A December report summarizes the findings of a working group convened last year by the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence to determine how effectively the Statewide System of Support’s current structure — including the layers of technical assistance embedded in it, such as differentiated assistance and direct technical assistance — is supporting local educational agencies.
In 2023–24, the most recent year considered, California students had an average of 10.7 days of lost instruction per 100 students enrolled due to out-of-school suspensions. For those in the foster care system, it was 76.7 days lost per 100 enrolled, for students experiencing homelessness it was 29.1 days lost and for students with disabilities, it was 23.4 days lost.
The California Department of Education released the latest edition of the California School Dashboard on Nov. 13, touting a “continued increase in academic achievement and graduation rates” and a “reduction in chronic absenteeism.” While some growth was evident, a look at the underlying data reveals a more complicated picture of student performance — one that demands greater scrutiny of the status quo, increased investment in public schools, and a commitment to reducing achievement gaps by accelerating achievement, particularly for the state’s most vulnerable students.
The Education Commission of The States recently released a 50-state comparison of the nuanced school accountability systems across the country, as well as individual state snapshots. School accountability systems allow states and local communities to measure progress toward state and local goals, share information, highlight […]
The California State Board of Education (SBE) is currently accepting feedback on significant updates to the Student Score Report (SSR) that may impact how a student and their parents interpret the student’s results on state standardized tests.
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) dealt with the highest number of complaints in its history in fiscal year (FY) 2023 at 19,201 — a 2 percent increase from the prior year, according to the its annual report. For comparison, just 8,934 complaints were lodged in FY 2021.
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 […]
