Progress report on California’s universal prekindergarten initiative

California has committed to providing universal prekindergarten (UPK) for all 4-year-olds and expanding access for income-eligible 3-year-olds by the 2025–26 school year. California UPK includes transitional kindergarten (TK), the California State Preschool Program (CSPP), Head Start and locally funded early learning programs. Since 2021, this […]

Local data needed to fully assess resources available to students with disabilities

While children with disabilities are entitled to special education services tailored to meet their individual needs, many schools don’t have the resources or staff to meet those needs, which creates inequitable access to services, according to a July 29 report released by the U.S. Government […]

San Bernardino County: Increasing transparency and action through data

The San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools (SBCSS) office has made significant strides in recent years overhauling the ways in which the county presents data and resources to district leaders, educators, families and other stakeholders vital to supporting the SBCSS’s Cradle to Career Roadmap initiative. […]

Better oversight of support and improvement plans is needed at all levels, GAO finds

Oversight of comprehensive support and improvement (CSI) plans meant to serve as a guide for underperforming schools’ improvement processes is lacking, according to a Jan. 30 study released by the federal Government Accountability Office (GAO). Just 42 percent of CSI plans were found to be […]

Education leaders discuss troubling international test results; look to other systems for answers

Released in December, the 2022 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores plummeted overall. The 2022 exam showed an unprecedented drop in math scores from 2018 to 2022, which is three times worse than any other year. Around 690,000 students took the PISA in 2022, […]

Improving TK programming will require better data

As California continues its push to expand access to transitional kindergarten, ensuring high-quality TK programming will require better data on early education, according to researchers at Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE). In January, PACE released a report identifying four promising practices observed during the […]

California School Dashboard shows decrease in chronic absenteeism

The 2023 California School Dashboard, released by the state Department of Education on Dec. 15, reports performance measures for schools and local educational agencies on multiple state and local indicators. This year marks a return to the color-coded ratings after years of only displaying current […]

California recognized for effective measurement of college and career readiness

In a March 2023 report, All4Ed found that since the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015, the majority of states have incorporated college and career readiness indicators into their school accountability systems. The report, Undermeasuring: College and Career Readiness Indicators May Not […]