District/School Administration Administration
Commissioner's Updates - Archive

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2004

December 20, 2004  

1. The John and Abigail Adams Scholarships and the Stanley Z. Koplik Certificate of Mastery Awards
2. Advanced Placement Examination Fee Subsidy, Income Eligibility Guidelines, and AP Course Verification

December 6, 2004  

1. Requirements for the Participation of Students with Disabilities in MCAS (Spring 2005 Update)
2. Massachusetts English Proficiency Assessment (MEPA) Standard Setting Panels
3. Application Subsidies for National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification
4. Request for Proposals (RFP) for the 2005 Content Institute Program
5. MCAS Score Request Tool
6. Board in Brief, a Summary of the November 2004 Meeting of the Board of Education

November 22, 2004  

1. Public Comment Sought on Proposed Amendments to Charter School Regulations, 603 CMR 1.00
2. NCS Mentor for MCAS Professional Development Tool
3. Invitation to a Leadership Preparation Conference, January 13, 2005
4. FY 04 End of Year Pupil and Financial Report, Schedule 11 Update
5. Technology Toolkit: a Resource for Districts to Use Technology Effectively to Support Teaching and Learning

November 5, 2004  

1. Middle School Teacher and K-8 Licenses
2. Reporting Fall 2004 MELA-O Scores for Limited English Proficient Students in Grades K-12
3. History and Social Science Survey Reports
4. Distributed Leadership Conference on December 1, 2004
5. November is Family Literacy Month
6. Nominations: 2005-2006 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Program
7. 2005 Content Institute Program Informational Session
8. MCAS Assessment Development Committee (ADC) Recruitment

October 20, 2004  

1. Reporting Fall 2004 MELA-O Scores for Limited English Proficient Students
2. "A Review of the Charter School Application and Authorization Process"
3. Massachusetts Presidential Awards for 2005 Nomination Announcement and Application

October 6, 2004  

1. English Language Learner Educator Licensure memo
2. Board in Brief, a summary of the Massachusetts Board of Education meeting held on Tuesday, September 28
3. Registration for Academic Support Grants Technical Assistance Session on October 18th in Worcester
4. Superintendent Checklist, Updated October 2004
5. Jobs for Youth (JFY) MCAS Prep RFP

September 21, 2004  

1. Fall 2004 Statistical Reports: SIMS Data Elements; District and School Staffing Report; School Safety and Discipline Report and Individual Non-Public School and Non-Public School Staff Reports
2. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Seeks Practitioners for Fall/Winter School Panel Reviews
3. E-Rate and Technology Planning Workshop

September 7, 2004  

1. Proposed Amendments to School Finance Regulations
2. Foundation Reserve Application Forms
3. Announcement of Fall 2004 MCAS Workshops - MEPA Administration and MCAS Reporting
4. 2004 Fall MEPA and MCAS Workshops Registration Form and Instructions

August 20, 2004  

1. Legal and Major Religious Holidays in Massachusetts for 2004-2007
2. Superintendent Checklist for 2005 and Schedule for Submitting District Reports
3. Statewide Assessments for Limited English Proficient (LEP) Students in 2004-2005
4. Title IIB Mathematics and Science Partnership Grant Opportunity
5. Registration for TestWiz Training
6. Gifted and Talented Professional Development Competitive Grant Opportunity
7. Summary: 2003-04 MEFA Student Art Contest

July 20, 2004  

1. Commissioner's Summer Institute Presentation to MASS (Massachusetts Association for School Superintendents)
2. MCAS Participation: Students Attending Private Special Education Schools
3. School Performance Improvement Mapping Guide

July 7, 2004  

*There are no items for this update.

June 22, 2004  

1. 2004 MCAS Test Results: Reporting Schedule
2. 2004 Grade 10 MCAS Multiple Choice Test Items: Preliminary Results
3. Sheltered English Immersion Classroom Teachers: Updated Guidance on Professional Qualifications
4. School Safety Discipline Report and Frequently Asked Questions
5. End-Of-Year Pupil and Financial Reporting Workshops
6. VES Roundtable
7. Technology Plan Implementation Report
8. "Seatbelts Save Lives," a Public Service Announcement
9. Recruitment for Board of Education Advisory Councils

June 7, 2004  

1. NCLB Grant Allocations for FY 05
2. Notice of Public Comment through June 30, 2004 regarding 603 CMR 2.00 Regulations on Under-Performing Schools and School Districts
3. A Report: "Student Exclusions in Massachusetts Public Schools, 2002-2003"
4. A Report: "Competency Determination Rates in Massachusetts Public High Schools, Spring 2004"
5. Spring 2004 MCAS Test Items
6. MCAS Summer Retest - Student Registration Confirmation
7. Teaching and Learning Resources (TLR), Educator Access to Free Online Educational Resources
8. Early Literacy Grant

May 21, 2004  

1. Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Executive Summary
2. Updated Preliminary Estimates of Chapter 70 Aid
3. 2004-2005 MCAS Testing Schedule Change
4. Recruitment for Members to Science and Technology/Engineering Assessment Development Committee
5. Summer Content Institutes
6. Board of Education Advisory Councils, Recruitment for Membership

May 5, 2004  

1. Notice of Public Comment on Proposed Amendments to Regulations on Educator Licensure and Preparation Program Approval and corresponding technical amendments to licensure provisions for educators under the Vocational Education Regulations and the Regulations on Licensure of Adult Basic Education Teachers
2. MCAS Test Schedule for 2004-2005
3. Release of March 2004 MCAS Retest Items
4. "Board in Brief," a Summary of the April 2004 Meeting of the Board of Education
5. Title 1 Grant Application Workshops
6. "Supporting the Education of Homeless Children and Youth," a conference sponsored by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
7. Announcement of Technology Competitive Grants
8. Education Technology Annual Report
9. End of Year SIMS Reporting Schedule
10. Directory Administration Functions
11. Portuguese Visiting Teacher Program

April 21, 2004  

1. MCAS Retest Update and Performance Appeals
2. Updated 2003 AYP Reports and Timeline for 2004 AYP Reporting
3. MCAS Assessment Development Committees Recruitment Deadline Extended
4. Full Day Kindergarten Conference
5. Special Education Advisory
6. Statewide Data Collection Training for FY 2005 SIMS and School Safety and Discipline Report
7. Regional Technical Assistance Workshops
8. Visiting Exchange Teachers Memorandum
9. Circuit Breaker Trainings

April 5, 2004  

1. Massachusetts Public High School Dropout Report, 2002-2003
2. Annual School Choice Status Vote
3. Spring School Choice Roster Updates
4. McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act Informational Advisories
5. "Supporting the Education of Homeless Children and Youths," a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Conference
6. MCAS Alternate Assessment - Summer 2004 Scoring Institute Application
7. Service-Learning Leader Award Nominations
8. Community Service-Learning Conference
9. Board in Brief, a Summary of the March 2004 Board of Education Meeting
10. 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Technical Assistance Session

March 22, 2004  

1. Recruitment of New MCAS Assessment Development Committees
2. Character Education Professional Development Opportunity
3. Division of Occupational Safety (DOS) Work Permit Forms for Youths Under Age 18
4. Applications for the 2004 Massachusetts Literacy Champions Awards

March 8, 2004  

1. Public Comment is Sought on Proposed Changes 603 CMR 38.00, School Construction Regulations
2. Requirements for Participation of Students with Limited English Proficiency in State-Mandated Assessments
3. Leadership Conference
4. Distinguished Elementary Educators
5. American History Teacher of the Year
6. Survey Questions on History and Social Science Course Sequences
7. 2004 MCAS Scoring Institute
8. Update on English Language Arts and Mathematics standards for grades 3, 5, and 7
9. School Safety and Discipline Report
10. "Board in Brief," a Summary of the February 24th meeting of the Board of Education

February 24, 2004  

1. Updates regarding the Spring 2004 testing of LEP students
2. Opportunity for Local On-Site Licensure Renewal
3. March 22 Technology and Policy Institute in Marlborough
4. Spring Technology Conferences: Agenda and Registration
5. MCAS Appeals: Memorandum on School Attendance
6. Stanley Z. Koplik Certificate of Mastery

February 5, 2004  

1. MCAS Performance Appeals: Notice of Public Comment
2. School Attending Children Report
3. Professional Development in the Humanities
4. Bob Bickerton, Acting Associate Commissioner for Lifelong Learning & Teaching
5. Draft Guidelines for Vocational Technical Education Nonresident Tuition

January 21, 2004  

1. Title 1 Winter Conference, January 21, 27 and February 5
2. Compass Schools Information-Sharing Sessions
3. Requirements for the Participation of Students with Limited English Proficiency in State-Mandated Assessments
4. Re-Licensure for Educators Planning to Retire

January 7, 2004  

1. English Language Learner Monitoring Workshop Registration
2. MCAS Alternate Assessment (MCAS-Alt): Summary of 2003 State Results
3. MCAS Assessment Development Committee Recruitment Opportunity: Grade 10 English Language Arts
4. History and Social Science Professional Development Opportunities
5. Superintendent Communication Survey
6. NCLB Winter Workshops
7. Technology Self-Assessment Tool