The Commonwealth Readiness Project

1
The Commonwealth Readiness Project

• Executive Office of Education
• September 8, 2009

2
Commonwealth Readiness Project

• Created by Executive Order in June 2007, the
  Readiness Project was a statewide initiative
  involving over 200 educators, business leaders,
  and community leaders who led the development of
  a 10-year strategic plan for the future of
  education in the Commonwealth.

3
Commonwealth Readiness Project

• For nine months, a dedicated and distinguished
  group of educators, experts and stakeholders has
  given its time and counsel to help define and
  initiate the next chapter in education reform in
  our great state.
• Governor Deval Patrick, in his letter introducing
  the Readiness Projects report

4
Readiness ProjectTheory of Action

• Improve teaching and learning in every classroom
  across the Commonwealth
• Ensure that every child comes to school ready to
  learn

5
Readiness Project Goals

• To transform public education in the
  Commonwealth, we must
• Meet the learning needs of each student and
  provide the understanding, encouragement,
  support, knowledge, and skills each requires to
  exceed the states high expectations and rigorous
  academic standards
• Ensure that every student is taught by highly
  competent, well-educated, strongly supported, and
  effective educators
• Prepare every student for postsecondary
  education, careers, and lifelong economic,
  social, and civic success and
• Unleash innovation and systemic change throughout
  the Commonwealths schools, school districts,
  colleges, and universities as well as in the
  partnerships and collaborations among education
  institutions, communities, businesses, and
  nonprofits.

6
Readiness Goal 1

• Meet the Learning Needs of Each and Every Student

7
Readiness Goal 1 Children/Students

• Recommendation Establish a fully integrated and
  adequately funded state system of early education
  and care that begins at birth.
• Hired Commissioner Sherri Killins to oversee the
  Department of Early Education and Care.
• Expanded Universal Pre-Kindergarten grants the
  program currently serves 6,700 children.
• Launched a new procurement process for early
  childhood providers.
• Convened a Birth to School Age Task Force.

8
Readiness Goal 1 Children/Students

• Recommendation Engage and mobilize families and
  all sectors of society to provide the
  educational, social, emotional, and health and
  human services each student needs to be ready to
  learn and succeed in school.
• Established and manage the Governors Child and
  Youth Readiness Cabinet.
• Incorporated services addressing students and
  their families health and welfare into the
  component of the Readiness Schools bill
  pertaining to turning around underperforming and
  chronically- underperforming schools.
• The Department of Elementary and Secondary
  Education piloted an Early Warning Indicator
  Index (EWII) in urban districts to help identify
  students as early as grade nine who may be at
  risk for not graduating on time.

9
Readiness Goal 1 Children/Students

• Recommendation Increase adult learning
  opportunities to help families engage in their
  childrens education.
• Protected nearly 94 percent of the FY09 funding
  level for Adult Basic Education (ABE) in FY10.

10
Readiness Goal 2

• Highly Competent Teachers

11
Readiness Goal 2 Teachers

• Recommendation Recruit and retain world-class
  faculty to the Commonwealths public higher
  education institutions.
• Hired former Northeastern University president
  Richard Freeland as Commissioner of Higher
  Education.
• Recommendation Create regional partnerships,
  resources, and capacity to improve education at
  every level.
• The EOE is establishing 6 regional Readiness
  Centers.
• Recommendation Provide intensive, systemic
  induction and mentoring for all educators in
  their first three years of service.
• Readiness Centers will support teacher induction,
  professional development, curriculum development,
  and mentoring for educators.

12
Readiness Goal 2 Teachers

• Recommendation Accelerate the entry of highly
  qualified teachers into public schools,
  particularly in high-need districts and
  high-priority disciplines such as science,
  technology, engineering, and math.
• Readiness Centers will focus on improving the
  quality of teaching from birth through higher
  education and across the Commonwealth.
• The Race to the Top Fund provides an opportunity
  to refine and implement initiatives designed to
  ensure that all districts have access to highly
  qualified, effective teachers in all
  high-priority disciplines.
• Recommendation Improve teaching in science,
  technology, engineering, and math disciplines by
  strengthening content knowledge and teaching
  strategies.
• Readiness Centers will provide programs and
  services, including professional development, to
  enhance the content preparation of teachers.
• The Patrick Administration is establishing a STEM
  Coordinating Council.

13
Readiness Goal 3

• Prepare Students for College and Career Success

14
Readiness Goal 3 College and Career Success

• Recommendation Align the Commonwealths
  standards, frameworks, and curriculum with the
  demands of 21st century life, work, and
  citizenship.
•  
• Massachusetts assumed a leadership role in the
  Common Core Standards Initiative.
• Revising and updating the Massachusetts
  Curriculum Frameworks.
• Developed a new accountability and assistance
  framework to more effectively support
  underperforming districts and schools.
• Task Force on 21st Century Skills.
• Recommendation Engage students in their learning
  by broadly integrating 21st century tools into
  teaching and learning as well as increasing
  interdisciplinary, hands-on, and project-based
  learning.
• The Task Force on 21st Century Skills presented a
  report citing examples of applied learning in
  schools across the Commonwealth the Departments
  are working to implement those measures.

15
Readiness Goal 3 College and Career Success

• Recommendation Provide students with multiple
  pathways to postsecondary education and the
  workforce that are based on high,
  internationally-benchmarked academic and
  employment standards.
• Restored state funding for Dual Enrollment and
  oversaw implementation.
•  
• Recommendation Maintain the current MCAS test as
  a graduation requirement and strengthen the
  system to include measures of individual student
  growth and college readiness, which would
  complement but not replace the current measures.
• Promoted the development of an assessment model
  based on individual student growth.
• Convened a College Readiness Task Force that will
  recommend action steps.

16
Readiness Goal 3 College and Career Success

• Recommendation Provide two years of
  postsecondary education or the equivalent in a
  professional trade as the new baseline of our
  state education system.
•  
• The Patrick Administration remains committed to
  providing free community college, but could not
  proceed with implementation due to the budget
  crisis.
• Recommendation Guarantee transfer of credits
  between and among the states public higher
  education institutions.
• Adopted new transfer-of-credit policies and
  launched a website to increase awareness of
  Massachusetts public college transfer policies. 
•  
• Recommendation Increase the number of graduates
  from postsecondary institutions in Massachusetts.
• Approved new rules for measuring student
  persistence in community colleges.

17
Readiness Goal 3 College and Career Success

• Recommendation Make college accessible and
  affordable for all Commonwealth students.
• Established and managed the Graduation and
  Dropout Prevention and Recovery Commission the
  Commissions report will be released in September
  2009.
• Drafted legislation to increase aid and support
  to students through the Higher Education Relief
  package.
• Managing the development and implementation of a
  college and career web portal.
• Worked with UMASS to secure adequate resources
  and make administrative cost reductions in order
  to issue a fee rebate to students.
• Launched the FAFSA Completion initiative.
• Helped MEFA to secure its largest tax exempt bond
  allocation ever, allowing MEFA to offer more low
  cost loans to students and families.

18
Readiness Goal 4

• Unleash Innovation

19
Readiness Goal 4 Innovation

• Recommendation Structure the school day and
  school year to match the needs of students,
  teachers, and families.
• Readiness Schools provide flexibility regarding
  school schedule and calendar.
• Increased funding for Expanded Learning Time in
  FY09 and maintained funding in FY10.
• Recommendation Bring the proven benefits of
  charter schools into mainstream schools and
  classrooms throughout the Commonwealth.
• Filed legislation to promote innovation
• Readiness Schools Bill.
• Charter School Smart Cap Bill.

20
Readiness Goal 4 Innovation

• Recommendation Create a statewide master teacher
  contract.
• ESE teacher contract database.
• Recommendation Leverage information technology
  to support innovations in teaching and learning.
•  
• Educational Technology grant.
• Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems grant.
• IT Consolidation.

21
Readiness Goal 4 Innovation

• Recommendation Increase the efficiency and
  effectiveness of education governance and
  services to students by dramatically reducing the
  number of school districts in the Commonwealth.
• Proposing legislation to foster school district
  collaboration and regionalization.
• Awarded regionalization planning grants to 12
  communities across the Commonwealth.
• Recommendation Strengthen the connections among
  the Commonwealths education and economic
  development strategies and initiatives.
• EOHED Broadband.

22
Readiness Goal 4 Innovation

• Recommendation Actively partner with all
  segments of society to efficiently and
  effectively fund innovations and systemic
  improvements in education.
• Advocated for the inclusion of education funding
  in ARRA.
• Race to the Top.
• Competitive grants.
• Recommendation Provide sufficient resources to
  support the development of a truly 21st century
  public education system.
• Readiness Finance Commission.

23
Readiness Finance Commission

• The Readiness Finance Commission was charged with
  presenting a variety of alternative means to
  achieve sustainable education funding.

24
Readiness Finance Commission

• The Readiness Finance Commission offered the
  following recommendations
• Reduce municipal employee health insurance costs
  by moving municipalities into the Group Insurance
  Commission (GIC) or programs with equivalent or
  better rates.
• Addressed in the Municipal Partnership II
  proposal filed by Governor Patrick in January
  2009.
• Reduce retiree benefit costs by moving retired
  teachers into Medicare.
• Addressed in the Municipal Partnership II
  proposal filed by Governor Patrick in January
  2009.
• Increase efficiency and capacity through
  regionalization.
• The EOE will soon file legislation regarding
  school district regionalization.

25
Readiness Finance Commission

• Maximize federal Medicaid reimbursements for
  special education costs and explore other avenues
  to reduce or spread costs.
• The EOE is currently examining options in
  collaboration with relevant agencies.
• Reduce procurement costs through procurement
  reform, enhanced use of collaboratives, and
  coordinated purchasing.
• This is being addressed through the Municipal
  Partnership II proposal and the proposed approach
  to district regionalization.
• Reduce energy costs through the use of energy
  savings companies (ESCOs), conservation
  campaigns, and better purchasing.
• The EOE is working with the Department of Energy
  Resources to leverage ARRA programs and inform
  municipalities and schools about existing
  initiatives.

26
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

• As a direct result of Governor Patricks
  leadership and work with a small group of
  governors to advocate for the importance of
  investing in education to stimulate the economy,
  the ARRA provides approximately 100 billion
  nationwide to support early education, elementary
  and secondary education, and higher education.
• The EOE is managing Massachusetts share of
  education funding, totaling 1.88 billion.

27
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

• The Obama Administration identified the following
  reform priorities to guide the allocation and
  strategic investment of ARRA education funds
• Making progress toward rigorous
  college-and-career-ready standards and
  high-quality assessments that are valid and
  reliable for all students, including English
  Language Learners and students with disabilities
  
• Establishing pre-K-to-college and career data
  systems that track progress and foster continuous
  improvement
• Making improvements in teacher effectiveness and
  in the equitable distribution of qualified
  teachers for all students, particularly for
  students who are most in need and
• Providing intensive support and effective
  interventions for the lowest-performing schools.

28
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

• The EOE has the following responsibilities
  regarding the strategic allocation and investment
  of ARRA funds
• Collaborating with the Commissioners and the
  President of UMASS to establish goals and
  priorities for the allocation of ARRA funds
• Supporting the development of EEC, ESE, and DHE
  processes to allocate ARRA funds
• Coordinating efforts to prepare state-level
  applications for ARRA funding (including
  applications for the State Fiscal Stabilization
  Fund and the Race to the Top Fund)
• Disseminating information to multiple
  stakeholders on an ongoing basis
• Collaborating with the Office of Administration
  and Finance, the Office of the Comptroller, and
  the ARRA Program Management Office on an ongoing
  basis and
• Ensuring that the EOE and all state-level
  education agencies and UMASS fully comply with
  federal and state reporting, transparency, and
  accounting requirements.

29
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
30
Next Steps

• Continue to advance our legislative agenda
• Readiness Schools.
• Charter Schools Smart Cap Lift.
• Higher Education Reform Package.
• School District Regionalization.
• Establish six regional Readiness Centers in
  September 2009 and the first cohort of Readiness
  Advantage and Alliance Schools in September 2010.
• Develop winning proposals for the Race to the Top
  Fund and other ARRA competitive grant
  opportunities.
• Implement the Graduation and Dropout Prevention
  and Recovery Commissions recommendations.
• Work with our partners to address and resolve
  critical budget issues, increase efficiency, and
  maximize existing resources.