Code of Massachusetts Regulations
603 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
Title 603 CMR 2.00 - Accountability and Assistance for School Districts And Schools
Section 2.02 - Definitions
Accountability Percentile. The measure used to report each school's relative standing compared to other schools statewide. The accountability percentile shall be calculated by ranking data from all available accountability indicators for each school and combining them into a single, final percentile value, from one to 99.
Annual Performance Determination. Annual district, grade level, school, or student subgroup achievement and improvement, as determined by the Department relative to indicators which include, but need not be limited to, achievement in English language arts, mathematics, and science, student growth in English language arts and mathematics, high school completion, English language proficiency, chronic absenteeism, and high school advanced coursework completion, in accordance with the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
Benchmark Assessment. An assessment that is given at regular and specified intervals throughout the school year, is designed to evaluate students' knowledge and skills relative to a specific set of academic standards, and produces results that can be aggregated (e.g., by course, grade level, school, or district) in order to inform teachers and administrators at the student, classroom, school, and district levels.
Board. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, appointed in accordance with M.G.L. c. 15, § 1E.
Charter School. A public school operated under a charter granted by the Board pursuant to M.G.L. c. 71, § 89 and 603 CMR 1.00: Charter Schools.
Chronically Under performing District . The designation given to a district by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in accordance with M.G.L. c. 69, § 1K.
Chronically Under performing School. The designation given to an under performing school by the commissioner in accordance with M.G.L. c. 69, § 1J (l).
Commissioner. The commissioner of elementary and secondary education, appointed in accordance with M.G.L. c. 15, § 1F, or his or her designee.
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Virtual School. A public school operated under a certificate granted by the commissioner pursuant to M.G.L. c. 71, § 94 and 603 CMR 52.00Commonwealth of Massachusetts Virtual Schools.
Core Subjects. The subjects specified in M.G.L. c. 69, § 1D (science, technology, and mathematics, history and social science, English, foreign languages and the arts) and subjects covered in courses that are part of an approved vocational-technical education program under M.G.L. c. 74.
Criterion-referenced Measure. The measure used to report a district's, school's, or subgroup's performance against targets, set by the Department, for each accountability indicator. At the district and school level, the criterion-referenced measure shall combine the results from all students in the district or school and the results from the lowest performing students in the district or school.
Department. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education acting through the commissioner or his or her designee.
District Analysis and Review Tool or DART. An electronic interface, using graphics and showing trends, of a sampling of relevant data kept by the Department or submitted to the Department by districts over time in areas including, but not limited to, district and school demographics, access, performance, educator licensure and turnover, student support, and educational resources.
District Improvement Plan. The comprehensive, three-year improvement plan each district is required to develop under M.G.L. c. 69, § 11.
District Indicators. The detailed performance indicators associated with the district standards and developed by the Department.
District or School District. A municipal school department or regional school district, acting through its school committee or superintendent of schools, or a county agricultural school, acting through its board of trustees or superintendent/director. For the purposes of 603 CMR 2.00, it shall not mean a charter school or a Commonwealth of Massachusetts virtual school.
District Review. A school district audit conducted by the Department under M.G.L. c. 15, § 55A, in accordance with a process and protocol established by the commissioner on behalf of the Board pursuant to M.G.L. c. 69, § 1B, and based on published district standards and indicators.
District Review Report. The report of a district review by a district review team, as required by M.G.L. c. 15, § 55A.
District Review Team. A group of individuals appointed by the Department, pursuant to M.G.L. c. 15, § 55A, to conduct a district review.
District Standards. The standards developed and published by the Department pursuant to 603 CMR 2.03(6)(a) and (b) that are the basis for district reviews.
ESEA. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq., reauthorized in 2015 as the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Follow-up Review. A review conducted following a district review to gather further information, to be used for such purposes as determining whether an under performing district should be reclassified as chronically under performing or whether a school or district should be removed from under performing or chronically under performing status.
Follow-up Review Report. The report of a follow-up review.
Formative Assessment. Assessment questions, tools, and processes that are embedded in instruction and are used by teachers and students to provide timely feedback for purposes of adjusting instruction to improve learning.
Framework for District Accountability and Assistance. The system for district and school accountability and assistance developed by the Department in consultation with the Board's advisory council on school and district accountability and assistance, approved by the Board, and implemented by the Department pursuant to 603 CMR 2.03(1).
Lowest Performing Students. The group of students who, when considering achievement on the English language arts and mathematics MCAS assessments, are among the lowest performing students in the district or school.
Mathematics Content Assessment. A diagnostic assessment of mathematics content knowledge approved by the Department that mathematics teachers at an under performing or chronically under performing school may be required to take, at no cost to the district or the teacher for the assessment instrument or its scoring.
Mathematics Teacher. Any educator who teaches mathematics in a Massachusetts public school.
MCAS. The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, provided for in M.G.L. c. 69, § 1I.
Performance. Results or outcomes across multiple measures, including, but not limited to, achievement and student growth.
Receiver shall:
(a) for a district, mean a non-profit entity or an individual with a demonstrated record of success in improving low-performing schools or districts or the academic performance of disadvantaged students, appointed by the commissioner on behalf of the Board for a district designated as chronically under performing, pursuant to M.G.L. c. 69, § 1K(a), and 603 CMR 2.06(3); and
(b) for a school, mean a non-profit entity or an individual with a demonstrated record of success in improving low-performing schools or the academic performance of disadvantaged students, appointed for a school designated as under performing by the superintendent pursuant to M.G.L. c. 69, § 1J(h) and 603 CMR 2.05(7) and for a school designated as chronically under performing by the commissioner pursuant to M.G.L. c. 69, § 1J(r), (v), or (w) and 603 CMR 2.06(5).
School. A single public school which operates under the direct administration of a principal, director, or school leader appointed by the school district or board of trustees responsible for its governance.
School Improvement Plan. The plan for improved student performance each school is required to develop annually under M.G.L. c. 69, § 1I.
Student Growth. A measure of how much a student's achievement has improved from one year to the next.
Subgroup. One of the groups of students for which the Department issues annual performance determinations including, but not limited to, students with disabilities, English learners, economically disadvantaged students, and students belonging to major racial and ethnic groups.
Subgroup Percentile. The measure used to report each subgroup's relative standing compared to like subgroups statewide. The subgroup percentile shall be calculated by ranking data from all available accountability indicators for each subgroup and combining them into a single, final percentile value, from one to 99.
Turnaround Plan. The plan to improve student achievement in an under performing or chronically under performing school or a chronically under performing district that may serve as the School Improvement Plan or District Improvement Plan.
under performing District. The designation given to a district by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in accordance with 603 CMR 2.05(1).
under performing District Plan. A plan for improvement a district designated as under performing is required to develop and implement pursuant to 603 CMR 2.05(8)(b), (c), and (d).
under performing School. The designation given to a school by the commissioner in accordance with M.G.L. c. 69, § 1J.
