“For too long, local educational agencies have shouldered accountability for student outcomes under a fragmented and disjointed state system,” Billy said. “That’s why CSBA is calling for a new approach in California, one where the state transitions from piecemeal programs, pet projects, one-off dictates and underfunded mandates to one guided by a coherent state-focused operations and support plan that strengthens LEAs’ work to close achievement gaps.

“We are calling for a systems change, and a change in mindset. We want to eliminate the barriers in LEAs’ way and have the state shift to providing a ‘concierge’ level of support to LEAs,” Billy continued. “The problems caused by the lack of a cohesive, state-focused operations and support plan around the achievement gap are compounded by a steady stream of education funding manipulations, and an overall lack of funding. And too frequently, these issues are exacerbated by the lack of regard for the real-world impact some state decisions have on LEAs. This is astonishing and frustrating — and this is the problem.”

Billy asserted that if a new approach isn’t pursued, at the current rate of improvement, it will take generations for the lowest performing students to reach parity with their peers, and that is unacceptable. “We simply do not have that kind of time to waste,” Billy noted, adding that, “this is about how the state creates barriers to this work; with no plan detailing what it’s going to do differently to help LEAs close the achievement gap.”

Hard work alone won’t suffice. CSBA is urging policymakers to finally create a statewide strategy to aid LEAs in closing achievement gaps.

“We have engaged partners like superintendents, board members, other statewide associations and institutes of higher education, both in and outside of California, and done deep dives through our knowledgeable staff,” CSBA Principal Research Manager Jeremy Anderson said. The call to action from CSBA emerged as a result of all of that thought and conversation.

Factors that should be considered in the state’s strategy include coherence, focus, transparency and systems change. That change may start with the system looking inward and should result in a new way of thinking about student outcomes and who is responsible for student progress. Having a cohesive plan will enable LEAs to move forward with a clear goal.

The components of CSBA’s proposal include setting clear, measurable goals for state agencies; establishing annual benchmarks and transparent reporting for state entities; creating a public “State of the Gap” dashboard focused on state-level activities; aligning state budget, policy and operational decisions with the objective; requiring regular evaluations and hearings on the state’s efforts to adopt an implemented plan; and shifting from compliance to customer service.

“Our state agencies need to be providing concierge-level service. It shouldn’t be all about compliance, it should be about support and service to the work that LEAs doing at the local level,” Billy said.

Anderson said that promising initiatives — like the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence’s (CCEE) Intensive Assistance Model, which is accelerating student achievement — can serve as examples of what could be accomplished after state agencies work to create a renewed and streamlined focus.

CSBA intends to use advocacy, legislative solutions, research, data analysis and reporting and messaging to urge policymakers to develop a comprehensive plan based on these recommendations.

Achievement gaps matter because they are an indicator that something is not working within the education system. They don’t occur because of students; they are indicative of what is happening to students, and the root causes of the gaps, such as socioeconomic status, can have major negative impacts on children and perpetuate inequalities. Gaps are significant, especially among vulnerable student groups. They can also have harsh economic consequences for individuals and the state.

For the purpose of this initiative, CSBA is defining “the state” as the Legislature, California Department of Education (CDE), State Board of Education (SBE), the CCEE and the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. The CDE, SBE and CCEE are primary agencies in the Statewide System of Support (SSOS), a “vital component of the state’s public school accountability system,” according to the CCEE’s description, that partners with LEAs on universal support, differentiated assistance and direct technical assistance to promote the success of struggling student groups.

County offices of education, which adhere to reporting requirements like their district-level peers, are an integral part of the SSOS. As such, Anderson noted that the state’s evaluation of current practices should involve how to bolster their efforts too.

“There is a lot of discussion right now around the System of Support and its ability to help the wide variety of LEAs that exist within the state. Not only are there so many that are designated for differentiated assistance that the system has a difficult time keeping up because of its capacity, but we also know that support is delivered unevenly due to county and local capacities,” Anderson explained. “Because we use county offices of education as a conduit by which to help LEAs, there is the reality that all 58 county offices do not have the same capacity to deliver that support to LEAs.

“A central argument that CSBA is making is that the system is scattered,” Anderson added. “It is unequal in its ability to help LEAs. And that is something that I think that we want the state to look inward — on how it is looking at streamlining that support.”

Prior to the COVID era, which caused widespread disruptions throughout the field and exasperated many academic inequities and achievement gaps, there was an acknowledgement by state leaders that achievement gaps were a problem that warranted action. In addition to statements with respect to the issue, the Low-Performing Students Block Grant (available in the 2018–19 to 2021–22 school years) and a January 2020 report by the Legislative Analyst’s Office on narrowing K-12 student achievement gaps marked some recognition and movement.

Since then, public sentiments have gone cold and, as far as assessment scores go, “We are still very far away from our pre-pandemic levels in achievement in most instances and for most student groups,” according to Anderson.

The state’s reaction to 2024 CAASPP results leaned into slight upticks in performance among some demographics and a longitudinal analysis of assessment data that raised red flags for CSBA.

“We were just shocked that the state wasn’t taking a more urgent response to that slow pace of gap closure,” Anderson said. “Our thought was, ‘Where has that urgency gone and why are we talking about these 1 to 2 percent increases that are not back to pre-pandemic levels as being accelerated growth in some instances?’ That really spurred us internally and there’s been a growing frustration with that. Every single year we hear from state agencies that they see progress and that’s good, but there’s more work to do. And that tone, you can go back 20 years, and you see similar language. That tone really frustrated us.”

Per the latest CAASPP results from 2025, only 48.8 percent of students met or exceeded proficiency in English language arts (ELA). There was a 42-point difference between the highest performing student group (74.4 percent for Asian students) and the lowest performing (32.8 percent for African American students). Filipino and white youth as well as students who identify as two or more races were also above the 48.8 percent rate, and Pacific Islander, Hispanic and American Indian students fell below at 39.7, 38.8 and 34.4 percent, respectively.

“What stands out as we look at this over time is that those student groups don’t move. They stay in relatively similar positions in their distance from average,” Anderson said. “You see some slight variation and fluctuations, but you don’t see meaningful flips over time in those student groups to get closer to that average or flipping into that positive range. What that’s telling us over time is that things aren’t appreciably changing, that those gaps are persisting as we go on.

“Even within these groups themselves, there’s massive variation,” Anderson continued. “And in math there’s an even wider variation. And again, what we see is persistence over time.”

In math, 37.3 percent of students met or exceeded proficiency with 50 points between the highest performing group (Asian students at 70.3 percent) and lowest performing (African American students at 20.1 percent) in 2025.

All student groups saw some incremental year-over-year improvements between 2024 and 2025 in ELA and math, but almost none (with available data) reached their pre-pandemic rates.

Students with disabilities, foster and homeless youth, those from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds and long-term English learners all failed to meet or exceed proficiency in both subjects.

Other performance indicators used to keep LEAs accountable, like Dashboard data, centers on areas like chronic absenteeism, attendance, English learner progress, suspension and graduation rates. The 2025 Dashboard release showed modest gains but persistent achievement gaps.

School district and county office of education officials are also accountable through elections, audits and other reporting requirements.

While California measures and monitors every LEA, the state has yet to meaningfully hold itself accountable for determining whether its own policies, budgets and programs better student outcomes, CSBA has determined.

As of this writing in December, CSBA continues to build awareness of the issue, hold briefings with legislative staff and consider potential legislation. Should a bill be put forward in early 2026, CSBA Chief of Governmental Relations Patrick O’Donnell said membership will be activated through Action Alerts and other strategies.

“We believe there is a moral obligation to address the achievement gap,” O’Donnell said. “I always say, ‘We don’t have a pact of money, we have a pact of people.’ Whether you’re a school board member, administrator or have another role within your system, we’re going to need you as we push this effort.”

O’Donnell underscored how crucial it is that LEA leaders are involved in conversations with their legislators so they understand the impact their bills will have and have had on schools’ abilities to address achievement gaps.

Various competing interests, from expanding transitional kindergarten to electric bus mandates to duplicative reporting requirements — however well-meaning or warranted — pull time and resources away from supporting students, especially for smaller districts. Currently, the state has no central plan that points to how programs connect or advance a vision to close achievement gaps.

“We want to let school boards make local decisions that meet the needs of their communities,” O’Donnell said. “The state can provide LEAs the resources and set the expectations but shouldn’t try to design the implementation. As we head into this effort, our goal is to change the paradigm. Let’s look at legislation through the lens of closing the achievement gap.”

On the CSBA website, a sample resolution titled “Too Scattered to Succeed: Calling on the State of California to develop a coherent, state-focused plan for supporting local schools in closing achievement gaps” is available for school boards. “If an LEA wants to join us in this effort, please put the resolution before your board, get it passed and let us know,” CEO & Executive Director Billy encouraged.

CSBA’s 2026 President Dr. Debra Schade is ready to lead the charge alongside LEAs.

“As CSBA President, I am advocating for the state to be a true partner with local school districts and county offices of education through shared accountability, clear benchmarks and transparent measures of progress,” Schade said. “California must move beyond fragmented, underfunded mandates and align policy, resources and support around a single, urgent goal: closing the achievement gap and lifting all students. Together, we must act now to scale what works so student success becomes the expectation across every community.

“Every LEA plays a role in shaping California’s future because we touch students’ lives every day. This must be a unified, statewide effort, not a fragmented one. When students rise, communities rise and California rises, and our collective leadership is essential to making that vision a reality,” Schade continued. “Acting now is essential to restore hope, strengthen our K–12 systems and secure California’s future.”