Marlborough to be reviewed by state education department
By Doug Grindle Community Reporter

Marlborough - The Massachusetts Department of Education (DOE) will be inspecting several education programs run by the Marlborough School District, with on-site meetings taking place in early March. Parents are being invited to speak with visiting state officials if they wish.

The state will review the programs that deal with Special Education, English language learners and civil rights. Parents wishing to speak with the visiting team must call the Marlborough superintendent's office by Sunday Feb. 24 and request a meeting, being sure to leave their name and telephone number. Director of Pupil Personnel Services Ned Pratt said the district will forward the names to the state, but the DOE decides whom they will meet.

"The DOE makes all the decisions about who they want to interview," Pratt said.

The review is conducted once every six years, he said. The district submits material about how the selected programs are run. The packet of material, which is more than 100 pages long, was sent to the DOE Jan. 21. It serves as a self-assessment for the district itself and is the starting point for the review.

The DOE reviews the materials submitted by Marlborough, and uses that information when it visits the district schools and interviews administrators, teaching staff and parents.

In each subject area, the DOE reviews a number of items to see if the district is following best established practices.

"They have a whole series of indicators that they follow," Pratt said.

He added that the review is more than just a scorecard on how the district is doing. It also guides the administrators in deciding how to improve the programs.

"They will give us a feedback on the indicators," Pratt said. "When we get our feedback from the DOE, then we do a corrective action plan. I don't see it as the state looking over our shoulder. I see it as the state has certain standards we are expected to follow."

The DOE issues a draft report 45 days after the visit concludes. The city then has 10 days to respond, and 60 days after the visit a final report is issued. The report is available to the public.

The Special Education program and English language learners program are both reviewed extensively. The state also ensures the students' civil rights are not being violated. For instance, Pratt said, a student who might need Special Education services would need to take an assessment test first. And the parents must give their permission for the student to take that test. If permission was not sought, then that would violate the student's civil rights.

Pratt said the process is exhaustive, but useful, and would likely reveal issues that need to be addressed.

"We welcome the review," Pratt said.