The Massachusetts Elementary and Secondary Education System: An Overview
Massachusetts boasts a rich history of education, dating back to the colonial era. Today, the state's public K-12 education system is overseen by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). This article provides an overview of the structure, funding, and various educational options available within the Massachusetts elementary and secondary education system.
Structure and Governance
The DESE, established by Section 1A of Chapter 69 of the Massachusetts General Laws, operates within the Commonwealth’s Executive Office of Education. The Executive Office of Education includes the departments of early education and care, elementary and secondary education, and higher education. The DESE is under the supervision and management of the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education. The acting Massachusetts Secretary of Education is Amy Kershaw (nonpartisan).
The Massachusetts State Board of Education is composed of 11 members, including a chairperson, vice-chairperson, and secretary. The chairperson is appointed by the governor, while the vice-chairperson is elected by the Board from a poll of persons nominated by the Board. A vice-chairperson holds office for one year until another person is elected by the board.
The mission of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) is to strengthen the Commonwealth's public education system so that every student is prepared to succeed in postsecondary education, compete in the global economy, and understand the rights and responsibilities of American citizens, and in so doing, to close all proficiency gaps. BESE's responsibilities include approving learning standards, voting on charter school applications, deciding when to intervene in the state's lowest-performing districts, and hiring the commissioner. The Board includes the secretary of education, a student (the president of the State Student Advisory Council), and nine members appointed by the governor. Board meetings are normally held on the fourth Tuesday of every month.
Historical Context
A reprint from the 93rd Annual Report of the Department of Education contains a timeline of the history of education in Massachusetts, prepared for use in the Normal Schools. The timeline is divided into five periods:
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- Colonial Education, 1630-1789: In this period the Massachusetts system of schools was founded, in rough outline - dame schools, elementary schools, secondary schools, and colleges. In the latter part of the period local district schools became prominent and academies arose in the secondary field; also secular textbooks began to replace religious books.
- Development of State Education - Citizenship, 1789-1860: Upon the formation of the United States Government, education was taken up by the individual states - the civic purpose superseded the older religious aim. District schools and academies at first were dominant. Gradually graded town schools and public high schools developed. Definite steps were taken toward State direction of education at public expense, under Horace Mann's influence. Following him came a marked expansion in the scope of public education.
- Beginnings of Modern Education, 1860-1890: This period is marked by the development of modern types of institutions; by active reforms in methods of instruction; by the expansion of State control; by the growth of supervision; and by the differentiation due to introduction of new subjects.
- Education a Science, Teaching a Profession, 1890-1910: From this time on, the educational development of Massachusetts becomes in a measure a part of certain movements affecting the whole country, based on the scientific study of education - influence of Herbart and Froebel; the (“new Psychology,” child study and adolescence; university departments of education; influence of President Eliot and John Dewey. In Massachusetts - Nature Study and Manual Training movements; Vocational Education; Medical Inspection.
- Educational Extension, Testing Achievement, 1910-1930: This is a period of testing by scientific methods; of better organization of courses; of extension along vocational and cultural lines; of greater attention to the needs of individuals; of broader training of teachers; of centralization of administration.
Funding
Massachusetts invests approximately $16 billion a year in our public schools through a mixture of federal, state, and local funds. The Administration and Finance team directly oversees DESE's $6 billion annual budget, 98 percent of which goes directly to districts in the form of local aid, grants, and special education reimbursements. Funding streams include the Chapter 70 program, the main form of state education aid; the special education circuit breaker program; and food and nutrition grants and programs.
Educational Options
Massachusetts offers a variety of educational options for families, including:
- Traditional Public Schools: These schools are operated by school districts, free to attend, open to all students, and funded by federal, state, and local government. In Massachusetts, 83.6% of all K-12 students attend traditional public schools. In Massachusetts, each district decides whether it will participate in open enrollment. “Open enrollment” allows parents to send their children to any public school, regardless of where it is located.
- Charter Public Schools: These schools are tuition-free public schools that are open to all students; charter schools differ from traditional public school in that they are allowed extra freedom to innovate with curriculum and learning methods. 4.9% of all K-12 students attend a public charter school in Massachusetts. Massachusetts currently has more than 70 charter schools that parents can choose from. Charter schools are also held accountable to authorizing entities. Charter school students within district boundaries may receive free transportation. The rules include: K-6 students over 2 miles receive local district transport, K-12 in regional districts get regional district transport if over 2 miles, and all special needs students get district transport regardless of distance. Charter public schools are an important part of the Massachusetts public school system. CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE GREATER AUTONOMY Schools operate under five-year charters granted by the Commonwealth’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. The best public education systems support all kids in reaching their full potential, and charter public schools are part of the formula that has given Massachusetts the top-performing public school system in the country.
- Magnet Schools: Depending on where you live, you may have access to a third type of public school: magnet schools. Massachusetts established one of the nation’s first magnet schools, Trotter Elementary School, in the late 1960s. Today, Massachusetts has several magnet schools, such as Worcester Arts Magnet School, Chandler Magnet School, Joseph G. Pyne Arts Magnet School, Mass Academy of Math and Science, Alfred G. A magnet school may be a good choice if your student learns best by diving deeply into a subject they are passionate about.
- Virtual Schools: Whether your child wants to accelerate his or her learning or needs a quieter environment in which to focus, you may be interested in giving virtual school a try. Private virtual schools are also available.
- Homeschooling: Homeschooling is another school option for Massachusetts families. This is a great option if you are looking for a hands-on, highly-customizable approach to your child’s education. In Massachusetts, 1.2% of all K-12 students are homeschooled. A notice of your intent to homeschool is required to begin the process of homeschooling. It is recommended that you formally withdraw from your public school so your student is not marked truant. Massachusetts is unique in having a local approach to homeschooling policies. Homeschool families in the state follow guidelines set by their local school committee.
- Microschools: Today, many Massachusetts families are mixing and matching school options to come up with new ways to personalize education. Microschools are one of these ways. A microschool refers to students gathering together in a small group - with adult supervision - to learn, explore, and socialize. Microschools can take a variety of shapes and legal forms, from homeschoolers coming together at an enrichment center to a private school committed to small classrooms. Remember, microschooling is more a mentality than a specific legal distinction in most cases.
Curriculum and Standards
The Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks provide teachers, students and families with clear and shared expectations for what all students should know and be able to do at the end of each year. They represent a promise of equitable education for all students. The following videos illustrate standards-based learning. They provide an overview of how educators are approaching standards based learning in different content areas and grades.
Adult and Community Learning Services (ACLS)
DESE’s Adult and Community Learning Services (ACLS) Unit is charged with managing the Commonwealth’s adult education (AE) program. The AE program was established under Section 1H of Chapter 69 of the General Laws to deliver adult basic education and literacy services intended to increase options for those requiring these services and lead to better employment opportunities. The program offers educational assistance to Massachusetts residents who are 16 years and older, are not enrolled in high school, and require instruction ranging from basic literacy and numeracy, as well as English for speakers of other languages, to high school equivalency and college and career readiness skills. The AE program is funded by both state and federal grants administered by DESE. AE providers are located in cities and towns throughout the Commonwealth. Providers include nonprofit community-based organizations, religious institutions, local governments (through their school systems), and correctional facilities.
In 1998, as the need for increased AE program performance accountability grew, DESE implemented a Web-based system, the System for Managing Accountability and Results Through Technology (SMARTT), which enabled AE providers to enter student performance data in a central database. DESE could now better monitor AE providers and identify what was going well and what could be improved in a more timely fashion. In fiscal year 2019, DESE replaced SMARTT with its latest software-the Literacy, Adult and Community Education System (LACES)-which providers could continue to use to capture student performance data. The new software also gave DESE additional reporting capabilities.
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DESE grants funds to providers that have gone through an open and competitive bid process and have submitted applications in response to a request for proposals (RFP) from DESE (herein referred to as “RFP applications”). DESE reviews and scores the submitted applications. DESE then ranks the providers according to their RFP application scores, and because limited funds are available, it awards funds to those with the highest scores. This scoring system is also used to assign providers into three cohorts for oversight purposes. For fiscal year 2019, DESE granted funds to 77 AE providers. It assigned 25 providers to cohort 1, 26 providers to cohort 2, and 26 providers to cohort 3.
DESE has four ACLS program specialists, including one program team leader, who make up the program quality review (PQR) team. They are responsible for monitoring providers’ performance and the quality of the curriculum delivered to adult learners. The provider monitoring process covers the four-year funding cycle for providers. Each provider is monitored by either a PQR or a site visit (SV), conducted by the PQR team, once a year over the first three years of the four-year funding cycle. No providers are reviewed in the fourth year, so that the PQR team can evaluate providers’ performance and determine grant allocations for the next four-year cycle. A PQR is a full-day monitoring visit. An SV is a half-day monitoring visit. DESE instituted this process in fiscal year 2019 to monitor the performance of AE providers and ensure that they complied with DESE policies for providing quality education to adult learners.
The process for both a PQR and an SV consists of a planning phase, a physical visit phase, and a report writing phase. The planning phase involves identifying the providers to visit in the coming year, announcing the visits, giving providers’ program directors general information about the visits, and requesting information and documents. On the visit date, for both PQRs and SVs, the PQR team meets at the provider location. Pairs of team members evaluate the providers’ teaching skills and program leadership. For PQRs, classroom observations are used to evaluate the level of curriculum rigor and the scope and sequence of instruction. The program leaders, students, and teachers are all asked the same set of questions, which are designed to address IPQs, as well as program goals, advisor availability, course study topics, and training programs. Program leader interviews last one and a half hours, student interviews last half an hour, and teacher and advisor interviews last one hour. The interview questions for PQRs focus on 4 of 10 predefined IPQs.
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