DYS Education Overview
In partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services (DYS), CYDE is developing a comprehensive education and training system for the thousands of young people every year who are placed in DYS custody by the juvenile courts. The goal of this partnership is to create a continuum of options and opportunities--comprehensive case management, high-quality education and training, mentoring programs, and other services--that will give these young people the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to build a better future.
Recognizing that no single entity can adequately meet the needs of DYS youth, CYDE is seeking to build strong partnerships across the wide range of agencies and organizations that deal with these young people. Beginning with the juvenile courts and DYS itself, the partnerships will extend to local school districts, alternative education programs, community-based organizations, local workforce investment boards, human services agencies, and the providers of educational programs in the secure facilities and residential centers across Massachusetts that house DYS youth. While working to ensure that these DYS facilities provide high-quality educational programs for all youth, CYDE also emphasizes comprehensive transition planning, the development of quality services, and case management for young people who are returning to their home communities after leaving a DYS facility.
Key Features of the CYDE-DYS Partnership
During the five years of their partnership (from 2003 through 2007), CYDE and DYS will work together to accomplish the following:
- Coordinate educational oversight and administration with local school districts, DYS community-based programs, and other agencies.
- Develop a system that integrates special education, English as a Second Language (ESL), and other accommodations into an individualized educational
service plan for every DYS youth, to be coordinated across those entities involved with its implementation.
- Incorporate the broad variety of district-based assessments, educational and vocational diagnostic tools, and agency-specific service plans into a single
comprehensive plan for every student in the system.
- Develop high-quality curriculum offerings for all DYS sites, incorporating content and instructional strategies that create effective delivery of curriculum
in a variety of settings and that are aligned with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
- Provide a broad range of professional development opportunities for teachers to ensure high-quality instruction that is aligned with the curriculum and to
enable teachers to attain or renew their certification.
- Coordinate information and record-keeping so as to ensure academic placement and school district transition in a timely, comprehensive and accessible
format across the DYS system and out into education community delivery sites.
- Secure additional funding to enhance education services within the DYS system and support DYS youth through a continuum of service options.
DYS Education Infrastructure
Educational services are provided to over 1,700 DYS youth everyday at 64 program locations. Program facilities include:
- Detention sites, for youth in the pre-commitment stage
- Assessment sites, for youth who have been committed to DYS and are awaiting determination of placement (DYS-committed youth may be
housed in an assessment site for a maximum of 45 days.)
- Short-term treatment sites, 30-day residential programs
- Long-term secure treatment programs
- Community-based diversion programs,usually for minor first offenders.
Of the 64 program sites, 28 are managed by the Hampshire Education Collaborative under a subcontract with Commonwealth Corporation/CYDE. The remaining 34 programs are run by a variety of community-based organizations across the state.
The goal of the DYS LEED Education initiative isto create a standarized program across all subcontracted and vendor-run programs. This includes:
- Developing and implementing a common curriculum framework,
- Professional development for teachers,
- A standardized assessment toolkit in the assessment facilities,
- A universal transcript for record documentation and coordination of credit recovery with local school districts
- An individualized plan for all students, and
- Improved options for youth returning to their home communities.
