Promoting Equitable Access to Teachers
Resources to assist LEAs with gathering data and reporting disproportionate access to effective, experienced, and appropriately assigned teachers by low-income and minority students as required under ESSA.Program Overview
Access to a fully-prepared and stable teacher workforce is essential to educational opportunity. Research has shown higher levels of teacher preparedness has positive impacts on student achievement.
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Section 1112(b)(2)
requires each local educational agency (LEA) receiving ESSA funds to submit a plan to the state educational agency that describes how it will identify and address any disparities that result in low-income and minority students being taught at higher rates than other students by ineffective, inexperienced, or out-of-field teachers; also referred to as equity gaps.
The California Department of Education (CDE) has developed the Promoting Equitable Access to Teachers (PEAT) Program to assist LEAs to identify and address local disparities, or equity gaps. A key element of the PEAT Program is a suite of equity tools designed to guide LEAs as they collect and analyze the appropriate data, conduct data analyses to identify potential equity gaps, conduct a root cause analysis and consider various strategies to address disparities, while engaging stakeholders throughout the process.
For an overview of the PEAT Program, see Video 1 of this seven-part series. Current guidance regarding requirements for educator assignment monitoring under ESSA is available in this January 2021 letter.
PEAT Equity Tools
PEAT Overview and Tools Video Series
Updated Teacher Equity Definitions
Diversifying the Teacher Workforce
Teacher Recruitment Strategies
Educator Equity Data Instructions (DOCX)
Equitable Access Root Cause Analysis
Resources for Teacher Assignment Monitoring Outcome Reports
These recorded PowerPoints presentations address common questions that the CDE has received about the Teacher Assignment Monitoring Outcome (TAMO) Reports
Frequently Asked Questions about the TAMO Report (Coming Soon)
Resources for Assignment Monitoring from the Commission on Teacher Credentialing
Overview Training Presentation for the California State Assignment and Accountability System (CalSAAS)
This one-hour training is a multimedia presentation. It provides a succinct introduction to CalSAAS for users as well as for those who need to collaborate with CalSAAS users as part of the annual assignment monitoring process.
Collection of Resources for CalSAAS
This is a password-protected list of the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) CalSAAS resources, including the overview training presentation, a user manual, Frequently Asked Questions, and more; username is cig2011 and password is ctcguide.
Collection of Resources for Assignment Monitoring
This is a list of CTC resources for monitoring educator assignments, including resources by topic area, the administrator’s assignment manual, and more.
Local Control and Accountability Plan Federal Addendum
Educator Equity: Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) Addendum Criteria & Guidance
Criteria, guidance, and resources for LEAs to meet the provisions of the LCAP Federal Addendum Title I, Part A—Educator Equity section.
Educator Equity: LCAP Addendum Reviewer Criteria
Reviewer criteria to meet the provisions of the LCAP Federal Addendum Title I, Part A—Educator Equity section.
Notifications for Title I Programs
Below you will find templates for parent and family notifications as well as a chart to assist in determining whether a “Teacher Requirements Four-Week Notice” is required. The two templates for parent notifications, as required by Title I, Part A, may be modified by schools for communications with local parents.
Parents' Right to Know Letter Regarding Teacher Qualifications (DOC)
Federal law requires that parents be notified at the beginning, and/or when appropriate anytime, of each school year of their right to know the professional qualifications of their child's teacher(s).
Available translations of the Parents' Right to Know Letter Regarding Teacher Qualifications
Teacher Requirements Four-Week Notice (DOC)
Federal law requires that parents be notified when their child has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who has not met State certification or licensure requirements at the grade level and subject area in which the teacher has been assigned.
Available translations of the Teacher Requirements Four-Week Notice
Four-Week Letter Notification Determinations
| Status | Descriptions/Certifications/Permits | 4-Week Notice Trigger (Y or N) |
|---|---|---|
Legal (meets State certification/licensure [if providing instruction in the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher is certified/licensed]) |
|
No |
Ineffective |
An ineffective teacher is any of the following:
Under this definition, teachers with the following limited emergency permits would be considered ineffective:
|
Yes |
Out-of-Field Teacher |
A credentialed out-of-field teacher is: A credentialed teacher who has not yet demonstrated subject matter competence in the subject area(s) or for the student population to which he or she is assigned. Under this definition, the following limited permits will be considered out of field:
|
Yes |
Emergency Substitute Documents |
|
Yes |
California State Equity Plans
A history of California’s most recent state equity plans.
California's 2017 State Plan to Ensure Equitable Access to Excellent Educators (DOCX)
This plan details a theory of action, updated data and analysis, and progress toward achieving equitable access to excellent teachers and leaders for all students.
California’s Teacher Equity Plan (DOC)
Addresses Requirement Six of the State’s Plan for Highly Qualified Teachers, written and approved by the State Board of Education in September 2010. It reflects the steps the State is currently taking to ensure that students from low-income families and minority students are not taught at higher rates than other students by inexperienced, unqualified, or out-of-field teachers.
