Ben Tobin v. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (SPR 20211461)

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Public Records Division Rebecca S. Murray Supervisor of Records June 23, 2021 SPR21/1461 Helene Bettencourt Records Access Officer Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 78 Pleasant Street Malden, MA 02148-4906 Dear Ms. Bettencourt: I have received the petition of Ben Tobin appealing the response of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department/DESE) to a request for public records. G. L. c. 66, § 10A; see also 950 C.M.R. 32.08(1). Specifically, Mr. Tobin requested: “…the MCAS results for the approved special education schools going from 2015-2019. I would also like to know how many students attending these schools have been provided with MCAS Proficiency Plans…and how proficiency is being defined for these students. If there is any data on student progress as well…what type of assessments and progress monitoring tools used…what kind of data gets sent to the state…and generally how students in these schools are being progress monitored.” Subsequent to the intervention by a Senior Attorney in the Public Records Division, I learned that DESE provided Mr. Tobin with a subsequent response to this administrative appeal on June 22, 2021. Where the basis of this appeal was opened as a result of the DESE responses of April 20 and June 9th, I will now consider this administrative appeal closed. Mr. Tobin may appeal the substantive nature of DESE’s response within ninety days. See 950 C.M.R. 32.08(1). Sincerely, . ~ ., - . . . '• - .. . Rebecca S. Murray Supervisor of Records cc: Ben Tobin Joshua A. Varon, Esq., Assistant General Counsel, DESE One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, Massachusetts 02108 • (617) 727-2832• Fax: (617) 727-5914 sec.state.ma.us/pre • pre@sec.state.ma.us