Coordinated Program Review Onsite Visit for Hopkinton Public Schools
contributed
March 3, 2010

John E. Phelan, Jr., Superintendent of the Hopkinton Public Schools was recently informed by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education of an upcoming Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Coordinated Program Review. As part of this Coordinated Program Review, Department staff will visit the district during the week of March 22, 2010.  Such visits are routinely conducted by the Department to satisfy federal and state requirements for the periodic review of specific education programs and services in schools throughout the Commonwealth. The Department is reviewing several programs during a single visit in order to use Department and school staff’s time most efficiently and to encourage strong connections among the programs.

The Department’s Coordinated Program Review will address the following programs: Special Education (SE), Civil Rights (CR), and English Learner Education (ELE). After reviewing school district procedures for these programs, a Department team will make its onsite visit, during which it will review individual student records, interview administrators, teachers and parents, and observe instructional sites.  After the onsite visit, it will prepare a report for the superintendent and school committee, with detailed findings for each program.

Using a scale of ratings ranging from “Commendable” to “Not Implemented,” the report will rate the implementation of each requirement reviewed by the Department.  Where requirements are found not implemented or only partially implemented, the district must propose to the Department corrective action to bring those areas into compliance with statutes and regulations.  Districts and schools are encouraged to incorporate the corrective action into their district and school improvements plans and professional development plan.  The school district may request technical assistance from the Department in developing a corrective action plan.  Both the Department’s report and the corrective action plan are public information and will be available to the public upon request.   Program Review Final Reports are also available on the Department’s website.

Any member of the public may request to be interviewed by telephone by a member of the Department’s visiting team.  Those wishing to be interviewed should call the Student Service Office at 508.497.9850 no later than March 5, 2010 to leave their name and phone number, or they may call the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education at 781.338.3715.  A member of the visiting team will contact each person desiring an interview within two weeks after the completion of the onsite visit.  If an individual is not comfortable communicating in English or requires some other accommodation, the Department will make arrangements to communicate appropriately with the individual. 

John E. Phelan, Jr., Superintendent indicated that he is confident that the Program Review will be a useful and positive experience for staff members and that the report will be useful in planning for the continued improvement of educational services for all students.