Code of Massachusetts Regulations
603 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
Title 603 CMR 27.00 - Student Learning Time
Section 27.02 - Definitions

As used in 603 CMR 27.00, the terms listed in 603 CMR 27.02 shall have the following meanings:

Asynchronous Learning shall mean learning that occurs on a student's individual time and at their own pace.

Board shall mean the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Commissioner shall mean the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Core Subjects shall mean the core academic subjects specified in M.G.L. c. 69, § 1D (science, technology and mathematics, history and social science, English, foreign languages and the arts), and the subjects covered in courses which are part of an approved vocational-technical education program under M.G.L. c. 74.

Department shall mean the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

District shall mean a municipal school department or regional school district, acting through its school committee or superintendent of schools, a county agricultural school, acting through its board of trustees or superintendent/director, any other public school established by statute or charter, acting through its governing board or director.

Elementary School shall mean a school providing instruction to grades one through five, six, seven, or eight, and, where so designated by a school committee prior to the commencement of a school year, may also include a middle school or other intermediate level school providing instruction to grades five through eight or any combination thereof.

Live Instruction shall mean the combination of in-person instruction and remote synchronous instruction.

Optional School Programs shall mean school activities not part of a course of study in either core subjects or other subjects, which are offered by a school district to enrich the educational experience of its students and meet educational goals set by the local or regional school committee. Examples include: activity clubs; driver education; extracurricular student performance groups; nonacademic assemblies; nonacademic field trips; pep-rallies; sports; standardized testing other than statewide assessments conducted under M.G.L. c. 69, §§ 1D and 1I; and student government.

Other Subjects shall mean subjects other than core academic subjects that are required to be taught pursuant to M.G.L. c. 71, §§ 1 and 3, and other subjects approved by the school committee as part of the district's program of studies.

Remote Learning shall mean learning that happens outside of the traditional classroom because the student and teacher are separated by distance. Remote learning may include synchronous or asynchronous components, provided that students have opportunities to interact on each school day with teachers, such as through feedback, office hours, and other regularly scheduled individual student interactions. Remote learning may include, but is not limited to, online learning.

School Services shall mean services which a school district provides to some or all students, either as a matter of state or federal law or regulation or local school district policy, to protect or improve student health and personal well-being, or enhance students' readiness and ability to learn. Examples include: special education diagnosis and evaluation; special education related services such as speech, physical and occupational therapy; health screening and prevention services; and school breakfast and lunch.

Secondary School shall mean a school providing instruction to grades six through twelve, or any combination of those grades, except where a school committee, prior to the commencement of the school year, has designated a middle or other intermediate level school providing instruction to grades five through eight, or any combination thereof, as an elementary school.

Structured Learning Time shall mean time during which students are engaged in regularly scheduled instruction, learning activities, or learning assessments within the curriculum for study of the "core subjects" and "other subjects". In addition to classroom time where both teachers and students are present, structured learning time may include directed study, independent study, technology-assisted learning, presentations by persons other than teachers, school-to-work programs, and statewide student performance assessments. Hybrid learning may constitute structured learning time if a district's hybrid learning model is consistent with the requirements of 603 CMR 27.08(3)(a). Remote learning may constitute structured learning time if a district's remote learning model is consistent with the requirements of 603 CMR 27.08(3)(c).

Synchronous Learning shall mean learning that is directed by a teacher and that happens in real time with other students, such as during live, whole-class instruction, and small group work.