To the editor:
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has been focused on reviewing English Language Arts (ELA) and math learning standards to help develop the next-generation MCAS, which is scheduled for administration in classrooms across the Commonwealth in the spring of next year.
Last month, 41 K-12 educators and higher education faculty participated in the first of a series of work sessions to review current and previous ELA and math learning standards. Over 150 educators originally applied, and the final makeup represents 24 participants from eastern Massachusetts, 12 from central Massachusetts, and five educators from the western part of the state. This group will continue to meet until the end of the summer.
To solicit feedback from a wider range of educators, parents and the broader public, DESE has created an online survey to allow individuals to make suggestions about specific aspects of the standards. I encourage you to visit the survey and respond to the survey by the end of May. All feedback will be shared with the educators on the review panel.
Regardless of whether you are a parent, student, teacher or education professional, it is import to submit your feedback. As DESE’s review panel strives to improve our testing system and create new standards designed to better prepare our students for college and careers after high school, there is nothing more effective than hearing from community members. Please take a moment to respond to DESE’s survey.
Sincerely,
State Rep. Tom Stanley (9th Middlesex)
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.
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