Admissions

DESE Admission Regulations Update
Equitable Access to Chapter 74 Programs

During the past two years, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has directed an initiative focused on the admission policies of vocational-technical schools. The underlying mission was to advance a set of regulations that would require vocational schools to develop and implement an admission policy that is consistent with federal and state law and any relevant guidelines issued by the Massachusetts DESE or the U.S. Department of Education.

Using a combination of data, public testimony, increased student interest, labor and market demands, and diverse student populations, the DESE has determined that all vocational schools need to set policies that respond to the needs of their sending communities and are consistent with:

• Provide districts offering CVTE programs with the flexibility to develop data-informed
   local admissions policies that promote equitable access, comply with state and federal
   laws and regulations, and receive annual approval from the district’s school committee
   or board of trustees.

• Vocational schools and programs that use selective criteria shall not use criteria that
   have the effect of disproportionately excluding persons of a particular race, color,
   national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or disability.

• Clarify the Department’s authority to intervene in cases of non-compliance, and in such
   cases, to order changes to admissions policies that may include requiring a lottery.

• Improve access to information about CVTE for students and families in sending districts.

Summary of Major DESE Changes in CVTE Admission Regulations
Passed by the Massachusetts Board of Education on June 22, 2021

• Selection criteria may not consider a student’s record of excused absences from
   school, minor behavior, or disciplinary infractions.

• Vocational schools and programs shall ensure that all admissions materials are
   in both English and the primary language of the home if such primary language
   is other than English.

• Vocational technical schools shall maintain a record of all students who apply for
   admission, enroll in the school or are placed on a waitlist, and their score on admission
   criteria, if used, to facilitate analysis and evaluation of the admissions system and its
   compliance with 603 CMR 4.03(6).

• The District’s Admissions Policy shall have a process for application and admission to
   the school, as well as admission to particular programs within the school, including
   any criteria, lotteries, or other processes to be used in selecting students.

• The District’s Admissions Policy shall have a plan that includes deliberate, specific
   strategies to promote equal educational opportunities and attract, enroll, and retain
   a student population that, when compared to students in similar grades in sending
   districts, has a comparable academic and demographic profile.


Visit the DESE website for more information on the DESE guidance on admissions for
career vocational-technical schools.