Online resources to support the recommendations in the publication Elementary Makes the Grade! are listed.
I. Rigorous Academic Content and Performance Standards
Recommendation 1: Create a Standards-Based Learning Environment.
The California Department of Education Web Site provides the
locations of California's content standards, frameworks, and performance
indicators.
Developing Educational Standards (Outside Source) Web site has links to states' standards,
professional organizations, and clearinghouses devoted to standards.
Recommendation 2: Adopt Performance Standards That Specify, How Good Is Good Enough?
None identified.
II. Assessment and Accountability
California Department of Education Web pages with information on the Immediate Intervention/Underperforming Schools Program, High Priority Schools Grant Program, Comprehensive School Reform, and other issues related to public school accountability.
Recommendation 3: Require That Ongoing Assessment and Analysis of Student Work Drive the Curriculum.
New Standards performance standards and rubrics are available
through the National Center for Education and the Economy (Outside Source) Web
site.
The document,
Standards-Led Assessment; Technical and Policy Issues in Measuring School and Student Progress (1997) (PDF; Outside Source), Center for the Study of Evaluation Technical Report 426, is available
at the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards,
and Student Testing (CRESST) Web site.
Recommendation 4: Hold Stakeholders Accountable for Their Part in Students' Achievement of Standards.
The document, What to Expect from California's New School Accountability Law (1999), is available at EdSource Online (Outside Source) Web site.
III. Curriculum and Instruction
Recommendation 5: Teach All Disciplines in the Curriculum While Emphasizing Reading, Writing, and Mathematics.
The Santa Clara County Office of Education (Outside Source) Web site lists appropriate
resources, including technology, for each standard for each grade
level.
The Mathematics Framework for California Public Schools (2000 Revised Edition) is available at California Department of Education's All Curriculum Frameworks Web page.
The Reading/Language Arts Framework for California Public
Schools (1999) is available at the California Department of Education's All Curriculum Frameworks Web page.
Recommendation 6: Actively Involve All Students in the Inclusive Core Curriculum.
The Center for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence (CREDE) (Outside Source) at the University of California, Santa Cruz, assists educators
by identifying and developing effective educational practices
for linguistic and cultural minority students. Additional information
is available on its Web site.
The National Coalition for the Homeless (Outside Source) provides numerous resources
on homelessness and education for children and youths.
Information about special education services, programs, research,
and promising practices, and links to other Web sites are available
on the California Department of Education's Web site.
The California Department of Education's Gifted and Talented Education Web site provides resources for curriculum and instruction for gifted and talented (GATE) students capable of achieving significantly beyond the level of their peers.
Recommendation 7: Implement Aggressive Intervention Strategies.
The California Department of Education's Pupil Promotion and Retention Web page provides links to legislation on this issue and offers
information about funding and additional resources.
The California Department of Education's Comprehensive School
Reform Web page provides resources on research-based school reform
models.
The results from the statewide evaluation of the elementary Class
Size Reduction Program in California are available on the CSR
Research Consortium (Outside Source) Web site.
The document, Taking Responsibility for Ending Social Promotion: A Guide for Educators and State and Local Leaders (1999) (Outside Source),
is available at the U.S. Department of Education's Web site.
Recommendation 8: Build Partnerships with Other Stakeholders to Meet the Needs of the Whole Child.
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (Outside Source) has a page
on the U.S. Department of Education Web site. The page offers
information on after-school, weekend, and summer programs for
youths as well as resources to order or download.
The California Department of Education Web site has several pages
that focus on partnerships, including the After School Learning
and Safe Neighborhoods Partnerships Program. These pages offer
information on training and grants, opportunities for collaboration,
and links to research and other related Web sites.
Recommendation 9: Develop and Reinforce Positive Character Traits.
The California Department of Education's Character Education Web
page contains numerous references and online resources concerning
character education.
The California Partnership for Character Education (Outside Source) Web site contains character education resources and California model school
information.
Recommendation 10: Select Effective Instructional Materials and Resources, Including Technology.
The Schools of California Online Resources for Educators (SCORE) (Outside Source) Web site offers web-based classroom resources from California schools in history, math, science, social studies, and language arts, including literature guides for many kindergarten-through- twelfth-grade titles.
Recommendation 11: Engage in Purposeful Dialogue Between Grade Levels.
The National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (Outside Source) Web site includes information on transitions.
IV. Professional Development
The Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) (Outside Source) offers information on summer institutes, other professional development opportunities, publications, legislation, and other topics.
Recommendation 12: Implement a Professional Development Plan Based on Student Performance.
The California Department of Education has information about professional
development programs that improve the effectiveness of educators.
California Subject Matter Projects (Outside Source) are discipline-specific professional
development networks for educators. Further information is available
at the Projects' Web site.
The Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning (Outside Source), a co-sponsor
of the California Professional Development Reform Initiative,
supports programs and publications concerning teacher education
in California. More information is available on its Web site.
The North Central Regional Educational Laboratory's (NCREL) (Outside Source) Web
site is a good source for professional development information.
The California State University Institute for Educational Reform has produced a document, Doing What Matters Most: Investing
in Quality Teaching (1998). This document is available at
the California State University, Sacramento (Outside Source), Web site.
Recommendation 13: Provide Mentors and Coaching to Improve Professional Skills.
The California Department of Education has links to information
about professional development programs that improve the effectiveness
of educators.
Certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards (NBPTS) (Outside Source) is available for teachers. The State of California
has received funding for applicants and awardees. To order the
certificate application, contact NBPTS at 1-800-22TEACH. Fiscal
information is available at the NBPTS Web site.
The Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning (Outside Source) supports programs
and publications concerning teacher education in California.
For information about the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) (Outside Source) Program and the California Formative Assessment and Support
System for Teachers (CFASST) process, see the BTSA Web site.
Prospective, new, and experienced teachers may receive information
about a teaching program at the California State University, Long
Beach, CalTEACH (Outside Source) Web site.
V. District-Level Leadership and Support
Recommendation 14: Provide Adequate District-Level Resources, Support, and Leadership.
The WestEd (Outside Source) Web site describes how its network of schools, districts,
and school-support providers help schools gather and use student
performance data.
The National Association of Elementary School Principals (Outside Source) Web
site describes current educational issues, events, and hot topics
affecting elementary principals.
The California School Leadership Academy (Outside Source) Web site describes
professional development activities and services available for
administrators and teacher-leaders through its 12 regional school
leadership centers and its Executive Leadership Center for superintendents.
The California School Boards Association (Outside Source) Web site offers a variety
of information on educational headlines, critical issues, legal
issues, and policy research and analysis. It also provides links
to county boards of education.
The California Department of Education's School Facilities Planning
Division Web page offers general information about contracts,
facilities planning, class size reduction, year-round education,
workshops, and publications.
The California Department of Education's Finance and Grants Web page provides information related to a variety of funding
sources, grant alerts, and resources for grant writers.
