A regular annual update to the State Board of Education at its March 11–12 meeting about the California School Dashboard raised serious questions and concerns from board members about several proposals.
While only an information item, the board informed California Department of Education staff that much more clarity and direction must be provided about the proposed inclusion of a student growth model on the 2020 Dashboard. California is one of only two states that does not measure school performance based on the growth of individual students’ scores on standardized tests over time. A push from many organizations and researchers led the CDE to study growth models over the last year, with CSBA participating in a stakeholder work group.
As the CDE moves forward, State Board member Sue Burr said the state must be “crystal clear” with parents and local educational agencies about what, exactly, the growth model data is conveying about students. For example, she said the model may not necessarily provide valid insights into whether students are prepared to do work at grade level when they cross from elementary school to middle school and middle school to high school.
“When we have the number of sites or LEAs that were identified, with none or few in LA County, Orange County and Imperial County — which are the highest concentration of English learners — then we should probably revisit our methodology to see if it’s still an appropriate one for this indicator,” Ortiz-Licon said.
- Reflecting the state’s increased attention to demands for career technical education, the board approved the fiscal year 2019–20 Career Technical Education Incentive Grant allocations, including the allocation formula and specific funding amounts for districts and schools. Deputy Superintendent Khieem Jackson said CTE remains a top issue for students as they desire to have more career pathways at their schools and within their districts. “This issue was really reinforced to me yesterday when I met with between 40 to 50 students from various school districts within Orange County. And of the many things they talked to me about — school funding, mental health — CTE was one of them,” he said. A CDE presentation shows the following LEA breakdown of the $150 million in ongoing funding designated for the CTEIG program:
- Small category: <140 ADA (20 LEAs) $2,445.576
- Medium category: 141–550 ADA (52 LEAs) $10,108,579
- Large category: 551–1100 ADA (264 LEAs) $137,445,845
- The board approved the “Skills Attainment for Upward Mobility; Aligned Services for Shared Prosperity: California’s Workforce Development Plan 2020–2023” under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014. The approval of the plan will allow California to receive about $1 billion in federal funds to supplement state workforce development efforts.
- Also in the area of workforce development and career training, board members approved the submission of the Draft Federal Perkins V State Plan for Career Technical Education to the Governor’s office for review. It will be used to “leverage state-funded CTE programs and support the development of a broader California State Plan for CTE, particularly given that California intends to lead with state programming.”
- In a large update from the assessments division, which included discussion about lackluster performance in the first run of the California Science Test, the board approved the 2019–20 apportionment rates for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress and the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California. The CAASPP rates remain the same as last year, while schools will see an increase of 50 cents per pupil to the apportionment rate for the Initial ELPAC in kindergarten and grade one and for the Summative ELPAC in kindergarten through grade two.
- The meeting marked the end of their terms for board members Ortiz-Licon and Nikki Sandoval, leaving two vacancies that Gov. Newsom will fill. Ortiz-Licon took office in April 2015, while Sandoval assumed the role in January 2013.