Sunday, October 19, 2008

EVENT: Monday, Oct. 20, State Board of Elementary and Second Education Meets

Monday, 5:00 pm, Delaney House, 3 Country Club Road/Route 5, Holyoke

A special meeting of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education convenes on Monday evening to tackle the creation of a state accountability and assistance system. The responsibility was shifted to the board over the summer after Gov. Patrick signed legislation eliminating the independent Office of Educational Quality and Accountability. School administrators often complained that EQA offered duplicative and unhelpful reviews, while supporters of the agency said it provided important evaluations and held school districts accountable. In a memo to board members, Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester said he had spoken with administrators, superintendents, lawmakers and others in discussing a new accountability system that would be tied in with assistance to districts. “Important and difficult questions have been brought to the table; existing rules have been challenged,” he wrote. “Opinions and ideas from this broad range of stakeholders have been raised and I have openly declared my intention to reexamine the current system and to work collaboratively with the field in order to determine what changes should be made.”

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