The State Board of Education (SBE) took action on several crucial items during the first day of its July meeting related to a new science metric for the California School Dashboard, eligibility criteria for Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) support determinations, assessment alternatives to identify English learners among the state’s youngest students and more.

The board approved adding a science metric based on science assessment data to the 2024 Dashboard, as well as addressing transitional kindergarten and long-term English learner (LTEL) students, among other changes related to new requirements in the differentiated assistance eligibility criteria and student-level growth model data.

Several options related to adding a science indicator were discussed, including adopting a unit of measurement for the science indicator, deciding how to combine high school scores for the science indicator, and determining whether a participation rate will factor into the results. Full descriptions of each option are available in the agenda item.

The following options were adopted by the board.

Option 1: Distance from standard methodology [the same metric used for the Academic Indicators for English language arts (ELA) and mathematics].

Option 1: Report high school results in the current year [all high schoolers tested in 2023–24] rather than reporting cumulatively.

Option 1: Include a participation rate within the metric but not enact a penalty for low participation rates until the 2025 Dashboard.

The board also adopted the eligibility criteria for the LCFF support determinations for the 2024 Dashboard. For LEAs, any student group that meets the criteria outlined in Table 6 of attachment one of the agenda item in two or more LCFF priority areas will be eligible for differentiated assistance.

The 2024 Dashboard marks the first time since the board adopted California’s Every Student Succeeds Act State Plan in 2018 that LEAs will be eligible for differentiated assistance based on the previously adopted criteria for state and local indicators. Additionally, with the addition of the LTEL student group to the Dashboard, there are now 14 student groups eligible for differentiated assistance determinations. For differentiated assistance determinations, the LTEL student group will have the same n-size rules that govern foster youth and homeless student groups.

On June 14, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2268, a CSBA-supported bill that exempts TK students from being assessed for English language development using the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) starting with the 2024–25 school year. In response, the CDE released interim guidance for LEAs that serve TK students.

A week later, the department published an information memorandum detailing the possible fiscal, data and accountability implications related to not administering the ELPAC to TK students, as well as possible interim steps LEAs can take to support potential English learner students, and possible long-term policy considerations for identifying and supporting younger EL students.

An immediate solution could be to encourage pre-identification of English learners for TK using the Home Language Survey and provide guidance to LEAs on using this process for purposes of providing TK students with additional support for language development. CDE staff noted that utilizing this existing process would lead to the least disruption of local procedures and require the least amount of training and resources in a short time frame.

LEAs could also provide language development services to TK students with a “TBD status,” based on having a home language other than English. This approach would align with the SBE-adopted English Learner Roadmap Policy: Educational Programs and Services for English Learners and support English language acquisition as part of a high-quality TK experience.

Several members of the board expressed that TBD shouldn’t be understood by LEAs as wait and see, noting that services should still be provided to students who appear to need them.

“I think the services-first approach and ongoing professional development for educators will be key in successfully implementing these changes,” board member Gabriela Orozco-Gonzalez said. “Transitional kindergarten is a critical period for students to develop both social-emotional skills and academic foundations. Implementing this approach and providing language support to all TK students will yield significant benefits as the students advance through their education.”

There are several other options that CDE staff said would require research, statewide training and calibration, and, in some cases, significant funding and resources to implement and administer in the TK–12 context. For example, the state could develop a new valid, reliable and developmentally appropriate assessment specifically for TK students. Another more permanent solution would entail obtaining additional resources in order to curate a list of vetted screening tools to standardize a statewide pre-identification process for students in TK.

Some board members questioned if there was an opportunity to adapt tools used in state preschool programs that identify dual language learners to meet TK identification needs.