LearnLaunch has three upcoming free Engage Learners Deeper Learning workshops sponsored by DESE. The workshops will explore strategies to build, deepen, and understand student engagement in remote, hybrid, and in-person learning models. They are tailored to either the elementary or secondary context and are open to all Massachusetts educators. Sign up here to attend any of the three. The elementary workshops will be offered at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 22 and Thursday, September 24. The secondary workshop will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23.
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8. Additional Vendor for Screener and Diagnostic Assessments:
In an effort to help educators better understand their students’ academic needs in the 2020-2021 school year, DESE requested proposals from assessment companies for no-cost screening and/or diagnostic assessments. The Department has approved the following assessments and will update the list on a rolling basis. Newly added from Riverside Insights (https://www.riversideinsights.com/solutions/iowaflex?tab=0): Iowa Flex mathematics 2-8 and English language arts 4-8. The Department’s master agreement allows districts to use DESE-approved vendors without having to do their own procurement. Districts can directly contact the vendor they choose. The vendor may require signing an agreement, and the district may require that the vendor sign a contract or other procurement form. Districts should check with their business officer to verify the process for acquiring the tool, even though it is free. Districts interested in using one of these tools this school year should email Nechama Goldberg at Nechama.D.Goldberg@mass.gov with the name of the selected vendor in order to receive the vendor documentation.
The bid solicitation seeking vendors to provide assessments at no-cost to districts remains open for submissions until noon on Tuesday, December 1.
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9. STEM AP Access Expansion Grant:
The Department has been awarded a $9 million, five-year STEM Advanced Placement Access Expansion Opportunity grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant will expand students’ access to AP coursework in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, particularly for students of color, English learners, and students with disabilities. In particular, the grant will help DESE to identify “AP deserts” – high schools where a low number of students engage in AP STEM courses despite having the skills to participate in this advanced coursework – and to provide a statewide virtual platform so these students can engage in the coursework at no additional cost to the student, family, or school district. The Department will share more details as they become available.
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10. School Emergency Planning and COVID-19
In response to COVID-19, many districts are considering rearranging spaces within their buildings to meet distancing guidelines. The Department of Fire Services reminds districts to involve their local fire department in this process in order to incorporate fire and life safety guidelines. More information, including information on fire and evacuation drills, is available in this memo from Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey.
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11. Student Members Needed for State and Regional Student Advisory Councils:
The Department is seeking students to participate in its state and regional advisory councils. High school principals can use an online system to submit names of interested students to represent their schools and regions. Virtual council meetings will be held for two hours each month starting in October. The advisory councils offer students a great opportunity to promote student voice, develop leadership skills, and work on projects that can support and benefit their schools, districts and DESE. Anyone with questions can email Donna Taylor at DonnaM.Taylor@mass.gov.
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12. Careful Hiring Advisory:
Schools are entrusted with the safety and well-being of the students they serve, and exercising due diligence in screening and hiring school personnel is a vital part of fulfilling that responsibility. The Department recently updated its advisory on state and federal safety requirements and DESE suggestions for the careful hiring of school personnel.
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13. Charter School Amendments and Applications for Renewal:
This summer, DESE received five requests from existing charter schools to amend their charters:
- Holyoke Community Charter School hopes to add Chicopee to its charter region;
- Lawrence Family Development Charter School hopes to add 200 seats, which would bring its maximum enrollment to 1,000;
- Lowell Community Charter Public School would like to add 15 seats for a maximum enrollment of 815;
- Marblehead Community Charter School would like to add Nahant and Swampscott to its charter region; and
- Prospect Hill Academy Charter School, which serves Cambridge and Somerville, would like to add Chelsea, Everett, Revere, Waltham, Watertown, and Woburn to its charter region.
If the commissioner decides to recommend any of these changes to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, he will do so at the Board’s January or February meeting. The commissioner will also make recommendations to the Board regarding 14 applications for renewal this winter. The Department invites written comments regarding the above amendments and applications for renewal from superintendents in local school districts. Comments may be submitted by Tuesday, December 1 to: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, c/o Office of Charter Schools and School Redesign, 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148 or by email to charterschools@doe.mass.edu. Please contact the Department at charterschools@doe.mass.edu to obtain copies of any of the charter amendment requests or applications for renewal.
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14. Chapter 70 Local Contribution Study:
The Student Opportunity Act (SOA) requires DESE and the Division of Local Services at the Department of Revenue to study and report on the local contribution component of the Chapter 70 program. The study will cover a range of issues outlined in Section 21 of the law. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is seeking public comment to inform the study and is collecting public comment through an online survey. Given the current public health emergency, DESE will not be convening in-person public forums. All comments should be submitted by Friday, October 16. More information is available online.
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Free student support courses through BC: The Boston College Center for Optimized Student Support is offering four continuing education courses for teachers, school counselors, adjustment counselors, and others aimed at supporting students as they return to school this fall. The courses are free of charge and offer Massachusetts-based participants up to 5 Professional Development Points. These courses will run Monday, September 28 through Saturday, October 17, and registration closes on Friday, September 25.
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