Mass Teacher Association



4465320353060November 30, 2016November 30, 2016304800-46609000 Educator?Evaluation – Student Impact Rating: Discussions about possible changes to the Student Impact Rating requirement of educator evaluation regulations have been ongoing since early September. Commissioner Chester?asked the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education at its Nov. 29 meeting to approve his proposed regulatory changes and send them out for public comment. The BESE voted 10-1 to approve his recommendation for public comment. Public comments are due Jan. 27, 2017; the BESE is expected to vote on final regulations in February.These changes would replace the Student Impact Rating with a Student Learning Indicator within Standard 2. The Student Learning Indicator would use common assessments and the Student Growth Percentile as available. The indicator would specify “less than expected” and “expected” student learning growth; less than expected growth would result in a one-year self-directed plan for educators whose overall summative rating is proficient or exemplary. No individual ratings on the indicator would be reported to the DESE.The MTA and AFT MA do not believe that the proposed changes address the problems with the Student Impact Rating requirement, as described in our presentation to the BESE in June. A letter has also been sent to the BESE recently describing those concerns.Department of Elementary and Secondary Education forums on accountability and ESSA: The DESE is developing the state’s ESSA plan, which is expected to be submitted in spring 2017. In order to collect input for the plan, the DESE scheduled five public forums, two of which have already been held. Upcoming forums are:Thursday, Dec. 1, Holyoke High School, 500 Beech St., HolyokeTuesday, Dec. 6, Collins Middle School, 29 Highland Ave., SalemEach event is scheduled from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Registration for the forums is available at . The forums focus on school and district accountability, school improvement and other aspects of ESSA.Educator License Public Online Lookup Tool: On Nov. 23, the DESE sent out an e-mail to about 300,000 educators and issued a press release about the availability of a public online lookup tool that provides basic information about educator licenses. This licensure information is already available publicly; the difference is that an online tool is now available for all to access it. DESE has been working on this tool for more than a year; MTA staff have monitored its development and suggested changes to the text that appears on the website. The link to the public lookup for educator licensure is doe.mass.edu/educators/lookup/. Educators should review the license information that is available via the online tool to check for accuracy. If the information is inaccurate, the DESE has listed the phone number of its Licensure Call Center – 781.338.6600 – to call with questions about the information provided. MTA staff will provide assistance with any issues that arise. Please contact the MTA at licensure@.The online lookup provides only basic information about your license. For example, the site will not provide information about the status of license or license renewal applications or endorsements earned (including the SEI Endorsement). The lookup tool will show any current revocation, suspension or surrender actions taken by the educator or the DESE. Below is a sample of information provided by the public lookup:Full NameLicense #CategoryFieldLevelStatusTypeEffective DateEducator’s Name0070000Academic: TeacherVisual ArtPreK-8LicensedProfessional09/13/2016The public lookup is not designed to be the source of information for educators or district staff or anyone who is making employment decisions. Educators can find all information on the status of their license, licensure renewal or applications through ELAR (Educator Licensure and Renewal): District administrators also have separate access to look up information on an educator’s license.MTA Benefits: New programs recently launched by MTAB include a Student Loan Counseling program and a discount hotel booking site through HotelStorm. MTAB is also piloting a group tour to Sorrento and Rome through Durgan Travel for April vacation, April 14-22. Details on these benefits can be found at .NEA RA Host Committee: The 2017 NEA Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly, the largest democratic deliberative assembly in the world, is coming to Boston in June. This means roughly 8,000 delegates from across the country — NEA members from all segments of the education profession — will converge on Boston from June 30 to July 5. There are many opportunities for MTA members to get involved and experience the RA firsthand. Please communicate this opportunity to all members and encourage them to sign up to volunteer.NEA-RA Host Committee Volunteer signup hereRegional Presidents’ Meetings – Winter 2017: Save the dates! Watch for registration links in your e-mail.DayDateTimeRegionLocationTuesday1/10/20174:30-7:30 p.m. NorthamptonDelany House3 Country Club RoadHolyoke, MA 01040 Thursday 1/12/20174:30-7:30 p.m.NortheastContinental Restaurant266 BroadwaySaugus, MA 01906Tuesday1/17/20174:30-7:30 p.m.Cape Cod & IslandsCape Codder Resort1225 Iyannough RoadHyannis, MA 02601 Thursday 1/19/20174:30-7:30 p.m. SoutheastFireside Grille30 Bedford StreetMiddleborough, MA 02346Tuesday1/24/20174:30-7:30 p.m. CentralO'Connor's Restaurant1160 West Boylston Street Worcester, MA 01606Thursday 1/26/20174:30-7:30 p.m. BerkshiresZucchini's1331 North StreetPittsfield, MA 01201 ................
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