Audit of the Collaborative for Educational Services
July 22, 2021 · Collaborative for Educational Services · Read the full official report on mass.gov ↗
Published July 22, 2021 Audit covers July 1, 2017 – March 31, 2019 Under Suzanne M. Bump · 2011–2023
source
“Some CES educators were not properly licensed to teach the subjects for which they were employed.”
Read the plain-English breakdown
This is a Massachusetts State Auditor performance audit of the Collaborative for Educational Services, a nonprofit educational collaborative based in Northampton.
“I am pleased to provide this performance audit of the Collaborative for Educational Services.”
Auditors checked whether CES staff had the right licenses and credentials, and whether teacher evaluations followed state rules and CES requirements.
“Below is a list of our audit objectives, indicating each question we intended our audit to answer; the conclusion we reached regarding each objective; and where each objective is discussed in the audit findings.”
When educators teach subjects or grades they are not properly licensed for, students may receive a weaker education.
“This may result in the students receiving a lesser quality of education than they would receive from educators with licenses or waivers.”
If you are a student, parent, taxpayer, or community member, the key issue is whether public education services are being delivered by properly qualified staff and checked through meaningful evaluations.
“As a result, CES cannot effectively assess educator performance, provide meaningful feedback to its educators, or promptly identify and address underperformance.”
The auditor found that CES needed stronger internal controls over hiring, licensing, reporting, and staff evaluations.
“CES does not have internal controls to ensure that the educators it hires have valid licenses or waivers to work in the positions for which they are hired.”
The auditor recommended that CES create better controls, improve documentation, and make sure required evaluations and licenses are in place.
“Based on its response, CES is taking measures to address our concerns on this matter.”
The report matters because CES serves many school districts and students in institutional settings, and the audit raised concerns about education quality and oversight.
“Most of CES’s students are served under contracts with state agencies, such as DYS, and are exempt from this requirement; however, the quality of education that students receive can be negatively affected if too much of their instruction is out-of-field teaching.”
Out-of-field teaching means a teacher is teaching a subject they are not licensed to teach.
“(Teaching in a field for which one is not licensed is referred to as out-of-field teaching.)”
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What the Auditor checked
- Did not comply Did CES educators and teachers have licenses issued by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) as required by Section 4E of Chapter 40 of the General Laws?
- Did not comply Did CES educators’ and teachers’ credentials correspond to their contracts, or positions, as required by Section 4E of Chapter 40 of the General Laws and Section 7.15(9)(a) of Title 603 of the Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR)?
- Did not comply Were evaluations conducted in accordance with 603 CMR 35, CES’s Teacher Evaluation System guide, and Article 15 of the collective bargaining agreement between CES and the Service Employees International Union / American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations Local 509?
What the Auditor found
Why it matters: Students may have received a lower quality of education from educators without appropriate licenses or waivers.
Standard: Section 4E of Chapter 40 of the Massachusetts General Laws; Section 38G of Chapter 71 of the General Laws; Section 7.15(13)(a) of Title 603 of the Code of Massachusetts Regulations ( Section 4E of Chapter 40 of the Massachusetts General Laws; Section 38G of Chapter 71 of the General Laws; Section 7.15(13)(a) of Title 603 of the Code of Massachusetts Regulations )
3 recommendations
- CES should develop internal controls to ensure that its educators have the required licenses or waivers to work in the positions for which they are hired.
- CES should implement policies and procedures regarding documenting consistent details and requirements in its employment contracts and letters of employment.
- CES should develop internal controls to ensure that its educators’ credentials correspond to their teaching assignment information in EPIMS.
Agency response & Auditor reply
Agency: "CES Human Resources Department will coordinate a review and identify uniform procedures and internal controls for monitoring required licenses, application for waivers, and EPIMS data."
Auditor: "Based on its response, CES is taking measures to address our concerns on this matter."
Why it matters: CES educators may not receive proper feedback on their performance.
Standard: Article 15 of the collective bargaining agreement between CES and Service Employees International Union / American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations Local 509; CES Teacher Evaluation System guide ( Article 15 of the collective bargaining agreement between CES and Service Employees International Union / American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations Local 509; CES Teacher Evaluation System guide )
1 recommendation
- CES should develop internal controls to ensure that all primary evaluators have the required licenses or waivers and that teaching coordinators conducting evaluations have written authorization from their supervisors.
Agency response & Auditor reply
Agency: "CES will implement a uniform method for notifying educators of their Primary Evaluator, notifying educators of their Primary Evaluator at the beginning of each academic year; and will review the licensure status of each Primary Evaluator prior to issuing such notification."
Auditor: "Based on its response, CES is taking measures to address our concerns on this matter."