Overview
The Collaborative for Educational Services (CES), located in Northampton, is a nonprofit organization that provides educational services, pursuant to Section 4E of Chapter 40 of the Massachusetts General Laws, to 36 member school districts across Franklin and Hampshire Counties (see Appendix). Chapter 40 allows cities, towns, regional school districts, and charter schools, with the approval of the Commonwealth’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), to enter into partnerships known as educational collaboratives, which are created by written agreements to provide shared programs and services. According to this law, the primary purpose of an educational collaborative is “to complement the educational programs of member school committees and charter schools in a cost-effective manner.” Historically, educational collaboratives have primarily provided services for special education students, but they may also provide other services, such as professional development, technology and consultation services, student transportation, and collective purchasing of goods and services for use by participating districts.
Founded in 1974 as the Hampshire Educational Collaborative, CES is one of 25 such educational collaboratives operating across the state. Each collaborative is governed by a board of directors, the members of which are designated by the school committees of the districts that are part of the collaborative. During our audit period, CES was governed by a board of directors consisting of one representative each from 33 of its 36 member districts; the remaining 3 districts did not appoint individuals to serve on the board.
During our audit period, CES had a total of 977 full- and part-time employees and had the following revenue according to the financial reports it filed with the state’s Operational Services Division.1
|
Revenue Source |
Fiscal Year 2018 |
Fiscal Year 2019 |
|
Purchase of Service (POS) Subcontract |
$17,183,727 |
$16,981,792 |
|
DESE |
10,945,893 |
10,946,443 |
|
Other Revenue |
3,290,208 |
3,434,432 |
|
Private Client Third-Party/Other Offsets |
2,942,420 |
3,359,354 |
|
Private Client Fees (Excluding Third-Party) |
1,459,599 |
1,787,743 |
|
Released Net Assets—Program |
1,342,911 |
1,682,204 |
|
Department of Early Education and Care (EEC)—Contract |
1,112,456 |
1,027,446 |
|
Massachusetts Local Government/ |
297,824 |
126,284 |
|
Direct Federal Grants/Contracts |
134,663 |
285,775 |
|
Department of Public Health |
100,000 |
100,000 |
|
Other Massachusetts State Agency POS |
– |
80,294 |
|
Other Grants (Excluding Federal Direct) |
74,257 |
39,757 |
|
Contributions, Gifts, Legacies, Bequests |
45,653 |
585 |
|
Massachusetts State Agency Non-POS |
6,417 |
25,868 |
|
Investment Revenue |
491 |
941 |
|
Total |
$ 38,936,519 |
$ 39,878,917* |
* Discrepancies in totals are due to rounding. Reported revenue in CES’s Uniform Financial Statement and Independent Auditor’s Report is $39,878,916.75.
CES Contracted Services
In addition to providing services to its member school districts, during our audit period CES had contracts with various state agencies to provide educational services to different groups. During our audit period, according to its fiscal year 2018 annual report, “CES received or managed 64 . . . local, state, federal, private, and foundation grants and contracts” from sources such as DESE, EEC, the Department of Youth Services (DYS), and the United States Department of Education.
CES’s Partnership with DYS and DESE
CES’s website provides the following details on CES’s partnership with DYS and DESE’s Special Education in Institutional Settings (SEIS) Program.
The Comprehensive Education Partnership (CEP) was designed by DYS to support the effort to improve the quality of education delivered to youth detained and committed to its care.
The Collaborative for Educational Services (CES) and its partner, the Commonwealth Corporation (CommCorp), work together with the leadership of education staff at DYS and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), and six other DYS non-profit education service providers to give support and direction to innovative teaching and learning in DYS residential programs and effective educational services for DYS clients residing in the community. . . .
The Department of Youth Services and DESE’s Special Education in Institutional Settings (SEIS) unit have worked together since July 2008 to increase and improve the delivery of special education services for students with disabilities in the DYS system. . . .
As the Contracted Education Provider for the SEIS Program, CES recruits, hires and trains special education teachers; collaborates with host agency leaders in educational program improvement; designs and implements a statewide web-based student information system; supports coordinated technology development and curriculum integration; and monitors compliance with federal and state special education regulations.
The table below lists CES’s contract information for fiscal year 2019.
|
Contract |
Maximum Obligation |
Scope of Services Provided by CES |
|---|---|---|
|
DYS—Direct |
$15,973,476 |
Provide educational, career development, and transition services to DYS youths |
|
DYS—Title I |
$757,748 |
Improve education quality in facilities for neglected and |
|
SEIS Program |
$8,962,591 |
Provide special education services to students living in state facilities |
Educator and Teacher Licensure
Section 1B of Chapter 69 of the General Laws directs DESE to establish certification requirements for teachers and other education professionals in the Commonwealth’s elementary and secondary education systems. DESE regulations refer to the required certifications as licenses. In addition, laws such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and federal regulations implementing such acts (e.g., Parts 300 and 301 of Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations) have established federal licensure requirements related to teacher certifications, qualifications, and experience with special-needs students. Numerous studies and reports have asserted the effect of educator qualifications on educational outcomes.
For academic grades pre-kindergarten through 12, educators, including teachers, administrators, teacher specialists, and support personnel, are required to hold licenses issued by DESE to be eligible to teach in Massachusetts public schools. Section 4E of Chapter 40 of the General Laws further applies those requirements to individuals employed by educational collaboratives.
DESE’s Office of Educator Licensure offers four categories of license: teacher, administrator, teacher specialist, and professional support employee. Each category is further broken down into specific fields (e.g., special education, biology, or English), grade levels (e.g., elementary, or kindergarten through 12th grade), and types (provisional, initial, professional, and temporary).
DESE regulations also provide for the waiver of licensure requirements for educators when approved by DESE. The superintendent of a school district, or an individual with similar authority at an educational collaborative, may request a waiver from DESE for an educator and certify that all applicable waiver requirements have been met, including the educator’s satisfactory progress toward licensure as defined by DESE; efforts to find licensed applicants to fill the position without the need for a waiver; and documentation of compliance with these requirements.
The process for obtaining a license from DESE depends on a number of variables, such as an individual’s educational background, experience, and license/s already held, as well as whether the individual has taken and passed all required Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure.
Educator Evaluation Process
According to DESE’s website,
The Massachusetts Educator Evaluation Framework, adopted by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in 2011, is designed to promote student learning, growth, and achievement by providing educators with feedback for improvement, enhanced opportunities for professional growth, and clear structures for accountability.
There are six key features of the Educator Evaluation Framework:
- Standards of Effective Practice
- Rubrics
- Three Categories of Evidence
- Performance Ratings
- Educator Plans
- Five-Step Evaluation Cycle
According to Section 35 of Title 603 of the Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR), school committees are required to adopt the Educator Evaluation Framework or use a locally developed evaluation system that is consistent with this framework’s principles. The evaluation system used by a school district needs to include the evaluation cycle detailed in 603 CMR 35.06, which has specific components such as a self-assessment, proposed goals, and the development of an educator plan. CES has adopted an educator evaluation process that, according to CES’s Teacher Evaluation System guide, includes the following phases:
PHASE 1: Self-assessment . . .
In the first eight (8) weeks of school, all teachers and teaching coordinators [i.e., supervisory roles] will review the four Standards and Indicators of Effective Teaching and use the self-assessment tool for this purpose. . . .
PHASE 2: Goal Setting and Plan Development . . .
All educator plans shall include one goal for each of the Standards and Indicators of Effective Teaching for a total of three (3) goals. . . .
PHASE 3: Implementation of an Educator Plan
Throughout the year, all educators and teaching coordinators will maintain a portfolio demonstrating evidence of their progress towards their Educator Plan goals. . . . Furthermore, Educators and Evaluators should use the TeachPoint system [an electronic system used by CES to enter teacher evaluation information] for storing selected artifacts that demonstrate evidence of your progress, in addition to your hard copy portfolio.
PHASE 4: Formative Assessments and Evaluations . . .
Evaluators are expected to conduct at least four (4) mini observations throughout the year. . . .
PHASE 5: Summative Evaluation . . .
Educators on a two-year Self-Directed Plan will have a summative evaluation every other year, pending ongoing performance ratings at the Exemplary or Proficient level.
Educator evaluations are conducted annually. Individuals who conduct the evaluations must have certain qualifications, and evaluation results must be documented in educators’ personnel files.
| Date published: | July 22, 2021 |
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