The Requester: Metrowest Legal Services
The Request:
- The statement of justification that the school district gave for the need of the local education
agency to assess greater than 1% of students in any given subject with an alternate assessment for the school years of 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 pursuant to 34 C.F.R Section 200.6(c)(3)(ii) and (iv); - The specific identified disabilities of the students taking the alternate assessment in any given
subject for the school years of 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, by number and type (ex. Autism—5
students, etc.).
The Response:
I am the attorney for Framingham Public Schools. I am responding to your Public Records Request dated October 24, 2022. You requested the following records: 1. The statement of justification that the school district gave for the need of the local education agency to assess greater than 1% of students in any given subject with an alternate assessment for the school years of 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 pursuant to 34 C.F.R Section 200.6(c)(3)(ii) and (iv); 2. The specific identified disabilities of the students taking the alternate assessment in any given subject for the school years of 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, by number and type (ex. Autism—5 students, etc.). With regard to Item #1, attached are copies of the Statement of Assurances documents that Framingham sent to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for school years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. With regard to Item #2, Framingham does not have any records responsive to your request. The District does not collect and maintain the information that you requested – the number of students per identified disability taking the alternate assessment in any given subject for the school years identified.
———- Forwarded message ———
From: Laura Spear <lspear@framingham.k12.ma.us>
Date: Mon, Jan 3, 2022 at 10:26 AM
Subject: Framingham: Number and Percentage of Students Taking the MCAS Alternate Assessment (MCAS-Alt) in Your District
To: <debra.d.hand2@state.ma.us>
Cc: Robert Tremblay <rtremblay@framingham.k12.ma.us>, Amy Bright <abright@framingham.k12.ma.us>
Happy New Year, Debra.
Attached is Framingham’s response, including supporting documents. Please reach out if you have any questions or if you need anything additional from me.
Best,
Laura Spear
Laura Spear
Director of Special Education
Framingham Public Schools
Special Education Department
Framingham Public Schools
19 Flagg Drive
Framingham, MA 01702
Phone: 508-424-3458
Fax: 508-877-3201
Copy of 8_23 Special Education Staff Meeting Ag…
Copy of MCAS Alt Parent Letter English Signed A…
Copy of MCAS Alt Parent Letter Port Signed Aug …
Copy of MCAS Alt Parent Letter Spanish Signed A…
2022 Statement of Assurances MCAS ALT FRAMINGHA…
October 8, 2021 PD Schedule Overview with Links…
Copy of IEP Meeting Checklist.pdf
Laura Spear
Director of Special Education
Framingham Public Schools
Special Education Department
Framingham Public Schools
19 Flagg Drive
Framingham, MA 01702
Phone: 508-424-3458
Fax: 508-877-3201
On Wed, Dec 1, 2021 at 11:07 AM Hand, Debra D (DOE) <debra.d.hand2@state.ma.us> wrote:
Apologies, here is the attachment.
| Debra Hand, M.Ed MCAS-Alt Coordinator W 781-338-3625 | F 781-338-3630 debra.d.hand@mass.gov | Student Assessment Unit Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148 Web | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Newsletters |
| Massachusetts public schools are ready! Learn how we’re supporting students every step of the way. |
From: Hand, Debra (DESE)
Sent: Wednesday, December 1, 2021 10:22 AM
To: ‘rtremblay@framingham.k12.ma.us‘ <rtremblay@framingham.k12.ma.us>
Cc: ‘lspear@framingham.k12.ma.us‘ <lspear@framingham.k12.ma.us>
Subject: Number and Percentage of Students Taking the MCAS Alternate Assessment (MCAS-Alt) in Your District
Importance: High
| Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, Massachusetts 02148-4906 Telephone: (781) 338-3000 TTY: N.E.T. Relay 1-800-439-2370 | |
| MEMORANDUM To: Superintendents in Selected Districts Copy: Administrators of Special Education From: Jeffrey C. Riley, Commissioner Date: December 1, 2021 Subject: Number and Percentage of Students Taking the MCAS Alternate Assessment (MCAS-Alt) in Your District The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) restricts the number of students with disabilities who may participate in statewide alternate assessments each year (ESSA Section 1111(b)(2)(d)(i)) which may not exceed one percent ofthe number of students who take the MCAS test in each subject. This cap has been in effect since the 2016-2017 school year and applies to all states. Participation in alternate assessments is limited to students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. A detailed memo clarifying the alternate assessment participation guidelines, plus additional relevant resources, including participation data for your district each year since 2017, is available at www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/alt/essa/. As is apparent from this data, your district has assessed more than one percent of the total number of assessed students on the MCAS-Alt. I am making staff in your district aware of the need to closely examine which students are designated for those assessments and to gradually reduce that number. While the district may already have made progress in reducing the number being alternately assessed, the overall percentage is still above the one percent threshold. I am requesting that you or your designee please respond to this memorandum with the information requested in the attached Statement of Assurances no later than January 14, 2022.The information you provide will be used to support the Massachusetts application for a waiver of the “one percent rule” from the U.S. Department of Education for the 2021‒2022 school year. It is important that IEP teams make defensible judgments for each student in determining whether he or she requires an alternate assessment in part because students who take alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards will not earn a Competency Determination and will therefore not be eligible to receive a high school diploma. This request is being sent by email rather than regular mail so that you (or your designee) can respond electronically and return your district’s response more efficiently. Please address your responses by January 14 to Ms. Debra Hand, MCAS-Alt Coordinator, at debra.d.hand@mass.gov. If you have questions or wish to discuss this further, please contact Daniel Wiener or Debra Hand in Student Assessment at 781-338-3625 or by email at mcas@doe.mass.edu. Thank you for your attention to this timely and important information. Attachment. |
—
 Dr. Robert A. TremblaySuperintendent, Framingham Public Schools Office: (508) 626-9118 | rtremblay@framingham.k12.ma.us www.framingham.k12.ma.us | : Skype: bobtremblay11 Framingham Public Schools 19 Flagg Drive, Framingham, MA 01702      |
