Report and Recommendations
In December 2004 State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell announced he was establishing a statewide California P-16 Council to examine ways to improve student achievement at all levels and to create an integrated, seamless system of student learning from preschool through the senior year of college. The Superintendent’s first task for the Council was to address the issue of high school reform.
The following report contains the purposes, goals, and background of the Council; the reasons why high school reform was assigned as the first issue; the subcommittees’ essential questions; and the subcommittees’ recommendations. The subcommittees’ recommendations were developed through a thoughtful iterative process of consensus building. As a group the subcommittees are forwarding them to the Superintendent and other policymakers. The assignment to this group was not to analyze and debate the financial aspects of its proposals, but rather to put forth the strongest ideas for consideration by executive, legislative, and corporate leaders.
As the recommendations for high school reform emerged from the five subcommittees, the following six cross-cutting themes became apparent:
- California’s educational system must be based on high expectations for every student, with accountability for learning embedded into each grade level.
- A seamless P-16 system is necessary to ensure postsecondary success for all students.
- Parents, students, educators, appointed and elected officials, businesses, and the community as a whole—all these constituencies—must work together to transform the current high school system.
- Rigorous curriculum is essential for both academic and career technical education (CTE) courses. Therefore, they must be connected and integrated rather than viewed as separate pathways with implications for different economic and social status.
- Alignment, coordination, and articulation between three major transition points—middle school, high school, and postsecondary education—must be further strengthened.
- The ninth grade is a crucial year for students.
The Purpose
Providing California’s children with the academic foundation they need to navigate tomorrow’s world is a priority for State Superintendent Jack O’Connell. To support this priority, he established the California P-16 Council to coordinate and integrate preschool through college education in California more effectively to create a seamless system of student learning that would be more successful in meeting students’ needs. The Council’s purpose is to focus on critical issues in education and to make recommendations for educational changes that will increase student achievement in California.
The Goals
The Council is charged with examining ways to improve student achievement at all levels and to link preschool, elementary school, middle school, high school, and higher education to create a comprehensive, integrated system of student learning.
The goals of the Council are to examine and make recommendations on ways to:
- Improve student achievement at all levels and eliminate the achievement gap.
- Link all educational levels—preschool, elementary school, middle school, high school, and higher education—to create a comprehensive, seamless system of student learning.
- Ensure that all students have access to caring and qualified teachers.
- Increase public awareness of the link between an educated citizenry and a healthy economy.
Background
The Council is a committed group of 52 members all of whom are dedicated to improving the state’s educational system. It represents a wide range of experts throughout California, including teachers, administrators, parents, business leaders, students, and academics. All members of the Council attend plenary sessions and subcommittee meetings that are held between the plenary sessions. The first plenary session was held on May 17, 2005.
The subcommittees were provided with a topic (essential questions), and they were asked to explore research-based strategies and solutions that would lead to changes in public policy. The subcommittees researched the best practices, reviewed state and national data, sought public input, and rigorously discussed issues, policies, and strategies related to their first assignment. This work yielded research-based recommendations that were presented to the entire Council and documented in a subcommittee report. The majority of the subcommittee work, most of which was carried out through conference calls, occurred between plenary sessions.
Reasons for a Focus on High School
In 2002 only 71 percent of California students who entered high school graduated.1 However, when the statewide data are disaggregated, the statistics are alarmingly worse for African-American and Latino students. Figures from 2002 show that in California only 56.6 percent of African-American and 60.3 percent of Latino students graduated.2 According to researchers, graduation rates follow academic performance rates fairly closely. Students who perform poorly on California Standards Tests are far more likely to drop out of school.3
In 2004 the academic achievement of students in California’s elementary schools and, to a somewhat lesser extent, California’s middle schools was steadily increasing. However, the comparative academic achievement of California's high schools was significantly less. In fact, less than 10 percent of California’s high schools have reached the optimum level of 800 on the Academic Performance Index (API), and during the past five years, California’s high schools have met their annual API growth targets about 40 percent of the time. In 2004, 210 of California’s 1,059 comprehensive high schools were state-monitored high schools, indicating unsatisfactory performance in reaching annual academic growth targets.4
Starting with the class of 2006, all public high school students are required to pass the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) to receive a high school diploma. CAHSEE also provides evidence of lower-than-acceptable achievement in many California high schools. In 2004 data from the administration of CAHSEE to students in the class of 2006 indicated that 25 percent of the students had not passed the exam. Subgroups for the class of 2006 passed at alarmingly low rates: only 39 percent of English learners, 30 percent of special education students, and 60 percent of economically disadvantaged students passed the English-language arts portion of the test.5
Furthermore, the issue of graduating from high school becomes even more crucial if a student applies for federal Pell Grants. The U.S. Secretary of Education recently issued the guidelines for two new federal Pell Grants: the Academic Competitiveness Grant (AC grant) and the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (SMART grant).6 To qualify for these grants, students are required to graduate from a rigorous high school program of study.
As a result of the preceding facts, Superintendent O’Connell requested that the Council members focus their attention first on improving student achievement in California’s high schools.
Foot Notes
1 Christopher B. Swanson, Who Graduates in California? Washington, D.C.: The Urban Institute, March 2005.
2 Ibid.
3 Susan Frey, and Mary Perry, Spotlight on California High School Performance. Mountain View, Calif.:
EdSource, June 2005.
4 High Performing High Schools Initiative: A White Paper on Improving Student Achievement in California's High Schools. Sacramento, California: Department of Education, February 2005.
5 Ibid.
6 Margaret Spellings, “Letter to State Chief School Officers and State Higher Education Agencies,”
(PDF; 68KB; 10pp.)
from the U.S. Secretary of Education, May 2, 2006.
Essential Questions Related to High School Reform
Five broad essential questions related to high school reform were presented to the subcommittees. The topics covered academic relevance, rigor, relationships, preparation, and academic choices. The subcommittees could expand or narrow the scope of their essential questions. The five original essential questions were:
- How can we make the achievement of standards matter to students? This essential question was modified on September 20, 2005 to read, “How do we make school more relevant to students?”
- How can we provide all students the opportunity to master rigorous work- and college-ready curricula?
- How can we work to ensure that all students develop a sense of community while they are in high school?
- How can we address the short-term problem of ninth graders entering high school unprepared to master essential content and skills?
- How can we ensure that all students and parents are deeply aware of stakes (at the back end) and therefore the importance of academic choices (at the front end)?
Subcommittee Recommendations
This section contains the essential question for each subcommittee and the recommendations resulting from the subcommittee members’ discussions. The rationale for developing the recommendations is also presented.
Subcommittee 1
California P-16 Council Subcommittee 1 recommendations for high school reform – Essential question: How do we make school more relevant to students?
Subcommittee 2
California P-16 Council Subcommittee 2 recommendations for high school reform – Essential question: How can we provide all students the opportunity to master rigorous work- and college-ready curricula?
Subcommittee 3
California P-16 Council Subcommittee 3 recommendations for high school reform – Essential question: How can we work to ensure that all students develop a sense of community while they are in high school?
Subcommittee 4
California P-16 Council Subcommittee 4 recommendations for high school reform – Essential question: How can we address the short-term problem of ninth graders entering high school unprepared to master essential content and skills?
Subcommittee 5
California P-16 Council Subcommittee 5 recommendations for high school reform – Essential question: How can we ensure that all students and parents are deeply aware of stakes (at the back end) and therefore the importance of academic choices (at the front end)?
2005-2006 P-16 Council Members (PDF; 17KB; 3pp.)
List of California P-16 Council members who developed the high school reform recommendations.
References (PDF; 21KB; 1p.)
References cited in the California P-16 Council report and recommendations on high school reform.
P-16 Council - High School Reform 2006 - NEW (PDF; 103KB; 17pp.; 18-Jan-2007)
