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Back to P-16 Council Meetings - General Session
SUMMARY MEETING NOTES
CALIFORNIA P-16 COUNCIL
Barry Munitz, Chair
University of California at Davis
The Buehler Alumni Center
1 Shields Drive
Davis, California 95616
Wednesday, March 1, 2006
Welcoming Remarks from Barry Munitz
Dr. Barry Munitz welcomed the P-16 Council members and expressed his gratitude for the subcommittee work they accomplished. Dr. Munitz thanked each subcommittee for the recommendations they submitted for improving student achievement in high schools. Dr. Munitz also thanked the University of California at Davis for hosting the meeting.
Dr. Munitz asked the Council members, the California Department of Education (CDE) staff, and members of the public to introduce themselves. Carol Katzman was introduced as a new member of the Council.
Housekeeping Issues
- December 9, 2005, Summary Meeting Notes – The summary notes from the December 9, 2005, meeting were approved by the Council.
- Subcommittee Recommendations – Sue Stickel, Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction for the CDE, commended the subcommittee members for all the hard work they put into the recommendations that they were presenting today. Sue stated that the recommendations accepted by the Council at this meeting would be compiled into a single document.
Subcommittee Recommendations
All five subcommittees presented their recommendations to the P-16 Council. The Council decided to move the recommendations forward to the State Superintendent, Jack O'Connell. The subcommittees' recommendations are listed below:
Subcommittee # 1 (Relevance)
Members:
Alan Siegel, Coordinator
Carol Tomlinson-Keasey (absent)
Judy D’Amico
Mark Drummond (absent)/Ken Nather (alternate)
Herb Fischer
Carl Guardino (absent)
Scott Plotkin (absent)/ Stephanie Farland (alternate)
Anne Stanton
Carroll Stevens
Jack Stewart
CDE Subcommittee Staff: Mary Donnelly-Ortega
Essential Question for Subcommittee #1:
How do we make school relevant to students?
Subcommittee #1 Recommendations:
Recommendation #1:
Expand the number of California Partnership Academies (CPAs) that currently exist, expand the CPA model to a four-year program, eliminate the current enrollment requirement of "at-risk" students, and make the curriculum developed for CPAs available to the public.
- Expand the number of CPAs from the current 286 to 900.
- Expand the CPA model from the current three-year program for grades 10-12 to a four-year model for grades 9-12.
- Eliminate the “50% at-risk” student enrollment requirement for CPAs and, continue to fund “qualified students” in CPAs at the current rate or higher.
- Make available to the public, curriculum and lessons developed for CPAs and post on the CDE Web site or a public database.
Recommendation #2:
Expand the San Bernardino County Schools’ A.B.L.E. program throughout the state. This will establish a statewide network of local business, labor, and education partnerships to connect the mathematics curriculum to the workplace. This network will assist teachers in connecting with business and labor partners to create examples of authentic applications of the math curriculum that can be used by teachers in their high school math classes. The statewide network will have the following components:
- A project coordinator for each local partnership who will:
- Facilitate and oversee the process and development of the authentic math applications.
- Oversee the compilation and archiving of the work.
- Facilitate and oversee the process and development of the authentic math applications.
- The examples of authentic mathematic applications will be:
- Cross-referenced with math content standards and identify the standards used.
- Organized by industry sectors.
- Compiled in a database that resides at a county office of education or the Regional P-16 Council.
- Archived on the CDE Web site for statewide access by all educational systems.
- Cross-referenced with math content standards and identify the standards used.
- Funding shall be allocated to conduct a long-term evaluation of the statewide A.B.L.E. program to assess its effectiveness on student learning.
Subcommittee # 2 (Rigor)
Members:
Carol Rava Treat, Coordinator
Suzanne Tacheny, Coordinator
Richard Alonzo
Terry Anderson1 (absent)
John Couch (absent)/ Barbie Ross (alternate)
MRC Greenwood (absent)
Sherry Lansing
Harold Levine
Brian McInnis
Stanley Murphy
Curtis Washington
CDE Subcommittee Staff: Jim Miller
Essential Question for Subcommittee #2:
How can we provide all students the opportunity to master rigorous work- and college-ready curricula?
Subcommittee #2 Recommendations:
Recommendation #1:
While the standards adopted for California are widely regarded as among the most rigorous in the country, California high schools often do not consistently offer rigorous courses to all students. California must find ways to motivate, engage, and support districts, schools, and teachers to provide challenging courses that prepare all students for higher education and work. Necessary supports might include making standards-aligned materials available and offering monetary and technical assistance support for districts and schools creating greater access to rigorous college and work preparatory courses.
Recommendation #2:
California should seek better coordination and connections across the many indicators of rigor in its high school program.
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California should conduct a systematic, comparative analysis that looks at the intersections of the state’s academic and career technical standards, the exit exam, and local graduation requirements, with the goal of identifying a single, consistent standard of rigor across all of these components.
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The “a-g” approval process should do more to offer clear criteria for the content of courses that would meet these requirements. Clear criteria, or standards, would help high schools develop more rigorous courses, enable better alignment between K-12 standards and CSU/UC criteria, and ensure that the “a-g” designations are more consistently applied.
Subcommittee # 3 (Relationships)
Members:
Diane Siri, Coordinator
Kendall Vaught, Co-Coordinator
Arlene Ackerman (absent)
Catherine Atkin
Marlene Canter (absent)
Jody Graf
Gary Hart (absent)
Bob Hudson
KimOanh Nguyen-Lam
Peter Thorp (absent)
CDE Subcommittee Staff: Joyce Hinkson
Essential Question for Subcommittee #3:
How can we work to ensure that all students develop a sense of community while they are in high school?
Subcommittee #3 Recommendations:
Recommendation #1:
Support P-16 Council Subcommittee #4's recommendation for a middle to high school transition plan for the approximately 500,000 eighth grade students in California.
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Survey current and graduate high school students and their parents about school services and student connections and create plans to increase satisfaction of disenfranchised students who are currently opting to drop out because they see school as irrelevant.
Recommendation #2:
Support local, regional, and state collaborations to increase multiple pathways to high school graduation that promote success in college and work. Go beyond the “a-g” requirements to attract and retain students and prepare them for college and/or work.
Recommendation #3:
Support transitional planning and programs (during summer and on Saturdays throughout the high school years) based upon criteria from research on prior experience.
Design and fund a continuum of transition plans that engage students and adults on a regular and ongoing basis and will connect students to a variety of career paths and postsecondary education.
Recommendation #4:
Support school community safety and violence prevention.
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Provide schools and districts/county offices pertinent information and tools.
Subcommittee # 4 (Process/Implementation)
Members:
Linda Murray, Coordinator (absent)
Shelley Davis, Back-up Coordinator
Carrie Allen
Sandy Clifton-Bacon
Allison Jones (absent)
Dian Hasson (absent)
Bill Jackson (absent)
Manny Marantal (absent)
Luis Rodriquez (absent)
CDE Subcommittee Staff: Rina DeRose-Swinscoe
Essential Question for Subcommittee #4:
How can we address the short-term problem of ninth graders entering high school unprepared to master essential content and skills?
Subcommittee #4 Recommendations:
Recommendation #1:
Districts shall provide research-based, state-funded bridge programs for exiting eighth graders who are below or far below basic on the California Standard Tests (CST) in English-language arts (ELA) and/or mathematics. Participation is mandatory for those students who are far below basic. Additional funding sources are encouraged to support this mandate (e.g., federal, private, community-based organizations, foundations, and/or private benefactors).
Recommendation #2:
Grade nine shall be structured as a “transition year program” designed to promote personalization and the ability for teachers to know students well. A dedicated ninth grade counselor shall be funded for every 250 students (who are below basic or far below basic) and shall be responsible for developing and monitoring interventions for those students.
Recommendation #3:
Currently available class size reduction funding for all ninth grade students shall be enhanced to ensure small classes for all four core academic areas. State funding shall be allocated to build instructional safety nets for students who are not yet proficient on the CST in ELA or Algebra.
Subcommittee # 5 (Student/Parental Involvement)
Members:
Joyce Wright, Coordinator (absent)
Rhonda Rios-Kravitz, Back-up Coordinator
Manny Barbara (absent)
Dorothy Chu
Jo Loss
Patty Martel
Lionel (Skip) Meno (absent)
Martha Penry
Marcy Whitebook
CDE Subcommittee Staff: Rozlynn Worrall
Essential Question for Subcommittee #5:
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 #5 Recommendations:
Recommendation #1:
The California Department of Education should develop, in conjunction with allied partners, a long-term, multi-media, parent-friendly awareness-involvement campaign aimed at target audiences.
Recommendation #2:
The California Department of Education in conjunction with the Legislative Analyst’s Office should conduct a thorough review and gap analysis of existing parent/awareness-involvement programs. Develop a long-term plan for implementing and funding Recommendation #1.
Recommendation #3:
The State Legislature should establish a permanent long-term funding mechanism and infrastructure to support the work of the Statewide and Regional P-16 Councils.
Update on P-16 Recommendation for Legislation
Lupita Cortez Alcala from the CDE’s Government Affairs Office gave a brief overview on the legislative process. She explained the essential steps for passage of a bill. Ms. Cortez Alcala discussed Assembly Bill 2529, a CDE-sponsored bill introduced by Assembly Member Salinas. Assembly Bill 2529 grew out of a P-16 Council recommendation. It would expand the number of California Partnership Academies (CPAs) in high schools from the current 290 to 500, include ninth grade in CPAs, and increase the grant amount for the program.
Presentations
Margaret Gaston, Executive Director of the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning, presented information on the current status of the teacher workforce and teaching profession in California. Ms. Gaston stated that in order to strengthen California’s teacher workforce and create a positive impact on teacher quality and teacher distribution, the following three policy recommendations need to be implemented:
- Ensure that California has in place a teacher development system capable of producing, over time, an adequate supply of teachers who enter the classroom with a thorough knowledge of subject matter and the pedagogical skill required for all children to learn.
- Ensure that all students have equitable access to teachers who are fully prepared, experienced, and appropriately assigned.
- Ensure that policymakers have access to the information they need to encourage and monitor the state’s progress toward the goal of producing a strong and capable teacher workforce.
Planning for June 2006 Meeting
The next meeting is on June 7, 2006, in Southern California, location to be determined.
Approved by P-16 Council members on September 27, 2006.
1 Representative for Senator Don Perata
Summary Meeting Notes (PDF; 75KB; 8pp.)
1430 N Street
Sacramento, CA 95814