Background of Education in Massachusetts
Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993
The Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 resulted in major changes to public education over a seven-year timeline. The Act called for more equitable funding for schools, student learning accountability, and standards for students, educators, schools, and districts across the state. Accountability changes included requiring there be a school council in every school, the continuation of education for educators, increased authority to all principals, clearer defined roles for school committees, and precise and measurable statewide school and student standards.
The Education Reform Act revised statewide education requirements by requiring curriculum frameworks and standards for learning in all of the core academic subjects. These materials were designed for the use by teachers in developing their lesson plans and for the use by districts in planning their school district's curriculum. In the first year of the Act, the Common Core was introduced to define general educational goals for all students. In December 1995, the frameworks for mathematics and additional subjects were approved.
The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) was designed to reflect the academic standards outlined by the subject frameworks and to determine the individuals and schools in need. The tests are required for grades 4, 8, and 10. To receive a high school diploma, the ACT requires that students pass the state's tenth-grade test and meet local requirements. Additionally, students who pass the tenth-grade test are eligible to receive additional certificates (the Certificate of Occupational Proficiency or a Certificate of Mastery) in the future. A "foundation budget" was created to allow all schools to have a foundation level of spending dependent upon their local demographic and economic factors. Charter schools are required to be open to all students, while meeting the same standards and testing requirements from the Board of Education. The amount of learning time in schools was also increased to at least 900 hours in elementary schools and 990 hours in secondary schools in studying the core academic subjects. The Act raised expectations for all educators, including those new to the profession and veterans. All new teachers are required to pass two tests to be certified to teach in Massachusetts public schools: subject content knowledge and communication/literacy skills. Returning teachers who were previously certified, or those who seek certification in another field, need to pass the subject matter test. Under the Education Reform Act, the Board and Commissioner are able to determine school and district performance through its criteria. [1], [5]
Every Student Succeeds Act (2015)
On December 10, 2015, President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) into effect. This reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which was the country's national education law and commitment for all students to have equal opportunity. The ESSA also reflects key priorities from the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2002, which brought focus to where students were progressing and where additional support was needed, regardless of race, income, zip code, disability, home language, or background.
The ESSA provided guidelines to ensure success for all students in all schools by: incorporating critical protections for disadvantaged and high-need students to advance equity; requiring that all students be taught to high academic expectations to prepare them for future success in college and careers; utilizing annual statewide assessments to measure student progress and provide this information to educators, families students, and communites; including interventions to help support and develop local innovations, increasing access to high-quality preschool to sustain and expand these ideals, and maintaining expectations for accountability and action to take effect for positive change in the lowest-performing schools. [3]
Anna Eng
WPI Teacher Preparation Program
aeeng@wpi.edu