August proved to be another hectic month as we released the results of the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program, the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), and the Accountability Progress Report. We also witnessed the culmination of a protracted budget stalemate that placed a severe financial strain on state government operations.
In addition to creating fiscal uncertainty for local education agencies, the 52-day budget delay put 785 state-funded child care centers in financial jeopardy, forcing some to seek high-interest loans to keep their doors open.
In a final tight budget that sustained $703 million in gubernatorial vetoes, education fared well. The budget protects the Proposition 98 guarantee and provides a cost-of-living increase for school programs. It also calls for a much-needed 4.7-cent increase in the school meal reimbursement rate aimed at improving the nutritional quality of meals served to students, and increases funding for career technical education programs.
I am deeply disappointed, however, that the final budget agreement failed to include funding I sought to help local districts to collect and maintain quality individual student data for the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS). Rest assured, I will continue to advocate for funding to support local data collection and maintenance to improve the accuracy of student data. I was also disappointed with the Governor’s veto of $7 million for District Assistance and Intervention Teams (DAITs), which work with local educational agencies facing sanctions under federal school accountability systems. As a number of districts in Year Three of Program Improvement will soon have to implement sanctions, the work of DAITs is vital to systemically improve student achievement.
Finally, the Governor also vetoed funding – also included in last year’s budget – for full-day preschool and family literacy programs. A number of these program providers are in preparations to offer full-day preschool services for students and their parents and this veto leaves many families who were counting on sending their child to full-day preschool without access to these services. I am planning to work with the Legislature to restore the appropriation of these funds.
I look forward to working with all of you to build support over the next year for the significant new investments our schools need in order to prepare all students to compete successfully in the global economy.
As the budget saga drew to a close, we found ourselves in the midst of a succession of test result releases. Results on the California Standards Tests (CSTs) were relatively flat this year as is typical in statewide testing systems after several years of steady growth. Compared with 2003, when all the CSTs were for the first time completely aligned to state standards, the percentage of students scoring advanced or proficient in 2007 increased by 8 points in English-language arts (ELA), from 35 percent to 43 percent, and 6 points in math, from 35 percent to 41 percent. I am proud of the hard work being done by teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals to prepare our students to more rigorous standards.
We continue to see improvement in the number of students learning the skills in English-language arts and mathematics needed to pass the CAHSEE. The estimated number meeting the requirement as of May for the Class of 2007 was 93.3 percent, a 2.1 percent increase over the Class of 2006 at the same point in time. Improvement is reflected in all of the major demographic categories (or subgroups) of twelfth grade students. African American students made the largest gain of 4.7 percent, followed by Hispanic/Latino students at 3.1 percent. The passing rate of economically disadvantaged students also increased by 2.6 percent.
Reflecting both the relatively flat CST scores and new, more rigorous targets for subgroups, the percentage of all schools meeting all Academic Performance Index growth targets in 2006-07 declined from the previous year from 52 percent to 45 percent. The Adequate Yearly Progress results showed that 66 percent of schools met federal requirements, which is unchanged from last year. Two hundred thirty-two California schools were newly identified for Program Improvement (PI) last year, while 160 exited, leaving a total of 2,209 schools in PI.
Overall, as a result of your hard work over the past few years, hundreds of thousands of California students will have a better shot at success. The data also show the persistent achievement gaps in our system that we simply must address. Test scores continue to shine a glaring light on the disparity in achievement between students who are African American or Hispanic/Latino and their white or Asian counterparts, regardless of socioeconomic status. We know all children can learn to the same high levels, so we must confront and change those things that are holding back groups of students.
Earlier in the year, in order to begin the process of comprehensively examining and finding ways to close achievement gaps in California schools, I charged my statewide P-16 Council – including leaders from all segments of education as well as business, labor, and community organizations – with examining factors contributing to achievement gaps and strategies for closing those gaps. I am also asking educators from throughout California to attend the Achievement Gap Summit scheduled for November 13-14, 2007, in Sacramento. For more information, please visit the Achievement Gap Summit Web page [http://www.sjcoe.org/summit/index.aspx] (Outside Source).
I wish you all a rewarding and successful school year, and to those just beginning the year, I extend my official, “Welcome back!” You are making a genuine difference, and I appreciate your dedication, determination, and expertise. We must continue to work hard, work together, and work smart to prepare all children with the skills they need to succeed.
Honoring Teachers
This month Department Highlights honors Judith Leff, one of San Diego County’s four Teachers of the Year selected last October. An educator for 35 years, Ms. Leff teaches and creates what she calls a “community of learners” in her sixth grade classroom at Paul Ecke Central Elementary School in Encinitas. She has been teaching in the Encinitas Union School District since 1982.
Ms. Leff said in her application for the California Teachers of the Year Program that she had never considered becoming a teacher until she entered a credential program for bilingual students. She was so inspired by her master teachers that she “embraced teaching as a career and never looked back.”
Ms. Leff is concerned with two issues in public education: the achievement gap between white students and English Learners, and particularly with what she calls the “alarming rate” at which boys are failing school. “These are students who have developed a ‘Don’t care’ attitude about their schooling. They are not completing class assignments, participating in class, or doing homework. These are boys unmotivated and unaffected by traditional school discipline.”
She pointed out that boys are two times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with learning disabilities that result in their placement in special education classes. Boys between 5 and 12 years of age are 60 percent more likely to repeat a grade than girls and are 33 percent more likely to drop out of high school. “The enrollment of males in college has decreased 14 percent in the last 30 years,” she says.
Such boys must be engaged in a different way, Ms. Leff wrote in her application. First, they need help in developing an “emotional vocabulary” so they use words and not aggression to solve problems. Second, boys need to move physically. “We are planning lessons that rely more on active participation and less on lecture,” she said of a study group that has been studying the problem so they can enact changes. “And third, boys,” she said, “need role models to guide them.”
“By addressing (these issues), we hope to develop an action plan that will begin to turn the tide for the boys in our school,” she said.
Ms. Leff is as much a mentor to fellow teachers as she is to her students. She donates much of her free time to coaching colleagues in the teaching of writing and has been a fellow of the University of California, San Diego Writing Project for 20 years. She is a member of many professional organizations, including the California and San Diego Councils of Teachers of English, the California Association of Bilingual Educators, and Computer Using Educators.
On her extensive and captivating school Web page, visitors can see not only when homework is due, but learn that a poem is: “Hard Work. Emotion surprised. Throwing a colored shadow.” One can also listen to Amanda read her story, “A New Day,” in which she says, “I believe in starting a new day fresh and optimistic.”
Ms. Leff earned a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies in 1970 at California State University, Los Angeles, where she also received her teaching credential. She holds a Bilingual Certificate of Competency from the State of California.
Settlement Agreement Reached Over Diabetes Management in Schools
The California Department of Education (CDE) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) announced on August 8 a landmark agreement that ensures California students who are classified as disabled because of diabetes will be safe at school and enjoy the same legally required educational opportunities as their peers.
"Through this cooperative agreement with the ADA, the California Department of Education is committed to ensuring that all children with diabetes in California schools have access to legally required care during the school day," State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell said. "A lack of resources, uncertainty about how services are best delivered, and lack of clarity about state and federal requirements have in some instances caused hardship to parents of children with diabetes.”
Under the agreement, each local educational agency (LEA) will manage the delivery of this care in the best possible way for those students whose individualized education programs (IEPs) or 504 Plans require administration of insulin and related services during the school day. The CDE has sent a Legal Advisory to all California school districts providing guidance on health care services for students with diabetes and outlining the rights of these students under federal anti-discrimination and special education statutes—Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The Advisory explicitly states that school districts have an obligation to provide insulin administration and related services to eligible students who need the assistance.
According to the CDE, state law permits seven categories of individuals to administer insulin to students at school, including school nurses or other health care professionals, a self-administering student, and family members and friends (a complete list may be found in the Legal Advisory). The agreement provides that when school nurses or other school health care professionals are not available, a voluntary school employee who is unlicensed and who has been adequately trained may administer insulin pursuant to the student’s treating physician’s orders.
The Advisory reminds districts that policies limiting the type or location of diabetes care to be provided to students, without considering the individual needs of each student, violate the law. For example, policies that ban blood glucose testing in the classroom or that automatically place students needing assistance with diabetes care in a particular school are not permitted.
Additional information, including a copy of the Legal Advisory, can be found on the Diabetes Management in Schools Web page [http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/he/hn/diabetesmgmt.asp].
United States Senate Youth Program
The California Department of Education (CDE) is once again coordinating the 46th Annual United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP), sponsored by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. High schools are invited to nominate up to two outstanding juniors or seniors to be considered as candidates for the USSYP.
Two high school students will be selected from the statewide candidates to represent California as USSYP delegates. They will participate in a week of intensive study of the federal government as guests of the United States Senate from March 1-8, 2008, in Washington, D.C. The Foundation will pay all expenses for the delegates, including transportation, hotel, and meals. In addition, each of the delegates will receive a $5,000 college scholarship from the Foundation.
A student must be nominated by their high school principal to be considered for the USSYP. Each high school principal may nominate up to two students. High school juniors or seniors are eligible to apply, provided they are currently serving in an elected or selected capacity in student government, a civic, or an educational organization. Additionally, the students chosen must be permanent residents of the United States and be currently enrolled in California public or private secondary schools. The instructions, California student application, qualifying examination, frequently asked questions, and USSYP brochure are available on the USSYP Web page [http://www.cde.ca.gov/eo/in/us/index.asp]. The original and one copy of the completed California student application, qualifying examination, and student’s unofficial transcript must be submitted for each candidate to the CDE by the postmark deadline of October 1, 2007.
For more information on the USSYP, please contact Carol Smith, USSYP Coordinator, Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, at 916-319-0577 or by e-mail at csmith@cde.ca.gov.
Quality Education Investment Act First Apportionment
The Quality Education Investment Act (QEIA) first apportionment letter was mailed to the county offices of education on July 24, 2007, and the schedules requesting payments were forwarded to the State Controller’s Office on July 23, 2007. The first apportionments reflect 80 percent of the 2007-08 awards. Each of the 42 county offices of education that have QEIA funded schools should receive a warrant by August 6, 2007. Four hundred eighty-eight schools in 141 districts will receive QEIA funding each year beginning in 2007-08 and ending in 2013-14. The 2007-08 awards total $260,718,793. The 80 percent first apportionment totals $208,575,036. The school-level awards will be recalculated each year based upon the school’s prior year enrollment. The funding level will increase from $261 million to $400 million in 2008-09.
For more information regarding the QEIA apportionment, visit the QEIA of 2006 Funding Results Web page [http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/r14/qeia07result.asp] or contact Lorraine Jones, Associate Governmental Program Analyst, High Priority Schools Office, at 916-324-3573 or by e-mail at ljones@cde.ca.gov.
Registration Available for On the Right Track Symposium
Just a reminder that the On the Right Track 5 Symposium: Navigating through Program Improvement and Strategies for Exiting, will be held September 30 – October 2, 2007. This will be the fifth annual event co-sponsored by the California Department of Education and the California Comprehensive Center at WestEd.
Interactive sessions will provide participants with an opportunity to hear from schools and districts that have been in Program Improvement (PI) and, by meeting their student achievement targets, have exited PI. There will be stories of success and of ongoing challenges. Participants will be able to ask questions and discuss strategies with peers from throughout the state about what works and how to implement district and school reform. The focus of this Symposium is for schools and districts to talk and interact with other schools and districts.
The On the Right Track 5 Symposium will be held at the Hyatt Regency Orange County in Garden Grove, California. Registration and hotel information is available on the On the Right Track 5 Web page [http://www.wested.org/pub/docs/489] Outside Source).
For more information regarding the On the Right Track 5 Symposium, please contact Linda Slayton, Education Programs Consultant, School Improvement Division, at 916-319-0833 or by e-mail at lslayton@cde.ca.gov.
Statewide Benefit Charter Schools Open
During the month of August, the Charter Schools Division has overseen the opening of California's initial effort to establish Statewide Benefit Charter Schools. The first such school to open was the Clarendon Avenue campus of Aspire Public Schools in Huntington Park, which began operations August 15 and serves approximately 175 students in kindergarten through grade four.
The second Aspire Statewide Benefit Charter School campus opened on August 27 on North American Street in Stockton and serves 215 students in kindergarten through grade five. Aspire-Clarendon and Aspire-Trinity (the campuses' temporary names) offer the diverse students of their surrounding communities a solid academic alternative to chronically low performing (Program Improvement) schools. Both campuses will build out to serve kindergarten through eighth grade over time. Aspire Public Schools is headquartered in Oakland.
The San Diego-based High Tech High organization operates California's other Statewide Benefit Charter School. The school's two campuses are located in Chula Vista and San Marcos. The former starts operations on August 27 and the latter on September 10. Each campus will serve approximately 150 ninth graders in 2007-08. Both campuses will build out to serve ninth through twelfth grades over time. High Tech High schools generally have amassed outstanding records of academic achievement; most have consistently ranked 9 or 10 on the Academic Performance Index.
The concept of Statewide Benefit Charter Schools was incorporated into state law in Assembly Bill 1994, Reyes (Chapter 1058, Statutes of 2002). Premised upon providing "instructional services of statewide benefit that cannot be provided by a charter school operating in only one school district, or only in one county," the California State Board of Education (SBE) must make a finding to that effect in granting each Statewide Benefit Charter. The High Tech High Statewide Benefit Charter was granted in January 2006 (though the opening of campuses was delayed to this fall), and the Aspire Statewide Benefit Charter was granted in January 2007. In both cases, the schools' statewide benefits were expressed in a multi-faceted way, addressing benefits to pupils, communities, the state, and the schools themselves, consistent with the AB 1994 implementing regulations that were adopted by the SBE.
Educational Interpreters for Students who are Deaf
Many students who are deaf are mainstreamed for all or part of the school day into general education classrooms. In order for these students to have equal access and to benefit from the curriculum and instruction in the general education classroom, it is imperative that these students receive services from highly skilled, fully qualified educational interpreters. An educational interpreter is a professional who provides communication facilitation between students who are deaf or hard of hearing, and others, in the general education classroom and for other school-related activities, including extracurricular activities, as designated in a student’s individualized educational program (IEP).
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) specifies that educational interpreting for students who are deaf is a related service, and requires that educational interpreters meet state-approved or recognized certification, licensing, registration, or other comparable requirements. In 2002, the California State Board of Education (SBE) recognized the critical role of the educational interpreter in the education of students who are deaf, and approved regulations (California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 5, Section 3051.16) requiring that educational interpreters be certified by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), or equivalent, by January 1, 2007. In September, the SBE will consider proposed amendments to Section 3051.16, which will clarify for the field what valid and reliable assessments may be used in lieu of RID certification to determine an interpreter’s qualifications.
For more information regarding educational interpreter qualification standards, please contact Nancy Grosz Sager, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Programs Consultant, State Special Schools and Services Division, at 916-327-3868 or by e-mail at nsager@cde.ca.gov.
Document Translations Requirements
In accordance with California Education Code Section 48985, the California Department of Education e-mailed districts on July 31, 2007, notifying them of the schools for which translations of parental notifications are required.
The e-mail notification included specific instructions on how districts and county offices can access language group data for their schools. The contents of the July 31 notification have been posted from the Document Translation Reference Web page [http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/pf/cm/transref.asp].
New Translations Available
This brief listing of new translations is the first in a series of announcements that the California Department of Education (CDE) hopes to issue during the coming weeks and months. The translation effort is an ongoing project, one of the largest the Department has ever undertaken. We hope to inform you periodically of other new translations as they become available on the CDE Web site.
- Spanish translations of academic content standards (English-language arts, mathematics, history-social science) are now available on the Clearinghouse for Multilingual Documents (CMD) Web page [http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/pf/cm/]. A link to an outside source for the science standards in Spanish is also provided.
- Forms for Vision and Oral Health Examinations are available on the Oral Health Assessment Web page [http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/he/hn/oralhealth.asp].
- Several translations of Special Education's "Notice of Procedural Safeguards" are available on the Quality Assurance Process Web page [http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/qa/].
Note: As a form of assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs), the CDE offers these translations free of charge. Because there can be variations in translation, the CDE recommends that LEAs confer with local translators to determine any need for additions or modifications, including the addition of local contact information or local data, or modifications in language to suit the needs of specific language groups in the local community.
If you have comments or questions regarding the translations, or if you have trouble locating the translations at the links provided in this message, you may contact the CMD at cmd@cde.ca.gov.
On a related matter, a new Troubleshooting Display Problems for CMD Documents Web page [http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/pf/cm/cmdtroubleshoot.asp], which provides some information to users in the field who want to know if their computers are accurately displaying letters or characters for certain languages, is available.
And by way of update, there are now 430 translations entered into the CMD database, an increase of more than 100 translations during the past several months. Please feel free to forward this information to staff members who oversee English learner programs, school-to-home communications, and related areas of responsibility.
Internal Revenue Service Regulations are Changing: Is Your District in Compliance?
A new program that offers a solution for employers facing comprehensive new Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations is now available from the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS). The regulations require more hands-on administration of 403(b) and 457 plans, and a higher level of accountability.
The CalSTRS 403(b) Comply program is a low-cost, high-quality compliance and administration service for deferred compensation plans. CalSTRS is offering these services in partnership with The Omni Financial Group.
To sign up for the CalSTRS 403(b) Comply program, or for more information contact CalSTRS Active Financial Choices, at 888-394-2060.
The California Department of Education Presents Report on Complete Schools to the State Allocation Board
The California Department of Education (CDE) report on a complete school was presented to the State Allocation Board (SAB) on June 27. The report provides a brief overview of the square footage standards used in California's school facility funding programs between 1947 and 1997, and how those historical per square foot standards became the basis for the per student grant amounts in the School Facility Program enacted in 1997. In the report, the CDE identifies 60 schools that are considered complete based on each district’s unique educational program needs. The report also compares the number of square feet per student in these complete schools to the square feet per student in the historical (1947-1997) funding program and the square feet per student in schools built inother western states and nationally.
Square Feet per Student
| Elementary School | Middle School | High School | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 Complete Schools funded in School Facility Program | 70 | 88 | 108 |
| 1997 California Facility Program Funding Model (Lease Purchase Program) | 73 | 80 | 95 |
| Western Region (2006) | 88 | 106 | 120 |
| National (2006) | 122 | 144 | 167 |
The report is available on the What’s New Web page [http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/fa/sf/whatsnew.asp]. For more information regarding the report, please contact Kathleen Moore, Director, School Facilities Planning Division, at
916-445-2144.
California’s First School Wellness Conference on October 1-2, 2007
The California Department of Education (CDE), the California School Boards Association (CSBA), and the California Department of Public Health are hosting the first-annual School Wellness Conference on October 1-2, 2007, in Anaheim, where State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell will outline how critical student health, nutrition, and fitness are to closing the achievement gap, preventing childhood obesity, and furthering California’s leadership in implementing school wellness.
Keynote speaker Dr. Pat Cooper, a former superintendent from McComb School District in Mississippi, is an advocate of coordinated school health and universal preschool. During his tenure in McComb, he used a holistic approach the transform the school environment in a low income community. In August of 2007, Dr. Cooper moved to New Orleans to become the Chief Executive Officer of the Early Childhood and Family Learning Foundation.
The registration fee through September 17 is $150 and includes a compendium of best practices, refreshments, continental breakfast, and lunch both days. After
September 17, the registration fee will be $225. To register in advance, please contact the CSBA, at 800-266-3382, Ext. 3275 or by email at register@csba.org. Conference and registration information is also available on the School Wellness Conference Web page [http://www.csba.org/apps/swc/] (Outside Source)
[Note, the preceding Web address is no longer valid.]
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For more information regarding the School Wellness Conference, please contact Heather Reed, Nutrition Education Consultant, Nutrition Services Division, at 916-323-3581 or 800-952-5609 or by e-mail at hreed@cde.ca.gov.
Shaping Health as Partners in Education Workshops on Breakfast and Closing the Achievement Gap
As part of the California Department of Education’s (CDE’s) emphasis on closing the achievement gap, the Nutrition Services Division is offering a series Shaping Health as Partners in Education (SHAPE) workshops statewide on Breakfast and Closing the Achievement Gap. “School breakfast is a relatively simple intervention that can significantly improve children’s academic performance and psychological well-being,” according to J. Michael Murphy of Harvard Medical School.
The SHAPE workshops will present an overview of the CDE’s P-16 Council strategies to address the achievement gap as well as the extensive and compelling research documenting the positive impact of breakfast on academic performance. The workshops also will highlight the common barriers encountered when initiating or expanding breakfast programs, along with promising practices, (such as breakfast on the bus, universal classroom breakfast, and others) which may be shared by school food service directors, principals, and superintendents. The CDE is partnering with the California School Nutrition Association, California Food Policy Advocates, and the CDE’s P-16 Council to offer this fall’s SHAPE workshop series that will be offered in 11 locations statewide from November 5, 2007, to January 17, 2008:
Bakersfield: November 5, 2007
Fresno: November 8, 2007
Los Angeles: November 16, 2007
Hayward November 27, 2007
Redding: November 30, 2007
Ontario: December 4, 2007
Salinas: December 7, 2007
Sacramento: December 10, 2007
Santa Rosa: December 14, 2007
Costa Mesa: December 17, 2007
Palm Springs: January 17, 2008
Registration is $15 and includes a working lunch. For more information, or if you are interested in sharing your success in overcoming logistical barriers involving a school breakfast program at one or more of these workshops, please contact Heather Reed, Nutrition Education Consultant, Nutrition Services Division, at 916-323-3581 or 800-952-5609 or by e-mail at hreed@cde.ca.gov.
The California Department of Education Receives 2007 Partnership State Award
For the fourth year in a row, the California Department of Education (CDE) has received national recognition for its work in improving school, family, and community partnerships to assist districts and schools in improving student academic achievement.
The 2007 Partnership State Award was presented in August to the CDE by the National Network of Partnership Schools at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. For information about research-based means of focusing the rich resources that parents and communities provide to schools, and their ability to assist in achieving the goals of your school plan, please contact Carol Dickson, Education Programs Consultant, Title I Programs and Partnerships Office, at 916-319-0382 or by e-mail at cdickson@cde.ca.gov.
