State Superintendent’s SARC Readability
Improvement Effort Underway
In response to the Superintendent’s call to improve the readability of the School Accountability Report Card (see State of Education 2006 remarks delivered on February 7, 2006), the California Department of Education’s (CDE’s) effort to redesign the School Accountability Report Card (SARC) template is well under way.
The CDE is researching other school report card formats, as well as receiving and considering extensive input from a wide variety of interested parties. Based on all the information collected, the CDE will develop simplified language for the template that provides a clear and brief description of each reporting element.
The new SARC template, after presentation to and adoption by the State Board of Education (SBE), is expected to be published in July 2006. The template will assist local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools with the preparation of report cards to be published in the 2006-07 school year.
The CDE welcomes your continuing feedback about ways to improve the SARC. We encourage you to provide us with feedback by contacting us as indicated below.
SARC Coordinators’ Survey Launched
In mid-March 2006, the CDE launched a Web-based survey that asks SARC coordinators who work in LEAs and schools to respond to a series of questions about their experience with preparing and publishing school report cards. The CDE appreciates the willingness of SARC coordinators to participate in this important survey and to share their thoughts and ideas. The results of the survey will assist the CDE as it continues to evaluate and improve the SARC program.
Legislative Updates
- Assembly Bill 1837 (Outside Source) — This bill, an urgency measure that would take immediate effect, would require the CDE, by January 1, 2007, to recommend for SBE adoption a SARC template revision that would include several new data fields for reporting school budgetary information. The bill is sponsored by the Governor’s Office of the Secretary for Education.
- Assembly Bill 1917 (Outside Source) — This bill would require school district governing boards to compile a yearly report containing a variety of school employee salary and benefit cost information, and to include this information in annual school report cards. The bill is sponsored by the author.
- Senate Bill 1510 (Outside Source) — This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to the law that directs the CDE to develop a SARC template and recommend its adoption by the SBE. The bill is sponsored by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
If you have questions or comments about the topics covered in this newsletter, or suggestions for topics for a future newsletter, please contact us as indicated below.
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