TEC Connections Academy - Response to November 2016 Renewal Inspection Report

Adam N. Goldberg, Superintendent ______

Adam N. Goldberg, Superintendent TEC Connections Academy 141 Mansion Drive, Suite 300 East Walpole, MA 02032 [email protected]

Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 75 Pleasant Street Malden, MA 02148

RE: Response to November, 2016 Accountability Report

Date: January 13, 2017

On behalf of TEC Connections Academy “TECCA,” I wish to thank the members of the Accountability Review Team, both for their on-site visit and report from November, 2016, as well as the previous two annual accountability review visits.

TECCA is committed to providing ALL students of the Commonwealth “a quality online alternative to the traditional classroom.” Since our opening in September, 2014, the steady increase in student enrollment has demonstrated the wide range of our student needs, and the challenges that come with meeting those needs in the virtual learning environment. While there are still areas of growth and roads of improvement down which we will travel, there are marked areas of success and celebration that have highlighted TECCA’s two-plus years as a CMVS. Student withdrawal rates have declined; course completion rates have increased; parent satisfaction survey data has improved; and faculty retention and job satisfaction rates have improved. The Leadership Team is intact; in fact, it was significantly expanded for SY1617 through the Career Ladder, providing more opportunity for distributive leadership within the District. The Teacher Evaluation Rubric was modified, and commended by DESE as having appropriate rigor and relevance to the virtual setting. Lastly, the social connectedness of our students/families was enhanced through the TMZ initiative (TECCA Mingle Zones) wherein faculty become ambassadors to particular regions of Massachusetts for all field trips and social events, and thus become familiar faces during the various MCAS administrations that take place in/near those regions.

TECCA’s enrollment has steadily increased, sometimes bringing new groups of students with needs that had not been previously been represented. For example, between June 30, 2016 to the on-site visit on November 3, 2016, TECCA saw a dramatic increase in the number of students who qualify as English Language Learners (5 to 27 students equaling a 440% increase in just two school months). The program and services needed to support all ELL students had to quickly be expanded and developed. As noted by the Accountability Review Team, there is great room for improvement in the ______TEC Connections Academy 141 Mansion Drive East Walpole, MA 02032 (774) 315-5123 http://www.connectionsacademy.com/massachusetts-virtual-school Adam N. Goldberg, Superintendent ______area of our support for ELL students, yet a core curricula for ELL student has almost been acquired and a full-time ELL Coordinator is being sought (an expansion from the stipended position held by a teacher.

I reiterate my thanks to the Accountability Review Team for their thorough review of TEC Connections Academy in our third year. We appreciate the work that we collaboratively undertake with DESE, Connections Education, and most importantly, the students and families of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to achieve our Mission and support every student.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Adam N. Goldberg Superintendent, TEC Connections Academy

Cc: Peter Sanchioni, TECCA Board President

______TEC Connections Academy 141 Mansion Drive East Walpole, MA 02032 (774) 315-5123 http://www.connectionsacademy.com/massachusetts-virtual-school