Superintendent of Schools, Tony Pierantozzi, was informed by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) of an upcoming Coordinated Program Review that will be taking place this school year. As part of this Coordinated Program Review, Department staff will visit the Somerville Public Schools during the week of March 9, 2015. 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 audit the following Somerville Public Schools programs: Special Education, English Learner Education, Civil Rights, and Career/Vocational Technical Education. After reviewing school district procedures for these programs, a Department team will make its onsite visit, during which it will review records, interview administrators, teachers and paraprofessional staff, survey parents and observe instructional spaces. After the onsite visit, the Department team 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 improvement plans and professional development plan. Districts are provided with 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 at http://www.doe.mass.edu/pqa/review/cpr/reports/.

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 superintendent’s office at (617) 625-6600, ext. 6006 no later than January 30, 2015 to leave their name and phone number, or they may call the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education at (781) 338-3735.   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 that individual.

~Somerville Public Schools