Massachusetts 2023-2024 Regular Session

Massachusetts Senate Bill S307 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1313 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
3	3	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 307
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Jason M. Lewis
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act establishing a special commission to re-imagine school assessment and accountability.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Jason M. LewisFifth MiddlesexPatricia D. JehlenSecond Middlesex3/3/2023 1 of 3
16	16	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1313 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
17	17	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 307
18	18	By Mr. Lewis, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 307) of Jason M. Lewis and Patricia
19	19	D. Jehlen for legislation to establish a Special Commission to Re-Imagine School Assessment
20	20	and Accountability. Education.
21	21	[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
22	22	SEE SENATE, NO. 361 OF 2021-2022.]
23	23	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
24	24	_______________
25	25	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
26	26	(2023-2024)
27	27	_______________
28	28	An Act establishing a special commission to re-imagine school assessment and accountability.
29	29	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
30	30	of the same, as follows:
31	31	1 SECTION 1. (a) There shall be a special commission on the student, school and district
32	32	2evaluation system, assessment instruments, and requirements regarding state intervention in
33	33	3underperforming schools and school districts. The commission shall review the
34	34	4Commonwealth’s current assessment and accountability system, including provisions in sections
35	35	51D, 1I, 1J, and 1K of chapter 69 of the General Laws that affect the performance, efficacy, and
36	36	6impact of the student, school, and district evaluation system.
37	37	7 The commission shall examine the requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act of
38	38	82015, Public Law 114-95, as well as potential waivers; the range of alternative assessment and
39	39	9accountability systems in place or being considered across the country; and research data on 2 of 3
40	40	10what parents, K-12 educators, higher education and business leaders want students to know and
41	41	11be able to do upon high school graduation.
42	42	12 Regarding the assessment of students, the special commission shall consider assessments
43	43	13other than conventional methods, including, but not limited to, work samples, projects and
44	44	14portfolios, and authentic and direct gauges of student performance.
45	45	15 Regarding the accountability formula, the special commission shall consider the inclusion
46	46	16of a broader range of measures that align with public values and are less tied to student
47	47	17demography.
48	48	18 Regarding accountability determinations, the commission shall consider a process of
49	49	19public input and deliberation, rather than an algorithm or the commissioner’s or Board’s
50	50	20judgment alone. The commission shall use these reviews and research data to develop
51	51	21recommendations, including proposed amendments to sections 1D, 1I, 1J and 1K of chapter 69
52	52	22of the General Laws, on the Commonwealth’s future education assessment and accountability
53	53	23system. The commission shall file its recommendations, together with drafts of legislation
54	54	24necessary to carry those recommendations into effect, with the clerks of the senate and house of
55	55	25representatives on or before December 31, 2022.
56	56	26 (b) There shall be two co-chairs, selected by commission members at their first meeting
57	57	27from among the commission’s membership. Commission members shall include the senate and
58	58	28house chairs of the Joint Committee on Education or designees; the commissioner of elementary
59	59	29and secondary education or designee; the secretary of education or designee; the speaker of the
60	60	30house of representatives or designee; the president of the senate or designee; the minority leader
61	61	31of the house of representatives or designee; the minority leader of the senate or designee; and one 3 of 3
62	62	32member to be appointed by each of the following organizations: Massachusetts Association of
63	63	33School Committees, Inc.; Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, Inc.;
64	64	34Massachusetts Teachers Association; American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts;
65	65	35Massachusetts Parent Teacher Association; Massachusetts State Student Advisory Council;
66	66	36Multicultural Education, Training, and Advocacy, Inc.; NAACP Boston; Citizens for Public
67	67	37Schools; Massachusetts Consortium for Innovative Education Assessment; Black Educators
68	68	38Alliance of Massachusetts; Massachusetts Asian American Educators Association; Gaston
69	69	39Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy of the University of
70	70	40Massachusetts Boston; Massachusetts Advocates for Children; Center for Law and Education;
71	71	41and the Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University.
72	72	42 (c) Prior to issuing its recommendations, the commission shall conduct not fewer than 8
73	73	43public hearings across regions of the Commonwealth, and shall invite expert speakers on
74	74	44alternative forms of state assessment and accountability systems that replace standardized
75	75	45testing.