DESE Office of School Monitoring to Visit MGRSD

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — During the week of May 13, 2024, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Office of Public School Monitoring (PSM) will conduct a Tiered Focused Monitoring Review of Mount Greylock Regional School District. 
 
The Office of Public School Monitoring visits each district and charter school every three years to monitor compliance with federal and state special education and civil rights regulations. Areas of review related to special education include student assessments, determination of eligibility, the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team process, and IEP development and implementation. Areas of review related to civil rights include bullying, student discipline, physical restraint, and equal access to school programs for all students.
 
In addition to the onsite visit, parent outreach is an important part of the review process. The review chairperson from the Office of Public School Monitoring will send all parents of students with disabilities an online survey that focuses on key areas of their child's special education program. Survey results will contribute to the development of a report. During the onsite review, the Office of Public School Monitoring will interview the chairperson(s) of the district's Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC). Other onsite activities may include interviews of district staff and administrators, reviews of student records, and onsite observations.
 
Parents and other individuals may call Michelle Hennessey-Kowalchek, Public School Monitoring Chairperson, at (413) 314-6709 to request a telephone interview. If an individual requires an accommodation, such as translation, to participate in an interview, the Department will make the necessary arrangements.
 
Within approximately 60 business days after the onsite visit, the review chairperson will provide the district with a report with information about areas in which the district meets or exceeds regulatory requirements and areas in which the district requires assistance to correct or improve practices. The public will be able to access the report at http://www.doe.mass.edu/psm/tfm/reports/.
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Mount Greylock School Committee Looks at Policy for AI

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Mount Greylock Regional School Committee is grappling with the question of how artificial intelligence can and cannot be used by the district's faculty and students.
 
At a Jan. 21 in-person meeting at the middle-high school, five members of the seven-person committee heard a report from the superintendent about the issues confronting educators nationwide as online AI tools become more pervasive in society.
 
Superintendent Joseph Bergeron gave examples ranging from using AI prompts to help a student get started on an essay assignment to how a parent or guardian might use the same tool to help an elementary school pupil work through a multiplication assignment using the various techniques — some of which that parent may never heard of.
 
"I thought it would be helpful to give you a sense of what is already happening for plenty of students, plenty of families," Bergeron said.
 
The School Committee is developing a new districtwide policy for the use of AI.
 
It is new ground for the district. Bergeron told the committee at its Jan. 8 meeting that neither the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education nor the Massachusetts Association of School Committees has a model policy to deal with the emerging technology.
 
The Mount Greylock committee's Policy and Governance Subcommittee is working to develop a policy to bring to the full body for a vote.
 
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