The California State Board of Education (SBE) began the new year by discussing various items related to accountability, curriculum, instructional materials and more during its Jan. 15 meeting. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond opened by recounting the devastation caused by the fires in Southern California and expressed gratitude to firefighters as well as state leaders for providing resources, assistance, flexibility and more to impacted local educational agencies.
Resources for affected LEAs are available here.
Student Score Reports
The State Board is still accepting feedback on 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. At its November meeting, the SBE delayed action on these changes, partially in response to concerns from the public, including CSBA, that the changes could be too vague and confusing (learn more). The SBE also wanted the California Department of Education (CDE) to do more outreach to teachers, parents, students and stakeholders.
While the board had suggested at its last meeting the proposed changes would be discussed during this month’s meeting, a new timeline was outlined in a Dec. 19 memo. The CDE will now provide the board with a memo in February summarizing the feedback and the proposed revisions to the reporting achievement level descriptors and labels as well as the proposed revisions for the 2025–26 SSRs for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) assessments and the California Science Test.
In comments submitted to the board, CSBA Legislative Advocate Carlos Machado stressed the need to carefully evaluate whether the proposed changes to the SSR will enhance and promote a better understanding of student scores. “To achieve the greatest level of utility from the report for students and their families, it is important that the labels and descriptors do not unintentionally obfuscate or otherwise make it harder to interpret the significance of the scores or identify the interventions that the scores signal are needed,” he said.
The board did approve technical amendments to the SSRs during the January meeting but is now scheduled to take action on any proposed changes at its March meeting.
Adopted amendments include:
- Deletion of duplicative and unnecessary language on the 2024–25 SSR for the CAASPP
- Adding specific language to the 2024–25 SSR Essay Performance section of the CAASPP that supports clarity and understanding of results
- Making formatting changes to facilitate LEA distribution of 2024–25 SSRs and duplex printing of multiple SSRs related to the CAASPP
- Revising the Written Language Skills composite description on the 2025–26 SSR to better describe the Written Language Skills expected for kindergarten through grade two students only
- Delegate authority to CDE staff, subject to the approval of the SBE executive director, to make any additional necessary clarifying technical edits to the SSRs
California School Dashboard
CDE staff provided a review of the 2024 California School Dashboard and 2023–24 data release, highlighting reduced suspension rates across student groups and chronic absenteeism, the addition of long-term English learners and a new science indicator.
The board approved the 2025 Accountability Workplan, which includes the incorporation of the Science indicator and the Student-Level Growth Model for Grades 4–8 in English Language Arts and Mathematics into the Dashboard. The workplan also provides a review of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) State Plan, currently adopted College and Career Indicator components, participation rates for academic indicators and science, Dashboard Alternative School Status application/renewal criteria, differentiated assistance eligibility based on California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System submissions, and Priority 1: Teacher Assignment Data.
Following robust discussion on how these data points can be used at the state and local levels, Board Vice President Cynthia Glover Woods expressed excitement over digging deeper into these data points moving forward.
Science assessment results
The 2024 Dashboard included the Science Indicator for informational purposes. This year, CDE staff said they will collaborate with education partners and the board to determine whether or how to bring the Science Indicator to the Dashboard for accountability purposes.
At its March meeting, the board will further discuss the establishment of Science Indicator status cut points (i.e., very high, high, medium, low and very low); change cut points (i.e., declines significantly, declined, maintained, increased and increased significantly); and a color scheme for the five-by-five color grid.
Adoption of these components to create performance levels will allow the Science Indicator to display colors on the 2025 Dashboard, and the board could take additional action at its July meeting to include Science in either state or federal accountability.
Student growth
CDE staff estimated that the department can release the first set of growth data for grades 4–8 based on CAASPP results from the 2021–22, 2022–23 and 2023–24 school years. CDE will also update the growth webpages and frequently asked questions, and provide webinars and more to support LEAs (that will have the opportunity to preview their data prior to public release).
With data now available, the board discussed how it could be incorporated into the Dashboard. Options included adopting performance standards for growth; publishing growth score data as additional information on the Dashboard with no accountability implications; and modifying ESSA support and improvement criteria to include the English language arts and math growth scores. Some board members expressed significant hesitancy around reopening the state ESSA Plan at this time.
Other options, such as modifying the components of the existing academic indicators to include growth scores or modifying differentiated assistance criteria to include the growth scores, were discussed. However, CDE staff noted that the 10-week timeline that it would take to produce the growth data files upon receipt of the final testing results in September would impinge on the legislative requirement to publish the Dashboard annually by Oct. 15 beginning in 2026. The deadline limits the options to utilize growth scores within the Dashboard indicators or for use in differentiated assistance eligibility, CDE staff said.
Curriculum and materials
Assembly Bill 2927 (2024) requires the SBE to adopt a curriculum guide and resources for a separate, stand-alone one-semester course in personal finance by May 31, 2026. The board approved the development timeline and foundational principles for the 2026 personal finance curriculum guide, which will provide additional support to LEAs beyond the financial literacy resources currently listed on the CDE’s website.
The curriculum guide is intended to support implementation of the graduation requirement in personal finance established by AB 2927, which will take effect beginning with the graduating class of 2030–31.
The law calls for the guide to include content related to the fundamentals of banking for personal use, including, but not limited to, savings and checking and managing to minimize fees; principles of budgeting for independent living; uses and effects of credit, including managing credit scores and the relation of debt and interest to credit; uses and costs of loans, including student loans, as well as policies that provide student loan forgiveness; types and costs of insurance, including home, auto, health and life insurance and more.
“Education is the foundation for creating a better future,” said board member Brenda Lewis. “The belief is this course will help students when they leave high school to have a higher quality of life. When you think about our underserved populations of students, getting the knowledge that’s coming from this course could potentially change the trajectory of students and their families for generations to come.”
Math
The board also continued work on the 2025 Mathematics Instructional Materials adoption process by appointing instructional materials reviewers and CDE facilitators. Additional information on the applicants can be found here.
Instructional materials are central to students’ educational success, and local governing boards play a critical role in ensuring the smooth adoption of high-quality materials that reflect the diversity in their communities and ensure their LEA provides high-quality instruction.
CSBA has a suite of resources and information to support trustees in this area from start to finish, including briefs, webinars and more. Additionally, SBE President Linda Darling-Hammond will be among the panelists discussing high-quality professional development for mathematics instruction and sharing examples of professional development practices and community partnerships during a Jan. 22 CSBA webinar. Register here.
In other State Board news:
- David Schapira, a former Arizona state legislator and school board member, and director of Governmental Relations for the California School Employees Association; and Ingrid Roberson, former associate superintendent of Academic Services at the Alameda County Office of Education and senior advisor of Research Learning at the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, were appointed co-chief deputy superintendents of public instruction.
- The board approved the executive summary of the State Annual Performance Report for Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 covering program year 2023–24. This report provides data on the status of California’s students with disabilities in 18 indicators as required for submission annually under IDEA. During fiscal year 2023–24, more than 850,000 students with disabilities received services, with many receiving multiple services through their LEA.
- The board approved Career Technical Education Incentive Grant allocations for fiscal year 2024–2025, as well as an allocation formula, specific funding amounts and number of grant awards, purposes for grant fund use and allowable and non-allowable expenditures.
- The CDE announced the two delegates and first and second alternates selected to represent California at the 62nd annual United States Senate Youth Program, held virtually on March 2–9. Learn more about these student leaders.
The next State Board meeting is scheduled for March 5-6, 2025. View the full meeting calendar.