Accountability & Assistance Advisory Council Meeting April 12, 2017 Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel Marlborough, MA

Agenda Welcome Review of discussion norms & protocols Discussion of proposed technical amendment to accountability regulations ESSA state plan update: submission & next steps Discussion of assistance strategies in MA Next steps & closing Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Norms & protocols Promote risk-taking by not assigning specific comments to individual members in meeting summaries & minutes Maintain confidentiality before, during, & after meetings Seek clarification & check understanding to avoid mistakenly attributing ideas to an individual or organization represented on the council Keep improvements in student learning at the core of the discussions. Students should drive the conversation Stay engaged in the issues Actively address implicit biases & instill cultural proficiency in discussions Encourage discussion from all voices of members. Be additive, not repetitive Let members know if pre-reading or other pre-meeting assignments require more than 30 minutes of preparation time Make it fun! Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Proposed amendment to accountability regulations

603 CMR 2.00: Accountability & Assistance for School Districts & Schools Governs the review of the educational programs & services provided by MA public schools & the assistance to be provided by districts & ESE to improve them Describes the process for placing schools into Levels 1-5 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Proposed changes The proposed amendment would allow ESE to refrain from placing certain schools into Levels 1-3 at the beginning of the 2017-18 school year Assessment transition provides opportunity Common assessment baseline for new accountability system 2017 next-generation MCAS results reported with relative indicator High school accountability would remain unchanged Requires a regulatory change Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

2017 accountability reporting Schools & districts administering next-generation MCAS in grades 3-8 that have participation rates below 90% would be placed into Level 3 Schools serving a combination of grades 3-8 & 9-12 that have persistently low graduation rates would be placed into Level 3 Current Level 4 or 5 schools or districts that are not exiting would maintain their level designation All other schools would not receive an accountability level, school percentile, or Progress & Performance Index (PPI) 2017 assessment results serve as the new baseline for future reporting Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Summary of public comments Supports the regulation Raises a concern about the weight given to this year’s scores in the accountability ratings assigned in the fall of 2018 Asserts that when the accountability rating system is determined, participation rates for 2017 should far outweigh scores from 2017 Comment 2: Asks why a Level 2 or Level 3 school can’t move up to Level 1 or 2 as reward for improvement Asks why schools should be penalized for low participation rates if schools are not rewarded for high participation rates Notes that there is an incentive for schools to set a low baseline this year in order to show growth Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Summary of public comments Argues that the proposed amendment does not meet either the intention or the requirements of the hold harmless motion passed by the Board in November 2015 Proposes that the amendment should be modified to provide that the 2017 MCAS scores “will never be used as a factor in accountability determinations” In reference to the 90 percent assessment participation threshold proposed for 2017 reporting, asserts that parents & students have the right to opt out of MCAS exams, & that schools should not be penalized for those decisions Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) state plan update

Alignment between ESSA & MA goal & strategies Massachusetts’ ESSA plan represents a continuation of the core work that the Board & the Department have been engaged in for many years Focus on equity & excellence for all students, particularly for economically disadvantaged & other high need students High academic standards Accountability, support, & improvement Ensuring effective educators Supporting all students Academic assessments Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Massachusetts’ goal is to prepare all students for success after high school by: Strengthening standards, curriculum, instruction, and assessment Promoting educator development Supporting social-emotional learning, health, and safety Turning around the lowest performing districts and schools Using technology and data to support teaching & learning 12 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 12

ESSA stakeholder feedback: 2016-17 April-July 2016 July-October 2016 October-Dec 2016 Dec 2016- March 2017 Listening Modeling Revising External stakeholders Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Stakeholder feedback (April 2016 - February 2017) 200+ stakeholder groups 5 public forums: 250+ attendees Almost 100 community meetings & presentations 1,500+ responses to our survey Broad range: educators, parents, students, advocacy groups Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Official public comment (February 2017 - March 2017) 1,000+ responses to our survey Wide range of participants: educators, parents, students, advocacy groups, legislators, Governor 65+ individual letters Postcards from the arts community

Official public comment: Support for state priorities Strongly Agree Somewhat Agree Somewhat Disagree Strongly Disagree Early Grades Literacy 79% 17% 2% Supports for those who have historically struggled 75% 20% 3% High quality career pathways 67% 27% 5% 1% Middle grades math 60% 36% Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Official public comment: Support for indicators Strongly Support Somewhat Support Somewhat Oppose Strongly Oppose Access to arts 76% 20% 3% 1% Access to broad curriculum 69% 28% 2% Access to advanced coursework 61% 35% School climate & culture 55% 32% 9% 4% Chronic absenteeism 43% 39% 12% 5% 9th grade course passing 49% 13% Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Official public comment: Support for indicators Strongly Support Somewhat Support Somewhat Oppose Strongly Oppose The proposed system includes the right amount of indicators related to outcomes 23% 54% 16% 7% The proposed system includes the right amount of indicators related to inputs 31% 43% 17% 9% Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Accountability requirements under ESSA “Annual meaningful differentiation” “Ambitious state-designed long-term goals” All students & subgroups Focus on gap closing Continued annual testing 95% assessment participation requirement Required indicators: Achievement in ELA, math, & science Student growth or progress Graduation rates Progress in achieving English proficiency for English learners At least one measure of school quality or student success Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Accountability requirements under ESSA “Substantial weight” on achievement, progress, ELL proficiency, & graduation rate Together, they must be given “much greater weight” than any measures of school quality or student success Identify lowest performing 5 percent of schools & high schools with graduation rates below 67% Identify schools with low performing subgroups Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

MA accountability design principles Focus on academic performance (e.g., academic achievement & graduation rates) more so than on school inputs Balance robustness with simplicity & transparency Ensure the validity & reliability of our accountability index so that it is technically defensible Set targets that require that each school & district stretch & continually improve Align accountability incentives for districts, schools, educators, & students Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

MA accountability measures Core measures: ELA, math, & science achievement results A measure of student growth in tested grades Gap closing by accelerating the gains of the lowest performing students High school graduation rates Progress & attainment of English language proficiency for English learners Possible additional measures: Chronic absenteeism Annual dropout rates in grades 9-12 Successful completion of a broad & challenging curriculum Success in the 9th grade Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Proposed accountability approach Measures aggregated into overall school performance percentile Percentile used as first step for classifying schools into performance levels Example Level Example Criteria Tier 1 School percentile 90-100 Tier 2 School percentile 51-89 Tier 3 School percentile 26-50 Tier 4 School percentile 11-25 Tier 5 School percentile 6-10 Comprehensive Support / underperforming School percentile 1-5 and Current Level 4 schools State receivership Commissioner’s determination Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Proposed accountability approach Performance level designations would not depend solely on performance of other schools ESE will set annual performance targets for all districts, schools, & subgroups Schools can move up in performance level by meeting or exceeding school & subgroup targets Schools can move down in performance by having a low performing subgroup or not meeting participation requirements District performance levels based on all students in district, not individual schools Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Expanded school report card Designed with stakeholder input First published in fall 2018 Potential indicators may include: Breadth of curriculum (e.g., access to a well-rounded curriculum including the arts & advanced coursework) School-level financial allocations & expenditures School climate surveys Enrollment in career-technical education & other pathways (e.g., early college) Percent of high school graduates achieving the competency determination Preparedness for postsecondary education Pre-kindergarten experience/readiness for kindergarten Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Next steps Timeframe Activity Spring – Summer 2017 USED reviews ESSA state plan (120 day review period) Fall 2017 Convene internal/external school & district report card working group to redesign report cards for 2018 Late Summer – Model accountability metrics using first round of Next-Generation MCAS results Late Fall 2017 Discuss system design with BESE Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Statewide System of Support Strategic restructuring updates

Discussion overview Context March retreat Phases & next steps Questions & discussion March Retreat Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Goals of the Statewide System of Support Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Performance trends: ELA Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Performance trends: ELA ELL Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Performance trends: Math Overall Math CPI Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Performance trends: Math ELL Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Successful turnaround in action Turnaround Practices Leadership, Shared Responsibility, & Professional Collaboration — The school has established a community of practice through leadership, shared responsibility, & professional collaboration. Intentional Practices for Improving Instruction — The school employs intentional practices for improving teacher-specific & student-responsive instruction. Student-Specific Instruction & Supports to All Students — The school is able to provide student-specific supports & interventions informed by data & the identification of student-specific needs. School Climate & Culture — The school has established a climate & culture that provide a safe, orderly, & respectful environment for students & a collegial, collaborative, & professional culture among teachers that supports the school’s focus on increasing student achievement. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Overview of 2016 research Impact analysis Implementation analysis Impact of SRGs on school turnaround, using comparative interrupted time series analyses Implementation analysis Qualitative analyses of how Level 4 schools implement key turnaround practices Field guide Provides educators with examples of school-specific practices that have contributed to turnaround success Research brief Videos Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

ESE response to research Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

SSoS Theory of Action to achieve goals Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Why adjust the organization & deployment of the SSoS? Tighter alignment with agency priorities (ESSA, early literacy, middle grades math, etc.) Based on over 7 years of learning , we are ready to focus our strategies based on what we know works on a bounded set of schools & districts Responding to changes in resources Responding to inequities across the system (e.g., #s of schools served by DSAC regions & ODST liaisons) Adjusting a structure that is currently not sufficiently flexible Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Some key principles Build on success & research Invest in high leverage, high priority strategies related to school & district turnaround practices & ESE priorities Importance of having a district lead Critical for work to be at both the district & school levels We need standard supports; but we also need to be able to customize those supports to unique contexts/needs Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

The work drives the change: draft ideas Leadership Instruc-tional Practices Data-Driven Student Supports Culture & Climate Human Capital Strategies & Supports Instructional Leadership Teams Early Grade Literacy Secondary Redesign Wrap-around Supports Recruitment & Retention Strategies MSV Practices Turnaround Principal Develop-ment Middle Grade Math Data Literacy Family Engagement Resource Allocation Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Potential framework to more flexibly support districts Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Potential framework to more flexibly support districts Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Potential framework to more flexibly support districts Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Potential framework to more flexibly support districts Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Potential framework to more flexibly support districts Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Potential framework to more flexibly support districts Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Assessing our internal capacity 3) Time capacity (other commitments) 4) Geography 1) Expertise & skills aligned with Turnaround Practices 2) Potential areas to develop expertise & skills Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

It won’t be built in a day Restructuring roll-out over 2 years: Phase 1: SY17-18 Phase 2: SY18-19 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Why two phases? To develop & refine priority strategies aligned with school turnaround practices & effective district systems of support To continue to strengthen SSoS capacity to effectively deliver on those strategies To field test new teaming strategies while maintaining/building strong relationships with districts To align with ESSA implementation requirements & timeline To flexibly support agency focus as it develops & incorporate Phase 1 feedback 1 2 3 4 5 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

In the months ahead… Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Changes in phase 1 vs. 2 Phase 1 Phase 2 (SY17-18) (SY18-19) Piloting deployment of staff outside of traditional DSAC/ODST assignments Tighter focus on bottom 10% Development of specialty teams to support the turnaround priority areas More intentional focus on agency goals, including early literacy & middle grades math Strategies may shift (add, adapt, subtract) to better align with needs from the field Redesigned structure to allow for core & flexible teaming Additional adjustments might be made based on: ESSA requirements & roll out Feedback from Phase 1 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Questions, reactions & suggestions 53 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education