HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1455        FILED ON: 1/16/2013

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 528

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Martha M. Walz

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act making school district reporting requirements more efficient and effective.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1455        FILED ON: 1/16/2013

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 528

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Thirteen

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An Act making school district reporting requirements more efficient and effective.

Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to improve the efficiency of public school reporting requirements, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience.
 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

The department of elementary and secondary education shall prepare a report (a) identifying the state laws, regulations, administrative directives and past practices that require school districts to prepare and submit reports and data, including but not limited to those that apply to special education, (b) analyzing the value of the reports and data submissions, and (c) identifying the state laws that require the department of elementary and secondary education to submit reports to the legislature based on information it must obtain from school districts.

The report shall include, but not be limited to, examining the value of these reports and data in improving student achievement and reducing achievement gaps. The report shall identify reports and data submissions that are duplicative of one another and of reports and data submissions required under federal law. The department shall propose recommendations that may include, but are not limited to, the elimination or modification of the reports and data submitted under state requirements and ways in which reports and data submissions can be consolidated or provided more efficiently. The report shall also include a description of all current and planned efforts by the department to improve the ways in which it collects reports and data from school districts, including through the use of technology to ease reporting requirements.

The department shall work in consultation with the American Federation of Teachers, Massachusetts Association of School Committees, Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, Massachusetts Elementary School Principals’ Association, Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators’ Association, Massachusetts Parent Teacher Association, Massachusetts Teachers Association and the members of Mass Partners for Public Schools in preparing its report. To the extent practicable, these organizations shall provide staff to assist the department in preparing its report.

The department shall file its report, together with drafts of legislation, if any, necessary to carry out its recommendations no later than July 31, 2014 by filing the same with the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate who shall forward a copy of the report to the joint committee on education.