Weekly COVID-19 Update: Friday, September 25, 2020
From: Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Date: September 25, 2020
All Coronavirus (COVID-19) SSPI Communications
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From State Superintendent Tony Thurmond
Dear School Communities and Partners:
COVID-19 is not the only virus affecting our society today. The man-made viruses—the ones of racism, hate and bigotry—are also gaining a foothold. Increasingly, I see heartbreaking stories of anti-Semitic behavior, bullying of Asian American students because of our President’s rhetoric, Islamophobia, discrimination of our LGBTQ neighbors, and violence directed at people of color.
To combat this disturbing trend, this week I announced an “Education to End Hate” initiative for local educational agencies (LEAs), an effort that includes educator training grants, partnerships with community leaders, and virtual classroom sessions to address hate and bigotry in our schools and society. The California Department of Education will award up to a total of $200,000 in mini-grants funded by the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation to LEAs in support of educator training in the areas of anti-racism and bias. Equality California
, the National Equity Project
, and the Simon Weisenthal Center’s
Museum of Tolerance—have agreed to partner and offer professional development and resources through this program.
Grant applications were emailed to all superintendents earlier this week and more than two dozen school districts and charter schools already have submitted applications. The first round of grants will be reviewed after Tuesday, September 29, 2020. If you have questions, please email edtoendhate@cde.ca.gov.
I am proud to be able to put resources directly in the hands of educators who are on the front lines of confronting racism, bigotry, and hate. By equipping our school communities with the tools to teach and promote tolerance, we can use education as the powerful path forward to healing that our society so desperately needs.
As the election approaches, my fear is this toxic climate will only get worse. I look forward to all of you joining us in this effort.
Announcements & News Releases
State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Announces Mini Grants Available to Provide Anti-Racism and Anti-Bias Educator Training (September 25, 2020)
https://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/ne/yr20/yr20rel79.asp
Cal Grant Grade Point Average Submission Reminder (September 25, 2020)
Submissions must be uploaded to the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) by October 1, 2020.
https://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/el/le/yr20ltr0925.asp
State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Congratulates California Schools Recognized as 2020 National Blue Ribbon Schools (September 25, 2020)
https://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/ne/yr20/yr20rel78.asp
State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Launches New “Education to End Hate” Initiative to Combat Bias, Bigotry, and Racism (September 21, 2020)
https://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/ne/yr20/yr20rel77.asp
Update on Securing Devices and Connectivity
We have received a great response from local educational agencies (LEAs) in our efforts to help them attain devices and connectivity for their students.
We encourage you to order your devices as soon as possible since they are in high demand across the country and it would also be difficult to demonstrate the purchase was necessary due to COVID-19 as required by section 601(d) of the CARES Act.The covered period is March 1, 2020 to December 30, 2020. Please do not wait until the last minute to place orders.
It is not necessary for LEAs to receive devices by the December 30, 2020, expenditure deadline as long as the order is placed by then with the expectation it will be received by December 30,2020. Some delays may occur due to the supply chain which the LEA has no control over. In these circumstances, LEAs may use CRF to pay for goods within 90 days of receipt.
Please visit the CDE Securing Devices and Connectivity for Students web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/eo/in/techdevices.asp for more information. This web page is updated regularly.
Federal Updates
U.S. Department of Education (ED)
FEMA
LEAs impacted by wildfires in the counties that are part of the August 2020 Wildfires major disaster declaration (FEMA-4558-DR-CA
) are encouraged to attend Applicants’ Briefings and submit a Request for Public Assistance. The briefings are for LEAs that provided an essential social service related to the fires in Butte, Lake, Monterey, Napa, Plumas, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Yolo, and Yuba counties. The schedule of the briefings is located on the Cal OES web page at https://www.caloes.ca.gov/cal-oes-divisions/recovery/public-assistance/applicants-briefings.
CARES Act Reporting
The next Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act reporting cycle is quickly approaching. This cycle will require local education agencies (LEAs) to report on all CARES Act funding sources, which includes the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund and the three Learning Loss Mitigation Funding (LLMF) sources [Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund, General Fund (GF), and Coronavirus Relief (CR) Fund]. The CARES Act Reporting Application window for this cycle will be open from October 1, 2020 – October 7, 2020. Please visit the CARES Act Funding web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/cr/ for more information and contact CARESAct@cde.ca.gov for any questions.Program Updates
Assessment Development and Administration Division
The Assessment Development and Administration Division publishes the weekly Assessment Spotlight, which focuses on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System and English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) and includes timely updates on California’s other statewide assessments. Assessment Spotlight archives are availableat https://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sa/assessmentspotlight.asp.
Educator Excellence and Equity Division
LivingWorks Youth Summit: Recording Now Available
The California Department of Education, San Diego County Office of Education, and LivingWorks are excited to offer a way for you and your students to watch the recorded LivingWorks Youth Summit that was livestreamed on September 15, 2020. The goal of the event is two-fold: 1) to encourage youth to start dialoguing about mental health, feel comfortable about sharing their feelings, and reaching out for help and; 2) to encourage youth to complete the 90-minute LivingWorks Start Suicide Prevention Online Training Program which helps students learn to recognize when a friend might be experiencing emotional distress or having thoughts of suicide and teaches them how to connect them to professional help. At the end of the recording, students are provided a link to access the training for free through the end of October. Students will also receive community service credit if they complete the training within 60 days. To access the recording, please visit the LivingWorks Youth Summit web page at www.lwyouthsummit.com.
English Learner Support Division
New CDE Teaching Multilingual Learners Online in the California Context Document
The new document Teaching Multilingual Learners Online in the California Context: Guidance on Embracing and Supporting Multilingual Learners during Distance Learning takes each of the elements of English Learner Roadmap (ELR) Policy principles one and two and provides concrete actions that teachers can take to engage multilingual learners during distance learning. The document then provides resources, examples, tech tools, guidance, and/or webinars that can support teachers to enact this element during distance learning.
This document focuses on ELR principles one and two, the principles that most closely align with the work that takes place in the classroom. However, supporting multilingual learners requires work at all levels of the school system, including the support of school and district administrators.
The Teaching Multilingual Learners Online in the California Context: Guidance on Embracing and Supporting Multilingual Learners during Distance Learning document is available on the CDE COVID-19 EL Resources web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/el/er/covidelresources.asp under the “Resources” tab.
This document was adapted for the California context from the WIDA Teaching Multilingual Learners Online web page at https://wida.wisc.edu/memberships/isc/newsletter/teaching-multilingual-learners-online.
Newsletters
The English Learner Support Division (ELSD) is publishing two newsletters during the COVID-19 school closure: The Distance Learning Parent Newsletter and the English Learner (EL) Updates Newsletter. These newsletters are published monthly.
The September EL Updates Newsletter covers distance learning, assessment, the Educator Workforce Investment Grant, the State Seal of Biliteracy, curriculum, mental health, and webinars. The September Distance Learning Parent Newsletter focuses on resources for parents to help support social emotional learning.
To read the newsletters, go to the CDE EL Updates Newsletters web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/el/er/elnewsletters.asp.
Educator Workforce Investment Grant (EWIG): English Learner Roadmap (ELR) Implementation
The two EWIG ELR grantees, Californians Together (CalTog) and the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE), are available to bring research-based strategies and resources to administrators and educators in order to dramatically accelerate and improve multilingual academic opportunities and outcomes for English Learners across California. For more information about CABE’s Multilingual California Project (https://mcap.gocabe.org/) and CalTog’s English Learner Roadmap Implementation for Systemic Excellence (EL RISE!) (https://californianstogether.app.box.com/s/3neu9gbzqfe31nhdwz444xjtvxj53jl6), please visit the CDE Educator Workforce Investment Grant: EL Roadmap Policy Implementation web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/el/rm/ewigelrmpolicy.asp. The Upcoming Webinars section below includes details on upcoming EL RISE! webinars.Webinars - Recap and Upcoming
Webinar Recaps
MCAP Fall 2020 Webinar Series (September 23, 2020: Recording Coming Soon)
Part I: Designated ELD: Sentence Unpacking in Small Groups Promoting Equity for English Learners During Distance and Hybrid Instruction
This session focused on distance learning teaching strategies for grades K–12 that can be implemented during designated ELD to actively engage English learners in grade level core content instruction.
EL RISE! Meeting the Needs of English Learners in Distance Learning
The EWIG ELR subgrantee, Californians Together, and its partners, known collectively as EL RISE!, hosted a two-part teacher webinar series.
Part I: Welcoming, Affirming, and Inclusive Classrooms for English Learners (September 2, 2020 and September 9, 2020)
Webinar recording available at https://californianstogether.box.com/s/dhrq0fw6i1fkgefidx5rrdpbbapw23am
Presentation slides available at https://californianstogether.box.com/s/fbomg9dgtveogynzerggg1n8sm5aaw1i
Part II: Critical Conditions for English Learners in Distance Learning (September 16, 2020 and September 20, 2020)
Webinar recording available at https://californianstogether.box.com/s/qwjzeaoos1po9s70hql7m66k0dvv54zw
Presentation slides available at https://californianstogether.box.com/s/d6zf2ndfx14f74m6fx07jrfmgsvnc6r2
EL RISE! Beginning the Dual Language Journey in Distance Learning Contexts: Fall Webinar Series for Kindergarten and Grade One Teachers (Part I: September 3, 2020 and Part II: September 10, 2020)
The EWIG ELR subgrantee, Californians Together, and its partners, known collectively as EL RISE!, hosted a two-part teacher webinar series.
Part I: Partnering with Families in the First Month of Dual Language Programs, Kindergarten/Grade One (September 3, 2020)
Webinar recording available at https://californianstogether.box.com/s/tqyunvbo9knqi0nktm38381heljfv5uv
Presentation slides available at https://californianstogether.box.com/s/lfw9fmjeu3xqpqnyv2rt5uc0tetx4n4c
Part II: Planning for Biliteracy in Distance Learning: Spanish Dual Language Programs, Kindergarten/Grade One (September 10, 2020)
Webinar recording available at https://californianstogether.box.com/s/7ornqfrke1r2f0nfvpdbxnizxky4rfpg
Presentation slides available at https://californianstogether.box.com/s/9eg7p6paovftlfbbcg3l9tc4mlbnyqtc
Upcoming Webinars:
SEL Distance Learning Webinar #4 Engaging Youth and Building Life Skills (October 5, 2020, at 4 p.m.)
Please join us for the final webinar of the CDE Social and Emotional Distance Learning (SEL) webinar series. This webinar will be geared towards students and youth. Expert speakers include Aaron Bryon, art teacher at Fresno County Office of Education and member of State SEL Team, and Michael Gray, Counselor in Long Beach Unified and a member of State SEL Team.
Register in advance at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrcuyqrzoqG9ZHpJazRO-30_BrTMPLCGvc
Recordings of the all of the SEL Distance Learning webinars will be posted on the CDE Social and Emotional Support in Distance Learning web page at: https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/se/seldistance.asp
EL RISE! Communities of Practice Webinar Series for Administrators (September 29, 2020. The third webinar of this series is from 4 to 5:30 p.m.)
The EWIG ELR subgrantee, Californians Together, and its partners, known collectively as EL RISE!, are hosting a three-part leadership webinar series designed to address immediate needs of school leaders and administrators in opening schools with a focus on meeting the needs of English learners in distance learning. All webinars will be archived for asynchronous access.
Webinars in the administrator series:
- Developing Learning Continuity and Attendance Plans that Embrace our English Learners (recording and materials coming soon)
- Reopening School Districts: Embracing Our English Learners (recording and materials coming soon)
- Supporting Families and Knitting Strong Home-School Partnerships in Pandemic Era (Tuesday, September 29, 2020, 4-5:30 p.m.)
Registration: To register for this webinar series, fill out the EL RISE! Google form at https://bit.ly/3g8jGxr.
EL RISE! Meeting the Needs of English Learners in Distance Learning
The EWIG ELR subgrantee, Californians Together, and its partners, known collectively as EL RISE!, are hosting a three-part teacher webinar series. This fall webinar series for kindergarten through grade six educators is designed to address the immediate needs of teachers in meeting the needs of English learners in distance or hybrid learning contexts. Teachers may select one, two, or all three webinars for participation.
- Welcoming, Inclusive, and Affirming Classrooms for English Learners (recording and materials linked above)
- Critical Conditions for English Learners in Distance Learning (recording and materials linked above)
- Creating and Sustaining Family Partnership in Distance Learning (September 30, 2020, 2:30-4:30 p.m.)
Registration: To register for one or more of the webinars in this series and get a detailed description of each event, please visit https://bit.ly/3fAt6Rj and fill out the Google form.
Addressing the Needs of Special Populations in Remote CTE Instruction (September 30, 2020, at 3 p.m.)
California Perkins Joint Special Populations Advisory Committee (JSPAC) will discuss distance learning strategies for supporting special populations in Career Technical Education Programs. To register via Zoom, visit: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YKoLe0kTQ-G56X0ZABb0Lg
