Multistate Association for Bilingual Education – Northeast, Inc An educational nonprofit promoting multilingualism, equity and social justice in communities

February 26, 2021

Jeffrey C. Riley Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 75 Pleasant St. Malden, Ma. 02148-4906

Dear Commissioner Riley,

We write to you as a concerned group of Massachusetts educators and community supporters who work with bilingual teachers, children, youth, and families in schools. With this letter, we are requesting you to include the development of bilingual assessments as part of the next MADESE Request for Responses for MCAS development.

Since the passage of the LOOK Act, we have been heartened by the increased funding for bilingual education provided by MADESE, and also by districts’ increasing interest in developing and expanding bilingual education programming. These are hopeful educational developments in Massachusetts that will expand options for districts, schools, parents, and their children. We thank you for the state’s commitment to funding the expansion of bilingual education.

Despite these encouraging developments, however, MADESE faces a daunting challenge when it comes to assessing bilingual students’ progress. Currently, the MCAS is administered in English only, while instruction in bilingual education is delivered in English plus another language (most often Spanish). As a result, the MCAS too often becomes a measure of English proficiency and not knowledge of the standards that the MCAS is supposed to assess. This is problematic for two reasons:

1. Monolingual assessment paradigms simply underestimate what our bilingual students know, which affects how teachers can authentically use data to inform their instruction;

2. MCAS scores are used to make determinations for turnaround status and other punitive state actions tied to school-level underperformance. The problem of monolingual assessments described above also has the unintended consequence of discouraging districts from wanting to open new bilingual programs for fear that their students and schools will be inaccurately labeled as underperforming and thus subject to punitive action.

To realistically expand bilingual education in Massachusetts, we need a systems-level approach. We strongly urge you to include the development of bilingual assessments as part of the next MADESE Request for Responses for MCAS development.

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Respectfully,

Phyllis Hardy, Executive Director, MABE Yael Zakon-Bourke, MABE Mary Cazabon, Assistant Director, Lesley University English Language Teacher/Parent Certificate Project, Graduate School of Education Susan McGilvray-Rivet, Principal, Barbieri School, Framingham Public Schools Fabian Torres-Ardilla, Associate Director, Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy, University of Massachusetts, Hilda Ramirez, Executive Director, Latino Education Institute Patrick Proctor, Professor of Literacy and Bilingual Education, Boston College

Cc: Center for Instructional Support (Heather Peske) Office of Language Acquisition (Paul Aguiar, Sibel Hughes, Zhaneta Liti) Student Assessment (Michol Stapel & Dan Wiener) Center for District Support (Robert Curtin)

Supporters: Michelle Thomas Framingham Public Schools Kellie Jones Genoveffa Grieci Framingham Public Schools Ann Cason-Snow Teacher Jessica Yáñez Gladys Aguilar Harvard Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and Graduate School of Education Larry Wolpe Potter Road Elementary School Rebecca Westlake Salem Public Schools Michele Jefferson Barbieri Elementary School / Framingham District Marina Perez Dulce/MABENE Virginia Simon Cambridge Public Schools, Lesley University Sarah Bartels Marrero Amigos School, Cambridge Martha Romero New Bedford Public Schools Maria Campanario retired Yaureli Colon Ana Carolina Brito Rafael Hernández K-8 Dual Language School MARIBEL DEBARROS Boston Public Schools Trina Portillo Barbieri Elementary School, Framingham Paulina Mitropoulos Somerville Public Schools Ana Pimentel Hudson Public Schools Elizabeth Emmons Framingham Public Schools Claudia Lawry / Chelsea High / Bridge Academy 2 Marialuisa Di Stefano University of Massachusetts - Amherst / MABE Andrea Handler-Ruiz Windham Middle School, Windham Public Schools Tamera Sullivan-Daley Amherst Public School Christina Michel Boston Public Schools Leah Palmer Martha's Vineyard Public Schools Theresa Austin University of Massachusetts, Amherst Jacqueline Bussgang Lawrence Public Schools, 9th Grade Lower School Eunji (Gloria) Cho Brockton Public Schools Linda Barber Chelsea Public Schools Elizabeth Emmons Framingham Public Schools Peggy Kuhs Pine Village Preschool Jill Davan Framingham Public Schools Mara Power Teacher and Parent of a child in Worcester Public Schools Gladys Aguilar Harvard Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and Graduate School of Education Miriam Lapa Silva Potter Road School, Framingham - MA Nelia Felicia Correa Patrick Walsh Middle School Isabela Perea Barbieri School, Framingham Elizabeth Emmons Framingham Public Schools Glenda Espinoza Framingham Rachel Gately Worcester Public Schools Tracy O'Connell Novick Worcester School Committee Jennifer LaBollita Framingham Public Schools Carmen Melendez Worcester Public Schools Marta Garcia Martin Brophy Elementary School, FPS Hossam Worcester public schools Joan Coll Worcester Public Schools Amy Braun Worcester Kristyn Buzzell Worcester Public Schools Jennifer Cote Worcester Public Schools Lissa Pierce-Bonifaz Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School (PVPA) Elena Cruz Jacob Hiatt Magnet School Sherilynne Parretti Woodland Academy, Worcester Public Schools Norma Senior Chandler Magnet School, Worcester Public Schools Elizabeth Emmons Framingham Public Schools Erin Goldstein Worcester Public Schools Yangtze Torres Worcester Public Schools Georgia Beehler Worcester Public Schools 3 Cynthia Villanueva Yaribel Campos Worcester Public Schools Robin McCann Worcester Monica Viteri Harutunian Framingham Public Schools Julie Gilmartin Chelsea Sarah Lindberg Chelsea Public Schools Mireya Marrero Worcester public , Chandler Magnet Elsayyad Hossam Worcester public schools Heloiza Castellana Framingham Rachel Hapenny (Rogers) Worcester Public Schools (new citizens center elementary) Victoria Barbato Chelsea Public Schools Brenda Dostie Framingham Public School Rachel Cardogno Worcester Public Schools Diana Watson Christine Cronin Boston Public Schools Ashley Horak Worcester, Heard St Mireya Marrero Chandler Magnet School, Worcester Public Schools Megan Quinlan Fuller Middle School Elaine Cusick Chelsea Public Schools Elizabeth Emmons Framingham Public Schools Jaimie Dobson Framingham Barbara Dennir Salem Public Schools Erika Hall Barbieri School, Framingham Public Schools Kerry Trippi Barbieri School, Framingham Public Schools Antonella D'Eramo Barbieri School, Framingham Public Schools Caryn O'Toole Framingham Elissa Washburn Barbieri School, Framingham Public Schools Katherine Shander-Reynolds Barbieri School, Framingham Public Schools Anna Lugo Holyoke Public Schools, Joseph Metcalf School Luisa Escallon Barbieri School, Framingham Public Schools Dania Dillon Framingham Public Schools Kerry Trippi Barbieri School, Framingham Public Schools Margaret Fawley Barbieri School, Framingham Public Schools Kristin Arnold Barbieri School, Framingham Public Schools Silvia de la Huerta Framingham Public Schools Stephanie Scerra Worcester Public Schools Faith McAuliffe Waltham Public Schools 4 Meg Burns Lesley University Graduate School of Education Michael Gary Framingham Public Schools -Wilson Elementary School; MABE Amnerys Cuevas Amherst Public School Stacey L Jacobsen Worcester Elizabeth Emmons Framingham Public Schools Rebecca Center Framingham School Dept- Barbieri School Virginia Ruiz-Lopez Framingham public school Sarah Lindberg Chelsea Public Schools Amanda Grace Chelsea High School Adam Aronson Chelsea Evelyn Manning Chelsea Nasia Bachman Chelsea Public Schools, MA Casey Anthony Framingham Public Schools Carol Gribbons Worcester Public Schools Laura Londono Chelsea School District Krystell Hernandez Chelsea Danaee Donovan All About Bilinguals Claudia Lawry Chelsea Public Schools / Chelsea High / Bridge Academy Maria B Serpa Lesley University Nicole Noa Framingham Public Schools Kerry DeJesu MABE Mariela Paez Boston College Maria L Wilson-Portuondo MABE Caroline Butler-Rahman AMIGOS SCHOOL, CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS Hilda Ramirez Latino Education Institute at Worcester State University Marco Curnen Cambridge Public Schools / Escuela Amigos School Catarina Hovey Framingham Public Schools Jessica Crane George F. Kelly Elementary School Maria Caracuel Framingham Public Schools Vula K Roumis Brockton Public Schools Dr. Jane Z. Brauer Educational Solutions - small consulting firm Martin Brauer Educational Solutions - small consulting firm Natasha Ushomirsky The Education Trust Nagla Abdalla BPS-OEL Vanesa W Mendoza-Mercado Chelsea Public Schools Martin Brauer Educational Solutions, Inc. Vionette Matos Amigos School 5 Pauline Wan Chelsea Public Schools, Clark Avenue Middle School Miguel Angel Hernando Cupido Chelsea Public Schools Agripina Manche FRAMINGHAM Marina Pérez Dulce/MABENE Kit Hastings-Kort Windham Public Schools Benjamin D Parad Harvard University and Boston Public Schools Emily Lowenberg Hernandez K-8 Maggie Hagan-Brayton Chelsea Public Schools Maria Avadanian Framingham Public Schools Rebecca B. Witte Boston Public Schools FMurphy Worcester Public Schools Patricia Landurand retired Professor and national consultant Katie Richardson Amherst Pelham Public Schools Yesica Argueta Boston Norma Rey-Alicea NextGen Talent Jokaimy Caceres Higher ground Boston Natasha Megie-Maddrey Massachusetts Parents United Aline Ricketson YMCA of Emily McCann Citizen Schools Hermese Velasquez Summer Search Jaquell Sneed Center for Teen Empowerment, Inc. Priscilla Boston Public Schools, Rafael Hernandez K-8

Website: www.mabene.org Twitter: @MultistateMABE Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/massmabe

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