Program Quality Assurance Services
Compliance and Monitoring

Public School Coordinated Program Review System

Scope of Coordinated Program Reviews

As one part of its accountability system, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education oversees local compliance with education requirements through the Coordinated Program Review (CPR). All reviews cover selected requirements in the following areas:

Special Education (SE)

• selected requirements from the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA-2004), the federal regulations promulgated under that Act at 34 CFR Part 300, M.G.L. c. 71B (Chapter 766 of the Acts of 1972), and the Massachusetts Board of Education's Special Education regulations (603 CMR 28.00), as amended effective July 1, 2005. Federal requirements selected for the 2007-2008 reviews include, among others, the requirements specified by the federal Office for Special Education Programs (OSEP) and the requirements revised by IDEA-2004 and described in the Department's Special Education Advisories.

Civil Rights and Other General Education Requirements (CR)

• selected federal civil rights requirements under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, together with selected state requirements under M.G.L. c. 76, Section 5 (Chapter 622 of the Acts of 1971) and other Massachusetts General Laws.

• selected requirements from the Massachusetts Board of Education's Physical Restraint regulations (603 CMR 46.00).

• selected requirements from the Massachusetts Board of Education's Student Learning Time regulations (603 CMR 27.00).

English Learner Education (ELE) in Public Schools

• selected requirements from M.G.L. c. 71A, the state law that governs the provision of education to limited English proficient students, and 603 CMR 14.00, as well as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. During the 2007-2008 school year, all districts that enroll limited English proficient students will be reviewed using a combination of updated standards and a self-assessment instrument overseen by the Department's Office of Language Acquisition and Academic Achievement (OLAAA), including a request for information regarding ELE programs and staff qualifications.

Some reviews also cover selected requirements in:

Career/Vocational Technical Education (CVTE)

• career/vocational technical education programs under the federal Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998 and M.G.L. c. 74.

Districts providing Title I services participate in Title I program monitoring during the same year they are scheduled for a Coordinated Program Review. Details regarding the Title I program monitoring process are available at:. http://www.doe.mass.edu/titlei/monitoring

Coordinated Program Review Elements

Team:	Depending upon the size of a school district and the number of programs to be reviewed, a team of two to eight Department staff members, together with any necessary outside consultants, conducts a Coordinated Program Review over two to ten days in a school district or charter school.
Timing:	Each school district and charter school in the Commonwealth is scheduled to receive a Coordinated Program Review every six years and a mid-cycle special education follow-up visit three years after the Coordinated Program Review; about seventy-five school districts and charter schools are scheduled for Coordinated Program Reviews in 2007-2008. The Department's 2007-2008 schedule of Coordinated Program Reviews is posted on the Department's web site at http://www.doe.mass.edu/pqa/review/cpr/schedule.html. The statewide six-year Program Review cycle, including the Department's Mid-cycle Review schedule, is posted at http://www.doe.mass.edu/pqa/review/cpr/6yrcycle.html.
Criteria:	The Program Review criteria for each program encompass the requirements that have been selected for review. The requirements selected for review in all of the regulated programs are those that are most closely aligned with the goals of the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 to promote student achievement and high standards for all students.
Methods:	Methods used in reviewing programs include: Review of documentation about the operation of the charter school or district's programs. Interviews of administrative, instructional, and support staff across all grade levels. Interviews of parent advisory council (PAC) representatives and other interviews as requested by other parents or members of the general public. Review of student records for special education (and for student accommodation plans under Section 504), English learner education, and career/vocational technical education. The Department selects a representative sample of student records for the onsite team to review, using standard Department procedures, to determine whether procedural and programmatic requirements have been implemented. Surveys of parents of students with disabilities and parents of English learners. Parents of students with disabilities whose files are selected for the record review, as well as the parents of an equal number of other students with disabilities, are sent a survey that solicits information regarding their experiences with the district's implementation of special education programs, related services, and procedural requirements; parents of English learners whose files are selected for the record review are sent a survey of their experiences with the district's implementation of the English learner education program and related procedural requirements. Observation of classrooms and other facilities. The onsite team visits a sample of classrooms and other school facilities used in the delivery of programs and services to determine general levels of compliance with program requirements. Note on collaborative programs and services. Where the district is a member of a collaborative approved by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and is a site for programs or services operated by the collaborative, interviews, student record review, and observation of classrooms are conducted for the collaborative.
Report:	Preparation: At the end of the onsite visit, the onsite team will hold an informal exit meeting to summarize its preliminary findings for the Superintendent or Charter School Leader and anyone else he or she chooses. Within approximately 45 business days of the onsite visit, the Onsite Chairperson will forward to the Superintendent or Charter School Leader (and Collaborative Director where applicable) a Draft Report containing specific findings from the Program Review. The district (and collaborative) will then have 10 business days to review the report for factual accuracy before the publication of a Final Report. The Final Report will be issued within approximately 60 business days of the conclusion of the onsite visit and posted on the Department's website at http://www.doe.mass.edu/pqa/review/cpr/reports/. Content: Ratings. The onsite team gives a rating for each compliance criterion it reviews; those ratings are "Commendable," "Implemented" (meaning at least substantially implemented), "Implementation in Progress," "Partially Implemented," "Not Implemented" (meaning at least substantially not implemented), and "Not Applicable." "Implementation in Progress," used for criteria containing new legal requirements, means that the district has implemented any old requirements contained in the criterion and is training staff or beginning to implement the new requirements in such a way that the onsite team anticipates that the new requirements will be implemented by the end of the school year. Findings. The onsite team includes a finding for each criterion that it rates "Commendable," "Partially Implemented," or "Not Implemented," explaining the basis for the rating. It may also include findings for other criteria.
Response:	Where criteria are found "Partially Implemented or "Not Implemented,", the district or charter school must propose corrective action to bring those areas into compliance with the relevant statutes and regulations. This corrective action plan will be due to the Department within 30 business days after the issuance of the Final Report and is subject to the Department's review and approval. As the school or district is implementing the approved corrective action, Department staff will provide ongoing technical assistance. To assist in the implementation of corrective action related to the area of special education, schools and districts may apply for limited special education technical assistance funds. School districts and charter schools must demonstrate effective resolution of noncompliance identified by the Department as soon as possible but in no case later than one year from the issuance of the Department's Final Program Review Report.

The Department believes that the Coordinated Program Review is a positive experience and that the Final Report is helpful in planning for the continued improvement of programs and services in each school district, charter school, and educational collaborative.

Coordinated Program Review Report Components

The criteria for each program are organized by the nine components below.

• Assessment of Students
  Has the district implemented an assessment system that uses appropriate instruments, is conducted according to the specified timelines, and covers the appropriate content areas to determine instructional needs of students?

• Student Identification and Program Placement
  Does the district identify students and place them into the program in accordance with the criteria specified in statutes and regulations?

• Parent and Community Involvement
  Has the district ensured that parents are notified in the appropriate language and are involved in decisions regarding their children's programs and services? Where appropriate, does the district involve community representatives in shaping programs?

• Curriculum and Instruction
  Does the district hold all students to high expectations and standards? Are programs designed to maximize students' performance and their participation in the general curriculum? Is curriculum throughout the district's programs based on the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks? Has the district provided for coordination across programs?

• Student Support Services
  Has the district ensured that all students have equal access to programs and services? Does the district provide support to students who need it?

• Faculty, Staff and Administration
  Does the district maintain appropriately licensed or certified staff and provide supervision of aides and tutors as well as ongoing professional development? Are program leadership and oversight effective? Are the district's personnel procedures nondiscriminatory and does it seek to recruit employees from all groups?

• School Facilities
  Does the district maintain accessible facilities that are conducive to learning, facilitate integration, and provide equal opportunity for students to achieve?

• Program Evaluation
  Does the district evaluate its programs in accordance with statutory and regulatory requirements? Does it use the results of its evaluations to improve programs? Do parents have opportunities for input on program needs, program implementation, and program evaluation and improvement?

• Record Keeping and Fund Use
  Does the district maintain required records and documentation for each program?

	Schedule    6-Year Cycle
	Coordinated Program Review Instruments    Special Education    English Learner Education in Public Schools - Chapter 71A    Civil Rights    Career/Vocational Technical Education    General Information Including Local Program Review Coordinator's Checklist
	Coordinated Program Review Reports
	Public School Mid-cycle Review
	Mid-cycle Review Instrument
	Mid-cycle Review Reports