SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced that 12 California school districts are being honored for sharing some of their translated documents with other districts throughout the state as part of the California Department of Education's (CDE) Clearinghouse for Multilingual Documents (CMD).

"The Clearinghouse is a very useful tool to help schools share and find information and provide resources on translated documents," said O'Connell. "This helps schools save precious time and funds and cuts back on redundancy. As part of my Paperwork Reduction Initiative, I am always looking for ways to reduce the bureaucratic burden placed on our schools so they can spend more time focused on teaching students. These 12 districts voluntarily made an important step toward that goal by sharing their translated parental notifications with other schools through the CDE Clearinghouse."

The districts receiving O'Connell's certificates of appreciation were the first to make translations available through the CMD. They are: American Union Elementary, Atascadero Unified, Bakersfield City Elementary, Corona-Norco Unified, El Rancho Unified, Fontana Unified, Livingston Union Elementary, San Diego Unified, San Francisco Unified, San Jose Unified, San Juan Unified, and Sweetwater Union High.

Additional translations provided by the CDE bring the total number of documents available through the CMD to more than 200. Contributors to the CMD database provide background information for the translations they make available, including Web links to online translations so that other registered users can obtain copies, review them, and revise them for local use. To use the CMD, local educational agencies first obtain access codes from the CDE and register online at the CMD site. The number of registered users (districts, county offices, and direct-funded charter schools) has more than tripled in recent weeks, jumping from 65 to more than 230. Users have downloaded documents more than 1,200 times. The CMD database is expected to grow as more agencies realize the value of the CMD and voluntarily contribute to it.

The need for translated parental notifications is prompted by state and federal laws. The California Education Code requires schools in some cases to send translated notifications to the homes of students. Also, the federal No Child Left Behind Act requires schools to provide parental notifications in a format and language that parents can understand. 

These requirements represent a significant workload for schools. Because some parental notifications sent by districts contain much of the same information in common, schools throughout the state often find themselves translating some of the same information that becomes an unnecessary duplication of effort. As a result, the CMD provides an important service in light of the demands for effective communication between schools and the parents and guardians they serve.

The kind of translations in the CMD database range widely, from truancy forms and affidavits of residency to parental information on school testing, curriculum, health, and school site councils. The languages of translated documents currently in the database include Cantonese, Hmong, Khmer (Cambodian), Lao, Rumanian, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. 

O'Connell is encouraging other districts, county offices, and direct-funded charters to participate in the program. 

"We are very appreciative of the voluntary and supportive effort made by these 12 districts to help build our Clearinghouse inventory," added O'Connell. "Interest in the Clearinghouse is growing as districts and county offices contribute additional translated documents to it. As more and more agencies contribute to the Clearinghouse, the greater its potential will be as a helpful resource for schools."

For more information about the Clearinghouse for Multilingual Documents, please visit Clearinghouse for Multilingual Documents - Parent/Family/Community or e-mail the CMD at cmd@cde.ca.gov.