Preparing All Students for College, Career, Life, and ......Preparing All Students for College,...
Transcript of Preparing All Students for College, Career, Life, and ......Preparing All Students for College,...
Preparing All Students for College Career Life and Leadership
in The 21st Century
Superintendents Advisory Task Force on Accountability and Continuous Improvement
May 2016
Rerformance Equity Improvement
Presented to
Tom Torlakson State Superintendent of Public Instruction ___________
California Department of Education May2016
PUBLISHING INFORMATION
PreparingA ll Students for College Career Life andLe adershipi n The 21st Century was developed by the Superintendentrsquos Advisory Task Force onAccountability and Continuous Improvement Itw as published by theDepartment of Education 1430 NS treet Sacramento CA9 5814 It wasdistributedu nder the provisions of the Library DistributionA ct and Government Code Section 11096
copy2 016 by the California Department of EducationAll rights reserved
NOTICE
The guidance inPr eparingA ll Students for College Career Life and Leadershipi n The 21st Century is not binding on local educationalagencies or other entities Except for the statutes regulations and courtdecisions thata re referenced herein the documenti s exemplary andcompliance with it is not mandatory (See Education Code Section 333085)
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
MESSAGE FROMT ASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Dear Superintendent Torlakson
With great pleasure and satisfaction we submit to you thea ttached report from your advisoryAccountability and Continuous Improvement Task Force
This document represents the consensus thinking of the 30 exceptional men and women who participatedin this effort Their work included five in-personm eetings as well as numerous webinars conferencec allsand document reviews
While no small task the Task Forcersquos hardw ork has resultedi n as trongs et of recommendations towardan Accountability and Continuous Improvement System that better serves our students and our state
As you read these recommendations we hope that you will see a reconfirmation of the ldquoCalifornia Wayrdquothaty ou the Governor and the State Board of Education as well as stakeholders throughoutth e state havebeens o successfully implementingi n recent years We alsot hink you will see new breakthrough thinkingin relation to accountability continuous improvement and the support systems that will be necessary forCalifornians tom ake progress together in these areas
The great diversity of the task force was its strength ndash its members represented the full spectrum ofo urstate including businessesadministratorsteachersparentsschool board membersstudents researchers philanthropy institutionso f highere ducation and others
This is a consensus document and we know that each member oft he task force would have written at leastsome part of this differently hadt hey done it ont heir own Nevertheless throughm uchdi scussiona nddebate we submit toy ou a report that is not watereddow nan d reflects the critical and creative thinkingof the Task Force Thank youf or bringing together this outstanding team and for providing the great supportsystemst hat made thisw ork possible
We know that the submission of this report is not an end point but a new beginning We are keenly awareof the difficult work aheadt op ut together andi mplement as ystem ofa ccountability and continuousimprovement that truly supports our students and those who serve them The fact however that as a TaskForce we were ready willing and able to roll up our sleevesa nd confront difficult questionst ogetherg ivesus great confidence for the future
Thank youf or the opportunity to co-chair this outstanding effort We stand ready to help as you worktogether with the Governor the State Board of Education the Legislature and mosti mportantlyCaliforniarsquos students andf amilies to realize the promise ofa n accountability and continuous improvementsystem that isro oted in performance equity andi mprovement
We know that we speak for the entire Task Force in expressing our thanks for the opportunity to beinvolved in thisw ork at thish istoric moment Please let usk now how we can continue to be of assistance
Sincerely
Eric Heins President California Teachers Association
Wes Smith Executive Director Association of California School Administrators
Page 1 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table of Contents
MESSAGE FROMT ASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS 1
1 EXECUTIVES UMMARY 3 THE PROPOSEDN EW ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUSI MPROVEMENT SYSTEM A GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION5 SUMMARY DESCRIPTIONS COMPONENTS OF THE NEW ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM 6
2 FOUNDATION 7 VISION7 GUIDING PRINCIPLES 8 THE CALIFORNIA WAY USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS TO GUIDE IMPROVEMENT 8
3 ACCOUNTABILITYF RAMEWORK 9 DEFINITION OF ACCOUNTABILITY 10
10DEFINITIONS PERFORMANCE EQUITY WHOLE CHILD
EQUITY PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT 11 INDICATORS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 12
4 CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 20 DEFINITION OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 20 BUILDING THE CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT SUPPORT SYSTEM 20 CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM 24
5 IMPLEMENTING THE NEW SYSTEM TO DRIVE IMPROVEMENT AND COMMUNICATE ABOUT EQUITY AND PERFORMANCE 25ROLES 25 USING A DASHBOARD FOR TRANSPARENT ACCOUNTABILITY AND TO INFORM IMPROVEMENT EFFORTS 28 RECOGNITION 30 PLANNING FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATION INTEGRATION AND SIMPLIFICATION 32
6 CONCLUSION34
7 APPENDICES 35 A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEPI N A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM 35 B STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM PLANNING 40 C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASKF ORCE ONA CCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 41
Page 2 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
1 EXECUTIVESU MMARY
This report presents the work and recommendations of California Superintendent of Public InstructionTom Torlaksonrsquos Advisory Task Force on Accountability and Continuous Improvement1
The Task Force was convenedat ac ritical moment for public education in our state California hasst artedon ap athwayt owards the creation of ab etter system for our students one that rests on af oundation ofstudent success relieso n highs tandards more equitablyd istributes resources (through the Local ControlFundingFor mula)and trusts locale ducators and communities to design the educationals tructures andsupportst hat ourst udentsn eed to reach their fullp otential (through the Local Control and AccountabilityPlans)This emerging ldquoCalifornia Wayrdquo builds on ac ollaborative approach to positive education change
The Task Forcersquos work was guidedb yt he CaliforniaD epartment of Educationrsquos strategic plan ABl ueprint for Great Schools Version 20 which lays out the mission guiding principles and right drivers that shapedthe direction of the accountability and continuous improvement system proposed here2 3 Simultaneous to the work of the Task Force Californiarsquos State Board of Education has been engaged in development of LocalControl Funding Formula evaluation rubrics4 California now has the opportunity tode velop a system ofaccountabilityan d continuous improvement that aligns with and extends the provisions outlined in thefederalE very Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to support a world-class education for everys tudent in theGolden State
Building on this great potential for alignment and positive changethe task forcersquosre commendationsc an be summarized in three words performance equity and improvement
Our new system should build uponst udentsrsquo and educatorsrsquo own intrinsic motivation and proventechniques of management andor ganizational development that clearlyde fine success support itsrealization and provideh igh-profile recognitionwh en success occurs California is committedt ou tilizingmultiple measures to highlight our performance in relation to the full spectrum of outcomes we care about for our students and schoolsThe Task Force strongly recommends that these be presented in an easy-to-use dashboard format They should range from a positive school climate in which students report feelingengaged and respected to mastery of the statersquos robust academic content standards
We are equally committed to supporting and cultivating a system-wide culture of continuous improvement in order to advance and achieve these outcomes thatr elies on multiple measures top rovidethe information necessary to engage in improvement efforts This culture of continuous improvement mustinfuse all parts oft he system including continuous improvement for the system itself throughevaluativeme chanisms that allow us to learn froml ocal experience and revisit the indicators toolsandsystemso f support we use toe nsure theyar e workingas intended To this point the Task Force proposesongoinge valuation of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and making coursecorrections and updates as needed to better serve Californiarsquos students ands takeholders The recommendationsp resented in thisre port should not be considered an end point but rathera beginningpoint for continuous improvement
Finallyboth improvement and performance must have ad eliberate focus on supporting equity of access opportunityand outcomes for allo fC aliforniarsquos diverse students Historically in California andth e nation
1 The Accountability and Continuous Improvement TaskF orce was co-chaired by EricH eins California TeachersA ssociation andWes Smith Association of California School Administrators SeeA ppendixC f or af ull membership roster 2 CaliforniaD epartment of Education Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) ABl ueprint for Great Schools Version 20 Retrieved on December 20 2015 from httpwwwcdecagoveoinbpdocumentsyr15bp0720pdf 3 Fullan M (2011) Choosing the Wrong Drivers for Whole System Reform Centre for Strategic Education Retrieved on December 18 2015 from httpwwwmichaelfullancamedia13501655630pdf 4 Seet heSt ateB oardof Education websitef or extensivedoc umentation on this processhttpwwwcdecagovbeagagindexaspSee also page 24 of this report
Page 3 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
the public education system has not equitably supported all student groups it is our duty to make thehistoric shifts to build a system that recognizes our past shortcomings shines light on areas where morework is needed to rectify the achievementequity gapand provides support and recognition forimprovement
The Task Forcersquos proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should rely on a holisticpicture of how schools and Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) are doing in regard to both performance andequity The statersquos system should simultaneously look at the ways in which performance and equity areimproving in order to fully realize the outcomes that we seek
Performance Equity Improvement
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System
Performance Improvement Equity
The following pages of the Executive Summary provide a graphic overview of the key features of theproposed systemrsquos implementation and integration of the performance equity and improvement themes
Page 4 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
ThisgraphicpresentsthecorefeaturesoftheproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemThefullreportuses
thisasaroadmapwitheachcomponenthighlightedseparatelytoexplaineachfeatureofthesystem-thefollowingpageprovidesa
summarydescriptionofeachfeature
Page 5 of 41
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions Indicators demonstrating that schools and districts provide the supports and resources that will allow students to
take advantage of educational opportunities and succeed in school
School and District Whole Child Outcomes Indicators demonstrating the
extent to which all children are healthy safe engaged
supported challenged and valued
DisaggregatedAggregated
School and District Academic Outcomes Indicators demonstrating the
extent to which students achieve meaningful learning outcomes including the acquisition
of the knowledge language and lifelong learning skills needed to succeed in todayrsquos
world as outlined by the California standards
DisaggregatedAggregated
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
dagger dagger
dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
ROLES
Cycle of Continuous
Improvem
ent
Cycle of Continuous
Improvem
ent
THEPROPOSEDNEWACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSYSTEMAGRAPHIC
REPRESENTATION
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 6 of 41
SUMMARYDESCRIPTIONSCOMPONENTSOFTHENEWACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSYSTEM
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding PrinciplesCaliforniarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
COE
s
CCEE
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
dagger dagger
dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
ROLES
Cycle of Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous
Improvement
School and District IndicatorsCalifornia seeks to develop a system that incorporates multiple measures to present a holistic picture of performance equity and improvement for schools LEAs and the state The new system rooted in and part of LCFF and LCAP will examine schooldistrict learning conditions to understand if the system is providing equitable resources and opportunities for all students It will also examine academic and non-academic outcome indicators to understand student performance and it will disaggregate these indicators by student groups as a measure of equity The new system will examine the rate of improvement across these indicators as a means of highlighting and building on successful practices and identifying where additional improvement support is needed
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
California recognizes that its accountability framework is only helpful to the extent that it is integrally tied to a system of continuous improvement and support By looking at measures of performance equity and improvement with regard to both whole child and academic indicators schools and districts will be able to self-identify their strengths areas where support is needed and where support is available within the greater ecosystem of peer learning This will allow for a system of differentiated improvement supports at three levels that recognizes success and shares promising and successful practices between LEAs throughout the state
RolesCaliforniarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must include clearly defined roles for federal state and local stakeholders Each level of the system should be held responsible for the contributions it must make to support learning and development for every child
Policy Makers Policy makers at the state and federal level should establish policies and standards that support continuous improvement set clear expectations for outcomes and improvement provide adequate resources support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and foster innovation
Stakeholders and Communities One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders From advocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropy parent groups community voices business organizations early learning and care and beyond this coalition of supportive stakeholders will be instrumental in the successful communication about transition to and implementation of this new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System
The CDE CCEE and COEs The State Superintendent of Public InstructionCDE the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) and county superintendentsoffices of education (COEs)mdashmust work collaboratively to provide coordinated support for school accountability and continuous improvement Additionally the State Superintendent must take action if a school or district is unable to improve over time
Schools and Districts Schools and districts are at the center of Californiarsquos system They must engage students parents and caregivers educators and other stakeholders in school and district-level planning and support to ensure that all students are provided with meaningful opportunities to learn and contribute They must implement instructional improvement strategies and marshal the financial and professional capital required to implement these strategies and improve student outcomes
FoundationAs a state we seek to realize our vision to provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthood and prepare students to live work and thrive in a multicultural multilingual and highly connected world We pursue rigorous learning and achievement in every classroom and every school
We will embrace the California Way which rests on the belief that educators want to excel trusts them to improve when given the proper supports and provides local schools and districts with the leeway and flexibility to deploy resources so they can improve
To do this Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System willbull Demonstrate a commitment to equitybull Emphasize the importance of educating the whole childbull Focus on building collaboration engagement and professional capitalbull Recognize that improvement and learning are continuousbull Value the knowledge and expertise of educators and communitiesbull Rely on reciprocity and subsidiaritybull Embrace students parents and families as critical stakeholdersbull Identify and recognize districts schools and classr ooms that can serve as models and those that need support The proposed system builds on State Board of Education guiding principles
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Cycleof Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District
dagger
Academic Outcomes
Aggregated dagger Disaggregated Aggregated dagger Disaggregated
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
2 FOUNDATION
The proposed Accountability and ContinuousImprovementS ystem restso n a foundation ofa common vision guidingp rinciples and a shared commitment to the ldquoCalifornia Wayrdquo The Task Force believes this foundation and the more detailed recommendationsth at follow are aligned with and in some cases anextension of the work being undertaken by the CaliforniaSt ate Board of Education (SBE) involving the development ofL CFF EvaluationRubricsThis foundation will also supportplanning workto be undertakenf or the ESSAstate plan
VISION
In the same way thata classroom teacher startse ach school yearw ith a vision of what successw ill look like forh isherst udents we began ourd esign processb y working on a shared vision Asa state we seek to provide a world-class education fora ll students from earlych ildhood to adulthood and prepare students toli vew orka nd thrive in am ulticulturalm ultilinguala nd highly connected world5 The statersquosA ccountability and Continuous Improvement System should help provide local educators and communities with the information and tools they need to engage in a processo f continuousi mprovement where collaborative planning implementation and analysis leads toon going adjustments tos uccessfullyaddress the diverse needs of all students Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should
bull Demonstrate a commitment to equity by ensuring that all student groups are visible in accountabilityan d improvement efforts and settinggoal s for closinggap s The system should provide clarity ong aps ina chievement opportunity and access betweenst udent groups andprovide tools to eliminate these gaps 6
bull Emphasize the importance of educating the whole child by using indicators from multiple domains The system should include holistic and developmentally appropriate metrics to monitor progress towards preparing all students for college career life and leadershipi nt he 21st century
bull Focus on building collaboration engagement and professional capital to ensure that educators have supports they need to improve student learning
bull Recognize that improvement andl earning are continuous and emphasize feedback loops with a focus on continuous improvement and quality throughout every levelo ft he system
bull Value the knowledge and expertise of educators and communities by relying on accountability and improvement plans that are locally driven and state supported
bull Rely on subsidiarity and reciprocal accountabilityholding every level of the system responsible for the contributions it must make to support learning for every child7
5 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 6 The term ldquostudent grouprdquo refers to the student subgroups that are included inL ocal Control and Accountability Plans includingsocioeconomically disadvantaged students English learners studentsw ith disabilities andfo ster youthdisaggregated by race and ethnicity7 According to the Oxford English Dictionary ldquosubsidiarityrdquo represents the idea that a central authority should have a subsidiaryfunction performing only those tasks that cannot be performed effectively at a more immediate or localle vel
Page 7 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Embrace students parents and families as critical stakeholders in the accountability system bull Identify and recognize districts schools and classrooms that can serve as models for those
thatn eed supportto create an environment where we can learn from each other collaborate and improve together
GUIDINGPRINCIPLES
The shared visiono utlined above provides afo undation for developing the proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement System while the following guiding principles from the SBE offer af ramework for making decisions about the system8
1 Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts schools and county offices of educationPromote a broad understanding of the specific goals that need to be met at each level of the educational system 9
2 Foster equityCreate support structuresincluding technical assistance for districts and schoolsto promote success for all students regardless of background primary language or socioeconomic status
3 Provide useful informationt hat helps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of education and policymakers makei mportant decisionsAssist and engage parentseducators and policymakers through regular communicationa nd transparent timely reporting of data so they can take action appropriate to their roles
4 Build capacity and increase support for districts schools and county offices Seek tob uild capacity at all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningp ractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
5 Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measuresfor state and local priorities Focus on ongoing improvement of student outcomes including college- and career-readiness using multiple measures that reflect both status and growth
6 Promote system-wide integration and innovation Purposely ande ffectively integrate each accountabilitys ystem component includinggr oups and technologies creatinga c oherent effective and efficient support structure for districts charter schools and county offices of education10
The Task Force developed the following additional guiding principles 7 Align to the extentp ossible local state and federal accountabilityan d continuous improvement
systemst o create one single integrateds ystem for use by schoolsdi stricts county offices of education and the State of CaliforniaLead with Californiarsquos commitment to subsidiarity and the strengthening of local assets and capacities11 and
8 Encourage labor-management collaboration in districts schools and county offices of education asan underlyingf oundationf or effective implementationo f the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System12
THECALIFORNIAWAY USINGTHERIGHTDRIVERSTOGUIDEIMPROVEMENT
ldquoThe California Way rests ont he belief that educators want to excel trusts them to improve when givent he proper supports and provides local schools and districts witht he leeway and flexibility to deploy resources sot hey can improve The CaliforniaW ay engages students parents and communities as part of ac ollaborative decision-making process about how to fund and implement these
8 SeeA ppendixB for the complete State Board of Educationrsquos Guiding Principles for Accountability System Planning 9 Throughout this document the term ldquoschoolsrdquo is used to refer to all public schools in California including charter schools 10 See httpwwwcdecagovbepnnryr15sberel01asp 11 SeeSec tion 5 for recommendations for alignment ofa ccountability and continuous improvement plans 12 Information on the California Labor-Management Initiativec an bef ounda t wwwcdefoundationorglmi
Page 8 of 41
lued (School and District Whole Child Outcomes)
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
improvement efforts and provides supplemental resources to ensure that Californiarsquos English learners foster youth and students inp overty have the learnings upports they needrdquo13
As notede ducationr esearcher anda dvisor Michael Fullan explains ldquoThe key to system-wide success is tosituate the energy of educatorsa nd studentsa st he central driving force Thism eansa ligningt he goals of reform and the intrinsic motivation of participantsrdquo14 In order to create an effective and sustainable system of accountability and continuous improvement thatb uilds on the collaborative approachde scribedb ybo th Fullan andth e California Wayactors at all levels of the proposed system must focus on the ldquorightd riversrdquowhich ldquofoster motivation of teachers and students engage educators and students in continuousimprovement improve team work and affect all teachers and studentsrdquo15 The right drivers identified in A Blueprint for Great Schools Version 20 include
bull Investing in and building educator professional capital bull Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations bull Supporting effective pedagogy bull Developing systemicso lutions to create a coherent and positive education system16
Moving away from a compliance-driven system towards a system that emphasizes the right drivers will require a significant cultural shift in how many education stakeholders define accountability17 Together with the guiding principles these right drivers serve as a litmus test for future accountability and continuous improvement policies and practices
3 ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK
Building upon the foundation describeda bovethe proposedAc countability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem relieso n a set of multiple measures to examinep erformance equity and improvement These should be presentedthrough user-friendly dashboards18 Examining these multiple measures will
bull Demonstrate the extentto which schoolsa nd districts provide thesupportsa nd resourcest hat will allow studentst o take advantage ofeducational opportunities and succeed in school (Equitable LearningConditions)
bull Highlight whole child development by examining indicators thats how the extent to which all children areh ealthy safe engaged supported challenged and va
13 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 14 Fullan M (2011) 15 Ibid 16 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 17 Appendix A highlights the ways inw hicht hese drivers couldb e appliedac ross the K-12and E arly LearningSy stem tos upportarticulation andal ignment 18 The dashboard approach will allow the presentationo f multiple kinds of data and assessments to support multiple ways ofmonitoring and improving just as adr iver uses many different gauges windows andm irrors
Page 9 of 41
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Cycleof Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District
dagger
Academic Outcomes
Aggregated dagger Disaggregated Aggregated dagger Disaggregated
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Illustrate the extentto which students achieve meaningful learningou tcomes includingt he acquisition of the knowledge language and lifelongl earnings kills needed tos ucceed (School and District AcademicO utcomes)
bull Reveal disparities by disaggregating student outcomes by student groups and examining learning conditions through the lens of equity
DEFINITION OF ACCOUNTABILITY
The Superintendentrsquos Advisory Task Force onA ccountability and Continuous Improvement offers the definitionof accountability belowThis shared definition allowed the Task Force toi dentifyt he primary purposes of ana ccountability system and consider how these purposes could be achieved through a system thate mphasizes both performanceequityand improvement This definitionfo cuses on intrinsicmotivation the right drivers and reciprocal accountabilityac ross all levels of the system
Accountability is a shared responsibility to 1) Provide studentsw ith the learning experiencesa nd supportst hey need to achieve meaningful outcomesand 2) Effectively collaborate and share information amongte achers and classified staffschoolsstudentsparents and caregiversadministratorsdistrictscommunities county offices of education and the state to ensure thatever yp art of thes ystem has thecapacity tools and resources necessary to provide these learning experiences and support Implementing this two-pronged definitiono f accountability leads to increasing levels ofs upport for improvements at alllevels oft he system Our California Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon
bull Shared responsibility to support learning for every child bull Comprehensively measuring performance equity improvement and how well the system is
meeting its goalsincluding linking results to the tiered system of support and intervention19
bull Considering all the factors that affect performance and outcomes in order toi dentify share andpromote best and promising practices and change courseso f action thata re nota chieving our desired outcomes
bull Clearly communicating expectations and processes at all levels bull Reporting the results of selected measures to all partners in education and in the communityand bull Taking what we know and have learned from careful assessments and using thati nformation by
working together to channel support and resourcesto make improvements where they are needed
DEFINITIONS PERFORMANCE EQUITY WHOLE CHILD
Similarly to build commonund erstanding and support for the Task Forcersquos proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemthe task force recommendst he following definitions
Performanceth e extentto which schools districts and the state supports tudents to achieve meaningful outcomes ABl ueprint for Great Schools Version 20 recommendst hat meaningful learning should support the acquisition of the knowledge language lifelongl earnings kills and dispositions that students need to succeed the ability to apply complex knowledge to solve problems collaborate communicate inquire learn independently and build relationships and the capacity to be resilient and resourceful20
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the culturally appropriate and linguistically accessible supports and resources needed to take advantage of educational opportunities and succeed in school at the same level as other students
19 For more information see pages1 5-19 for proposed indicators and pages 22-23 for the tiered system ofs upport andintervention 20 Blueprint 20 PlanningT eam (2015)
Page 10 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Whole ChildAn approach to learning that ensures thatever yc hild is healthy safe engaged supported challenged and valued21
EQUITYPERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System should create a holisticp icture of how well the schoolsLEAsand the state are realizingC aliforniarsquos vision of success for all students To do this the Task Force recommends ab alanced set of academic and non-academic indicators that illustratestudent performance and equitablel earning conditionsand improvement in both (see Figure 1) The Task Force recognizes that it is important tou tilize a whole child approach and noti ncentivize the wrongdrivers Inc onsidering rates andt argets the Task Force advises an emphasis on continuous sustainable improvements rooted in the ongoing development ofp rofessional capital This balanceds et ofa cademic and non-academic indicators should be depicted in easy-to-read dashboard formats(se e p 30)
Performance Academic and non-academic achievement
Performance Improvement Rate of improvement of performance
Equity Improvement Rate of improvement of equity
Equity Gaps in opportunities (learning conditions) and performance across student groups
Figure 1
PERFORMANCE
The performancem easurei llustrates the state of student outcomesa t a point in time across ar ange of academic and non-academic areas22 It uses multiple indicators to depict the current level of performanceThe performance measure shows the extent to which a district or school is meeting outcomes for studentsat both an aggregated and disaggregated (byst udent group)le vel23
PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
The performance improvement or change measure denotes the level of improvement based on changesover time tot he indicators includedi n the performance measure It should be provided in aggregated anddisaggregated( by student group)f orms The Task Forcersquos proposed new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem places significant value on improvementThe value of improvement lies in both the importance of striving to increase studenta nd system outcomes and the opportunity thatimprovement provides for shared learning across the system The performance improvement measure servesmu ltiple purposes providing opportunitiest o
21 Adapted from ASCD See httpwwwascdorgwhole-childaspx 22 There are a number of possible approaches to achieve thisSome possible examples include am odel used in Alberta Canada while another might be a quadrant-based scatter plot such as the model developed by ChildrenN ow 23 Iti s criticalto consider indicators thatr eliably predictth e longer-term studento utcomes we seekfo r example indicators in theearlygr ades should predict graduation rates whilei ndicators in thes econdarygr ades should predict collegea nd careerpreparedness etc
Page 11 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
1 Highlight and recognize those districts and schools makingc oncerted and successful efforts toimprove
2 Identify districts and schools that need support to address challenges and needsand 3 Identify promising practices in aggregate or byst udent groupthat could be applied by other
LEAs ands chools across the system
EQUITY The equityme asure shedsl ight on disparitiesi n opportunitiesa nd outcomesa crossst udent groups Equity should be examined through indicators of equitablel earning conditions and byd isaggregatingp erformance measures by student groups Californiarsquos public education system is entrustedt op rovide high-quality educational opportunities for all of its students A robust accountability system identifiesb arriers that limit access toa r igorous and nurturinge ducational experience for all students especially those requiring special education foster youth homeless youth those from low-income families English learnersand vulnerable racial and ethnic groupsThe Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should help identify supportsne ededt o eradicate those barriers maintaina ndm easure progress towards clear goals and hold schools districts and educators accountable for closingac hievement gaps and advancinga r ange of culturally responsive and linguistically supportive opportunities toe nsure success in school and acquisition of the skills necessaryt ob e college careerand life ready
EQUITY IMPROVEMENT Similar tot he performance improvement or change measure equity improvement illustrates the level of improvement on equityin dicators This measure looks at the rate of improvementof equitable learning conditions thatc apture the level of equity in a school or districta nd the rate atw hich performance gaps across student groupsa re closingstaying the sameor growing Improving equity of access andopportunityan dc losingac hievement gaps are critical toi mprovingou tcomes for all students Additionallylooking at the rate ofi mprovement on equityi ndicators provides aw ayt oi dentifyan d act on promisingpractices for improving student equity
INDICATORS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
The Task Force recommends as eries of indicator sets for differentu ses and at different levels of the system These various sets of indicators should be depicted inv isually attractive and easy-to-use dashboards that will allowt he system to
bull Ensure that the state and system as a whole are continuously improving bull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvement acrosst he state with regard to
student learning and achievement bull Collect additional diagnostic information to support continuous improvement efforts and bull Provide LEAs with the flexibility to identify indicators of interest
LEVELSO FI NDICATORS
To build a system that fully supports and values performance equity andi mprovementCalifornia should utilize appropriate indicator sets for each level of accountability and continuous improvement 24
This work should build upon the state priorities articulated by the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)
24 ldquoAn indicator provides evidence that certain conditionse xist orce rtain resultsh ave or have not been achieved Indicatorse nabledecision-makers to assess progress towards the achievement of intended outputs outcomes goals and objectivesrdquo (HarvardFamilyR esearchP roject) Horsch K (1997) Indicators definition andu se in ar esults-based accountability system Retrieved onApril 14 2016 from httpwwwhfrporgpublications-resourcesbrowse-our-publicationsindicators-definition-and-use-in-a-results-based-accountability-system
Page 12 of 41
Table 1 Levels of Indicators Indicator Set Definition and Use State-Required These indicators should be used for both state and federal (ESSA)
purposes should be applicable and relevant statewide and should be utilized by California to gauge the success of federal and state-level accountability and continuous improvement supports for LEAs and schools
State-Reported These indicators should be vetted and reported by the state and available for use in the statersquos Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System for LEAs and schoolsThese indicators should complement the state-required indicator set by providing a moreholistic picture of performance equity and improvement
State-Supported Locally-Reported These indicators should provide additional diagnostic and evaluation information and should be available for voluntary local use that is
supported with tools provided by the state allowing schools and LEAs to evaluate learning opportunities more deeplyThey should be locally-reported and used for diagnostic and improvement purposes in the context of state and local accountability and continuous improvement systems
Locally Generated and Reported These indicators should be identified and vetted locally and used for additional information for LCAP design impl ementation and eval uation
State System These indicators should be identified by the state to use in evaluatingits work supporting the statewide system these indicators should be
used to drive the continuous improvement of the statersquos systems of support
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
and ongoingw ork tod evelop the LCFFe valuation rubrics The proposed indicators include locally determinedi ndicators includedi nLoc al Control andA ccountability Plans anda lsoi nclude state-determinedi ndicators that alignw ithE SSA requirements As summarized by Table 1 and Figure 2 below targeted indicator sets should be developed and provided for specific system levels and accountability and continuous improvement purposes
As illustrated by Figure 2these indicator sets form ac omprehensive package that focuses on supporting and drivingl ocal accountabilityan d continuous improvement They should be depicted and reported in easy-to-use dashboard formats
Page 13 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State System Indicators
Local Accountability
and Continuous
Improvement
State Required Indicators
State ReportedIndicators
LocallyGenerated
Indicators (LCAP)
State SupportedIndicators
State System Indicators
Figure 2Integrated Indicator Sets
Tables 2-6 provide possible specific indicators with associated comments for each indicator set describedabove Taken together these tables illustrate an integration path utilizing Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) evaluation rubrics as central drivers of one coherent and comprehensive system that incorporates the federal accountability requirements
STATE AND LOCAL INDICATORS FOR LEAS AND SCHOOLS
The tables below contain the proposed indicators for each level of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Each set of indicators including those that are state-required and state-reported includes both academic and whole child indicators that should be used to measure performance equity and improvement This balance of academic and non-academic indicators will provide a more holistic depiction of the extent to which all students are prepared for college career life and leadership in the 21st centuryIndicators in Table 2 are explicitly linked to ESSA Requirements while the indicators in Tables 3-5 are linked to desired outcomes
Page 14 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
Academic achievement as measured profi ciency on annua l assessments
by CASSP English languagearts and mathematics scores in grad es 3- 8 inclusiveplus grade 11
To be measured by scale scores reflecting both status and student growthover time Scale SBAC scores would be broken down into diff erent subjects(ie math and English) and reported by grade span (ie grades 3-5 6-8 11)
Hig h schoo l graduation rates 4-year Graduation rates plus an extended rate (5 - andor 6-year rate)
At high school including rates (wit h a t leas t equa l work with student s wit h
a 5-or 6-year graduation rate weight ) creat es incentives for challenges
as well as 4-yearschool s t o keep
Progress in ach ieving Englis h language proficiency as defined by the State within a State-determined timeline f or all English Learners
English Learner (EL ) progress on state English Proficiency Assessment
The State LCFF identifies pro ress toward English proficiency andreclassification ratesEL pro ress
ggg
using scale scores on an EL profici encymeasure i s bett er for trackin th e progress o f al l students ensuring
attention to the ful l range of EL student s and their needs ndash from th ose wh oare newcomers to th ose who are b ecoming an d h ave b ecome lsquoproficient rsquo
Progress of ELs could be measured by a composite or by multiple i ndicatorsfor Englis h Learner progress ie including long-time English learners
and or reclassification ratesThe Task Force recommends creating a new data marker of ldquoEnglishLearner re-designat edrdquo for reclassified ELs as a means of capturing a fullerpicture of student performance
For public elementary schools andsecondary schools that are not highschools in the Statemdash(I) a measure of student growth if determined appropriate by the State or (II) another valid and reliable statewide academicindicat or tha t all ows for meaningfu ldifferentiation in school performance
Growth measure27 The Task F orce encourages the SBE and model s f or inclusion in th e syst em This and growth across other indicators
CDE to should
research potential incl ude both SBAC
growthscores
25 Every Student Succeeds Act 201526 From LCFFSt ate Priorities augmentedt om eet federal requirements27 The task force is not putting forth a specific way to measure growth but recommends that that State Board ofE ducation continue to research growth measure methodologies
Page 15 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Whole Child Outcomes
No t less than one indicator o f schoo lquality or student success that allowsfor meaningful differentiation in school
performance is valid reliable comparable and statewide and mayinclud e measures of studen tengagement educat or engagementstudent access to and completion ofadvanced coursework postsecondaryreadi ness school climate and safety and any other indicator other Statechooses tha t meets the requirements ofthis clause
bull
bull
bull
bull
Suspensi ons expulsion rat es Statewide schoolclimate surveyChronicabsenteeism College amp careerreadiness indicat or
Suspension and expulsion data are currently available and chronicabsenteeism soon will be Both are local measures of student access andengagemen t that help predict school achievement and high schoolgraduation The Task Force recommend s that suspension expulsion ratesbe utilized in conjunction wit h and tied to authentic programmatic workthat builds positive school climate such as alternative discipline orrestorative justice approaches
A statewide school climate survey of students parents and teachers couldinclud e quest ions on course breadth and access parenta l involvementbasic services safety and social-emotional supports teaching andadministrati ve supports and access to appropriate counseling servicesnurses and school psy gcholo i sts
A non-test-based indicator of coll ege and career readi ness should measurethe extent to which students complete courses and ro ramsp g (c p om letion o fA- G hig qu yh- alit CTE qu se ences and i p )nternshi s that ppsu ort coll ge e andcareer readiness and the development o f 21st yCentur skills such as
28 collaboration communicati pon roblem-solvi gn and creativity This couldbe reviewed in conjunction with other academic indicators as a means forholistically measuri ng the skills and abilities students need to be college andcareer ready
28 The Task Force recognizes that there is not currently a state-adopted tool that measures 21st Century skills like collaboration communication problem solving and creativityThese are qualities that can be evaluated through performance assessments The Task Force recommends that the State Board of Education pilot and study performanceassessments that can measure these competencies as they relate to college and career readiness
Page 16 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 3 State-Reported Indicators Outcome Area Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
College career li fe readi ness indicat ors
and
bull
bull
bull bull
Students completing A-G approved CTE sequence or both Students meeting college standardon AP IB dual credit courseworkPhysical fitness Science assessment resultsonce each in grad es 3-5 6- 8 10-12 for a tota l of three times
If completion o f A- G approved CTE sequences or AB IB dual credi tcoursewor k are not included in t he state required college and career readiness indicator they could be included here
Physical fitness data are already collected by the state
As science assessments develop they could be considered by the SBE in future as a potential add ition t o the require d indicators
the
Whole Child Outcomes
StudentTeacherand ParentCaregiver
Engagement
bull
bull
Attendance
Student teacher andparentcaregiver surveysmeasuring schoo l climat e
for
If attendance and school climate surveys are not in included n the state-required set o f indicat ors they could be included here
School climate surveys could include a core set of questions used across thestate with additional locally determined questions for local use TheCaliforni a Healthy Kids Survey i s an available tool for measuring school climateand measures el ements such as access to resources and programsfeelings of safety and interaction wit h caring adults
Equitable Learning Conditions
Opportunities t o learn
bull
bull bull bull
Teacher and administrator qualificationsSchool facilities qualityAccess to curriculum material s Access to full curriculum
These are required under the Williams Case andor LCAP
Page 17 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 4 State-Supported Locally-Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
As part of i ts eff ort to support l ocal continuous improvement efforts the state could develop and calibrate a library of tools and measures for voluntary use by bull Locally selected developmentally
State provid es tool s LEAs and schools Several of these may be available at t he time of system launchculturally and linguistically30 for sch ools or (launch library) while oth ers wil l requi re further time and resource investmentappropriate observational
31districts to choose (developmental library) kindergarten readiness and use at thei r s29 assessment CA has access to the Innovation Lab Network Performance Assessment Resource optionpotentially bull Classroom embedded authentic Bank that provides performance assessment tasks rubrics scoring protocols andin collaborat ion perf ormance assessments student work linked to CCSS and NGSS standards These can be made available towit h oth er part ners bull Social-emotional learning schools possibly as par t of the SBAC Digita l Libraryand networks indicat ors stAssessments of social-emotional learning might also be used to measure 21
bull Parent Engagement Century skill s such as collaborati on communication problem-solvingandcreativity and should be further studied by the SBE
Table 5 Locally Designed and Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Locally determined indicat ors
bull
bull
Other LCAP indicators es32 local prioriti
Oth er locally designed
for state and
indicators
Districts are not expected to all ocate resources equally to indicat ors bu t t o selec t strat egic goal s an d mak e resource associate d with those
each of the allocat ions
LCAP
29 These are individually administered and open-ended Theys hould beu sed as information for teachers and schools to ensuret heir youngest students arer eceiving the culturallylinguistically andde velopmentallyap propriate supports theyn eed Multiple validatedk indergarten readiness support tools exist andm ay in the short-term be suitable forinclusion in the tool libraryA ppendix A provides a series of recommendations andco nsiderationsr egarding early learning in the Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystemincluding as et of questions pertaining to the use of Kindergarten Readiness Assessments30 The ldquolaunch libraryrdquo could include school climate surveys fors tudents parents and caregiversand teachers (egCalifornia Healthy Kids Survey)tools for measuring implementation ofthe California Standards(C CSS NGSS etc)i ncluding instructional materials practices training etc and toolsfo r measuring indicators ofa rich fullc urriculum thatm ighti nclude art music PE science social studies31 The ldquodevelopment libraryrdquo could include KindergartenR eadiness support tools (Early educationK-12al ignment) Early literacy assessment tools High school graduation systems( Digital portfolio capstone project community service assessment) andSoc ial-Emotional Learning tools32 Californiarsquos emergingac countabilityf rameworki s groundedw ithin ab roader system of continuous improvement andsu pport forL EAsa nd schools By analyzing performance andp erformance improvement on multiple indicators andp resenting thati nformation in user-friendly formats the LCFF evaluation rubrics willa ssist LEAs and schools in self-identifying their strengths and weaknesses where support isn eededa nd who is able to provide it
Page 18 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
STATE SYSTEM INDICATORS
Table 6 Proposed State System Indicators
State Priority Key Indicator Performance Equity Improvement
Success for students withhigher needs in the stateas a whole on each of theSuccess for state as a Annual state gains rate of gap closurestate-required and state-Pupi l Achievement Aggregated Schoo l and whole on th e state-reported indicat ors Rate o f gai ns for students wit h high erand Engagement Distric t Indicators required and state-
needs reported indicat ors
Perf andoppor
ormancetunity gap closure
Awards for schools and Annual state gainsrate of gap closureNumber of schools
Pupi l Achievement LEAs serving high Rate o f gai ns ( number receiving awards)Californi a Awards applying forreceivingand Engagement numbers of higher-needs for sch ools serving high numb ers ofawards
students higher-needs students
Promulgation o fexemplars andomisingbestpr
practices and brokering Effecti veness of supportsof these and other to schools and districtsresources including especially those serving
Support for LCAP Support Systems Growth in service and capacity (360ordmtechnical assistance to high numb ers of st udentsDevelopmen t and Indicators (CDE CCEE revi ews)
districts wit h higher needsImplementation COEs)
Effecti veness of supports to schools and districts Equity and adequacy ofespecially those serving resource distributionhigh numb ers ofstudents wit h high erneeds
Page 19 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 20 of 41
WhiletheindicatorsandtoolsproposedbytheTaskForceformeasuringperformanceequityand
improvementatalllevelsofthesystemarenotperfectwehopetoidentifywhatindicatorsandtoolsare
workingovertimeanddevelopandrefinethesetoolsandmeasuressothattheymoreaccuratelyreflectthe
performanceequityandimprovementofthesystemAdditionallytheTaskForcerecommendsthatthe
stateengageinongoingformalevaluationworktomeasuretheefficacyofsupportsidentifybestand
promisingpracticesandinformcontinuousimprovementofthesystemTheonlywaytoensurethat
schoolsanddistrictsarecontinuouslyimprovingistoestablishacontinuousimprovementframeforthe
systemitselfwemustcommittoreflectiveandongoingassessmentofhowwellthesystemisworkingand
tomakingcoursecorrectionsandupdatesasneededtobetterserveCaliforniarsquosstudentsandstakeholders
4 CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTCaliforniarecognizesthattheaccountability
frameworkdescribedaboveisonlyhelpfulto
theextentthatitisintegrallytiedtoasystem
ofcontinuousimprovementandsupport
alignedwiththeCaliforniaWayandtheldquoright
driversrdquodescribedinSection233Continuous
improvementisthekeytoensuringthat
Californiarsquoseducationsystemrealizesitsvision
forallstudents34
DEFINITIONOFCONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
TheTaskForceoffersthefollowingdefinition
ofcontinuousimprovement
ContinuousImprovementAcontinuouslyimprovingeducationsystemisonethatlearns
fromexperiencebycarefullymeasuringthe
effectivenessofdifferentpoliciesandpracticessupportingtheintrinsicmotivationofeducatorsand
stakeholderssharingbestandpromisingpracticescultivatingacultureofreflectionandlearning
encouraginginnovationandmakingchangesbasedonlearning35
BUILDINGTHECONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSUPPORTSYSTEM
Bylookingatmeasuresofperformanceequityandimprovementillustratedthrougheasy-to-usepublic
dashboardsLEAswillbeabletoself-identifytheirstrengthsandweaknesseswheresupportisneeded
andwhoisabletoprovideit36Thiswillallowforthedevelopmentofasystemofdifferentiated
improvementsupportsthatrecognizessuccessandsharesbestandpromisingpracticesamongallLEAsin
thestateTheSuperintendentofPublicInstruction(SSPI)CaliforniaofEducation(CDE)theCalifornia
CollaborativeforEducationalExcellence(CCEE)andcountysuperintendentsshouldalsousethese
measurestoidentifyandreferLEAsandschoolsforfocusedandintensiveimprovementsupportas
33Blueprint20PlanningTeam(2015)
34Continuousimprovementlikereciprocalaccountabilityissomethingthateachlevelofthesystemisresponsiblefor
35AdaptedfromLoebSandPlankD(2008)LearningWhatWorksContinuousImprovementinCaliforniarsquosEducationSystemPolicyBrief08-4RetrievedonMarch162016fromhttpcepastanfordedusitesdefaultfilesLearning20Briefpdf
36Forexampleselectingoneindicatorinthedashboardmightleadtoapagewithmoredetailthatcouldincludeavarietyof
resourcesforimprovement(informationalresourcesbestpracticesinformationonhowtoself-refertoCCEEalistofTA
providersandoralistoflocaldistrictsorschoolsthathaveachievedsignificantimprovementinthatindicator)
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
described The Task Force recognizes thats ignificantc apacity building mustta ke place ata ll levelsof the system and especiallyf or countyof fices of education in order to take on the provision of tieredsu port summarized below To be effective work at the county office level should include teacherre
Just as modern health systems em hasize well-being and preventiono f illness inC aliforniarsquosAccountability and Continuous Im
utilized Table 7 below describes the proposed levels of support for schools and districts
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
below37
p
presentatives
THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT ALL FOCUSED INTENSIVE
p
provement System the overarching priority should be given tosupporting improvement for allacross multiple dimensions and through an ecosystem of supportIn thoseinstances when general support efforts do not yield results focused and intensive supports should be
38
Table 7 Tiered Support System Tier Type of Support
Improvement
Shared LearningLEAs
and for All
The indicat ors should help recognize successidentify the strengths of LEAs andschools and therefore should serve as a means to identify (and self-identify )whic h LEAs and schools are well-positioned to share their successful practiceswit h others throug h formal and informal improvemen t effort s across school s and
39 LEAs The SSPICDE CCEE and county offices of education should also developtools and supports that will be available to all LEAs and schools (LCAP planningsupports vetted best practi ces etc)
Focused Im rovement
Supp
p
ort
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboardindicat ors to identify schools and LEAs in need of focuse d intervention and th e
areas in which improvemen t support s are needed
of
IntensiveImprovement Support
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboard ofdicat ors to identify LEAs and schools that need more comprehensive andin
int ensive support s to make major improvements in performance andor growthResults on selected measures should not only help to identify where intensivesupports are needed but what other similar LEAs might be best positioned toprovide them
37 Differentiated levels of support could be used across LEAs and schools based on need similar to the ldquoResponse To Interventionrdquomodel which provides varying levels and intensities of support and intervention based on student needs
38 Table 7 describes the tiers and types of supportinterventiona vailable from state-levele ntities The Task Force recognizes thecritical rolest hat will be played by multiple kindso f stakeholdersi n the full ecosystem of support including researchers nonprofitorganizations institutions of higher education philanthropy coalitions etc39 Examples of formal and informal improvement efforts include statewide and regional LCFFLCAP Conferences LCAP SupportTeamsCalifornia Labor Management Initiative events etc
Page 21 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
PUBLISHING INFORMATION
PreparingA ll Students for College Career Life andLe adershipi n The 21st Century was developed by the Superintendentrsquos Advisory Task Force onAccountability and Continuous Improvement Itw as published by theDepartment of Education 1430 NS treet Sacramento CA9 5814 It wasdistributedu nder the provisions of the Library DistributionA ct and Government Code Section 11096
copy2 016 by the California Department of EducationAll rights reserved
NOTICE
The guidance inPr eparingA ll Students for College Career Life and Leadershipi n The 21st Century is not binding on local educationalagencies or other entities Except for the statutes regulations and courtdecisions thata re referenced herein the documenti s exemplary andcompliance with it is not mandatory (See Education Code Section 333085)
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
MESSAGE FROMT ASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Dear Superintendent Torlakson
With great pleasure and satisfaction we submit to you thea ttached report from your advisoryAccountability and Continuous Improvement Task Force
This document represents the consensus thinking of the 30 exceptional men and women who participatedin this effort Their work included five in-personm eetings as well as numerous webinars conferencec allsand document reviews
While no small task the Task Forcersquos hardw ork has resultedi n as trongs et of recommendations towardan Accountability and Continuous Improvement System that better serves our students and our state
As you read these recommendations we hope that you will see a reconfirmation of the ldquoCalifornia Wayrdquothaty ou the Governor and the State Board of Education as well as stakeholders throughoutth e state havebeens o successfully implementingi n recent years We alsot hink you will see new breakthrough thinkingin relation to accountability continuous improvement and the support systems that will be necessary forCalifornians tom ake progress together in these areas
The great diversity of the task force was its strength ndash its members represented the full spectrum ofo urstate including businessesadministratorsteachersparentsschool board membersstudents researchers philanthropy institutionso f highere ducation and others
This is a consensus document and we know that each member oft he task force would have written at leastsome part of this differently hadt hey done it ont heir own Nevertheless throughm uchdi scussiona nddebate we submit toy ou a report that is not watereddow nan d reflects the critical and creative thinkingof the Task Force Thank youf or bringing together this outstanding team and for providing the great supportsystemst hat made thisw ork possible
We know that the submission of this report is not an end point but a new beginning We are keenly awareof the difficult work aheadt op ut together andi mplement as ystem ofa ccountability and continuousimprovement that truly supports our students and those who serve them The fact however that as a TaskForce we were ready willing and able to roll up our sleevesa nd confront difficult questionst ogetherg ivesus great confidence for the future
Thank youf or the opportunity to co-chair this outstanding effort We stand ready to help as you worktogether with the Governor the State Board of Education the Legislature and mosti mportantlyCaliforniarsquos students andf amilies to realize the promise ofa n accountability and continuous improvementsystem that isro oted in performance equity andi mprovement
We know that we speak for the entire Task Force in expressing our thanks for the opportunity to beinvolved in thisw ork at thish istoric moment Please let usk now how we can continue to be of assistance
Sincerely
Eric Heins President California Teachers Association
Wes Smith Executive Director Association of California School Administrators
Page 1 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table of Contents
MESSAGE FROMT ASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS 1
1 EXECUTIVES UMMARY 3 THE PROPOSEDN EW ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUSI MPROVEMENT SYSTEM A GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION5 SUMMARY DESCRIPTIONS COMPONENTS OF THE NEW ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM 6
2 FOUNDATION 7 VISION7 GUIDING PRINCIPLES 8 THE CALIFORNIA WAY USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS TO GUIDE IMPROVEMENT 8
3 ACCOUNTABILITYF RAMEWORK 9 DEFINITION OF ACCOUNTABILITY 10
10DEFINITIONS PERFORMANCE EQUITY WHOLE CHILD
EQUITY PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT 11 INDICATORS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 12
4 CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 20 DEFINITION OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 20 BUILDING THE CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT SUPPORT SYSTEM 20 CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM 24
5 IMPLEMENTING THE NEW SYSTEM TO DRIVE IMPROVEMENT AND COMMUNICATE ABOUT EQUITY AND PERFORMANCE 25ROLES 25 USING A DASHBOARD FOR TRANSPARENT ACCOUNTABILITY AND TO INFORM IMPROVEMENT EFFORTS 28 RECOGNITION 30 PLANNING FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATION INTEGRATION AND SIMPLIFICATION 32
6 CONCLUSION34
7 APPENDICES 35 A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEPI N A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM 35 B STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM PLANNING 40 C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASKF ORCE ONA CCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 41
Page 2 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
1 EXECUTIVESU MMARY
This report presents the work and recommendations of California Superintendent of Public InstructionTom Torlaksonrsquos Advisory Task Force on Accountability and Continuous Improvement1
The Task Force was convenedat ac ritical moment for public education in our state California hasst artedon ap athwayt owards the creation of ab etter system for our students one that rests on af oundation ofstudent success relieso n highs tandards more equitablyd istributes resources (through the Local ControlFundingFor mula)and trusts locale ducators and communities to design the educationals tructures andsupportst hat ourst udentsn eed to reach their fullp otential (through the Local Control and AccountabilityPlans)This emerging ldquoCalifornia Wayrdquo builds on ac ollaborative approach to positive education change
The Task Forcersquos work was guidedb yt he CaliforniaD epartment of Educationrsquos strategic plan ABl ueprint for Great Schools Version 20 which lays out the mission guiding principles and right drivers that shapedthe direction of the accountability and continuous improvement system proposed here2 3 Simultaneous to the work of the Task Force Californiarsquos State Board of Education has been engaged in development of LocalControl Funding Formula evaluation rubrics4 California now has the opportunity tode velop a system ofaccountabilityan d continuous improvement that aligns with and extends the provisions outlined in thefederalE very Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to support a world-class education for everys tudent in theGolden State
Building on this great potential for alignment and positive changethe task forcersquosre commendationsc an be summarized in three words performance equity and improvement
Our new system should build uponst udentsrsquo and educatorsrsquo own intrinsic motivation and proventechniques of management andor ganizational development that clearlyde fine success support itsrealization and provideh igh-profile recognitionwh en success occurs California is committedt ou tilizingmultiple measures to highlight our performance in relation to the full spectrum of outcomes we care about for our students and schoolsThe Task Force strongly recommends that these be presented in an easy-to-use dashboard format They should range from a positive school climate in which students report feelingengaged and respected to mastery of the statersquos robust academic content standards
We are equally committed to supporting and cultivating a system-wide culture of continuous improvement in order to advance and achieve these outcomes thatr elies on multiple measures top rovidethe information necessary to engage in improvement efforts This culture of continuous improvement mustinfuse all parts oft he system including continuous improvement for the system itself throughevaluativeme chanisms that allow us to learn froml ocal experience and revisit the indicators toolsandsystemso f support we use toe nsure theyar e workingas intended To this point the Task Force proposesongoinge valuation of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and making coursecorrections and updates as needed to better serve Californiarsquos students ands takeholders The recommendationsp resented in thisre port should not be considered an end point but rathera beginningpoint for continuous improvement
Finallyboth improvement and performance must have ad eliberate focus on supporting equity of access opportunityand outcomes for allo fC aliforniarsquos diverse students Historically in California andth e nation
1 The Accountability and Continuous Improvement TaskF orce was co-chaired by EricH eins California TeachersA ssociation andWes Smith Association of California School Administrators SeeA ppendixC f or af ull membership roster 2 CaliforniaD epartment of Education Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) ABl ueprint for Great Schools Version 20 Retrieved on December 20 2015 from httpwwwcdecagoveoinbpdocumentsyr15bp0720pdf 3 Fullan M (2011) Choosing the Wrong Drivers for Whole System Reform Centre for Strategic Education Retrieved on December 18 2015 from httpwwwmichaelfullancamedia13501655630pdf 4 Seet heSt ateB oardof Education websitef or extensivedoc umentation on this processhttpwwwcdecagovbeagagindexaspSee also page 24 of this report
Page 3 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
the public education system has not equitably supported all student groups it is our duty to make thehistoric shifts to build a system that recognizes our past shortcomings shines light on areas where morework is needed to rectify the achievementequity gapand provides support and recognition forimprovement
The Task Forcersquos proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should rely on a holisticpicture of how schools and Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) are doing in regard to both performance andequity The statersquos system should simultaneously look at the ways in which performance and equity areimproving in order to fully realize the outcomes that we seek
Performance Equity Improvement
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System
Performance Improvement Equity
The following pages of the Executive Summary provide a graphic overview of the key features of theproposed systemrsquos implementation and integration of the performance equity and improvement themes
Page 4 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
ThisgraphicpresentsthecorefeaturesoftheproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemThefullreportuses
thisasaroadmapwitheachcomponenthighlightedseparatelytoexplaineachfeatureofthesystem-thefollowingpageprovidesa
summarydescriptionofeachfeature
Page 5 of 41
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions Indicators demonstrating that schools and districts provide the supports and resources that will allow students to
take advantage of educational opportunities and succeed in school
School and District Whole Child Outcomes Indicators demonstrating the
extent to which all children are healthy safe engaged
supported challenged and valued
DisaggregatedAggregated
School and District Academic Outcomes Indicators demonstrating the
extent to which students achieve meaningful learning outcomes including the acquisition
of the knowledge language and lifelong learning skills needed to succeed in todayrsquos
world as outlined by the California standards
DisaggregatedAggregated
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
dagger dagger
dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
ROLES
Cycle of Continuous
Improvem
ent
Cycle of Continuous
Improvem
ent
THEPROPOSEDNEWACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSYSTEMAGRAPHIC
REPRESENTATION
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 6 of 41
SUMMARYDESCRIPTIONSCOMPONENTSOFTHENEWACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSYSTEM
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding PrinciplesCaliforniarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
COE
s
CCEE
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
dagger dagger
dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
ROLES
Cycle of Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous
Improvement
School and District IndicatorsCalifornia seeks to develop a system that incorporates multiple measures to present a holistic picture of performance equity and improvement for schools LEAs and the state The new system rooted in and part of LCFF and LCAP will examine schooldistrict learning conditions to understand if the system is providing equitable resources and opportunities for all students It will also examine academic and non-academic outcome indicators to understand student performance and it will disaggregate these indicators by student groups as a measure of equity The new system will examine the rate of improvement across these indicators as a means of highlighting and building on successful practices and identifying where additional improvement support is needed
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
California recognizes that its accountability framework is only helpful to the extent that it is integrally tied to a system of continuous improvement and support By looking at measures of performance equity and improvement with regard to both whole child and academic indicators schools and districts will be able to self-identify their strengths areas where support is needed and where support is available within the greater ecosystem of peer learning This will allow for a system of differentiated improvement supports at three levels that recognizes success and shares promising and successful practices between LEAs throughout the state
RolesCaliforniarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must include clearly defined roles for federal state and local stakeholders Each level of the system should be held responsible for the contributions it must make to support learning and development for every child
Policy Makers Policy makers at the state and federal level should establish policies and standards that support continuous improvement set clear expectations for outcomes and improvement provide adequate resources support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and foster innovation
Stakeholders and Communities One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders From advocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropy parent groups community voices business organizations early learning and care and beyond this coalition of supportive stakeholders will be instrumental in the successful communication about transition to and implementation of this new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System
The CDE CCEE and COEs The State Superintendent of Public InstructionCDE the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) and county superintendentsoffices of education (COEs)mdashmust work collaboratively to provide coordinated support for school accountability and continuous improvement Additionally the State Superintendent must take action if a school or district is unable to improve over time
Schools and Districts Schools and districts are at the center of Californiarsquos system They must engage students parents and caregivers educators and other stakeholders in school and district-level planning and support to ensure that all students are provided with meaningful opportunities to learn and contribute They must implement instructional improvement strategies and marshal the financial and professional capital required to implement these strategies and improve student outcomes
FoundationAs a state we seek to realize our vision to provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthood and prepare students to live work and thrive in a multicultural multilingual and highly connected world We pursue rigorous learning and achievement in every classroom and every school
We will embrace the California Way which rests on the belief that educators want to excel trusts them to improve when given the proper supports and provides local schools and districts with the leeway and flexibility to deploy resources so they can improve
To do this Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System willbull Demonstrate a commitment to equitybull Emphasize the importance of educating the whole childbull Focus on building collaboration engagement and professional capitalbull Recognize that improvement and learning are continuousbull Value the knowledge and expertise of educators and communitiesbull Rely on reciprocity and subsidiaritybull Embrace students parents and families as critical stakeholdersbull Identify and recognize districts schools and classr ooms that can serve as models and those that need support The proposed system builds on State Board of Education guiding principles
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Cycleof Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District
dagger
Academic Outcomes
Aggregated dagger Disaggregated Aggregated dagger Disaggregated
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
2 FOUNDATION
The proposed Accountability and ContinuousImprovementS ystem restso n a foundation ofa common vision guidingp rinciples and a shared commitment to the ldquoCalifornia Wayrdquo The Task Force believes this foundation and the more detailed recommendationsth at follow are aligned with and in some cases anextension of the work being undertaken by the CaliforniaSt ate Board of Education (SBE) involving the development ofL CFF EvaluationRubricsThis foundation will also supportplanning workto be undertakenf or the ESSAstate plan
VISION
In the same way thata classroom teacher startse ach school yearw ith a vision of what successw ill look like forh isherst udents we began ourd esign processb y working on a shared vision Asa state we seek to provide a world-class education fora ll students from earlych ildhood to adulthood and prepare students toli vew orka nd thrive in am ulticulturalm ultilinguala nd highly connected world5 The statersquosA ccountability and Continuous Improvement System should help provide local educators and communities with the information and tools they need to engage in a processo f continuousi mprovement where collaborative planning implementation and analysis leads toon going adjustments tos uccessfullyaddress the diverse needs of all students Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should
bull Demonstrate a commitment to equity by ensuring that all student groups are visible in accountabilityan d improvement efforts and settinggoal s for closinggap s The system should provide clarity ong aps ina chievement opportunity and access betweenst udent groups andprovide tools to eliminate these gaps 6
bull Emphasize the importance of educating the whole child by using indicators from multiple domains The system should include holistic and developmentally appropriate metrics to monitor progress towards preparing all students for college career life and leadershipi nt he 21st century
bull Focus on building collaboration engagement and professional capital to ensure that educators have supports they need to improve student learning
bull Recognize that improvement andl earning are continuous and emphasize feedback loops with a focus on continuous improvement and quality throughout every levelo ft he system
bull Value the knowledge and expertise of educators and communities by relying on accountability and improvement plans that are locally driven and state supported
bull Rely on subsidiarity and reciprocal accountabilityholding every level of the system responsible for the contributions it must make to support learning for every child7
5 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 6 The term ldquostudent grouprdquo refers to the student subgroups that are included inL ocal Control and Accountability Plans includingsocioeconomically disadvantaged students English learners studentsw ith disabilities andfo ster youthdisaggregated by race and ethnicity7 According to the Oxford English Dictionary ldquosubsidiarityrdquo represents the idea that a central authority should have a subsidiaryfunction performing only those tasks that cannot be performed effectively at a more immediate or localle vel
Page 7 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Embrace students parents and families as critical stakeholders in the accountability system bull Identify and recognize districts schools and classrooms that can serve as models for those
thatn eed supportto create an environment where we can learn from each other collaborate and improve together
GUIDINGPRINCIPLES
The shared visiono utlined above provides afo undation for developing the proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement System while the following guiding principles from the SBE offer af ramework for making decisions about the system8
1 Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts schools and county offices of educationPromote a broad understanding of the specific goals that need to be met at each level of the educational system 9
2 Foster equityCreate support structuresincluding technical assistance for districts and schoolsto promote success for all students regardless of background primary language or socioeconomic status
3 Provide useful informationt hat helps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of education and policymakers makei mportant decisionsAssist and engage parentseducators and policymakers through regular communicationa nd transparent timely reporting of data so they can take action appropriate to their roles
4 Build capacity and increase support for districts schools and county offices Seek tob uild capacity at all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningp ractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
5 Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measuresfor state and local priorities Focus on ongoing improvement of student outcomes including college- and career-readiness using multiple measures that reflect both status and growth
6 Promote system-wide integration and innovation Purposely ande ffectively integrate each accountabilitys ystem component includinggr oups and technologies creatinga c oherent effective and efficient support structure for districts charter schools and county offices of education10
The Task Force developed the following additional guiding principles 7 Align to the extentp ossible local state and federal accountabilityan d continuous improvement
systemst o create one single integrateds ystem for use by schoolsdi stricts county offices of education and the State of CaliforniaLead with Californiarsquos commitment to subsidiarity and the strengthening of local assets and capacities11 and
8 Encourage labor-management collaboration in districts schools and county offices of education asan underlyingf oundationf or effective implementationo f the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System12
THECALIFORNIAWAY USINGTHERIGHTDRIVERSTOGUIDEIMPROVEMENT
ldquoThe California Way rests ont he belief that educators want to excel trusts them to improve when givent he proper supports and provides local schools and districts witht he leeway and flexibility to deploy resources sot hey can improve The CaliforniaW ay engages students parents and communities as part of ac ollaborative decision-making process about how to fund and implement these
8 SeeA ppendixB for the complete State Board of Educationrsquos Guiding Principles for Accountability System Planning 9 Throughout this document the term ldquoschoolsrdquo is used to refer to all public schools in California including charter schools 10 See httpwwwcdecagovbepnnryr15sberel01asp 11 SeeSec tion 5 for recommendations for alignment ofa ccountability and continuous improvement plans 12 Information on the California Labor-Management Initiativec an bef ounda t wwwcdefoundationorglmi
Page 8 of 41
lued (School and District Whole Child Outcomes)
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
improvement efforts and provides supplemental resources to ensure that Californiarsquos English learners foster youth and students inp overty have the learnings upports they needrdquo13
As notede ducationr esearcher anda dvisor Michael Fullan explains ldquoThe key to system-wide success is tosituate the energy of educatorsa nd studentsa st he central driving force Thism eansa ligningt he goals of reform and the intrinsic motivation of participantsrdquo14 In order to create an effective and sustainable system of accountability and continuous improvement thatb uilds on the collaborative approachde scribedb ybo th Fullan andth e California Wayactors at all levels of the proposed system must focus on the ldquorightd riversrdquowhich ldquofoster motivation of teachers and students engage educators and students in continuousimprovement improve team work and affect all teachers and studentsrdquo15 The right drivers identified in A Blueprint for Great Schools Version 20 include
bull Investing in and building educator professional capital bull Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations bull Supporting effective pedagogy bull Developing systemicso lutions to create a coherent and positive education system16
Moving away from a compliance-driven system towards a system that emphasizes the right drivers will require a significant cultural shift in how many education stakeholders define accountability17 Together with the guiding principles these right drivers serve as a litmus test for future accountability and continuous improvement policies and practices
3 ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK
Building upon the foundation describeda bovethe proposedAc countability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem relieso n a set of multiple measures to examinep erformance equity and improvement These should be presentedthrough user-friendly dashboards18 Examining these multiple measures will
bull Demonstrate the extentto which schoolsa nd districts provide thesupportsa nd resourcest hat will allow studentst o take advantage ofeducational opportunities and succeed in school (Equitable LearningConditions)
bull Highlight whole child development by examining indicators thats how the extent to which all children areh ealthy safe engaged supported challenged and va
13 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 14 Fullan M (2011) 15 Ibid 16 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 17 Appendix A highlights the ways inw hicht hese drivers couldb e appliedac ross the K-12and E arly LearningSy stem tos upportarticulation andal ignment 18 The dashboard approach will allow the presentationo f multiple kinds of data and assessments to support multiple ways ofmonitoring and improving just as adr iver uses many different gauges windows andm irrors
Page 9 of 41
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Cycleof Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District
dagger
Academic Outcomes
Aggregated dagger Disaggregated Aggregated dagger Disaggregated
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Illustrate the extentto which students achieve meaningful learningou tcomes includingt he acquisition of the knowledge language and lifelongl earnings kills needed tos ucceed (School and District AcademicO utcomes)
bull Reveal disparities by disaggregating student outcomes by student groups and examining learning conditions through the lens of equity
DEFINITION OF ACCOUNTABILITY
The Superintendentrsquos Advisory Task Force onA ccountability and Continuous Improvement offers the definitionof accountability belowThis shared definition allowed the Task Force toi dentifyt he primary purposes of ana ccountability system and consider how these purposes could be achieved through a system thate mphasizes both performanceequityand improvement This definitionfo cuses on intrinsicmotivation the right drivers and reciprocal accountabilityac ross all levels of the system
Accountability is a shared responsibility to 1) Provide studentsw ith the learning experiencesa nd supportst hey need to achieve meaningful outcomesand 2) Effectively collaborate and share information amongte achers and classified staffschoolsstudentsparents and caregiversadministratorsdistrictscommunities county offices of education and the state to ensure thatever yp art of thes ystem has thecapacity tools and resources necessary to provide these learning experiences and support Implementing this two-pronged definitiono f accountability leads to increasing levels ofs upport for improvements at alllevels oft he system Our California Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon
bull Shared responsibility to support learning for every child bull Comprehensively measuring performance equity improvement and how well the system is
meeting its goalsincluding linking results to the tiered system of support and intervention19
bull Considering all the factors that affect performance and outcomes in order toi dentify share andpromote best and promising practices and change courseso f action thata re nota chieving our desired outcomes
bull Clearly communicating expectations and processes at all levels bull Reporting the results of selected measures to all partners in education and in the communityand bull Taking what we know and have learned from careful assessments and using thati nformation by
working together to channel support and resourcesto make improvements where they are needed
DEFINITIONS PERFORMANCE EQUITY WHOLE CHILD
Similarly to build commonund erstanding and support for the Task Forcersquos proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemthe task force recommendst he following definitions
Performanceth e extentto which schools districts and the state supports tudents to achieve meaningful outcomes ABl ueprint for Great Schools Version 20 recommendst hat meaningful learning should support the acquisition of the knowledge language lifelongl earnings kills and dispositions that students need to succeed the ability to apply complex knowledge to solve problems collaborate communicate inquire learn independently and build relationships and the capacity to be resilient and resourceful20
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the culturally appropriate and linguistically accessible supports and resources needed to take advantage of educational opportunities and succeed in school at the same level as other students
19 For more information see pages1 5-19 for proposed indicators and pages 22-23 for the tiered system ofs upport andintervention 20 Blueprint 20 PlanningT eam (2015)
Page 10 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Whole ChildAn approach to learning that ensures thatever yc hild is healthy safe engaged supported challenged and valued21
EQUITYPERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System should create a holisticp icture of how well the schoolsLEAsand the state are realizingC aliforniarsquos vision of success for all students To do this the Task Force recommends ab alanced set of academic and non-academic indicators that illustratestudent performance and equitablel earning conditionsand improvement in both (see Figure 1) The Task Force recognizes that it is important tou tilize a whole child approach and noti ncentivize the wrongdrivers Inc onsidering rates andt argets the Task Force advises an emphasis on continuous sustainable improvements rooted in the ongoing development ofp rofessional capital This balanceds et ofa cademic and non-academic indicators should be depicted in easy-to-read dashboard formats(se e p 30)
Performance Academic and non-academic achievement
Performance Improvement Rate of improvement of performance
Equity Improvement Rate of improvement of equity
Equity Gaps in opportunities (learning conditions) and performance across student groups
Figure 1
PERFORMANCE
The performancem easurei llustrates the state of student outcomesa t a point in time across ar ange of academic and non-academic areas22 It uses multiple indicators to depict the current level of performanceThe performance measure shows the extent to which a district or school is meeting outcomes for studentsat both an aggregated and disaggregated (byst udent group)le vel23
PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
The performance improvement or change measure denotes the level of improvement based on changesover time tot he indicators includedi n the performance measure It should be provided in aggregated anddisaggregated( by student group)f orms The Task Forcersquos proposed new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem places significant value on improvementThe value of improvement lies in both the importance of striving to increase studenta nd system outcomes and the opportunity thatimprovement provides for shared learning across the system The performance improvement measure servesmu ltiple purposes providing opportunitiest o
21 Adapted from ASCD See httpwwwascdorgwhole-childaspx 22 There are a number of possible approaches to achieve thisSome possible examples include am odel used in Alberta Canada while another might be a quadrant-based scatter plot such as the model developed by ChildrenN ow 23 Iti s criticalto consider indicators thatr eliably predictth e longer-term studento utcomes we seekfo r example indicators in theearlygr ades should predict graduation rates whilei ndicators in thes econdarygr ades should predict collegea nd careerpreparedness etc
Page 11 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
1 Highlight and recognize those districts and schools makingc oncerted and successful efforts toimprove
2 Identify districts and schools that need support to address challenges and needsand 3 Identify promising practices in aggregate or byst udent groupthat could be applied by other
LEAs ands chools across the system
EQUITY The equityme asure shedsl ight on disparitiesi n opportunitiesa nd outcomesa crossst udent groups Equity should be examined through indicators of equitablel earning conditions and byd isaggregatingp erformance measures by student groups Californiarsquos public education system is entrustedt op rovide high-quality educational opportunities for all of its students A robust accountability system identifiesb arriers that limit access toa r igorous and nurturinge ducational experience for all students especially those requiring special education foster youth homeless youth those from low-income families English learnersand vulnerable racial and ethnic groupsThe Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should help identify supportsne ededt o eradicate those barriers maintaina ndm easure progress towards clear goals and hold schools districts and educators accountable for closingac hievement gaps and advancinga r ange of culturally responsive and linguistically supportive opportunities toe nsure success in school and acquisition of the skills necessaryt ob e college careerand life ready
EQUITY IMPROVEMENT Similar tot he performance improvement or change measure equity improvement illustrates the level of improvement on equityin dicators This measure looks at the rate of improvementof equitable learning conditions thatc apture the level of equity in a school or districta nd the rate atw hich performance gaps across student groupsa re closingstaying the sameor growing Improving equity of access andopportunityan dc losingac hievement gaps are critical toi mprovingou tcomes for all students Additionallylooking at the rate ofi mprovement on equityi ndicators provides aw ayt oi dentifyan d act on promisingpractices for improving student equity
INDICATORS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
The Task Force recommends as eries of indicator sets for differentu ses and at different levels of the system These various sets of indicators should be depicted inv isually attractive and easy-to-use dashboards that will allowt he system to
bull Ensure that the state and system as a whole are continuously improving bull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvement acrosst he state with regard to
student learning and achievement bull Collect additional diagnostic information to support continuous improvement efforts and bull Provide LEAs with the flexibility to identify indicators of interest
LEVELSO FI NDICATORS
To build a system that fully supports and values performance equity andi mprovementCalifornia should utilize appropriate indicator sets for each level of accountability and continuous improvement 24
This work should build upon the state priorities articulated by the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)
24 ldquoAn indicator provides evidence that certain conditionse xist orce rtain resultsh ave or have not been achieved Indicatorse nabledecision-makers to assess progress towards the achievement of intended outputs outcomes goals and objectivesrdquo (HarvardFamilyR esearchP roject) Horsch K (1997) Indicators definition andu se in ar esults-based accountability system Retrieved onApril 14 2016 from httpwwwhfrporgpublications-resourcesbrowse-our-publicationsindicators-definition-and-use-in-a-results-based-accountability-system
Page 12 of 41
Table 1 Levels of Indicators Indicator Set Definition and Use State-Required These indicators should be used for both state and federal (ESSA)
purposes should be applicable and relevant statewide and should be utilized by California to gauge the success of federal and state-level accountability and continuous improvement supports for LEAs and schools
State-Reported These indicators should be vetted and reported by the state and available for use in the statersquos Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System for LEAs and schoolsThese indicators should complement the state-required indicator set by providing a moreholistic picture of performance equity and improvement
State-Supported Locally-Reported These indicators should provide additional diagnostic and evaluation information and should be available for voluntary local use that is
supported with tools provided by the state allowing schools and LEAs to evaluate learning opportunities more deeplyThey should be locally-reported and used for diagnostic and improvement purposes in the context of state and local accountability and continuous improvement systems
Locally Generated and Reported These indicators should be identified and vetted locally and used for additional information for LCAP design impl ementation and eval uation
State System These indicators should be identified by the state to use in evaluatingits work supporting the statewide system these indicators should be
used to drive the continuous improvement of the statersquos systems of support
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
and ongoingw ork tod evelop the LCFFe valuation rubrics The proposed indicators include locally determinedi ndicators includedi nLoc al Control andA ccountability Plans anda lsoi nclude state-determinedi ndicators that alignw ithE SSA requirements As summarized by Table 1 and Figure 2 below targeted indicator sets should be developed and provided for specific system levels and accountability and continuous improvement purposes
As illustrated by Figure 2these indicator sets form ac omprehensive package that focuses on supporting and drivingl ocal accountabilityan d continuous improvement They should be depicted and reported in easy-to-use dashboard formats
Page 13 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State System Indicators
Local Accountability
and Continuous
Improvement
State Required Indicators
State ReportedIndicators
LocallyGenerated
Indicators (LCAP)
State SupportedIndicators
State System Indicators
Figure 2Integrated Indicator Sets
Tables 2-6 provide possible specific indicators with associated comments for each indicator set describedabove Taken together these tables illustrate an integration path utilizing Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) evaluation rubrics as central drivers of one coherent and comprehensive system that incorporates the federal accountability requirements
STATE AND LOCAL INDICATORS FOR LEAS AND SCHOOLS
The tables below contain the proposed indicators for each level of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Each set of indicators including those that are state-required and state-reported includes both academic and whole child indicators that should be used to measure performance equity and improvement This balance of academic and non-academic indicators will provide a more holistic depiction of the extent to which all students are prepared for college career life and leadership in the 21st centuryIndicators in Table 2 are explicitly linked to ESSA Requirements while the indicators in Tables 3-5 are linked to desired outcomes
Page 14 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
Academic achievement as measured profi ciency on annua l assessments
by CASSP English languagearts and mathematics scores in grad es 3- 8 inclusiveplus grade 11
To be measured by scale scores reflecting both status and student growthover time Scale SBAC scores would be broken down into diff erent subjects(ie math and English) and reported by grade span (ie grades 3-5 6-8 11)
Hig h schoo l graduation rates 4-year Graduation rates plus an extended rate (5 - andor 6-year rate)
At high school including rates (wit h a t leas t equa l work with student s wit h
a 5-or 6-year graduation rate weight ) creat es incentives for challenges
as well as 4-yearschool s t o keep
Progress in ach ieving Englis h language proficiency as defined by the State within a State-determined timeline f or all English Learners
English Learner (EL ) progress on state English Proficiency Assessment
The State LCFF identifies pro ress toward English proficiency andreclassification ratesEL pro ress
ggg
using scale scores on an EL profici encymeasure i s bett er for trackin th e progress o f al l students ensuring
attention to the ful l range of EL student s and their needs ndash from th ose wh oare newcomers to th ose who are b ecoming an d h ave b ecome lsquoproficient rsquo
Progress of ELs could be measured by a composite or by multiple i ndicatorsfor Englis h Learner progress ie including long-time English learners
and or reclassification ratesThe Task Force recommends creating a new data marker of ldquoEnglishLearner re-designat edrdquo for reclassified ELs as a means of capturing a fullerpicture of student performance
For public elementary schools andsecondary schools that are not highschools in the Statemdash(I) a measure of student growth if determined appropriate by the State or (II) another valid and reliable statewide academicindicat or tha t all ows for meaningfu ldifferentiation in school performance
Growth measure27 The Task F orce encourages the SBE and model s f or inclusion in th e syst em This and growth across other indicators
CDE to should
research potential incl ude both SBAC
growthscores
25 Every Student Succeeds Act 201526 From LCFFSt ate Priorities augmentedt om eet federal requirements27 The task force is not putting forth a specific way to measure growth but recommends that that State Board ofE ducation continue to research growth measure methodologies
Page 15 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Whole Child Outcomes
No t less than one indicator o f schoo lquality or student success that allowsfor meaningful differentiation in school
performance is valid reliable comparable and statewide and mayinclud e measures of studen tengagement educat or engagementstudent access to and completion ofadvanced coursework postsecondaryreadi ness school climate and safety and any other indicator other Statechooses tha t meets the requirements ofthis clause
bull
bull
bull
bull
Suspensi ons expulsion rat es Statewide schoolclimate surveyChronicabsenteeism College amp careerreadiness indicat or
Suspension and expulsion data are currently available and chronicabsenteeism soon will be Both are local measures of student access andengagemen t that help predict school achievement and high schoolgraduation The Task Force recommend s that suspension expulsion ratesbe utilized in conjunction wit h and tied to authentic programmatic workthat builds positive school climate such as alternative discipline orrestorative justice approaches
A statewide school climate survey of students parents and teachers couldinclud e quest ions on course breadth and access parenta l involvementbasic services safety and social-emotional supports teaching andadministrati ve supports and access to appropriate counseling servicesnurses and school psy gcholo i sts
A non-test-based indicator of coll ege and career readi ness should measurethe extent to which students complete courses and ro ramsp g (c p om letion o fA- G hig qu yh- alit CTE qu se ences and i p )nternshi s that ppsu ort coll ge e andcareer readiness and the development o f 21st yCentur skills such as
28 collaboration communicati pon roblem-solvi gn and creativity This couldbe reviewed in conjunction with other academic indicators as a means forholistically measuri ng the skills and abilities students need to be college andcareer ready
28 The Task Force recognizes that there is not currently a state-adopted tool that measures 21st Century skills like collaboration communication problem solving and creativityThese are qualities that can be evaluated through performance assessments The Task Force recommends that the State Board of Education pilot and study performanceassessments that can measure these competencies as they relate to college and career readiness
Page 16 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 3 State-Reported Indicators Outcome Area Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
College career li fe readi ness indicat ors
and
bull
bull
bull bull
Students completing A-G approved CTE sequence or both Students meeting college standardon AP IB dual credit courseworkPhysical fitness Science assessment resultsonce each in grad es 3-5 6- 8 10-12 for a tota l of three times
If completion o f A- G approved CTE sequences or AB IB dual credi tcoursewor k are not included in t he state required college and career readiness indicator they could be included here
Physical fitness data are already collected by the state
As science assessments develop they could be considered by the SBE in future as a potential add ition t o the require d indicators
the
Whole Child Outcomes
StudentTeacherand ParentCaregiver
Engagement
bull
bull
Attendance
Student teacher andparentcaregiver surveysmeasuring schoo l climat e
for
If attendance and school climate surveys are not in included n the state-required set o f indicat ors they could be included here
School climate surveys could include a core set of questions used across thestate with additional locally determined questions for local use TheCaliforni a Healthy Kids Survey i s an available tool for measuring school climateand measures el ements such as access to resources and programsfeelings of safety and interaction wit h caring adults
Equitable Learning Conditions
Opportunities t o learn
bull
bull bull bull
Teacher and administrator qualificationsSchool facilities qualityAccess to curriculum material s Access to full curriculum
These are required under the Williams Case andor LCAP
Page 17 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 4 State-Supported Locally-Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
As part of i ts eff ort to support l ocal continuous improvement efforts the state could develop and calibrate a library of tools and measures for voluntary use by bull Locally selected developmentally
State provid es tool s LEAs and schools Several of these may be available at t he time of system launchculturally and linguistically30 for sch ools or (launch library) while oth ers wil l requi re further time and resource investmentappropriate observational
31districts to choose (developmental library) kindergarten readiness and use at thei r s29 assessment CA has access to the Innovation Lab Network Performance Assessment Resource optionpotentially bull Classroom embedded authentic Bank that provides performance assessment tasks rubrics scoring protocols andin collaborat ion perf ormance assessments student work linked to CCSS and NGSS standards These can be made available towit h oth er part ners bull Social-emotional learning schools possibly as par t of the SBAC Digita l Libraryand networks indicat ors stAssessments of social-emotional learning might also be used to measure 21
bull Parent Engagement Century skill s such as collaborati on communication problem-solvingandcreativity and should be further studied by the SBE
Table 5 Locally Designed and Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Locally determined indicat ors
bull
bull
Other LCAP indicators es32 local prioriti
Oth er locally designed
for state and
indicators
Districts are not expected to all ocate resources equally to indicat ors bu t t o selec t strat egic goal s an d mak e resource associate d with those
each of the allocat ions
LCAP
29 These are individually administered and open-ended Theys hould beu sed as information for teachers and schools to ensuret heir youngest students arer eceiving the culturallylinguistically andde velopmentallyap propriate supports theyn eed Multiple validatedk indergarten readiness support tools exist andm ay in the short-term be suitable forinclusion in the tool libraryA ppendix A provides a series of recommendations andco nsiderationsr egarding early learning in the Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystemincluding as et of questions pertaining to the use of Kindergarten Readiness Assessments30 The ldquolaunch libraryrdquo could include school climate surveys fors tudents parents and caregiversand teachers (egCalifornia Healthy Kids Survey)tools for measuring implementation ofthe California Standards(C CSS NGSS etc)i ncluding instructional materials practices training etc and toolsfo r measuring indicators ofa rich fullc urriculum thatm ighti nclude art music PE science social studies31 The ldquodevelopment libraryrdquo could include KindergartenR eadiness support tools (Early educationK-12al ignment) Early literacy assessment tools High school graduation systems( Digital portfolio capstone project community service assessment) andSoc ial-Emotional Learning tools32 Californiarsquos emergingac countabilityf rameworki s groundedw ithin ab roader system of continuous improvement andsu pport forL EAsa nd schools By analyzing performance andp erformance improvement on multiple indicators andp resenting thati nformation in user-friendly formats the LCFF evaluation rubrics willa ssist LEAs and schools in self-identifying their strengths and weaknesses where support isn eededa nd who is able to provide it
Page 18 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
STATE SYSTEM INDICATORS
Table 6 Proposed State System Indicators
State Priority Key Indicator Performance Equity Improvement
Success for students withhigher needs in the stateas a whole on each of theSuccess for state as a Annual state gains rate of gap closurestate-required and state-Pupi l Achievement Aggregated Schoo l and whole on th e state-reported indicat ors Rate o f gai ns for students wit h high erand Engagement Distric t Indicators required and state-
needs reported indicat ors
Perf andoppor
ormancetunity gap closure
Awards for schools and Annual state gainsrate of gap closureNumber of schools
Pupi l Achievement LEAs serving high Rate o f gai ns ( number receiving awards)Californi a Awards applying forreceivingand Engagement numbers of higher-needs for sch ools serving high numb ers ofawards
students higher-needs students
Promulgation o fexemplars andomisingbestpr
practices and brokering Effecti veness of supportsof these and other to schools and districtsresources including especially those serving
Support for LCAP Support Systems Growth in service and capacity (360ordmtechnical assistance to high numb ers of st udentsDevelopmen t and Indicators (CDE CCEE revi ews)
districts wit h higher needsImplementation COEs)
Effecti veness of supports to schools and districts Equity and adequacy ofespecially those serving resource distributionhigh numb ers ofstudents wit h high erneeds
Page 19 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 20 of 41
WhiletheindicatorsandtoolsproposedbytheTaskForceformeasuringperformanceequityand
improvementatalllevelsofthesystemarenotperfectwehopetoidentifywhatindicatorsandtoolsare
workingovertimeanddevelopandrefinethesetoolsandmeasuressothattheymoreaccuratelyreflectthe
performanceequityandimprovementofthesystemAdditionallytheTaskForcerecommendsthatthe
stateengageinongoingformalevaluationworktomeasuretheefficacyofsupportsidentifybestand
promisingpracticesandinformcontinuousimprovementofthesystemTheonlywaytoensurethat
schoolsanddistrictsarecontinuouslyimprovingistoestablishacontinuousimprovementframeforthe
systemitselfwemustcommittoreflectiveandongoingassessmentofhowwellthesystemisworkingand
tomakingcoursecorrectionsandupdatesasneededtobetterserveCaliforniarsquosstudentsandstakeholders
4 CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTCaliforniarecognizesthattheaccountability
frameworkdescribedaboveisonlyhelpfulto
theextentthatitisintegrallytiedtoasystem
ofcontinuousimprovementandsupport
alignedwiththeCaliforniaWayandtheldquoright
driversrdquodescribedinSection233Continuous
improvementisthekeytoensuringthat
Californiarsquoseducationsystemrealizesitsvision
forallstudents34
DEFINITIONOFCONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
TheTaskForceoffersthefollowingdefinition
ofcontinuousimprovement
ContinuousImprovementAcontinuouslyimprovingeducationsystemisonethatlearns
fromexperiencebycarefullymeasuringthe
effectivenessofdifferentpoliciesandpracticessupportingtheintrinsicmotivationofeducatorsand
stakeholderssharingbestandpromisingpracticescultivatingacultureofreflectionandlearning
encouraginginnovationandmakingchangesbasedonlearning35
BUILDINGTHECONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSUPPORTSYSTEM
Bylookingatmeasuresofperformanceequityandimprovementillustratedthrougheasy-to-usepublic
dashboardsLEAswillbeabletoself-identifytheirstrengthsandweaknesseswheresupportisneeded
andwhoisabletoprovideit36Thiswillallowforthedevelopmentofasystemofdifferentiated
improvementsupportsthatrecognizessuccessandsharesbestandpromisingpracticesamongallLEAsin
thestateTheSuperintendentofPublicInstruction(SSPI)CaliforniaofEducation(CDE)theCalifornia
CollaborativeforEducationalExcellence(CCEE)andcountysuperintendentsshouldalsousethese
measurestoidentifyandreferLEAsandschoolsforfocusedandintensiveimprovementsupportas
33Blueprint20PlanningTeam(2015)
34Continuousimprovementlikereciprocalaccountabilityissomethingthateachlevelofthesystemisresponsiblefor
35AdaptedfromLoebSandPlankD(2008)LearningWhatWorksContinuousImprovementinCaliforniarsquosEducationSystemPolicyBrief08-4RetrievedonMarch162016fromhttpcepastanfordedusitesdefaultfilesLearning20Briefpdf
36Forexampleselectingoneindicatorinthedashboardmightleadtoapagewithmoredetailthatcouldincludeavarietyof
resourcesforimprovement(informationalresourcesbestpracticesinformationonhowtoself-refertoCCEEalistofTA
providersandoralistoflocaldistrictsorschoolsthathaveachievedsignificantimprovementinthatindicator)
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
described The Task Force recognizes thats ignificantc apacity building mustta ke place ata ll levelsof the system and especiallyf or countyof fices of education in order to take on the provision of tieredsu port summarized below To be effective work at the county office level should include teacherre
Just as modern health systems em hasize well-being and preventiono f illness inC aliforniarsquosAccountability and Continuous Im
utilized Table 7 below describes the proposed levels of support for schools and districts
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
below37
p
presentatives
THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT ALL FOCUSED INTENSIVE
p
provement System the overarching priority should be given tosupporting improvement for allacross multiple dimensions and through an ecosystem of supportIn thoseinstances when general support efforts do not yield results focused and intensive supports should be
38
Table 7 Tiered Support System Tier Type of Support
Improvement
Shared LearningLEAs
and for All
The indicat ors should help recognize successidentify the strengths of LEAs andschools and therefore should serve as a means to identify (and self-identify )whic h LEAs and schools are well-positioned to share their successful practiceswit h others throug h formal and informal improvemen t effort s across school s and
39 LEAs The SSPICDE CCEE and county offices of education should also developtools and supports that will be available to all LEAs and schools (LCAP planningsupports vetted best practi ces etc)
Focused Im rovement
Supp
p
ort
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboardindicat ors to identify schools and LEAs in need of focuse d intervention and th e
areas in which improvemen t support s are needed
of
IntensiveImprovement Support
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboard ofdicat ors to identify LEAs and schools that need more comprehensive andin
int ensive support s to make major improvements in performance andor growthResults on selected measures should not only help to identify where intensivesupports are needed but what other similar LEAs might be best positioned toprovide them
37 Differentiated levels of support could be used across LEAs and schools based on need similar to the ldquoResponse To Interventionrdquomodel which provides varying levels and intensities of support and intervention based on student needs
38 Table 7 describes the tiers and types of supportinterventiona vailable from state-levele ntities The Task Force recognizes thecritical rolest hat will be played by multiple kindso f stakeholdersi n the full ecosystem of support including researchers nonprofitorganizations institutions of higher education philanthropy coalitions etc39 Examples of formal and informal improvement efforts include statewide and regional LCFFLCAP Conferences LCAP SupportTeamsCalifornia Labor Management Initiative events etc
Page 21 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
MESSAGE FROMT ASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Dear Superintendent Torlakson
With great pleasure and satisfaction we submit to you thea ttached report from your advisoryAccountability and Continuous Improvement Task Force
This document represents the consensus thinking of the 30 exceptional men and women who participatedin this effort Their work included five in-personm eetings as well as numerous webinars conferencec allsand document reviews
While no small task the Task Forcersquos hardw ork has resultedi n as trongs et of recommendations towardan Accountability and Continuous Improvement System that better serves our students and our state
As you read these recommendations we hope that you will see a reconfirmation of the ldquoCalifornia Wayrdquothaty ou the Governor and the State Board of Education as well as stakeholders throughoutth e state havebeens o successfully implementingi n recent years We alsot hink you will see new breakthrough thinkingin relation to accountability continuous improvement and the support systems that will be necessary forCalifornians tom ake progress together in these areas
The great diversity of the task force was its strength ndash its members represented the full spectrum ofo urstate including businessesadministratorsteachersparentsschool board membersstudents researchers philanthropy institutionso f highere ducation and others
This is a consensus document and we know that each member oft he task force would have written at leastsome part of this differently hadt hey done it ont heir own Nevertheless throughm uchdi scussiona nddebate we submit toy ou a report that is not watereddow nan d reflects the critical and creative thinkingof the Task Force Thank youf or bringing together this outstanding team and for providing the great supportsystemst hat made thisw ork possible
We know that the submission of this report is not an end point but a new beginning We are keenly awareof the difficult work aheadt op ut together andi mplement as ystem ofa ccountability and continuousimprovement that truly supports our students and those who serve them The fact however that as a TaskForce we were ready willing and able to roll up our sleevesa nd confront difficult questionst ogetherg ivesus great confidence for the future
Thank youf or the opportunity to co-chair this outstanding effort We stand ready to help as you worktogether with the Governor the State Board of Education the Legislature and mosti mportantlyCaliforniarsquos students andf amilies to realize the promise ofa n accountability and continuous improvementsystem that isro oted in performance equity andi mprovement
We know that we speak for the entire Task Force in expressing our thanks for the opportunity to beinvolved in thisw ork at thish istoric moment Please let usk now how we can continue to be of assistance
Sincerely
Eric Heins President California Teachers Association
Wes Smith Executive Director Association of California School Administrators
Page 1 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table of Contents
MESSAGE FROMT ASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS 1
1 EXECUTIVES UMMARY 3 THE PROPOSEDN EW ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUSI MPROVEMENT SYSTEM A GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION5 SUMMARY DESCRIPTIONS COMPONENTS OF THE NEW ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM 6
2 FOUNDATION 7 VISION7 GUIDING PRINCIPLES 8 THE CALIFORNIA WAY USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS TO GUIDE IMPROVEMENT 8
3 ACCOUNTABILITYF RAMEWORK 9 DEFINITION OF ACCOUNTABILITY 10
10DEFINITIONS PERFORMANCE EQUITY WHOLE CHILD
EQUITY PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT 11 INDICATORS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 12
4 CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 20 DEFINITION OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 20 BUILDING THE CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT SUPPORT SYSTEM 20 CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM 24
5 IMPLEMENTING THE NEW SYSTEM TO DRIVE IMPROVEMENT AND COMMUNICATE ABOUT EQUITY AND PERFORMANCE 25ROLES 25 USING A DASHBOARD FOR TRANSPARENT ACCOUNTABILITY AND TO INFORM IMPROVEMENT EFFORTS 28 RECOGNITION 30 PLANNING FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATION INTEGRATION AND SIMPLIFICATION 32
6 CONCLUSION34
7 APPENDICES 35 A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEPI N A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM 35 B STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM PLANNING 40 C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASKF ORCE ONA CCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 41
Page 2 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
1 EXECUTIVESU MMARY
This report presents the work and recommendations of California Superintendent of Public InstructionTom Torlaksonrsquos Advisory Task Force on Accountability and Continuous Improvement1
The Task Force was convenedat ac ritical moment for public education in our state California hasst artedon ap athwayt owards the creation of ab etter system for our students one that rests on af oundation ofstudent success relieso n highs tandards more equitablyd istributes resources (through the Local ControlFundingFor mula)and trusts locale ducators and communities to design the educationals tructures andsupportst hat ourst udentsn eed to reach their fullp otential (through the Local Control and AccountabilityPlans)This emerging ldquoCalifornia Wayrdquo builds on ac ollaborative approach to positive education change
The Task Forcersquos work was guidedb yt he CaliforniaD epartment of Educationrsquos strategic plan ABl ueprint for Great Schools Version 20 which lays out the mission guiding principles and right drivers that shapedthe direction of the accountability and continuous improvement system proposed here2 3 Simultaneous to the work of the Task Force Californiarsquos State Board of Education has been engaged in development of LocalControl Funding Formula evaluation rubrics4 California now has the opportunity tode velop a system ofaccountabilityan d continuous improvement that aligns with and extends the provisions outlined in thefederalE very Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to support a world-class education for everys tudent in theGolden State
Building on this great potential for alignment and positive changethe task forcersquosre commendationsc an be summarized in three words performance equity and improvement
Our new system should build uponst udentsrsquo and educatorsrsquo own intrinsic motivation and proventechniques of management andor ganizational development that clearlyde fine success support itsrealization and provideh igh-profile recognitionwh en success occurs California is committedt ou tilizingmultiple measures to highlight our performance in relation to the full spectrum of outcomes we care about for our students and schoolsThe Task Force strongly recommends that these be presented in an easy-to-use dashboard format They should range from a positive school climate in which students report feelingengaged and respected to mastery of the statersquos robust academic content standards
We are equally committed to supporting and cultivating a system-wide culture of continuous improvement in order to advance and achieve these outcomes thatr elies on multiple measures top rovidethe information necessary to engage in improvement efforts This culture of continuous improvement mustinfuse all parts oft he system including continuous improvement for the system itself throughevaluativeme chanisms that allow us to learn froml ocal experience and revisit the indicators toolsandsystemso f support we use toe nsure theyar e workingas intended To this point the Task Force proposesongoinge valuation of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and making coursecorrections and updates as needed to better serve Californiarsquos students ands takeholders The recommendationsp resented in thisre port should not be considered an end point but rathera beginningpoint for continuous improvement
Finallyboth improvement and performance must have ad eliberate focus on supporting equity of access opportunityand outcomes for allo fC aliforniarsquos diverse students Historically in California andth e nation
1 The Accountability and Continuous Improvement TaskF orce was co-chaired by EricH eins California TeachersA ssociation andWes Smith Association of California School Administrators SeeA ppendixC f or af ull membership roster 2 CaliforniaD epartment of Education Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) ABl ueprint for Great Schools Version 20 Retrieved on December 20 2015 from httpwwwcdecagoveoinbpdocumentsyr15bp0720pdf 3 Fullan M (2011) Choosing the Wrong Drivers for Whole System Reform Centre for Strategic Education Retrieved on December 18 2015 from httpwwwmichaelfullancamedia13501655630pdf 4 Seet heSt ateB oardof Education websitef or extensivedoc umentation on this processhttpwwwcdecagovbeagagindexaspSee also page 24 of this report
Page 3 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
the public education system has not equitably supported all student groups it is our duty to make thehistoric shifts to build a system that recognizes our past shortcomings shines light on areas where morework is needed to rectify the achievementequity gapand provides support and recognition forimprovement
The Task Forcersquos proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should rely on a holisticpicture of how schools and Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) are doing in regard to both performance andequity The statersquos system should simultaneously look at the ways in which performance and equity areimproving in order to fully realize the outcomes that we seek
Performance Equity Improvement
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System
Performance Improvement Equity
The following pages of the Executive Summary provide a graphic overview of the key features of theproposed systemrsquos implementation and integration of the performance equity and improvement themes
Page 4 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
ThisgraphicpresentsthecorefeaturesoftheproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemThefullreportuses
thisasaroadmapwitheachcomponenthighlightedseparatelytoexplaineachfeatureofthesystem-thefollowingpageprovidesa
summarydescriptionofeachfeature
Page 5 of 41
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions Indicators demonstrating that schools and districts provide the supports and resources that will allow students to
take advantage of educational opportunities and succeed in school
School and District Whole Child Outcomes Indicators demonstrating the
extent to which all children are healthy safe engaged
supported challenged and valued
DisaggregatedAggregated
School and District Academic Outcomes Indicators demonstrating the
extent to which students achieve meaningful learning outcomes including the acquisition
of the knowledge language and lifelong learning skills needed to succeed in todayrsquos
world as outlined by the California standards
DisaggregatedAggregated
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
dagger dagger
dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
ROLES
Cycle of Continuous
Improvem
ent
Cycle of Continuous
Improvem
ent
THEPROPOSEDNEWACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSYSTEMAGRAPHIC
REPRESENTATION
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 6 of 41
SUMMARYDESCRIPTIONSCOMPONENTSOFTHENEWACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSYSTEM
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding PrinciplesCaliforniarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
COE
s
CCEE
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
dagger dagger
dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
ROLES
Cycle of Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous
Improvement
School and District IndicatorsCalifornia seeks to develop a system that incorporates multiple measures to present a holistic picture of performance equity and improvement for schools LEAs and the state The new system rooted in and part of LCFF and LCAP will examine schooldistrict learning conditions to understand if the system is providing equitable resources and opportunities for all students It will also examine academic and non-academic outcome indicators to understand student performance and it will disaggregate these indicators by student groups as a measure of equity The new system will examine the rate of improvement across these indicators as a means of highlighting and building on successful practices and identifying where additional improvement support is needed
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
California recognizes that its accountability framework is only helpful to the extent that it is integrally tied to a system of continuous improvement and support By looking at measures of performance equity and improvement with regard to both whole child and academic indicators schools and districts will be able to self-identify their strengths areas where support is needed and where support is available within the greater ecosystem of peer learning This will allow for a system of differentiated improvement supports at three levels that recognizes success and shares promising and successful practices between LEAs throughout the state
RolesCaliforniarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must include clearly defined roles for federal state and local stakeholders Each level of the system should be held responsible for the contributions it must make to support learning and development for every child
Policy Makers Policy makers at the state and federal level should establish policies and standards that support continuous improvement set clear expectations for outcomes and improvement provide adequate resources support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and foster innovation
Stakeholders and Communities One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders From advocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropy parent groups community voices business organizations early learning and care and beyond this coalition of supportive stakeholders will be instrumental in the successful communication about transition to and implementation of this new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System
The CDE CCEE and COEs The State Superintendent of Public InstructionCDE the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) and county superintendentsoffices of education (COEs)mdashmust work collaboratively to provide coordinated support for school accountability and continuous improvement Additionally the State Superintendent must take action if a school or district is unable to improve over time
Schools and Districts Schools and districts are at the center of Californiarsquos system They must engage students parents and caregivers educators and other stakeholders in school and district-level planning and support to ensure that all students are provided with meaningful opportunities to learn and contribute They must implement instructional improvement strategies and marshal the financial and professional capital required to implement these strategies and improve student outcomes
FoundationAs a state we seek to realize our vision to provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthood and prepare students to live work and thrive in a multicultural multilingual and highly connected world We pursue rigorous learning and achievement in every classroom and every school
We will embrace the California Way which rests on the belief that educators want to excel trusts them to improve when given the proper supports and provides local schools and districts with the leeway and flexibility to deploy resources so they can improve
To do this Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System willbull Demonstrate a commitment to equitybull Emphasize the importance of educating the whole childbull Focus on building collaboration engagement and professional capitalbull Recognize that improvement and learning are continuousbull Value the knowledge and expertise of educators and communitiesbull Rely on reciprocity and subsidiaritybull Embrace students parents and families as critical stakeholdersbull Identify and recognize districts schools and classr ooms that can serve as models and those that need support The proposed system builds on State Board of Education guiding principles
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Cycleof Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District
dagger
Academic Outcomes
Aggregated dagger Disaggregated Aggregated dagger Disaggregated
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
2 FOUNDATION
The proposed Accountability and ContinuousImprovementS ystem restso n a foundation ofa common vision guidingp rinciples and a shared commitment to the ldquoCalifornia Wayrdquo The Task Force believes this foundation and the more detailed recommendationsth at follow are aligned with and in some cases anextension of the work being undertaken by the CaliforniaSt ate Board of Education (SBE) involving the development ofL CFF EvaluationRubricsThis foundation will also supportplanning workto be undertakenf or the ESSAstate plan
VISION
In the same way thata classroom teacher startse ach school yearw ith a vision of what successw ill look like forh isherst udents we began ourd esign processb y working on a shared vision Asa state we seek to provide a world-class education fora ll students from earlych ildhood to adulthood and prepare students toli vew orka nd thrive in am ulticulturalm ultilinguala nd highly connected world5 The statersquosA ccountability and Continuous Improvement System should help provide local educators and communities with the information and tools they need to engage in a processo f continuousi mprovement where collaborative planning implementation and analysis leads toon going adjustments tos uccessfullyaddress the diverse needs of all students Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should
bull Demonstrate a commitment to equity by ensuring that all student groups are visible in accountabilityan d improvement efforts and settinggoal s for closinggap s The system should provide clarity ong aps ina chievement opportunity and access betweenst udent groups andprovide tools to eliminate these gaps 6
bull Emphasize the importance of educating the whole child by using indicators from multiple domains The system should include holistic and developmentally appropriate metrics to monitor progress towards preparing all students for college career life and leadershipi nt he 21st century
bull Focus on building collaboration engagement and professional capital to ensure that educators have supports they need to improve student learning
bull Recognize that improvement andl earning are continuous and emphasize feedback loops with a focus on continuous improvement and quality throughout every levelo ft he system
bull Value the knowledge and expertise of educators and communities by relying on accountability and improvement plans that are locally driven and state supported
bull Rely on subsidiarity and reciprocal accountabilityholding every level of the system responsible for the contributions it must make to support learning for every child7
5 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 6 The term ldquostudent grouprdquo refers to the student subgroups that are included inL ocal Control and Accountability Plans includingsocioeconomically disadvantaged students English learners studentsw ith disabilities andfo ster youthdisaggregated by race and ethnicity7 According to the Oxford English Dictionary ldquosubsidiarityrdquo represents the idea that a central authority should have a subsidiaryfunction performing only those tasks that cannot be performed effectively at a more immediate or localle vel
Page 7 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Embrace students parents and families as critical stakeholders in the accountability system bull Identify and recognize districts schools and classrooms that can serve as models for those
thatn eed supportto create an environment where we can learn from each other collaborate and improve together
GUIDINGPRINCIPLES
The shared visiono utlined above provides afo undation for developing the proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement System while the following guiding principles from the SBE offer af ramework for making decisions about the system8
1 Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts schools and county offices of educationPromote a broad understanding of the specific goals that need to be met at each level of the educational system 9
2 Foster equityCreate support structuresincluding technical assistance for districts and schoolsto promote success for all students regardless of background primary language or socioeconomic status
3 Provide useful informationt hat helps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of education and policymakers makei mportant decisionsAssist and engage parentseducators and policymakers through regular communicationa nd transparent timely reporting of data so they can take action appropriate to their roles
4 Build capacity and increase support for districts schools and county offices Seek tob uild capacity at all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningp ractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
5 Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measuresfor state and local priorities Focus on ongoing improvement of student outcomes including college- and career-readiness using multiple measures that reflect both status and growth
6 Promote system-wide integration and innovation Purposely ande ffectively integrate each accountabilitys ystem component includinggr oups and technologies creatinga c oherent effective and efficient support structure for districts charter schools and county offices of education10
The Task Force developed the following additional guiding principles 7 Align to the extentp ossible local state and federal accountabilityan d continuous improvement
systemst o create one single integrateds ystem for use by schoolsdi stricts county offices of education and the State of CaliforniaLead with Californiarsquos commitment to subsidiarity and the strengthening of local assets and capacities11 and
8 Encourage labor-management collaboration in districts schools and county offices of education asan underlyingf oundationf or effective implementationo f the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System12
THECALIFORNIAWAY USINGTHERIGHTDRIVERSTOGUIDEIMPROVEMENT
ldquoThe California Way rests ont he belief that educators want to excel trusts them to improve when givent he proper supports and provides local schools and districts witht he leeway and flexibility to deploy resources sot hey can improve The CaliforniaW ay engages students parents and communities as part of ac ollaborative decision-making process about how to fund and implement these
8 SeeA ppendixB for the complete State Board of Educationrsquos Guiding Principles for Accountability System Planning 9 Throughout this document the term ldquoschoolsrdquo is used to refer to all public schools in California including charter schools 10 See httpwwwcdecagovbepnnryr15sberel01asp 11 SeeSec tion 5 for recommendations for alignment ofa ccountability and continuous improvement plans 12 Information on the California Labor-Management Initiativec an bef ounda t wwwcdefoundationorglmi
Page 8 of 41
lued (School and District Whole Child Outcomes)
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
improvement efforts and provides supplemental resources to ensure that Californiarsquos English learners foster youth and students inp overty have the learnings upports they needrdquo13
As notede ducationr esearcher anda dvisor Michael Fullan explains ldquoThe key to system-wide success is tosituate the energy of educatorsa nd studentsa st he central driving force Thism eansa ligningt he goals of reform and the intrinsic motivation of participantsrdquo14 In order to create an effective and sustainable system of accountability and continuous improvement thatb uilds on the collaborative approachde scribedb ybo th Fullan andth e California Wayactors at all levels of the proposed system must focus on the ldquorightd riversrdquowhich ldquofoster motivation of teachers and students engage educators and students in continuousimprovement improve team work and affect all teachers and studentsrdquo15 The right drivers identified in A Blueprint for Great Schools Version 20 include
bull Investing in and building educator professional capital bull Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations bull Supporting effective pedagogy bull Developing systemicso lutions to create a coherent and positive education system16
Moving away from a compliance-driven system towards a system that emphasizes the right drivers will require a significant cultural shift in how many education stakeholders define accountability17 Together with the guiding principles these right drivers serve as a litmus test for future accountability and continuous improvement policies and practices
3 ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK
Building upon the foundation describeda bovethe proposedAc countability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem relieso n a set of multiple measures to examinep erformance equity and improvement These should be presentedthrough user-friendly dashboards18 Examining these multiple measures will
bull Demonstrate the extentto which schoolsa nd districts provide thesupportsa nd resourcest hat will allow studentst o take advantage ofeducational opportunities and succeed in school (Equitable LearningConditions)
bull Highlight whole child development by examining indicators thats how the extent to which all children areh ealthy safe engaged supported challenged and va
13 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 14 Fullan M (2011) 15 Ibid 16 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 17 Appendix A highlights the ways inw hicht hese drivers couldb e appliedac ross the K-12and E arly LearningSy stem tos upportarticulation andal ignment 18 The dashboard approach will allow the presentationo f multiple kinds of data and assessments to support multiple ways ofmonitoring and improving just as adr iver uses many different gauges windows andm irrors
Page 9 of 41
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Cycleof Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District
dagger
Academic Outcomes
Aggregated dagger Disaggregated Aggregated dagger Disaggregated
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Illustrate the extentto which students achieve meaningful learningou tcomes includingt he acquisition of the knowledge language and lifelongl earnings kills needed tos ucceed (School and District AcademicO utcomes)
bull Reveal disparities by disaggregating student outcomes by student groups and examining learning conditions through the lens of equity
DEFINITION OF ACCOUNTABILITY
The Superintendentrsquos Advisory Task Force onA ccountability and Continuous Improvement offers the definitionof accountability belowThis shared definition allowed the Task Force toi dentifyt he primary purposes of ana ccountability system and consider how these purposes could be achieved through a system thate mphasizes both performanceequityand improvement This definitionfo cuses on intrinsicmotivation the right drivers and reciprocal accountabilityac ross all levels of the system
Accountability is a shared responsibility to 1) Provide studentsw ith the learning experiencesa nd supportst hey need to achieve meaningful outcomesand 2) Effectively collaborate and share information amongte achers and classified staffschoolsstudentsparents and caregiversadministratorsdistrictscommunities county offices of education and the state to ensure thatever yp art of thes ystem has thecapacity tools and resources necessary to provide these learning experiences and support Implementing this two-pronged definitiono f accountability leads to increasing levels ofs upport for improvements at alllevels oft he system Our California Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon
bull Shared responsibility to support learning for every child bull Comprehensively measuring performance equity improvement and how well the system is
meeting its goalsincluding linking results to the tiered system of support and intervention19
bull Considering all the factors that affect performance and outcomes in order toi dentify share andpromote best and promising practices and change courseso f action thata re nota chieving our desired outcomes
bull Clearly communicating expectations and processes at all levels bull Reporting the results of selected measures to all partners in education and in the communityand bull Taking what we know and have learned from careful assessments and using thati nformation by
working together to channel support and resourcesto make improvements where they are needed
DEFINITIONS PERFORMANCE EQUITY WHOLE CHILD
Similarly to build commonund erstanding and support for the Task Forcersquos proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemthe task force recommendst he following definitions
Performanceth e extentto which schools districts and the state supports tudents to achieve meaningful outcomes ABl ueprint for Great Schools Version 20 recommendst hat meaningful learning should support the acquisition of the knowledge language lifelongl earnings kills and dispositions that students need to succeed the ability to apply complex knowledge to solve problems collaborate communicate inquire learn independently and build relationships and the capacity to be resilient and resourceful20
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the culturally appropriate and linguistically accessible supports and resources needed to take advantage of educational opportunities and succeed in school at the same level as other students
19 For more information see pages1 5-19 for proposed indicators and pages 22-23 for the tiered system ofs upport andintervention 20 Blueprint 20 PlanningT eam (2015)
Page 10 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Whole ChildAn approach to learning that ensures thatever yc hild is healthy safe engaged supported challenged and valued21
EQUITYPERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System should create a holisticp icture of how well the schoolsLEAsand the state are realizingC aliforniarsquos vision of success for all students To do this the Task Force recommends ab alanced set of academic and non-academic indicators that illustratestudent performance and equitablel earning conditionsand improvement in both (see Figure 1) The Task Force recognizes that it is important tou tilize a whole child approach and noti ncentivize the wrongdrivers Inc onsidering rates andt argets the Task Force advises an emphasis on continuous sustainable improvements rooted in the ongoing development ofp rofessional capital This balanceds et ofa cademic and non-academic indicators should be depicted in easy-to-read dashboard formats(se e p 30)
Performance Academic and non-academic achievement
Performance Improvement Rate of improvement of performance
Equity Improvement Rate of improvement of equity
Equity Gaps in opportunities (learning conditions) and performance across student groups
Figure 1
PERFORMANCE
The performancem easurei llustrates the state of student outcomesa t a point in time across ar ange of academic and non-academic areas22 It uses multiple indicators to depict the current level of performanceThe performance measure shows the extent to which a district or school is meeting outcomes for studentsat both an aggregated and disaggregated (byst udent group)le vel23
PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
The performance improvement or change measure denotes the level of improvement based on changesover time tot he indicators includedi n the performance measure It should be provided in aggregated anddisaggregated( by student group)f orms The Task Forcersquos proposed new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem places significant value on improvementThe value of improvement lies in both the importance of striving to increase studenta nd system outcomes and the opportunity thatimprovement provides for shared learning across the system The performance improvement measure servesmu ltiple purposes providing opportunitiest o
21 Adapted from ASCD See httpwwwascdorgwhole-childaspx 22 There are a number of possible approaches to achieve thisSome possible examples include am odel used in Alberta Canada while another might be a quadrant-based scatter plot such as the model developed by ChildrenN ow 23 Iti s criticalto consider indicators thatr eliably predictth e longer-term studento utcomes we seekfo r example indicators in theearlygr ades should predict graduation rates whilei ndicators in thes econdarygr ades should predict collegea nd careerpreparedness etc
Page 11 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
1 Highlight and recognize those districts and schools makingc oncerted and successful efforts toimprove
2 Identify districts and schools that need support to address challenges and needsand 3 Identify promising practices in aggregate or byst udent groupthat could be applied by other
LEAs ands chools across the system
EQUITY The equityme asure shedsl ight on disparitiesi n opportunitiesa nd outcomesa crossst udent groups Equity should be examined through indicators of equitablel earning conditions and byd isaggregatingp erformance measures by student groups Californiarsquos public education system is entrustedt op rovide high-quality educational opportunities for all of its students A robust accountability system identifiesb arriers that limit access toa r igorous and nurturinge ducational experience for all students especially those requiring special education foster youth homeless youth those from low-income families English learnersand vulnerable racial and ethnic groupsThe Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should help identify supportsne ededt o eradicate those barriers maintaina ndm easure progress towards clear goals and hold schools districts and educators accountable for closingac hievement gaps and advancinga r ange of culturally responsive and linguistically supportive opportunities toe nsure success in school and acquisition of the skills necessaryt ob e college careerand life ready
EQUITY IMPROVEMENT Similar tot he performance improvement or change measure equity improvement illustrates the level of improvement on equityin dicators This measure looks at the rate of improvementof equitable learning conditions thatc apture the level of equity in a school or districta nd the rate atw hich performance gaps across student groupsa re closingstaying the sameor growing Improving equity of access andopportunityan dc losingac hievement gaps are critical toi mprovingou tcomes for all students Additionallylooking at the rate ofi mprovement on equityi ndicators provides aw ayt oi dentifyan d act on promisingpractices for improving student equity
INDICATORS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
The Task Force recommends as eries of indicator sets for differentu ses and at different levels of the system These various sets of indicators should be depicted inv isually attractive and easy-to-use dashboards that will allowt he system to
bull Ensure that the state and system as a whole are continuously improving bull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvement acrosst he state with regard to
student learning and achievement bull Collect additional diagnostic information to support continuous improvement efforts and bull Provide LEAs with the flexibility to identify indicators of interest
LEVELSO FI NDICATORS
To build a system that fully supports and values performance equity andi mprovementCalifornia should utilize appropriate indicator sets for each level of accountability and continuous improvement 24
This work should build upon the state priorities articulated by the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)
24 ldquoAn indicator provides evidence that certain conditionse xist orce rtain resultsh ave or have not been achieved Indicatorse nabledecision-makers to assess progress towards the achievement of intended outputs outcomes goals and objectivesrdquo (HarvardFamilyR esearchP roject) Horsch K (1997) Indicators definition andu se in ar esults-based accountability system Retrieved onApril 14 2016 from httpwwwhfrporgpublications-resourcesbrowse-our-publicationsindicators-definition-and-use-in-a-results-based-accountability-system
Page 12 of 41
Table 1 Levels of Indicators Indicator Set Definition and Use State-Required These indicators should be used for both state and federal (ESSA)
purposes should be applicable and relevant statewide and should be utilized by California to gauge the success of federal and state-level accountability and continuous improvement supports for LEAs and schools
State-Reported These indicators should be vetted and reported by the state and available for use in the statersquos Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System for LEAs and schoolsThese indicators should complement the state-required indicator set by providing a moreholistic picture of performance equity and improvement
State-Supported Locally-Reported These indicators should provide additional diagnostic and evaluation information and should be available for voluntary local use that is
supported with tools provided by the state allowing schools and LEAs to evaluate learning opportunities more deeplyThey should be locally-reported and used for diagnostic and improvement purposes in the context of state and local accountability and continuous improvement systems
Locally Generated and Reported These indicators should be identified and vetted locally and used for additional information for LCAP design impl ementation and eval uation
State System These indicators should be identified by the state to use in evaluatingits work supporting the statewide system these indicators should be
used to drive the continuous improvement of the statersquos systems of support
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
and ongoingw ork tod evelop the LCFFe valuation rubrics The proposed indicators include locally determinedi ndicators includedi nLoc al Control andA ccountability Plans anda lsoi nclude state-determinedi ndicators that alignw ithE SSA requirements As summarized by Table 1 and Figure 2 below targeted indicator sets should be developed and provided for specific system levels and accountability and continuous improvement purposes
As illustrated by Figure 2these indicator sets form ac omprehensive package that focuses on supporting and drivingl ocal accountabilityan d continuous improvement They should be depicted and reported in easy-to-use dashboard formats
Page 13 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State System Indicators
Local Accountability
and Continuous
Improvement
State Required Indicators
State ReportedIndicators
LocallyGenerated
Indicators (LCAP)
State SupportedIndicators
State System Indicators
Figure 2Integrated Indicator Sets
Tables 2-6 provide possible specific indicators with associated comments for each indicator set describedabove Taken together these tables illustrate an integration path utilizing Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) evaluation rubrics as central drivers of one coherent and comprehensive system that incorporates the federal accountability requirements
STATE AND LOCAL INDICATORS FOR LEAS AND SCHOOLS
The tables below contain the proposed indicators for each level of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Each set of indicators including those that are state-required and state-reported includes both academic and whole child indicators that should be used to measure performance equity and improvement This balance of academic and non-academic indicators will provide a more holistic depiction of the extent to which all students are prepared for college career life and leadership in the 21st centuryIndicators in Table 2 are explicitly linked to ESSA Requirements while the indicators in Tables 3-5 are linked to desired outcomes
Page 14 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
Academic achievement as measured profi ciency on annua l assessments
by CASSP English languagearts and mathematics scores in grad es 3- 8 inclusiveplus grade 11
To be measured by scale scores reflecting both status and student growthover time Scale SBAC scores would be broken down into diff erent subjects(ie math and English) and reported by grade span (ie grades 3-5 6-8 11)
Hig h schoo l graduation rates 4-year Graduation rates plus an extended rate (5 - andor 6-year rate)
At high school including rates (wit h a t leas t equa l work with student s wit h
a 5-or 6-year graduation rate weight ) creat es incentives for challenges
as well as 4-yearschool s t o keep
Progress in ach ieving Englis h language proficiency as defined by the State within a State-determined timeline f or all English Learners
English Learner (EL ) progress on state English Proficiency Assessment
The State LCFF identifies pro ress toward English proficiency andreclassification ratesEL pro ress
ggg
using scale scores on an EL profici encymeasure i s bett er for trackin th e progress o f al l students ensuring
attention to the ful l range of EL student s and their needs ndash from th ose wh oare newcomers to th ose who are b ecoming an d h ave b ecome lsquoproficient rsquo
Progress of ELs could be measured by a composite or by multiple i ndicatorsfor Englis h Learner progress ie including long-time English learners
and or reclassification ratesThe Task Force recommends creating a new data marker of ldquoEnglishLearner re-designat edrdquo for reclassified ELs as a means of capturing a fullerpicture of student performance
For public elementary schools andsecondary schools that are not highschools in the Statemdash(I) a measure of student growth if determined appropriate by the State or (II) another valid and reliable statewide academicindicat or tha t all ows for meaningfu ldifferentiation in school performance
Growth measure27 The Task F orce encourages the SBE and model s f or inclusion in th e syst em This and growth across other indicators
CDE to should
research potential incl ude both SBAC
growthscores
25 Every Student Succeeds Act 201526 From LCFFSt ate Priorities augmentedt om eet federal requirements27 The task force is not putting forth a specific way to measure growth but recommends that that State Board ofE ducation continue to research growth measure methodologies
Page 15 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Whole Child Outcomes
No t less than one indicator o f schoo lquality or student success that allowsfor meaningful differentiation in school
performance is valid reliable comparable and statewide and mayinclud e measures of studen tengagement educat or engagementstudent access to and completion ofadvanced coursework postsecondaryreadi ness school climate and safety and any other indicator other Statechooses tha t meets the requirements ofthis clause
bull
bull
bull
bull
Suspensi ons expulsion rat es Statewide schoolclimate surveyChronicabsenteeism College amp careerreadiness indicat or
Suspension and expulsion data are currently available and chronicabsenteeism soon will be Both are local measures of student access andengagemen t that help predict school achievement and high schoolgraduation The Task Force recommend s that suspension expulsion ratesbe utilized in conjunction wit h and tied to authentic programmatic workthat builds positive school climate such as alternative discipline orrestorative justice approaches
A statewide school climate survey of students parents and teachers couldinclud e quest ions on course breadth and access parenta l involvementbasic services safety and social-emotional supports teaching andadministrati ve supports and access to appropriate counseling servicesnurses and school psy gcholo i sts
A non-test-based indicator of coll ege and career readi ness should measurethe extent to which students complete courses and ro ramsp g (c p om letion o fA- G hig qu yh- alit CTE qu se ences and i p )nternshi s that ppsu ort coll ge e andcareer readiness and the development o f 21st yCentur skills such as
28 collaboration communicati pon roblem-solvi gn and creativity This couldbe reviewed in conjunction with other academic indicators as a means forholistically measuri ng the skills and abilities students need to be college andcareer ready
28 The Task Force recognizes that there is not currently a state-adopted tool that measures 21st Century skills like collaboration communication problem solving and creativityThese are qualities that can be evaluated through performance assessments The Task Force recommends that the State Board of Education pilot and study performanceassessments that can measure these competencies as they relate to college and career readiness
Page 16 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 3 State-Reported Indicators Outcome Area Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
College career li fe readi ness indicat ors
and
bull
bull
bull bull
Students completing A-G approved CTE sequence or both Students meeting college standardon AP IB dual credit courseworkPhysical fitness Science assessment resultsonce each in grad es 3-5 6- 8 10-12 for a tota l of three times
If completion o f A- G approved CTE sequences or AB IB dual credi tcoursewor k are not included in t he state required college and career readiness indicator they could be included here
Physical fitness data are already collected by the state
As science assessments develop they could be considered by the SBE in future as a potential add ition t o the require d indicators
the
Whole Child Outcomes
StudentTeacherand ParentCaregiver
Engagement
bull
bull
Attendance
Student teacher andparentcaregiver surveysmeasuring schoo l climat e
for
If attendance and school climate surveys are not in included n the state-required set o f indicat ors they could be included here
School climate surveys could include a core set of questions used across thestate with additional locally determined questions for local use TheCaliforni a Healthy Kids Survey i s an available tool for measuring school climateand measures el ements such as access to resources and programsfeelings of safety and interaction wit h caring adults
Equitable Learning Conditions
Opportunities t o learn
bull
bull bull bull
Teacher and administrator qualificationsSchool facilities qualityAccess to curriculum material s Access to full curriculum
These are required under the Williams Case andor LCAP
Page 17 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 4 State-Supported Locally-Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
As part of i ts eff ort to support l ocal continuous improvement efforts the state could develop and calibrate a library of tools and measures for voluntary use by bull Locally selected developmentally
State provid es tool s LEAs and schools Several of these may be available at t he time of system launchculturally and linguistically30 for sch ools or (launch library) while oth ers wil l requi re further time and resource investmentappropriate observational
31districts to choose (developmental library) kindergarten readiness and use at thei r s29 assessment CA has access to the Innovation Lab Network Performance Assessment Resource optionpotentially bull Classroom embedded authentic Bank that provides performance assessment tasks rubrics scoring protocols andin collaborat ion perf ormance assessments student work linked to CCSS and NGSS standards These can be made available towit h oth er part ners bull Social-emotional learning schools possibly as par t of the SBAC Digita l Libraryand networks indicat ors stAssessments of social-emotional learning might also be used to measure 21
bull Parent Engagement Century skill s such as collaborati on communication problem-solvingandcreativity and should be further studied by the SBE
Table 5 Locally Designed and Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Locally determined indicat ors
bull
bull
Other LCAP indicators es32 local prioriti
Oth er locally designed
for state and
indicators
Districts are not expected to all ocate resources equally to indicat ors bu t t o selec t strat egic goal s an d mak e resource associate d with those
each of the allocat ions
LCAP
29 These are individually administered and open-ended Theys hould beu sed as information for teachers and schools to ensuret heir youngest students arer eceiving the culturallylinguistically andde velopmentallyap propriate supports theyn eed Multiple validatedk indergarten readiness support tools exist andm ay in the short-term be suitable forinclusion in the tool libraryA ppendix A provides a series of recommendations andco nsiderationsr egarding early learning in the Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystemincluding as et of questions pertaining to the use of Kindergarten Readiness Assessments30 The ldquolaunch libraryrdquo could include school climate surveys fors tudents parents and caregiversand teachers (egCalifornia Healthy Kids Survey)tools for measuring implementation ofthe California Standards(C CSS NGSS etc)i ncluding instructional materials practices training etc and toolsfo r measuring indicators ofa rich fullc urriculum thatm ighti nclude art music PE science social studies31 The ldquodevelopment libraryrdquo could include KindergartenR eadiness support tools (Early educationK-12al ignment) Early literacy assessment tools High school graduation systems( Digital portfolio capstone project community service assessment) andSoc ial-Emotional Learning tools32 Californiarsquos emergingac countabilityf rameworki s groundedw ithin ab roader system of continuous improvement andsu pport forL EAsa nd schools By analyzing performance andp erformance improvement on multiple indicators andp resenting thati nformation in user-friendly formats the LCFF evaluation rubrics willa ssist LEAs and schools in self-identifying their strengths and weaknesses where support isn eededa nd who is able to provide it
Page 18 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
STATE SYSTEM INDICATORS
Table 6 Proposed State System Indicators
State Priority Key Indicator Performance Equity Improvement
Success for students withhigher needs in the stateas a whole on each of theSuccess for state as a Annual state gains rate of gap closurestate-required and state-Pupi l Achievement Aggregated Schoo l and whole on th e state-reported indicat ors Rate o f gai ns for students wit h high erand Engagement Distric t Indicators required and state-
needs reported indicat ors
Perf andoppor
ormancetunity gap closure
Awards for schools and Annual state gainsrate of gap closureNumber of schools
Pupi l Achievement LEAs serving high Rate o f gai ns ( number receiving awards)Californi a Awards applying forreceivingand Engagement numbers of higher-needs for sch ools serving high numb ers ofawards
students higher-needs students
Promulgation o fexemplars andomisingbestpr
practices and brokering Effecti veness of supportsof these and other to schools and districtsresources including especially those serving
Support for LCAP Support Systems Growth in service and capacity (360ordmtechnical assistance to high numb ers of st udentsDevelopmen t and Indicators (CDE CCEE revi ews)
districts wit h higher needsImplementation COEs)
Effecti veness of supports to schools and districts Equity and adequacy ofespecially those serving resource distributionhigh numb ers ofstudents wit h high erneeds
Page 19 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 20 of 41
WhiletheindicatorsandtoolsproposedbytheTaskForceformeasuringperformanceequityand
improvementatalllevelsofthesystemarenotperfectwehopetoidentifywhatindicatorsandtoolsare
workingovertimeanddevelopandrefinethesetoolsandmeasuressothattheymoreaccuratelyreflectthe
performanceequityandimprovementofthesystemAdditionallytheTaskForcerecommendsthatthe
stateengageinongoingformalevaluationworktomeasuretheefficacyofsupportsidentifybestand
promisingpracticesandinformcontinuousimprovementofthesystemTheonlywaytoensurethat
schoolsanddistrictsarecontinuouslyimprovingistoestablishacontinuousimprovementframeforthe
systemitselfwemustcommittoreflectiveandongoingassessmentofhowwellthesystemisworkingand
tomakingcoursecorrectionsandupdatesasneededtobetterserveCaliforniarsquosstudentsandstakeholders
4 CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTCaliforniarecognizesthattheaccountability
frameworkdescribedaboveisonlyhelpfulto
theextentthatitisintegrallytiedtoasystem
ofcontinuousimprovementandsupport
alignedwiththeCaliforniaWayandtheldquoright
driversrdquodescribedinSection233Continuous
improvementisthekeytoensuringthat
Californiarsquoseducationsystemrealizesitsvision
forallstudents34
DEFINITIONOFCONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
TheTaskForceoffersthefollowingdefinition
ofcontinuousimprovement
ContinuousImprovementAcontinuouslyimprovingeducationsystemisonethatlearns
fromexperiencebycarefullymeasuringthe
effectivenessofdifferentpoliciesandpracticessupportingtheintrinsicmotivationofeducatorsand
stakeholderssharingbestandpromisingpracticescultivatingacultureofreflectionandlearning
encouraginginnovationandmakingchangesbasedonlearning35
BUILDINGTHECONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSUPPORTSYSTEM
Bylookingatmeasuresofperformanceequityandimprovementillustratedthrougheasy-to-usepublic
dashboardsLEAswillbeabletoself-identifytheirstrengthsandweaknesseswheresupportisneeded
andwhoisabletoprovideit36Thiswillallowforthedevelopmentofasystemofdifferentiated
improvementsupportsthatrecognizessuccessandsharesbestandpromisingpracticesamongallLEAsin
thestateTheSuperintendentofPublicInstruction(SSPI)CaliforniaofEducation(CDE)theCalifornia
CollaborativeforEducationalExcellence(CCEE)andcountysuperintendentsshouldalsousethese
measurestoidentifyandreferLEAsandschoolsforfocusedandintensiveimprovementsupportas
33Blueprint20PlanningTeam(2015)
34Continuousimprovementlikereciprocalaccountabilityissomethingthateachlevelofthesystemisresponsiblefor
35AdaptedfromLoebSandPlankD(2008)LearningWhatWorksContinuousImprovementinCaliforniarsquosEducationSystemPolicyBrief08-4RetrievedonMarch162016fromhttpcepastanfordedusitesdefaultfilesLearning20Briefpdf
36Forexampleselectingoneindicatorinthedashboardmightleadtoapagewithmoredetailthatcouldincludeavarietyof
resourcesforimprovement(informationalresourcesbestpracticesinformationonhowtoself-refertoCCEEalistofTA
providersandoralistoflocaldistrictsorschoolsthathaveachievedsignificantimprovementinthatindicator)
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
described The Task Force recognizes thats ignificantc apacity building mustta ke place ata ll levelsof the system and especiallyf or countyof fices of education in order to take on the provision of tieredsu port summarized below To be effective work at the county office level should include teacherre
Just as modern health systems em hasize well-being and preventiono f illness inC aliforniarsquosAccountability and Continuous Im
utilized Table 7 below describes the proposed levels of support for schools and districts
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
below37
p
presentatives
THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT ALL FOCUSED INTENSIVE
p
provement System the overarching priority should be given tosupporting improvement for allacross multiple dimensions and through an ecosystem of supportIn thoseinstances when general support efforts do not yield results focused and intensive supports should be
38
Table 7 Tiered Support System Tier Type of Support
Improvement
Shared LearningLEAs
and for All
The indicat ors should help recognize successidentify the strengths of LEAs andschools and therefore should serve as a means to identify (and self-identify )whic h LEAs and schools are well-positioned to share their successful practiceswit h others throug h formal and informal improvemen t effort s across school s and
39 LEAs The SSPICDE CCEE and county offices of education should also developtools and supports that will be available to all LEAs and schools (LCAP planningsupports vetted best practi ces etc)
Focused Im rovement
Supp
p
ort
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboardindicat ors to identify schools and LEAs in need of focuse d intervention and th e
areas in which improvemen t support s are needed
of
IntensiveImprovement Support
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboard ofdicat ors to identify LEAs and schools that need more comprehensive andin
int ensive support s to make major improvements in performance andor growthResults on selected measures should not only help to identify where intensivesupports are needed but what other similar LEAs might be best positioned toprovide them
37 Differentiated levels of support could be used across LEAs and schools based on need similar to the ldquoResponse To Interventionrdquomodel which provides varying levels and intensities of support and intervention based on student needs
38 Table 7 describes the tiers and types of supportinterventiona vailable from state-levele ntities The Task Force recognizes thecritical rolest hat will be played by multiple kindso f stakeholdersi n the full ecosystem of support including researchers nonprofitorganizations institutions of higher education philanthropy coalitions etc39 Examples of formal and informal improvement efforts include statewide and regional LCFFLCAP Conferences LCAP SupportTeamsCalifornia Labor Management Initiative events etc
Page 21 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table of Contents
MESSAGE FROMT ASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS 1
1 EXECUTIVES UMMARY 3 THE PROPOSEDN EW ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUSI MPROVEMENT SYSTEM A GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION5 SUMMARY DESCRIPTIONS COMPONENTS OF THE NEW ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM 6
2 FOUNDATION 7 VISION7 GUIDING PRINCIPLES 8 THE CALIFORNIA WAY USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS TO GUIDE IMPROVEMENT 8
3 ACCOUNTABILITYF RAMEWORK 9 DEFINITION OF ACCOUNTABILITY 10
10DEFINITIONS PERFORMANCE EQUITY WHOLE CHILD
EQUITY PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT 11 INDICATORS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 12
4 CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 20 DEFINITION OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 20 BUILDING THE CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT SUPPORT SYSTEM 20 CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM 24
5 IMPLEMENTING THE NEW SYSTEM TO DRIVE IMPROVEMENT AND COMMUNICATE ABOUT EQUITY AND PERFORMANCE 25ROLES 25 USING A DASHBOARD FOR TRANSPARENT ACCOUNTABILITY AND TO INFORM IMPROVEMENT EFFORTS 28 RECOGNITION 30 PLANNING FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATION INTEGRATION AND SIMPLIFICATION 32
6 CONCLUSION34
7 APPENDICES 35 A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEPI N A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM 35 B STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM PLANNING 40 C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASKF ORCE ONA CCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 41
Page 2 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
1 EXECUTIVESU MMARY
This report presents the work and recommendations of California Superintendent of Public InstructionTom Torlaksonrsquos Advisory Task Force on Accountability and Continuous Improvement1
The Task Force was convenedat ac ritical moment for public education in our state California hasst artedon ap athwayt owards the creation of ab etter system for our students one that rests on af oundation ofstudent success relieso n highs tandards more equitablyd istributes resources (through the Local ControlFundingFor mula)and trusts locale ducators and communities to design the educationals tructures andsupportst hat ourst udentsn eed to reach their fullp otential (through the Local Control and AccountabilityPlans)This emerging ldquoCalifornia Wayrdquo builds on ac ollaborative approach to positive education change
The Task Forcersquos work was guidedb yt he CaliforniaD epartment of Educationrsquos strategic plan ABl ueprint for Great Schools Version 20 which lays out the mission guiding principles and right drivers that shapedthe direction of the accountability and continuous improvement system proposed here2 3 Simultaneous to the work of the Task Force Californiarsquos State Board of Education has been engaged in development of LocalControl Funding Formula evaluation rubrics4 California now has the opportunity tode velop a system ofaccountabilityan d continuous improvement that aligns with and extends the provisions outlined in thefederalE very Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to support a world-class education for everys tudent in theGolden State
Building on this great potential for alignment and positive changethe task forcersquosre commendationsc an be summarized in three words performance equity and improvement
Our new system should build uponst udentsrsquo and educatorsrsquo own intrinsic motivation and proventechniques of management andor ganizational development that clearlyde fine success support itsrealization and provideh igh-profile recognitionwh en success occurs California is committedt ou tilizingmultiple measures to highlight our performance in relation to the full spectrum of outcomes we care about for our students and schoolsThe Task Force strongly recommends that these be presented in an easy-to-use dashboard format They should range from a positive school climate in which students report feelingengaged and respected to mastery of the statersquos robust academic content standards
We are equally committed to supporting and cultivating a system-wide culture of continuous improvement in order to advance and achieve these outcomes thatr elies on multiple measures top rovidethe information necessary to engage in improvement efforts This culture of continuous improvement mustinfuse all parts oft he system including continuous improvement for the system itself throughevaluativeme chanisms that allow us to learn froml ocal experience and revisit the indicators toolsandsystemso f support we use toe nsure theyar e workingas intended To this point the Task Force proposesongoinge valuation of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and making coursecorrections and updates as needed to better serve Californiarsquos students ands takeholders The recommendationsp resented in thisre port should not be considered an end point but rathera beginningpoint for continuous improvement
Finallyboth improvement and performance must have ad eliberate focus on supporting equity of access opportunityand outcomes for allo fC aliforniarsquos diverse students Historically in California andth e nation
1 The Accountability and Continuous Improvement TaskF orce was co-chaired by EricH eins California TeachersA ssociation andWes Smith Association of California School Administrators SeeA ppendixC f or af ull membership roster 2 CaliforniaD epartment of Education Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) ABl ueprint for Great Schools Version 20 Retrieved on December 20 2015 from httpwwwcdecagoveoinbpdocumentsyr15bp0720pdf 3 Fullan M (2011) Choosing the Wrong Drivers for Whole System Reform Centre for Strategic Education Retrieved on December 18 2015 from httpwwwmichaelfullancamedia13501655630pdf 4 Seet heSt ateB oardof Education websitef or extensivedoc umentation on this processhttpwwwcdecagovbeagagindexaspSee also page 24 of this report
Page 3 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
the public education system has not equitably supported all student groups it is our duty to make thehistoric shifts to build a system that recognizes our past shortcomings shines light on areas where morework is needed to rectify the achievementequity gapand provides support and recognition forimprovement
The Task Forcersquos proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should rely on a holisticpicture of how schools and Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) are doing in regard to both performance andequity The statersquos system should simultaneously look at the ways in which performance and equity areimproving in order to fully realize the outcomes that we seek
Performance Equity Improvement
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System
Performance Improvement Equity
The following pages of the Executive Summary provide a graphic overview of the key features of theproposed systemrsquos implementation and integration of the performance equity and improvement themes
Page 4 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
ThisgraphicpresentsthecorefeaturesoftheproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemThefullreportuses
thisasaroadmapwitheachcomponenthighlightedseparatelytoexplaineachfeatureofthesystem-thefollowingpageprovidesa
summarydescriptionofeachfeature
Page 5 of 41
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions Indicators demonstrating that schools and districts provide the supports and resources that will allow students to
take advantage of educational opportunities and succeed in school
School and District Whole Child Outcomes Indicators demonstrating the
extent to which all children are healthy safe engaged
supported challenged and valued
DisaggregatedAggregated
School and District Academic Outcomes Indicators demonstrating the
extent to which students achieve meaningful learning outcomes including the acquisition
of the knowledge language and lifelong learning skills needed to succeed in todayrsquos
world as outlined by the California standards
DisaggregatedAggregated
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
dagger dagger
dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
ROLES
Cycle of Continuous
Improvem
ent
Cycle of Continuous
Improvem
ent
THEPROPOSEDNEWACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSYSTEMAGRAPHIC
REPRESENTATION
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 6 of 41
SUMMARYDESCRIPTIONSCOMPONENTSOFTHENEWACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSYSTEM
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding PrinciplesCaliforniarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
COE
s
CCEE
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
dagger dagger
dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
ROLES
Cycle of Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous
Improvement
School and District IndicatorsCalifornia seeks to develop a system that incorporates multiple measures to present a holistic picture of performance equity and improvement for schools LEAs and the state The new system rooted in and part of LCFF and LCAP will examine schooldistrict learning conditions to understand if the system is providing equitable resources and opportunities for all students It will also examine academic and non-academic outcome indicators to understand student performance and it will disaggregate these indicators by student groups as a measure of equity The new system will examine the rate of improvement across these indicators as a means of highlighting and building on successful practices and identifying where additional improvement support is needed
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
California recognizes that its accountability framework is only helpful to the extent that it is integrally tied to a system of continuous improvement and support By looking at measures of performance equity and improvement with regard to both whole child and academic indicators schools and districts will be able to self-identify their strengths areas where support is needed and where support is available within the greater ecosystem of peer learning This will allow for a system of differentiated improvement supports at three levels that recognizes success and shares promising and successful practices between LEAs throughout the state
RolesCaliforniarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must include clearly defined roles for federal state and local stakeholders Each level of the system should be held responsible for the contributions it must make to support learning and development for every child
Policy Makers Policy makers at the state and federal level should establish policies and standards that support continuous improvement set clear expectations for outcomes and improvement provide adequate resources support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and foster innovation
Stakeholders and Communities One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders From advocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropy parent groups community voices business organizations early learning and care and beyond this coalition of supportive stakeholders will be instrumental in the successful communication about transition to and implementation of this new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System
The CDE CCEE and COEs The State Superintendent of Public InstructionCDE the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) and county superintendentsoffices of education (COEs)mdashmust work collaboratively to provide coordinated support for school accountability and continuous improvement Additionally the State Superintendent must take action if a school or district is unable to improve over time
Schools and Districts Schools and districts are at the center of Californiarsquos system They must engage students parents and caregivers educators and other stakeholders in school and district-level planning and support to ensure that all students are provided with meaningful opportunities to learn and contribute They must implement instructional improvement strategies and marshal the financial and professional capital required to implement these strategies and improve student outcomes
FoundationAs a state we seek to realize our vision to provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthood and prepare students to live work and thrive in a multicultural multilingual and highly connected world We pursue rigorous learning and achievement in every classroom and every school
We will embrace the California Way which rests on the belief that educators want to excel trusts them to improve when given the proper supports and provides local schools and districts with the leeway and flexibility to deploy resources so they can improve
To do this Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System willbull Demonstrate a commitment to equitybull Emphasize the importance of educating the whole childbull Focus on building collaboration engagement and professional capitalbull Recognize that improvement and learning are continuousbull Value the knowledge and expertise of educators and communitiesbull Rely on reciprocity and subsidiaritybull Embrace students parents and families as critical stakeholdersbull Identify and recognize districts schools and classr ooms that can serve as models and those that need support The proposed system builds on State Board of Education guiding principles
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Cycleof Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District
dagger
Academic Outcomes
Aggregated dagger Disaggregated Aggregated dagger Disaggregated
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
2 FOUNDATION
The proposed Accountability and ContinuousImprovementS ystem restso n a foundation ofa common vision guidingp rinciples and a shared commitment to the ldquoCalifornia Wayrdquo The Task Force believes this foundation and the more detailed recommendationsth at follow are aligned with and in some cases anextension of the work being undertaken by the CaliforniaSt ate Board of Education (SBE) involving the development ofL CFF EvaluationRubricsThis foundation will also supportplanning workto be undertakenf or the ESSAstate plan
VISION
In the same way thata classroom teacher startse ach school yearw ith a vision of what successw ill look like forh isherst udents we began ourd esign processb y working on a shared vision Asa state we seek to provide a world-class education fora ll students from earlych ildhood to adulthood and prepare students toli vew orka nd thrive in am ulticulturalm ultilinguala nd highly connected world5 The statersquosA ccountability and Continuous Improvement System should help provide local educators and communities with the information and tools they need to engage in a processo f continuousi mprovement where collaborative planning implementation and analysis leads toon going adjustments tos uccessfullyaddress the diverse needs of all students Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should
bull Demonstrate a commitment to equity by ensuring that all student groups are visible in accountabilityan d improvement efforts and settinggoal s for closinggap s The system should provide clarity ong aps ina chievement opportunity and access betweenst udent groups andprovide tools to eliminate these gaps 6
bull Emphasize the importance of educating the whole child by using indicators from multiple domains The system should include holistic and developmentally appropriate metrics to monitor progress towards preparing all students for college career life and leadershipi nt he 21st century
bull Focus on building collaboration engagement and professional capital to ensure that educators have supports they need to improve student learning
bull Recognize that improvement andl earning are continuous and emphasize feedback loops with a focus on continuous improvement and quality throughout every levelo ft he system
bull Value the knowledge and expertise of educators and communities by relying on accountability and improvement plans that are locally driven and state supported
bull Rely on subsidiarity and reciprocal accountabilityholding every level of the system responsible for the contributions it must make to support learning for every child7
5 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 6 The term ldquostudent grouprdquo refers to the student subgroups that are included inL ocal Control and Accountability Plans includingsocioeconomically disadvantaged students English learners studentsw ith disabilities andfo ster youthdisaggregated by race and ethnicity7 According to the Oxford English Dictionary ldquosubsidiarityrdquo represents the idea that a central authority should have a subsidiaryfunction performing only those tasks that cannot be performed effectively at a more immediate or localle vel
Page 7 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Embrace students parents and families as critical stakeholders in the accountability system bull Identify and recognize districts schools and classrooms that can serve as models for those
thatn eed supportto create an environment where we can learn from each other collaborate and improve together
GUIDINGPRINCIPLES
The shared visiono utlined above provides afo undation for developing the proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement System while the following guiding principles from the SBE offer af ramework for making decisions about the system8
1 Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts schools and county offices of educationPromote a broad understanding of the specific goals that need to be met at each level of the educational system 9
2 Foster equityCreate support structuresincluding technical assistance for districts and schoolsto promote success for all students regardless of background primary language or socioeconomic status
3 Provide useful informationt hat helps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of education and policymakers makei mportant decisionsAssist and engage parentseducators and policymakers through regular communicationa nd transparent timely reporting of data so they can take action appropriate to their roles
4 Build capacity and increase support for districts schools and county offices Seek tob uild capacity at all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningp ractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
5 Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measuresfor state and local priorities Focus on ongoing improvement of student outcomes including college- and career-readiness using multiple measures that reflect both status and growth
6 Promote system-wide integration and innovation Purposely ande ffectively integrate each accountabilitys ystem component includinggr oups and technologies creatinga c oherent effective and efficient support structure for districts charter schools and county offices of education10
The Task Force developed the following additional guiding principles 7 Align to the extentp ossible local state and federal accountabilityan d continuous improvement
systemst o create one single integrateds ystem for use by schoolsdi stricts county offices of education and the State of CaliforniaLead with Californiarsquos commitment to subsidiarity and the strengthening of local assets and capacities11 and
8 Encourage labor-management collaboration in districts schools and county offices of education asan underlyingf oundationf or effective implementationo f the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System12
THECALIFORNIAWAY USINGTHERIGHTDRIVERSTOGUIDEIMPROVEMENT
ldquoThe California Way rests ont he belief that educators want to excel trusts them to improve when givent he proper supports and provides local schools and districts witht he leeway and flexibility to deploy resources sot hey can improve The CaliforniaW ay engages students parents and communities as part of ac ollaborative decision-making process about how to fund and implement these
8 SeeA ppendixB for the complete State Board of Educationrsquos Guiding Principles for Accountability System Planning 9 Throughout this document the term ldquoschoolsrdquo is used to refer to all public schools in California including charter schools 10 See httpwwwcdecagovbepnnryr15sberel01asp 11 SeeSec tion 5 for recommendations for alignment ofa ccountability and continuous improvement plans 12 Information on the California Labor-Management Initiativec an bef ounda t wwwcdefoundationorglmi
Page 8 of 41
lued (School and District Whole Child Outcomes)
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
improvement efforts and provides supplemental resources to ensure that Californiarsquos English learners foster youth and students inp overty have the learnings upports they needrdquo13
As notede ducationr esearcher anda dvisor Michael Fullan explains ldquoThe key to system-wide success is tosituate the energy of educatorsa nd studentsa st he central driving force Thism eansa ligningt he goals of reform and the intrinsic motivation of participantsrdquo14 In order to create an effective and sustainable system of accountability and continuous improvement thatb uilds on the collaborative approachde scribedb ybo th Fullan andth e California Wayactors at all levels of the proposed system must focus on the ldquorightd riversrdquowhich ldquofoster motivation of teachers and students engage educators and students in continuousimprovement improve team work and affect all teachers and studentsrdquo15 The right drivers identified in A Blueprint for Great Schools Version 20 include
bull Investing in and building educator professional capital bull Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations bull Supporting effective pedagogy bull Developing systemicso lutions to create a coherent and positive education system16
Moving away from a compliance-driven system towards a system that emphasizes the right drivers will require a significant cultural shift in how many education stakeholders define accountability17 Together with the guiding principles these right drivers serve as a litmus test for future accountability and continuous improvement policies and practices
3 ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK
Building upon the foundation describeda bovethe proposedAc countability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem relieso n a set of multiple measures to examinep erformance equity and improvement These should be presentedthrough user-friendly dashboards18 Examining these multiple measures will
bull Demonstrate the extentto which schoolsa nd districts provide thesupportsa nd resourcest hat will allow studentst o take advantage ofeducational opportunities and succeed in school (Equitable LearningConditions)
bull Highlight whole child development by examining indicators thats how the extent to which all children areh ealthy safe engaged supported challenged and va
13 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 14 Fullan M (2011) 15 Ibid 16 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 17 Appendix A highlights the ways inw hicht hese drivers couldb e appliedac ross the K-12and E arly LearningSy stem tos upportarticulation andal ignment 18 The dashboard approach will allow the presentationo f multiple kinds of data and assessments to support multiple ways ofmonitoring and improving just as adr iver uses many different gauges windows andm irrors
Page 9 of 41
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Cycleof Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District
dagger
Academic Outcomes
Aggregated dagger Disaggregated Aggregated dagger Disaggregated
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Illustrate the extentto which students achieve meaningful learningou tcomes includingt he acquisition of the knowledge language and lifelongl earnings kills needed tos ucceed (School and District AcademicO utcomes)
bull Reveal disparities by disaggregating student outcomes by student groups and examining learning conditions through the lens of equity
DEFINITION OF ACCOUNTABILITY
The Superintendentrsquos Advisory Task Force onA ccountability and Continuous Improvement offers the definitionof accountability belowThis shared definition allowed the Task Force toi dentifyt he primary purposes of ana ccountability system and consider how these purposes could be achieved through a system thate mphasizes both performanceequityand improvement This definitionfo cuses on intrinsicmotivation the right drivers and reciprocal accountabilityac ross all levels of the system
Accountability is a shared responsibility to 1) Provide studentsw ith the learning experiencesa nd supportst hey need to achieve meaningful outcomesand 2) Effectively collaborate and share information amongte achers and classified staffschoolsstudentsparents and caregiversadministratorsdistrictscommunities county offices of education and the state to ensure thatever yp art of thes ystem has thecapacity tools and resources necessary to provide these learning experiences and support Implementing this two-pronged definitiono f accountability leads to increasing levels ofs upport for improvements at alllevels oft he system Our California Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon
bull Shared responsibility to support learning for every child bull Comprehensively measuring performance equity improvement and how well the system is
meeting its goalsincluding linking results to the tiered system of support and intervention19
bull Considering all the factors that affect performance and outcomes in order toi dentify share andpromote best and promising practices and change courseso f action thata re nota chieving our desired outcomes
bull Clearly communicating expectations and processes at all levels bull Reporting the results of selected measures to all partners in education and in the communityand bull Taking what we know and have learned from careful assessments and using thati nformation by
working together to channel support and resourcesto make improvements where they are needed
DEFINITIONS PERFORMANCE EQUITY WHOLE CHILD
Similarly to build commonund erstanding and support for the Task Forcersquos proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemthe task force recommendst he following definitions
Performanceth e extentto which schools districts and the state supports tudents to achieve meaningful outcomes ABl ueprint for Great Schools Version 20 recommendst hat meaningful learning should support the acquisition of the knowledge language lifelongl earnings kills and dispositions that students need to succeed the ability to apply complex knowledge to solve problems collaborate communicate inquire learn independently and build relationships and the capacity to be resilient and resourceful20
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the culturally appropriate and linguistically accessible supports and resources needed to take advantage of educational opportunities and succeed in school at the same level as other students
19 For more information see pages1 5-19 for proposed indicators and pages 22-23 for the tiered system ofs upport andintervention 20 Blueprint 20 PlanningT eam (2015)
Page 10 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Whole ChildAn approach to learning that ensures thatever yc hild is healthy safe engaged supported challenged and valued21
EQUITYPERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System should create a holisticp icture of how well the schoolsLEAsand the state are realizingC aliforniarsquos vision of success for all students To do this the Task Force recommends ab alanced set of academic and non-academic indicators that illustratestudent performance and equitablel earning conditionsand improvement in both (see Figure 1) The Task Force recognizes that it is important tou tilize a whole child approach and noti ncentivize the wrongdrivers Inc onsidering rates andt argets the Task Force advises an emphasis on continuous sustainable improvements rooted in the ongoing development ofp rofessional capital This balanceds et ofa cademic and non-academic indicators should be depicted in easy-to-read dashboard formats(se e p 30)
Performance Academic and non-academic achievement
Performance Improvement Rate of improvement of performance
Equity Improvement Rate of improvement of equity
Equity Gaps in opportunities (learning conditions) and performance across student groups
Figure 1
PERFORMANCE
The performancem easurei llustrates the state of student outcomesa t a point in time across ar ange of academic and non-academic areas22 It uses multiple indicators to depict the current level of performanceThe performance measure shows the extent to which a district or school is meeting outcomes for studentsat both an aggregated and disaggregated (byst udent group)le vel23
PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
The performance improvement or change measure denotes the level of improvement based on changesover time tot he indicators includedi n the performance measure It should be provided in aggregated anddisaggregated( by student group)f orms The Task Forcersquos proposed new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem places significant value on improvementThe value of improvement lies in both the importance of striving to increase studenta nd system outcomes and the opportunity thatimprovement provides for shared learning across the system The performance improvement measure servesmu ltiple purposes providing opportunitiest o
21 Adapted from ASCD See httpwwwascdorgwhole-childaspx 22 There are a number of possible approaches to achieve thisSome possible examples include am odel used in Alberta Canada while another might be a quadrant-based scatter plot such as the model developed by ChildrenN ow 23 Iti s criticalto consider indicators thatr eliably predictth e longer-term studento utcomes we seekfo r example indicators in theearlygr ades should predict graduation rates whilei ndicators in thes econdarygr ades should predict collegea nd careerpreparedness etc
Page 11 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
1 Highlight and recognize those districts and schools makingc oncerted and successful efforts toimprove
2 Identify districts and schools that need support to address challenges and needsand 3 Identify promising practices in aggregate or byst udent groupthat could be applied by other
LEAs ands chools across the system
EQUITY The equityme asure shedsl ight on disparitiesi n opportunitiesa nd outcomesa crossst udent groups Equity should be examined through indicators of equitablel earning conditions and byd isaggregatingp erformance measures by student groups Californiarsquos public education system is entrustedt op rovide high-quality educational opportunities for all of its students A robust accountability system identifiesb arriers that limit access toa r igorous and nurturinge ducational experience for all students especially those requiring special education foster youth homeless youth those from low-income families English learnersand vulnerable racial and ethnic groupsThe Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should help identify supportsne ededt o eradicate those barriers maintaina ndm easure progress towards clear goals and hold schools districts and educators accountable for closingac hievement gaps and advancinga r ange of culturally responsive and linguistically supportive opportunities toe nsure success in school and acquisition of the skills necessaryt ob e college careerand life ready
EQUITY IMPROVEMENT Similar tot he performance improvement or change measure equity improvement illustrates the level of improvement on equityin dicators This measure looks at the rate of improvementof equitable learning conditions thatc apture the level of equity in a school or districta nd the rate atw hich performance gaps across student groupsa re closingstaying the sameor growing Improving equity of access andopportunityan dc losingac hievement gaps are critical toi mprovingou tcomes for all students Additionallylooking at the rate ofi mprovement on equityi ndicators provides aw ayt oi dentifyan d act on promisingpractices for improving student equity
INDICATORS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
The Task Force recommends as eries of indicator sets for differentu ses and at different levels of the system These various sets of indicators should be depicted inv isually attractive and easy-to-use dashboards that will allowt he system to
bull Ensure that the state and system as a whole are continuously improving bull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvement acrosst he state with regard to
student learning and achievement bull Collect additional diagnostic information to support continuous improvement efforts and bull Provide LEAs with the flexibility to identify indicators of interest
LEVELSO FI NDICATORS
To build a system that fully supports and values performance equity andi mprovementCalifornia should utilize appropriate indicator sets for each level of accountability and continuous improvement 24
This work should build upon the state priorities articulated by the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)
24 ldquoAn indicator provides evidence that certain conditionse xist orce rtain resultsh ave or have not been achieved Indicatorse nabledecision-makers to assess progress towards the achievement of intended outputs outcomes goals and objectivesrdquo (HarvardFamilyR esearchP roject) Horsch K (1997) Indicators definition andu se in ar esults-based accountability system Retrieved onApril 14 2016 from httpwwwhfrporgpublications-resourcesbrowse-our-publicationsindicators-definition-and-use-in-a-results-based-accountability-system
Page 12 of 41
Table 1 Levels of Indicators Indicator Set Definition and Use State-Required These indicators should be used for both state and federal (ESSA)
purposes should be applicable and relevant statewide and should be utilized by California to gauge the success of federal and state-level accountability and continuous improvement supports for LEAs and schools
State-Reported These indicators should be vetted and reported by the state and available for use in the statersquos Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System for LEAs and schoolsThese indicators should complement the state-required indicator set by providing a moreholistic picture of performance equity and improvement
State-Supported Locally-Reported These indicators should provide additional diagnostic and evaluation information and should be available for voluntary local use that is
supported with tools provided by the state allowing schools and LEAs to evaluate learning opportunities more deeplyThey should be locally-reported and used for diagnostic and improvement purposes in the context of state and local accountability and continuous improvement systems
Locally Generated and Reported These indicators should be identified and vetted locally and used for additional information for LCAP design impl ementation and eval uation
State System These indicators should be identified by the state to use in evaluatingits work supporting the statewide system these indicators should be
used to drive the continuous improvement of the statersquos systems of support
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
and ongoingw ork tod evelop the LCFFe valuation rubrics The proposed indicators include locally determinedi ndicators includedi nLoc al Control andA ccountability Plans anda lsoi nclude state-determinedi ndicators that alignw ithE SSA requirements As summarized by Table 1 and Figure 2 below targeted indicator sets should be developed and provided for specific system levels and accountability and continuous improvement purposes
As illustrated by Figure 2these indicator sets form ac omprehensive package that focuses on supporting and drivingl ocal accountabilityan d continuous improvement They should be depicted and reported in easy-to-use dashboard formats
Page 13 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State System Indicators
Local Accountability
and Continuous
Improvement
State Required Indicators
State ReportedIndicators
LocallyGenerated
Indicators (LCAP)
State SupportedIndicators
State System Indicators
Figure 2Integrated Indicator Sets
Tables 2-6 provide possible specific indicators with associated comments for each indicator set describedabove Taken together these tables illustrate an integration path utilizing Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) evaluation rubrics as central drivers of one coherent and comprehensive system that incorporates the federal accountability requirements
STATE AND LOCAL INDICATORS FOR LEAS AND SCHOOLS
The tables below contain the proposed indicators for each level of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Each set of indicators including those that are state-required and state-reported includes both academic and whole child indicators that should be used to measure performance equity and improvement This balance of academic and non-academic indicators will provide a more holistic depiction of the extent to which all students are prepared for college career life and leadership in the 21st centuryIndicators in Table 2 are explicitly linked to ESSA Requirements while the indicators in Tables 3-5 are linked to desired outcomes
Page 14 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
Academic achievement as measured profi ciency on annua l assessments
by CASSP English languagearts and mathematics scores in grad es 3- 8 inclusiveplus grade 11
To be measured by scale scores reflecting both status and student growthover time Scale SBAC scores would be broken down into diff erent subjects(ie math and English) and reported by grade span (ie grades 3-5 6-8 11)
Hig h schoo l graduation rates 4-year Graduation rates plus an extended rate (5 - andor 6-year rate)
At high school including rates (wit h a t leas t equa l work with student s wit h
a 5-or 6-year graduation rate weight ) creat es incentives for challenges
as well as 4-yearschool s t o keep
Progress in ach ieving Englis h language proficiency as defined by the State within a State-determined timeline f or all English Learners
English Learner (EL ) progress on state English Proficiency Assessment
The State LCFF identifies pro ress toward English proficiency andreclassification ratesEL pro ress
ggg
using scale scores on an EL profici encymeasure i s bett er for trackin th e progress o f al l students ensuring
attention to the ful l range of EL student s and their needs ndash from th ose wh oare newcomers to th ose who are b ecoming an d h ave b ecome lsquoproficient rsquo
Progress of ELs could be measured by a composite or by multiple i ndicatorsfor Englis h Learner progress ie including long-time English learners
and or reclassification ratesThe Task Force recommends creating a new data marker of ldquoEnglishLearner re-designat edrdquo for reclassified ELs as a means of capturing a fullerpicture of student performance
For public elementary schools andsecondary schools that are not highschools in the Statemdash(I) a measure of student growth if determined appropriate by the State or (II) another valid and reliable statewide academicindicat or tha t all ows for meaningfu ldifferentiation in school performance
Growth measure27 The Task F orce encourages the SBE and model s f or inclusion in th e syst em This and growth across other indicators
CDE to should
research potential incl ude both SBAC
growthscores
25 Every Student Succeeds Act 201526 From LCFFSt ate Priorities augmentedt om eet federal requirements27 The task force is not putting forth a specific way to measure growth but recommends that that State Board ofE ducation continue to research growth measure methodologies
Page 15 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Whole Child Outcomes
No t less than one indicator o f schoo lquality or student success that allowsfor meaningful differentiation in school
performance is valid reliable comparable and statewide and mayinclud e measures of studen tengagement educat or engagementstudent access to and completion ofadvanced coursework postsecondaryreadi ness school climate and safety and any other indicator other Statechooses tha t meets the requirements ofthis clause
bull
bull
bull
bull
Suspensi ons expulsion rat es Statewide schoolclimate surveyChronicabsenteeism College amp careerreadiness indicat or
Suspension and expulsion data are currently available and chronicabsenteeism soon will be Both are local measures of student access andengagemen t that help predict school achievement and high schoolgraduation The Task Force recommend s that suspension expulsion ratesbe utilized in conjunction wit h and tied to authentic programmatic workthat builds positive school climate such as alternative discipline orrestorative justice approaches
A statewide school climate survey of students parents and teachers couldinclud e quest ions on course breadth and access parenta l involvementbasic services safety and social-emotional supports teaching andadministrati ve supports and access to appropriate counseling servicesnurses and school psy gcholo i sts
A non-test-based indicator of coll ege and career readi ness should measurethe extent to which students complete courses and ro ramsp g (c p om letion o fA- G hig qu yh- alit CTE qu se ences and i p )nternshi s that ppsu ort coll ge e andcareer readiness and the development o f 21st yCentur skills such as
28 collaboration communicati pon roblem-solvi gn and creativity This couldbe reviewed in conjunction with other academic indicators as a means forholistically measuri ng the skills and abilities students need to be college andcareer ready
28 The Task Force recognizes that there is not currently a state-adopted tool that measures 21st Century skills like collaboration communication problem solving and creativityThese are qualities that can be evaluated through performance assessments The Task Force recommends that the State Board of Education pilot and study performanceassessments that can measure these competencies as they relate to college and career readiness
Page 16 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 3 State-Reported Indicators Outcome Area Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
College career li fe readi ness indicat ors
and
bull
bull
bull bull
Students completing A-G approved CTE sequence or both Students meeting college standardon AP IB dual credit courseworkPhysical fitness Science assessment resultsonce each in grad es 3-5 6- 8 10-12 for a tota l of three times
If completion o f A- G approved CTE sequences or AB IB dual credi tcoursewor k are not included in t he state required college and career readiness indicator they could be included here
Physical fitness data are already collected by the state
As science assessments develop they could be considered by the SBE in future as a potential add ition t o the require d indicators
the
Whole Child Outcomes
StudentTeacherand ParentCaregiver
Engagement
bull
bull
Attendance
Student teacher andparentcaregiver surveysmeasuring schoo l climat e
for
If attendance and school climate surveys are not in included n the state-required set o f indicat ors they could be included here
School climate surveys could include a core set of questions used across thestate with additional locally determined questions for local use TheCaliforni a Healthy Kids Survey i s an available tool for measuring school climateand measures el ements such as access to resources and programsfeelings of safety and interaction wit h caring adults
Equitable Learning Conditions
Opportunities t o learn
bull
bull bull bull
Teacher and administrator qualificationsSchool facilities qualityAccess to curriculum material s Access to full curriculum
These are required under the Williams Case andor LCAP
Page 17 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 4 State-Supported Locally-Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
As part of i ts eff ort to support l ocal continuous improvement efforts the state could develop and calibrate a library of tools and measures for voluntary use by bull Locally selected developmentally
State provid es tool s LEAs and schools Several of these may be available at t he time of system launchculturally and linguistically30 for sch ools or (launch library) while oth ers wil l requi re further time and resource investmentappropriate observational
31districts to choose (developmental library) kindergarten readiness and use at thei r s29 assessment CA has access to the Innovation Lab Network Performance Assessment Resource optionpotentially bull Classroom embedded authentic Bank that provides performance assessment tasks rubrics scoring protocols andin collaborat ion perf ormance assessments student work linked to CCSS and NGSS standards These can be made available towit h oth er part ners bull Social-emotional learning schools possibly as par t of the SBAC Digita l Libraryand networks indicat ors stAssessments of social-emotional learning might also be used to measure 21
bull Parent Engagement Century skill s such as collaborati on communication problem-solvingandcreativity and should be further studied by the SBE
Table 5 Locally Designed and Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Locally determined indicat ors
bull
bull
Other LCAP indicators es32 local prioriti
Oth er locally designed
for state and
indicators
Districts are not expected to all ocate resources equally to indicat ors bu t t o selec t strat egic goal s an d mak e resource associate d with those
each of the allocat ions
LCAP
29 These are individually administered and open-ended Theys hould beu sed as information for teachers and schools to ensuret heir youngest students arer eceiving the culturallylinguistically andde velopmentallyap propriate supports theyn eed Multiple validatedk indergarten readiness support tools exist andm ay in the short-term be suitable forinclusion in the tool libraryA ppendix A provides a series of recommendations andco nsiderationsr egarding early learning in the Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystemincluding as et of questions pertaining to the use of Kindergarten Readiness Assessments30 The ldquolaunch libraryrdquo could include school climate surveys fors tudents parents and caregiversand teachers (egCalifornia Healthy Kids Survey)tools for measuring implementation ofthe California Standards(C CSS NGSS etc)i ncluding instructional materials practices training etc and toolsfo r measuring indicators ofa rich fullc urriculum thatm ighti nclude art music PE science social studies31 The ldquodevelopment libraryrdquo could include KindergartenR eadiness support tools (Early educationK-12al ignment) Early literacy assessment tools High school graduation systems( Digital portfolio capstone project community service assessment) andSoc ial-Emotional Learning tools32 Californiarsquos emergingac countabilityf rameworki s groundedw ithin ab roader system of continuous improvement andsu pport forL EAsa nd schools By analyzing performance andp erformance improvement on multiple indicators andp resenting thati nformation in user-friendly formats the LCFF evaluation rubrics willa ssist LEAs and schools in self-identifying their strengths and weaknesses where support isn eededa nd who is able to provide it
Page 18 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
STATE SYSTEM INDICATORS
Table 6 Proposed State System Indicators
State Priority Key Indicator Performance Equity Improvement
Success for students withhigher needs in the stateas a whole on each of theSuccess for state as a Annual state gains rate of gap closurestate-required and state-Pupi l Achievement Aggregated Schoo l and whole on th e state-reported indicat ors Rate o f gai ns for students wit h high erand Engagement Distric t Indicators required and state-
needs reported indicat ors
Perf andoppor
ormancetunity gap closure
Awards for schools and Annual state gainsrate of gap closureNumber of schools
Pupi l Achievement LEAs serving high Rate o f gai ns ( number receiving awards)Californi a Awards applying forreceivingand Engagement numbers of higher-needs for sch ools serving high numb ers ofawards
students higher-needs students
Promulgation o fexemplars andomisingbestpr
practices and brokering Effecti veness of supportsof these and other to schools and districtsresources including especially those serving
Support for LCAP Support Systems Growth in service and capacity (360ordmtechnical assistance to high numb ers of st udentsDevelopmen t and Indicators (CDE CCEE revi ews)
districts wit h higher needsImplementation COEs)
Effecti veness of supports to schools and districts Equity and adequacy ofespecially those serving resource distributionhigh numb ers ofstudents wit h high erneeds
Page 19 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 20 of 41
WhiletheindicatorsandtoolsproposedbytheTaskForceformeasuringperformanceequityand
improvementatalllevelsofthesystemarenotperfectwehopetoidentifywhatindicatorsandtoolsare
workingovertimeanddevelopandrefinethesetoolsandmeasuressothattheymoreaccuratelyreflectthe
performanceequityandimprovementofthesystemAdditionallytheTaskForcerecommendsthatthe
stateengageinongoingformalevaluationworktomeasuretheefficacyofsupportsidentifybestand
promisingpracticesandinformcontinuousimprovementofthesystemTheonlywaytoensurethat
schoolsanddistrictsarecontinuouslyimprovingistoestablishacontinuousimprovementframeforthe
systemitselfwemustcommittoreflectiveandongoingassessmentofhowwellthesystemisworkingand
tomakingcoursecorrectionsandupdatesasneededtobetterserveCaliforniarsquosstudentsandstakeholders
4 CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTCaliforniarecognizesthattheaccountability
frameworkdescribedaboveisonlyhelpfulto
theextentthatitisintegrallytiedtoasystem
ofcontinuousimprovementandsupport
alignedwiththeCaliforniaWayandtheldquoright
driversrdquodescribedinSection233Continuous
improvementisthekeytoensuringthat
Californiarsquoseducationsystemrealizesitsvision
forallstudents34
DEFINITIONOFCONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
TheTaskForceoffersthefollowingdefinition
ofcontinuousimprovement
ContinuousImprovementAcontinuouslyimprovingeducationsystemisonethatlearns
fromexperiencebycarefullymeasuringthe
effectivenessofdifferentpoliciesandpracticessupportingtheintrinsicmotivationofeducatorsand
stakeholderssharingbestandpromisingpracticescultivatingacultureofreflectionandlearning
encouraginginnovationandmakingchangesbasedonlearning35
BUILDINGTHECONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSUPPORTSYSTEM
Bylookingatmeasuresofperformanceequityandimprovementillustratedthrougheasy-to-usepublic
dashboardsLEAswillbeabletoself-identifytheirstrengthsandweaknesseswheresupportisneeded
andwhoisabletoprovideit36Thiswillallowforthedevelopmentofasystemofdifferentiated
improvementsupportsthatrecognizessuccessandsharesbestandpromisingpracticesamongallLEAsin
thestateTheSuperintendentofPublicInstruction(SSPI)CaliforniaofEducation(CDE)theCalifornia
CollaborativeforEducationalExcellence(CCEE)andcountysuperintendentsshouldalsousethese
measurestoidentifyandreferLEAsandschoolsforfocusedandintensiveimprovementsupportas
33Blueprint20PlanningTeam(2015)
34Continuousimprovementlikereciprocalaccountabilityissomethingthateachlevelofthesystemisresponsiblefor
35AdaptedfromLoebSandPlankD(2008)LearningWhatWorksContinuousImprovementinCaliforniarsquosEducationSystemPolicyBrief08-4RetrievedonMarch162016fromhttpcepastanfordedusitesdefaultfilesLearning20Briefpdf
36Forexampleselectingoneindicatorinthedashboardmightleadtoapagewithmoredetailthatcouldincludeavarietyof
resourcesforimprovement(informationalresourcesbestpracticesinformationonhowtoself-refertoCCEEalistofTA
providersandoralistoflocaldistrictsorschoolsthathaveachievedsignificantimprovementinthatindicator)
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
described The Task Force recognizes thats ignificantc apacity building mustta ke place ata ll levelsof the system and especiallyf or countyof fices of education in order to take on the provision of tieredsu port summarized below To be effective work at the county office level should include teacherre
Just as modern health systems em hasize well-being and preventiono f illness inC aliforniarsquosAccountability and Continuous Im
utilized Table 7 below describes the proposed levels of support for schools and districts
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
below37
p
presentatives
THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT ALL FOCUSED INTENSIVE
p
provement System the overarching priority should be given tosupporting improvement for allacross multiple dimensions and through an ecosystem of supportIn thoseinstances when general support efforts do not yield results focused and intensive supports should be
38
Table 7 Tiered Support System Tier Type of Support
Improvement
Shared LearningLEAs
and for All
The indicat ors should help recognize successidentify the strengths of LEAs andschools and therefore should serve as a means to identify (and self-identify )whic h LEAs and schools are well-positioned to share their successful practiceswit h others throug h formal and informal improvemen t effort s across school s and
39 LEAs The SSPICDE CCEE and county offices of education should also developtools and supports that will be available to all LEAs and schools (LCAP planningsupports vetted best practi ces etc)
Focused Im rovement
Supp
p
ort
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboardindicat ors to identify schools and LEAs in need of focuse d intervention and th e
areas in which improvemen t support s are needed
of
IntensiveImprovement Support
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboard ofdicat ors to identify LEAs and schools that need more comprehensive andin
int ensive support s to make major improvements in performance andor growthResults on selected measures should not only help to identify where intensivesupports are needed but what other similar LEAs might be best positioned toprovide them
37 Differentiated levels of support could be used across LEAs and schools based on need similar to the ldquoResponse To Interventionrdquomodel which provides varying levels and intensities of support and intervention based on student needs
38 Table 7 describes the tiers and types of supportinterventiona vailable from state-levele ntities The Task Force recognizes thecritical rolest hat will be played by multiple kindso f stakeholdersi n the full ecosystem of support including researchers nonprofitorganizations institutions of higher education philanthropy coalitions etc39 Examples of formal and informal improvement efforts include statewide and regional LCFFLCAP Conferences LCAP SupportTeamsCalifornia Labor Management Initiative events etc
Page 21 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
1 EXECUTIVESU MMARY
This report presents the work and recommendations of California Superintendent of Public InstructionTom Torlaksonrsquos Advisory Task Force on Accountability and Continuous Improvement1
The Task Force was convenedat ac ritical moment for public education in our state California hasst artedon ap athwayt owards the creation of ab etter system for our students one that rests on af oundation ofstudent success relieso n highs tandards more equitablyd istributes resources (through the Local ControlFundingFor mula)and trusts locale ducators and communities to design the educationals tructures andsupportst hat ourst udentsn eed to reach their fullp otential (through the Local Control and AccountabilityPlans)This emerging ldquoCalifornia Wayrdquo builds on ac ollaborative approach to positive education change
The Task Forcersquos work was guidedb yt he CaliforniaD epartment of Educationrsquos strategic plan ABl ueprint for Great Schools Version 20 which lays out the mission guiding principles and right drivers that shapedthe direction of the accountability and continuous improvement system proposed here2 3 Simultaneous to the work of the Task Force Californiarsquos State Board of Education has been engaged in development of LocalControl Funding Formula evaluation rubrics4 California now has the opportunity tode velop a system ofaccountabilityan d continuous improvement that aligns with and extends the provisions outlined in thefederalE very Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to support a world-class education for everys tudent in theGolden State
Building on this great potential for alignment and positive changethe task forcersquosre commendationsc an be summarized in three words performance equity and improvement
Our new system should build uponst udentsrsquo and educatorsrsquo own intrinsic motivation and proventechniques of management andor ganizational development that clearlyde fine success support itsrealization and provideh igh-profile recognitionwh en success occurs California is committedt ou tilizingmultiple measures to highlight our performance in relation to the full spectrum of outcomes we care about for our students and schoolsThe Task Force strongly recommends that these be presented in an easy-to-use dashboard format They should range from a positive school climate in which students report feelingengaged and respected to mastery of the statersquos robust academic content standards
We are equally committed to supporting and cultivating a system-wide culture of continuous improvement in order to advance and achieve these outcomes thatr elies on multiple measures top rovidethe information necessary to engage in improvement efforts This culture of continuous improvement mustinfuse all parts oft he system including continuous improvement for the system itself throughevaluativeme chanisms that allow us to learn froml ocal experience and revisit the indicators toolsandsystemso f support we use toe nsure theyar e workingas intended To this point the Task Force proposesongoinge valuation of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and making coursecorrections and updates as needed to better serve Californiarsquos students ands takeholders The recommendationsp resented in thisre port should not be considered an end point but rathera beginningpoint for continuous improvement
Finallyboth improvement and performance must have ad eliberate focus on supporting equity of access opportunityand outcomes for allo fC aliforniarsquos diverse students Historically in California andth e nation
1 The Accountability and Continuous Improvement TaskF orce was co-chaired by EricH eins California TeachersA ssociation andWes Smith Association of California School Administrators SeeA ppendixC f or af ull membership roster 2 CaliforniaD epartment of Education Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) ABl ueprint for Great Schools Version 20 Retrieved on December 20 2015 from httpwwwcdecagoveoinbpdocumentsyr15bp0720pdf 3 Fullan M (2011) Choosing the Wrong Drivers for Whole System Reform Centre for Strategic Education Retrieved on December 18 2015 from httpwwwmichaelfullancamedia13501655630pdf 4 Seet heSt ateB oardof Education websitef or extensivedoc umentation on this processhttpwwwcdecagovbeagagindexaspSee also page 24 of this report
Page 3 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
the public education system has not equitably supported all student groups it is our duty to make thehistoric shifts to build a system that recognizes our past shortcomings shines light on areas where morework is needed to rectify the achievementequity gapand provides support and recognition forimprovement
The Task Forcersquos proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should rely on a holisticpicture of how schools and Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) are doing in regard to both performance andequity The statersquos system should simultaneously look at the ways in which performance and equity areimproving in order to fully realize the outcomes that we seek
Performance Equity Improvement
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System
Performance Improvement Equity
The following pages of the Executive Summary provide a graphic overview of the key features of theproposed systemrsquos implementation and integration of the performance equity and improvement themes
Page 4 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
ThisgraphicpresentsthecorefeaturesoftheproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemThefullreportuses
thisasaroadmapwitheachcomponenthighlightedseparatelytoexplaineachfeatureofthesystem-thefollowingpageprovidesa
summarydescriptionofeachfeature
Page 5 of 41
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions Indicators demonstrating that schools and districts provide the supports and resources that will allow students to
take advantage of educational opportunities and succeed in school
School and District Whole Child Outcomes Indicators demonstrating the
extent to which all children are healthy safe engaged
supported challenged and valued
DisaggregatedAggregated
School and District Academic Outcomes Indicators demonstrating the
extent to which students achieve meaningful learning outcomes including the acquisition
of the knowledge language and lifelong learning skills needed to succeed in todayrsquos
world as outlined by the California standards
DisaggregatedAggregated
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
dagger dagger
dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
ROLES
Cycle of Continuous
Improvem
ent
Cycle of Continuous
Improvem
ent
THEPROPOSEDNEWACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSYSTEMAGRAPHIC
REPRESENTATION
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 6 of 41
SUMMARYDESCRIPTIONSCOMPONENTSOFTHENEWACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSYSTEM
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding PrinciplesCaliforniarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
COE
s
CCEE
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
dagger dagger
dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
ROLES
Cycle of Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous
Improvement
School and District IndicatorsCalifornia seeks to develop a system that incorporates multiple measures to present a holistic picture of performance equity and improvement for schools LEAs and the state The new system rooted in and part of LCFF and LCAP will examine schooldistrict learning conditions to understand if the system is providing equitable resources and opportunities for all students It will also examine academic and non-academic outcome indicators to understand student performance and it will disaggregate these indicators by student groups as a measure of equity The new system will examine the rate of improvement across these indicators as a means of highlighting and building on successful practices and identifying where additional improvement support is needed
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
California recognizes that its accountability framework is only helpful to the extent that it is integrally tied to a system of continuous improvement and support By looking at measures of performance equity and improvement with regard to both whole child and academic indicators schools and districts will be able to self-identify their strengths areas where support is needed and where support is available within the greater ecosystem of peer learning This will allow for a system of differentiated improvement supports at three levels that recognizes success and shares promising and successful practices between LEAs throughout the state
RolesCaliforniarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must include clearly defined roles for federal state and local stakeholders Each level of the system should be held responsible for the contributions it must make to support learning and development for every child
Policy Makers Policy makers at the state and federal level should establish policies and standards that support continuous improvement set clear expectations for outcomes and improvement provide adequate resources support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and foster innovation
Stakeholders and Communities One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders From advocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropy parent groups community voices business organizations early learning and care and beyond this coalition of supportive stakeholders will be instrumental in the successful communication about transition to and implementation of this new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System
The CDE CCEE and COEs The State Superintendent of Public InstructionCDE the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) and county superintendentsoffices of education (COEs)mdashmust work collaboratively to provide coordinated support for school accountability and continuous improvement Additionally the State Superintendent must take action if a school or district is unable to improve over time
Schools and Districts Schools and districts are at the center of Californiarsquos system They must engage students parents and caregivers educators and other stakeholders in school and district-level planning and support to ensure that all students are provided with meaningful opportunities to learn and contribute They must implement instructional improvement strategies and marshal the financial and professional capital required to implement these strategies and improve student outcomes
FoundationAs a state we seek to realize our vision to provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthood and prepare students to live work and thrive in a multicultural multilingual and highly connected world We pursue rigorous learning and achievement in every classroom and every school
We will embrace the California Way which rests on the belief that educators want to excel trusts them to improve when given the proper supports and provides local schools and districts with the leeway and flexibility to deploy resources so they can improve
To do this Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System willbull Demonstrate a commitment to equitybull Emphasize the importance of educating the whole childbull Focus on building collaboration engagement and professional capitalbull Recognize that improvement and learning are continuousbull Value the knowledge and expertise of educators and communitiesbull Rely on reciprocity and subsidiaritybull Embrace students parents and families as critical stakeholdersbull Identify and recognize districts schools and classr ooms that can serve as models and those that need support The proposed system builds on State Board of Education guiding principles
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Cycleof Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District
dagger
Academic Outcomes
Aggregated dagger Disaggregated Aggregated dagger Disaggregated
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
2 FOUNDATION
The proposed Accountability and ContinuousImprovementS ystem restso n a foundation ofa common vision guidingp rinciples and a shared commitment to the ldquoCalifornia Wayrdquo The Task Force believes this foundation and the more detailed recommendationsth at follow are aligned with and in some cases anextension of the work being undertaken by the CaliforniaSt ate Board of Education (SBE) involving the development ofL CFF EvaluationRubricsThis foundation will also supportplanning workto be undertakenf or the ESSAstate plan
VISION
In the same way thata classroom teacher startse ach school yearw ith a vision of what successw ill look like forh isherst udents we began ourd esign processb y working on a shared vision Asa state we seek to provide a world-class education fora ll students from earlych ildhood to adulthood and prepare students toli vew orka nd thrive in am ulticulturalm ultilinguala nd highly connected world5 The statersquosA ccountability and Continuous Improvement System should help provide local educators and communities with the information and tools they need to engage in a processo f continuousi mprovement where collaborative planning implementation and analysis leads toon going adjustments tos uccessfullyaddress the diverse needs of all students Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should
bull Demonstrate a commitment to equity by ensuring that all student groups are visible in accountabilityan d improvement efforts and settinggoal s for closinggap s The system should provide clarity ong aps ina chievement opportunity and access betweenst udent groups andprovide tools to eliminate these gaps 6
bull Emphasize the importance of educating the whole child by using indicators from multiple domains The system should include holistic and developmentally appropriate metrics to monitor progress towards preparing all students for college career life and leadershipi nt he 21st century
bull Focus on building collaboration engagement and professional capital to ensure that educators have supports they need to improve student learning
bull Recognize that improvement andl earning are continuous and emphasize feedback loops with a focus on continuous improvement and quality throughout every levelo ft he system
bull Value the knowledge and expertise of educators and communities by relying on accountability and improvement plans that are locally driven and state supported
bull Rely on subsidiarity and reciprocal accountabilityholding every level of the system responsible for the contributions it must make to support learning for every child7
5 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 6 The term ldquostudent grouprdquo refers to the student subgroups that are included inL ocal Control and Accountability Plans includingsocioeconomically disadvantaged students English learners studentsw ith disabilities andfo ster youthdisaggregated by race and ethnicity7 According to the Oxford English Dictionary ldquosubsidiarityrdquo represents the idea that a central authority should have a subsidiaryfunction performing only those tasks that cannot be performed effectively at a more immediate or localle vel
Page 7 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Embrace students parents and families as critical stakeholders in the accountability system bull Identify and recognize districts schools and classrooms that can serve as models for those
thatn eed supportto create an environment where we can learn from each other collaborate and improve together
GUIDINGPRINCIPLES
The shared visiono utlined above provides afo undation for developing the proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement System while the following guiding principles from the SBE offer af ramework for making decisions about the system8
1 Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts schools and county offices of educationPromote a broad understanding of the specific goals that need to be met at each level of the educational system 9
2 Foster equityCreate support structuresincluding technical assistance for districts and schoolsto promote success for all students regardless of background primary language or socioeconomic status
3 Provide useful informationt hat helps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of education and policymakers makei mportant decisionsAssist and engage parentseducators and policymakers through regular communicationa nd transparent timely reporting of data so they can take action appropriate to their roles
4 Build capacity and increase support for districts schools and county offices Seek tob uild capacity at all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningp ractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
5 Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measuresfor state and local priorities Focus on ongoing improvement of student outcomes including college- and career-readiness using multiple measures that reflect both status and growth
6 Promote system-wide integration and innovation Purposely ande ffectively integrate each accountabilitys ystem component includinggr oups and technologies creatinga c oherent effective and efficient support structure for districts charter schools and county offices of education10
The Task Force developed the following additional guiding principles 7 Align to the extentp ossible local state and federal accountabilityan d continuous improvement
systemst o create one single integrateds ystem for use by schoolsdi stricts county offices of education and the State of CaliforniaLead with Californiarsquos commitment to subsidiarity and the strengthening of local assets and capacities11 and
8 Encourage labor-management collaboration in districts schools and county offices of education asan underlyingf oundationf or effective implementationo f the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System12
THECALIFORNIAWAY USINGTHERIGHTDRIVERSTOGUIDEIMPROVEMENT
ldquoThe California Way rests ont he belief that educators want to excel trusts them to improve when givent he proper supports and provides local schools and districts witht he leeway and flexibility to deploy resources sot hey can improve The CaliforniaW ay engages students parents and communities as part of ac ollaborative decision-making process about how to fund and implement these
8 SeeA ppendixB for the complete State Board of Educationrsquos Guiding Principles for Accountability System Planning 9 Throughout this document the term ldquoschoolsrdquo is used to refer to all public schools in California including charter schools 10 See httpwwwcdecagovbepnnryr15sberel01asp 11 SeeSec tion 5 for recommendations for alignment ofa ccountability and continuous improvement plans 12 Information on the California Labor-Management Initiativec an bef ounda t wwwcdefoundationorglmi
Page 8 of 41
lued (School and District Whole Child Outcomes)
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
improvement efforts and provides supplemental resources to ensure that Californiarsquos English learners foster youth and students inp overty have the learnings upports they needrdquo13
As notede ducationr esearcher anda dvisor Michael Fullan explains ldquoThe key to system-wide success is tosituate the energy of educatorsa nd studentsa st he central driving force Thism eansa ligningt he goals of reform and the intrinsic motivation of participantsrdquo14 In order to create an effective and sustainable system of accountability and continuous improvement thatb uilds on the collaborative approachde scribedb ybo th Fullan andth e California Wayactors at all levels of the proposed system must focus on the ldquorightd riversrdquowhich ldquofoster motivation of teachers and students engage educators and students in continuousimprovement improve team work and affect all teachers and studentsrdquo15 The right drivers identified in A Blueprint for Great Schools Version 20 include
bull Investing in and building educator professional capital bull Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations bull Supporting effective pedagogy bull Developing systemicso lutions to create a coherent and positive education system16
Moving away from a compliance-driven system towards a system that emphasizes the right drivers will require a significant cultural shift in how many education stakeholders define accountability17 Together with the guiding principles these right drivers serve as a litmus test for future accountability and continuous improvement policies and practices
3 ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK
Building upon the foundation describeda bovethe proposedAc countability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem relieso n a set of multiple measures to examinep erformance equity and improvement These should be presentedthrough user-friendly dashboards18 Examining these multiple measures will
bull Demonstrate the extentto which schoolsa nd districts provide thesupportsa nd resourcest hat will allow studentst o take advantage ofeducational opportunities and succeed in school (Equitable LearningConditions)
bull Highlight whole child development by examining indicators thats how the extent to which all children areh ealthy safe engaged supported challenged and va
13 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 14 Fullan M (2011) 15 Ibid 16 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 17 Appendix A highlights the ways inw hicht hese drivers couldb e appliedac ross the K-12and E arly LearningSy stem tos upportarticulation andal ignment 18 The dashboard approach will allow the presentationo f multiple kinds of data and assessments to support multiple ways ofmonitoring and improving just as adr iver uses many different gauges windows andm irrors
Page 9 of 41
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Cycleof Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District
dagger
Academic Outcomes
Aggregated dagger Disaggregated Aggregated dagger Disaggregated
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Illustrate the extentto which students achieve meaningful learningou tcomes includingt he acquisition of the knowledge language and lifelongl earnings kills needed tos ucceed (School and District AcademicO utcomes)
bull Reveal disparities by disaggregating student outcomes by student groups and examining learning conditions through the lens of equity
DEFINITION OF ACCOUNTABILITY
The Superintendentrsquos Advisory Task Force onA ccountability and Continuous Improvement offers the definitionof accountability belowThis shared definition allowed the Task Force toi dentifyt he primary purposes of ana ccountability system and consider how these purposes could be achieved through a system thate mphasizes both performanceequityand improvement This definitionfo cuses on intrinsicmotivation the right drivers and reciprocal accountabilityac ross all levels of the system
Accountability is a shared responsibility to 1) Provide studentsw ith the learning experiencesa nd supportst hey need to achieve meaningful outcomesand 2) Effectively collaborate and share information amongte achers and classified staffschoolsstudentsparents and caregiversadministratorsdistrictscommunities county offices of education and the state to ensure thatever yp art of thes ystem has thecapacity tools and resources necessary to provide these learning experiences and support Implementing this two-pronged definitiono f accountability leads to increasing levels ofs upport for improvements at alllevels oft he system Our California Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon
bull Shared responsibility to support learning for every child bull Comprehensively measuring performance equity improvement and how well the system is
meeting its goalsincluding linking results to the tiered system of support and intervention19
bull Considering all the factors that affect performance and outcomes in order toi dentify share andpromote best and promising practices and change courseso f action thata re nota chieving our desired outcomes
bull Clearly communicating expectations and processes at all levels bull Reporting the results of selected measures to all partners in education and in the communityand bull Taking what we know and have learned from careful assessments and using thati nformation by
working together to channel support and resourcesto make improvements where they are needed
DEFINITIONS PERFORMANCE EQUITY WHOLE CHILD
Similarly to build commonund erstanding and support for the Task Forcersquos proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemthe task force recommendst he following definitions
Performanceth e extentto which schools districts and the state supports tudents to achieve meaningful outcomes ABl ueprint for Great Schools Version 20 recommendst hat meaningful learning should support the acquisition of the knowledge language lifelongl earnings kills and dispositions that students need to succeed the ability to apply complex knowledge to solve problems collaborate communicate inquire learn independently and build relationships and the capacity to be resilient and resourceful20
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the culturally appropriate and linguistically accessible supports and resources needed to take advantage of educational opportunities and succeed in school at the same level as other students
19 For more information see pages1 5-19 for proposed indicators and pages 22-23 for the tiered system ofs upport andintervention 20 Blueprint 20 PlanningT eam (2015)
Page 10 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Whole ChildAn approach to learning that ensures thatever yc hild is healthy safe engaged supported challenged and valued21
EQUITYPERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System should create a holisticp icture of how well the schoolsLEAsand the state are realizingC aliforniarsquos vision of success for all students To do this the Task Force recommends ab alanced set of academic and non-academic indicators that illustratestudent performance and equitablel earning conditionsand improvement in both (see Figure 1) The Task Force recognizes that it is important tou tilize a whole child approach and noti ncentivize the wrongdrivers Inc onsidering rates andt argets the Task Force advises an emphasis on continuous sustainable improvements rooted in the ongoing development ofp rofessional capital This balanceds et ofa cademic and non-academic indicators should be depicted in easy-to-read dashboard formats(se e p 30)
Performance Academic and non-academic achievement
Performance Improvement Rate of improvement of performance
Equity Improvement Rate of improvement of equity
Equity Gaps in opportunities (learning conditions) and performance across student groups
Figure 1
PERFORMANCE
The performancem easurei llustrates the state of student outcomesa t a point in time across ar ange of academic and non-academic areas22 It uses multiple indicators to depict the current level of performanceThe performance measure shows the extent to which a district or school is meeting outcomes for studentsat both an aggregated and disaggregated (byst udent group)le vel23
PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
The performance improvement or change measure denotes the level of improvement based on changesover time tot he indicators includedi n the performance measure It should be provided in aggregated anddisaggregated( by student group)f orms The Task Forcersquos proposed new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem places significant value on improvementThe value of improvement lies in both the importance of striving to increase studenta nd system outcomes and the opportunity thatimprovement provides for shared learning across the system The performance improvement measure servesmu ltiple purposes providing opportunitiest o
21 Adapted from ASCD See httpwwwascdorgwhole-childaspx 22 There are a number of possible approaches to achieve thisSome possible examples include am odel used in Alberta Canada while another might be a quadrant-based scatter plot such as the model developed by ChildrenN ow 23 Iti s criticalto consider indicators thatr eliably predictth e longer-term studento utcomes we seekfo r example indicators in theearlygr ades should predict graduation rates whilei ndicators in thes econdarygr ades should predict collegea nd careerpreparedness etc
Page 11 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
1 Highlight and recognize those districts and schools makingc oncerted and successful efforts toimprove
2 Identify districts and schools that need support to address challenges and needsand 3 Identify promising practices in aggregate or byst udent groupthat could be applied by other
LEAs ands chools across the system
EQUITY The equityme asure shedsl ight on disparitiesi n opportunitiesa nd outcomesa crossst udent groups Equity should be examined through indicators of equitablel earning conditions and byd isaggregatingp erformance measures by student groups Californiarsquos public education system is entrustedt op rovide high-quality educational opportunities for all of its students A robust accountability system identifiesb arriers that limit access toa r igorous and nurturinge ducational experience for all students especially those requiring special education foster youth homeless youth those from low-income families English learnersand vulnerable racial and ethnic groupsThe Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should help identify supportsne ededt o eradicate those barriers maintaina ndm easure progress towards clear goals and hold schools districts and educators accountable for closingac hievement gaps and advancinga r ange of culturally responsive and linguistically supportive opportunities toe nsure success in school and acquisition of the skills necessaryt ob e college careerand life ready
EQUITY IMPROVEMENT Similar tot he performance improvement or change measure equity improvement illustrates the level of improvement on equityin dicators This measure looks at the rate of improvementof equitable learning conditions thatc apture the level of equity in a school or districta nd the rate atw hich performance gaps across student groupsa re closingstaying the sameor growing Improving equity of access andopportunityan dc losingac hievement gaps are critical toi mprovingou tcomes for all students Additionallylooking at the rate ofi mprovement on equityi ndicators provides aw ayt oi dentifyan d act on promisingpractices for improving student equity
INDICATORS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
The Task Force recommends as eries of indicator sets for differentu ses and at different levels of the system These various sets of indicators should be depicted inv isually attractive and easy-to-use dashboards that will allowt he system to
bull Ensure that the state and system as a whole are continuously improving bull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvement acrosst he state with regard to
student learning and achievement bull Collect additional diagnostic information to support continuous improvement efforts and bull Provide LEAs with the flexibility to identify indicators of interest
LEVELSO FI NDICATORS
To build a system that fully supports and values performance equity andi mprovementCalifornia should utilize appropriate indicator sets for each level of accountability and continuous improvement 24
This work should build upon the state priorities articulated by the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)
24 ldquoAn indicator provides evidence that certain conditionse xist orce rtain resultsh ave or have not been achieved Indicatorse nabledecision-makers to assess progress towards the achievement of intended outputs outcomes goals and objectivesrdquo (HarvardFamilyR esearchP roject) Horsch K (1997) Indicators definition andu se in ar esults-based accountability system Retrieved onApril 14 2016 from httpwwwhfrporgpublications-resourcesbrowse-our-publicationsindicators-definition-and-use-in-a-results-based-accountability-system
Page 12 of 41
Table 1 Levels of Indicators Indicator Set Definition and Use State-Required These indicators should be used for both state and federal (ESSA)
purposes should be applicable and relevant statewide and should be utilized by California to gauge the success of federal and state-level accountability and continuous improvement supports for LEAs and schools
State-Reported These indicators should be vetted and reported by the state and available for use in the statersquos Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System for LEAs and schoolsThese indicators should complement the state-required indicator set by providing a moreholistic picture of performance equity and improvement
State-Supported Locally-Reported These indicators should provide additional diagnostic and evaluation information and should be available for voluntary local use that is
supported with tools provided by the state allowing schools and LEAs to evaluate learning opportunities more deeplyThey should be locally-reported and used for diagnostic and improvement purposes in the context of state and local accountability and continuous improvement systems
Locally Generated and Reported These indicators should be identified and vetted locally and used for additional information for LCAP design impl ementation and eval uation
State System These indicators should be identified by the state to use in evaluatingits work supporting the statewide system these indicators should be
used to drive the continuous improvement of the statersquos systems of support
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
and ongoingw ork tod evelop the LCFFe valuation rubrics The proposed indicators include locally determinedi ndicators includedi nLoc al Control andA ccountability Plans anda lsoi nclude state-determinedi ndicators that alignw ithE SSA requirements As summarized by Table 1 and Figure 2 below targeted indicator sets should be developed and provided for specific system levels and accountability and continuous improvement purposes
As illustrated by Figure 2these indicator sets form ac omprehensive package that focuses on supporting and drivingl ocal accountabilityan d continuous improvement They should be depicted and reported in easy-to-use dashboard formats
Page 13 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State System Indicators
Local Accountability
and Continuous
Improvement
State Required Indicators
State ReportedIndicators
LocallyGenerated
Indicators (LCAP)
State SupportedIndicators
State System Indicators
Figure 2Integrated Indicator Sets
Tables 2-6 provide possible specific indicators with associated comments for each indicator set describedabove Taken together these tables illustrate an integration path utilizing Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) evaluation rubrics as central drivers of one coherent and comprehensive system that incorporates the federal accountability requirements
STATE AND LOCAL INDICATORS FOR LEAS AND SCHOOLS
The tables below contain the proposed indicators for each level of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Each set of indicators including those that are state-required and state-reported includes both academic and whole child indicators that should be used to measure performance equity and improvement This balance of academic and non-academic indicators will provide a more holistic depiction of the extent to which all students are prepared for college career life and leadership in the 21st centuryIndicators in Table 2 are explicitly linked to ESSA Requirements while the indicators in Tables 3-5 are linked to desired outcomes
Page 14 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
Academic achievement as measured profi ciency on annua l assessments
by CASSP English languagearts and mathematics scores in grad es 3- 8 inclusiveplus grade 11
To be measured by scale scores reflecting both status and student growthover time Scale SBAC scores would be broken down into diff erent subjects(ie math and English) and reported by grade span (ie grades 3-5 6-8 11)
Hig h schoo l graduation rates 4-year Graduation rates plus an extended rate (5 - andor 6-year rate)
At high school including rates (wit h a t leas t equa l work with student s wit h
a 5-or 6-year graduation rate weight ) creat es incentives for challenges
as well as 4-yearschool s t o keep
Progress in ach ieving Englis h language proficiency as defined by the State within a State-determined timeline f or all English Learners
English Learner (EL ) progress on state English Proficiency Assessment
The State LCFF identifies pro ress toward English proficiency andreclassification ratesEL pro ress
ggg
using scale scores on an EL profici encymeasure i s bett er for trackin th e progress o f al l students ensuring
attention to the ful l range of EL student s and their needs ndash from th ose wh oare newcomers to th ose who are b ecoming an d h ave b ecome lsquoproficient rsquo
Progress of ELs could be measured by a composite or by multiple i ndicatorsfor Englis h Learner progress ie including long-time English learners
and or reclassification ratesThe Task Force recommends creating a new data marker of ldquoEnglishLearner re-designat edrdquo for reclassified ELs as a means of capturing a fullerpicture of student performance
For public elementary schools andsecondary schools that are not highschools in the Statemdash(I) a measure of student growth if determined appropriate by the State or (II) another valid and reliable statewide academicindicat or tha t all ows for meaningfu ldifferentiation in school performance
Growth measure27 The Task F orce encourages the SBE and model s f or inclusion in th e syst em This and growth across other indicators
CDE to should
research potential incl ude both SBAC
growthscores
25 Every Student Succeeds Act 201526 From LCFFSt ate Priorities augmentedt om eet federal requirements27 The task force is not putting forth a specific way to measure growth but recommends that that State Board ofE ducation continue to research growth measure methodologies
Page 15 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Whole Child Outcomes
No t less than one indicator o f schoo lquality or student success that allowsfor meaningful differentiation in school
performance is valid reliable comparable and statewide and mayinclud e measures of studen tengagement educat or engagementstudent access to and completion ofadvanced coursework postsecondaryreadi ness school climate and safety and any other indicator other Statechooses tha t meets the requirements ofthis clause
bull
bull
bull
bull
Suspensi ons expulsion rat es Statewide schoolclimate surveyChronicabsenteeism College amp careerreadiness indicat or
Suspension and expulsion data are currently available and chronicabsenteeism soon will be Both are local measures of student access andengagemen t that help predict school achievement and high schoolgraduation The Task Force recommend s that suspension expulsion ratesbe utilized in conjunction wit h and tied to authentic programmatic workthat builds positive school climate such as alternative discipline orrestorative justice approaches
A statewide school climate survey of students parents and teachers couldinclud e quest ions on course breadth and access parenta l involvementbasic services safety and social-emotional supports teaching andadministrati ve supports and access to appropriate counseling servicesnurses and school psy gcholo i sts
A non-test-based indicator of coll ege and career readi ness should measurethe extent to which students complete courses and ro ramsp g (c p om letion o fA- G hig qu yh- alit CTE qu se ences and i p )nternshi s that ppsu ort coll ge e andcareer readiness and the development o f 21st yCentur skills such as
28 collaboration communicati pon roblem-solvi gn and creativity This couldbe reviewed in conjunction with other academic indicators as a means forholistically measuri ng the skills and abilities students need to be college andcareer ready
28 The Task Force recognizes that there is not currently a state-adopted tool that measures 21st Century skills like collaboration communication problem solving and creativityThese are qualities that can be evaluated through performance assessments The Task Force recommends that the State Board of Education pilot and study performanceassessments that can measure these competencies as they relate to college and career readiness
Page 16 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 3 State-Reported Indicators Outcome Area Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
College career li fe readi ness indicat ors
and
bull
bull
bull bull
Students completing A-G approved CTE sequence or both Students meeting college standardon AP IB dual credit courseworkPhysical fitness Science assessment resultsonce each in grad es 3-5 6- 8 10-12 for a tota l of three times
If completion o f A- G approved CTE sequences or AB IB dual credi tcoursewor k are not included in t he state required college and career readiness indicator they could be included here
Physical fitness data are already collected by the state
As science assessments develop they could be considered by the SBE in future as a potential add ition t o the require d indicators
the
Whole Child Outcomes
StudentTeacherand ParentCaregiver
Engagement
bull
bull
Attendance
Student teacher andparentcaregiver surveysmeasuring schoo l climat e
for
If attendance and school climate surveys are not in included n the state-required set o f indicat ors they could be included here
School climate surveys could include a core set of questions used across thestate with additional locally determined questions for local use TheCaliforni a Healthy Kids Survey i s an available tool for measuring school climateand measures el ements such as access to resources and programsfeelings of safety and interaction wit h caring adults
Equitable Learning Conditions
Opportunities t o learn
bull
bull bull bull
Teacher and administrator qualificationsSchool facilities qualityAccess to curriculum material s Access to full curriculum
These are required under the Williams Case andor LCAP
Page 17 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 4 State-Supported Locally-Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
As part of i ts eff ort to support l ocal continuous improvement efforts the state could develop and calibrate a library of tools and measures for voluntary use by bull Locally selected developmentally
State provid es tool s LEAs and schools Several of these may be available at t he time of system launchculturally and linguistically30 for sch ools or (launch library) while oth ers wil l requi re further time and resource investmentappropriate observational
31districts to choose (developmental library) kindergarten readiness and use at thei r s29 assessment CA has access to the Innovation Lab Network Performance Assessment Resource optionpotentially bull Classroom embedded authentic Bank that provides performance assessment tasks rubrics scoring protocols andin collaborat ion perf ormance assessments student work linked to CCSS and NGSS standards These can be made available towit h oth er part ners bull Social-emotional learning schools possibly as par t of the SBAC Digita l Libraryand networks indicat ors stAssessments of social-emotional learning might also be used to measure 21
bull Parent Engagement Century skill s such as collaborati on communication problem-solvingandcreativity and should be further studied by the SBE
Table 5 Locally Designed and Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Locally determined indicat ors
bull
bull
Other LCAP indicators es32 local prioriti
Oth er locally designed
for state and
indicators
Districts are not expected to all ocate resources equally to indicat ors bu t t o selec t strat egic goal s an d mak e resource associate d with those
each of the allocat ions
LCAP
29 These are individually administered and open-ended Theys hould beu sed as information for teachers and schools to ensuret heir youngest students arer eceiving the culturallylinguistically andde velopmentallyap propriate supports theyn eed Multiple validatedk indergarten readiness support tools exist andm ay in the short-term be suitable forinclusion in the tool libraryA ppendix A provides a series of recommendations andco nsiderationsr egarding early learning in the Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystemincluding as et of questions pertaining to the use of Kindergarten Readiness Assessments30 The ldquolaunch libraryrdquo could include school climate surveys fors tudents parents and caregiversand teachers (egCalifornia Healthy Kids Survey)tools for measuring implementation ofthe California Standards(C CSS NGSS etc)i ncluding instructional materials practices training etc and toolsfo r measuring indicators ofa rich fullc urriculum thatm ighti nclude art music PE science social studies31 The ldquodevelopment libraryrdquo could include KindergartenR eadiness support tools (Early educationK-12al ignment) Early literacy assessment tools High school graduation systems( Digital portfolio capstone project community service assessment) andSoc ial-Emotional Learning tools32 Californiarsquos emergingac countabilityf rameworki s groundedw ithin ab roader system of continuous improvement andsu pport forL EAsa nd schools By analyzing performance andp erformance improvement on multiple indicators andp resenting thati nformation in user-friendly formats the LCFF evaluation rubrics willa ssist LEAs and schools in self-identifying their strengths and weaknesses where support isn eededa nd who is able to provide it
Page 18 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
STATE SYSTEM INDICATORS
Table 6 Proposed State System Indicators
State Priority Key Indicator Performance Equity Improvement
Success for students withhigher needs in the stateas a whole on each of theSuccess for state as a Annual state gains rate of gap closurestate-required and state-Pupi l Achievement Aggregated Schoo l and whole on th e state-reported indicat ors Rate o f gai ns for students wit h high erand Engagement Distric t Indicators required and state-
needs reported indicat ors
Perf andoppor
ormancetunity gap closure
Awards for schools and Annual state gainsrate of gap closureNumber of schools
Pupi l Achievement LEAs serving high Rate o f gai ns ( number receiving awards)Californi a Awards applying forreceivingand Engagement numbers of higher-needs for sch ools serving high numb ers ofawards
students higher-needs students
Promulgation o fexemplars andomisingbestpr
practices and brokering Effecti veness of supportsof these and other to schools and districtsresources including especially those serving
Support for LCAP Support Systems Growth in service and capacity (360ordmtechnical assistance to high numb ers of st udentsDevelopmen t and Indicators (CDE CCEE revi ews)
districts wit h higher needsImplementation COEs)
Effecti veness of supports to schools and districts Equity and adequacy ofespecially those serving resource distributionhigh numb ers ofstudents wit h high erneeds
Page 19 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 20 of 41
WhiletheindicatorsandtoolsproposedbytheTaskForceformeasuringperformanceequityand
improvementatalllevelsofthesystemarenotperfectwehopetoidentifywhatindicatorsandtoolsare
workingovertimeanddevelopandrefinethesetoolsandmeasuressothattheymoreaccuratelyreflectthe
performanceequityandimprovementofthesystemAdditionallytheTaskForcerecommendsthatthe
stateengageinongoingformalevaluationworktomeasuretheefficacyofsupportsidentifybestand
promisingpracticesandinformcontinuousimprovementofthesystemTheonlywaytoensurethat
schoolsanddistrictsarecontinuouslyimprovingistoestablishacontinuousimprovementframeforthe
systemitselfwemustcommittoreflectiveandongoingassessmentofhowwellthesystemisworkingand
tomakingcoursecorrectionsandupdatesasneededtobetterserveCaliforniarsquosstudentsandstakeholders
4 CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTCaliforniarecognizesthattheaccountability
frameworkdescribedaboveisonlyhelpfulto
theextentthatitisintegrallytiedtoasystem
ofcontinuousimprovementandsupport
alignedwiththeCaliforniaWayandtheldquoright
driversrdquodescribedinSection233Continuous
improvementisthekeytoensuringthat
Californiarsquoseducationsystemrealizesitsvision
forallstudents34
DEFINITIONOFCONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
TheTaskForceoffersthefollowingdefinition
ofcontinuousimprovement
ContinuousImprovementAcontinuouslyimprovingeducationsystemisonethatlearns
fromexperiencebycarefullymeasuringthe
effectivenessofdifferentpoliciesandpracticessupportingtheintrinsicmotivationofeducatorsand
stakeholderssharingbestandpromisingpracticescultivatingacultureofreflectionandlearning
encouraginginnovationandmakingchangesbasedonlearning35
BUILDINGTHECONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSUPPORTSYSTEM
Bylookingatmeasuresofperformanceequityandimprovementillustratedthrougheasy-to-usepublic
dashboardsLEAswillbeabletoself-identifytheirstrengthsandweaknesseswheresupportisneeded
andwhoisabletoprovideit36Thiswillallowforthedevelopmentofasystemofdifferentiated
improvementsupportsthatrecognizessuccessandsharesbestandpromisingpracticesamongallLEAsin
thestateTheSuperintendentofPublicInstruction(SSPI)CaliforniaofEducation(CDE)theCalifornia
CollaborativeforEducationalExcellence(CCEE)andcountysuperintendentsshouldalsousethese
measurestoidentifyandreferLEAsandschoolsforfocusedandintensiveimprovementsupportas
33Blueprint20PlanningTeam(2015)
34Continuousimprovementlikereciprocalaccountabilityissomethingthateachlevelofthesystemisresponsiblefor
35AdaptedfromLoebSandPlankD(2008)LearningWhatWorksContinuousImprovementinCaliforniarsquosEducationSystemPolicyBrief08-4RetrievedonMarch162016fromhttpcepastanfordedusitesdefaultfilesLearning20Briefpdf
36Forexampleselectingoneindicatorinthedashboardmightleadtoapagewithmoredetailthatcouldincludeavarietyof
resourcesforimprovement(informationalresourcesbestpracticesinformationonhowtoself-refertoCCEEalistofTA
providersandoralistoflocaldistrictsorschoolsthathaveachievedsignificantimprovementinthatindicator)
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
described The Task Force recognizes thats ignificantc apacity building mustta ke place ata ll levelsof the system and especiallyf or countyof fices of education in order to take on the provision of tieredsu port summarized below To be effective work at the county office level should include teacherre
Just as modern health systems em hasize well-being and preventiono f illness inC aliforniarsquosAccountability and Continuous Im
utilized Table 7 below describes the proposed levels of support for schools and districts
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
below37
p
presentatives
THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT ALL FOCUSED INTENSIVE
p
provement System the overarching priority should be given tosupporting improvement for allacross multiple dimensions and through an ecosystem of supportIn thoseinstances when general support efforts do not yield results focused and intensive supports should be
38
Table 7 Tiered Support System Tier Type of Support
Improvement
Shared LearningLEAs
and for All
The indicat ors should help recognize successidentify the strengths of LEAs andschools and therefore should serve as a means to identify (and self-identify )whic h LEAs and schools are well-positioned to share their successful practiceswit h others throug h formal and informal improvemen t effort s across school s and
39 LEAs The SSPICDE CCEE and county offices of education should also developtools and supports that will be available to all LEAs and schools (LCAP planningsupports vetted best practi ces etc)
Focused Im rovement
Supp
p
ort
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboardindicat ors to identify schools and LEAs in need of focuse d intervention and th e
areas in which improvemen t support s are needed
of
IntensiveImprovement Support
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboard ofdicat ors to identify LEAs and schools that need more comprehensive andin
int ensive support s to make major improvements in performance andor growthResults on selected measures should not only help to identify where intensivesupports are needed but what other similar LEAs might be best positioned toprovide them
37 Differentiated levels of support could be used across LEAs and schools based on need similar to the ldquoResponse To Interventionrdquomodel which provides varying levels and intensities of support and intervention based on student needs
38 Table 7 describes the tiers and types of supportinterventiona vailable from state-levele ntities The Task Force recognizes thecritical rolest hat will be played by multiple kindso f stakeholdersi n the full ecosystem of support including researchers nonprofitorganizations institutions of higher education philanthropy coalitions etc39 Examples of formal and informal improvement efforts include statewide and regional LCFFLCAP Conferences LCAP SupportTeamsCalifornia Labor Management Initiative events etc
Page 21 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
the public education system has not equitably supported all student groups it is our duty to make thehistoric shifts to build a system that recognizes our past shortcomings shines light on areas where morework is needed to rectify the achievementequity gapand provides support and recognition forimprovement
The Task Forcersquos proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should rely on a holisticpicture of how schools and Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) are doing in regard to both performance andequity The statersquos system should simultaneously look at the ways in which performance and equity areimproving in order to fully realize the outcomes that we seek
Performance Equity Improvement
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System
Performance Improvement Equity
The following pages of the Executive Summary provide a graphic overview of the key features of theproposed systemrsquos implementation and integration of the performance equity and improvement themes
Page 4 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
ThisgraphicpresentsthecorefeaturesoftheproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemThefullreportuses
thisasaroadmapwitheachcomponenthighlightedseparatelytoexplaineachfeatureofthesystem-thefollowingpageprovidesa
summarydescriptionofeachfeature
Page 5 of 41
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions Indicators demonstrating that schools and districts provide the supports and resources that will allow students to
take advantage of educational opportunities and succeed in school
School and District Whole Child Outcomes Indicators demonstrating the
extent to which all children are healthy safe engaged
supported challenged and valued
DisaggregatedAggregated
School and District Academic Outcomes Indicators demonstrating the
extent to which students achieve meaningful learning outcomes including the acquisition
of the knowledge language and lifelong learning skills needed to succeed in todayrsquos
world as outlined by the California standards
DisaggregatedAggregated
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
dagger dagger
dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
ROLES
Cycle of Continuous
Improvem
ent
Cycle of Continuous
Improvem
ent
THEPROPOSEDNEWACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSYSTEMAGRAPHIC
REPRESENTATION
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 6 of 41
SUMMARYDESCRIPTIONSCOMPONENTSOFTHENEWACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSYSTEM
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding PrinciplesCaliforniarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
COE
s
CCEE
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
dagger dagger
dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
ROLES
Cycle of Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous
Improvement
School and District IndicatorsCalifornia seeks to develop a system that incorporates multiple measures to present a holistic picture of performance equity and improvement for schools LEAs and the state The new system rooted in and part of LCFF and LCAP will examine schooldistrict learning conditions to understand if the system is providing equitable resources and opportunities for all students It will also examine academic and non-academic outcome indicators to understand student performance and it will disaggregate these indicators by student groups as a measure of equity The new system will examine the rate of improvement across these indicators as a means of highlighting and building on successful practices and identifying where additional improvement support is needed
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
California recognizes that its accountability framework is only helpful to the extent that it is integrally tied to a system of continuous improvement and support By looking at measures of performance equity and improvement with regard to both whole child and academic indicators schools and districts will be able to self-identify their strengths areas where support is needed and where support is available within the greater ecosystem of peer learning This will allow for a system of differentiated improvement supports at three levels that recognizes success and shares promising and successful practices between LEAs throughout the state
RolesCaliforniarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must include clearly defined roles for federal state and local stakeholders Each level of the system should be held responsible for the contributions it must make to support learning and development for every child
Policy Makers Policy makers at the state and federal level should establish policies and standards that support continuous improvement set clear expectations for outcomes and improvement provide adequate resources support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and foster innovation
Stakeholders and Communities One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders From advocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropy parent groups community voices business organizations early learning and care and beyond this coalition of supportive stakeholders will be instrumental in the successful communication about transition to and implementation of this new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System
The CDE CCEE and COEs The State Superintendent of Public InstructionCDE the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) and county superintendentsoffices of education (COEs)mdashmust work collaboratively to provide coordinated support for school accountability and continuous improvement Additionally the State Superintendent must take action if a school or district is unable to improve over time
Schools and Districts Schools and districts are at the center of Californiarsquos system They must engage students parents and caregivers educators and other stakeholders in school and district-level planning and support to ensure that all students are provided with meaningful opportunities to learn and contribute They must implement instructional improvement strategies and marshal the financial and professional capital required to implement these strategies and improve student outcomes
FoundationAs a state we seek to realize our vision to provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthood and prepare students to live work and thrive in a multicultural multilingual and highly connected world We pursue rigorous learning and achievement in every classroom and every school
We will embrace the California Way which rests on the belief that educators want to excel trusts them to improve when given the proper supports and provides local schools and districts with the leeway and flexibility to deploy resources so they can improve
To do this Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System willbull Demonstrate a commitment to equitybull Emphasize the importance of educating the whole childbull Focus on building collaboration engagement and professional capitalbull Recognize that improvement and learning are continuousbull Value the knowledge and expertise of educators and communitiesbull Rely on reciprocity and subsidiaritybull Embrace students parents and families as critical stakeholdersbull Identify and recognize districts schools and classr ooms that can serve as models and those that need support The proposed system builds on State Board of Education guiding principles
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Cycleof Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District
dagger
Academic Outcomes
Aggregated dagger Disaggregated Aggregated dagger Disaggregated
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
2 FOUNDATION
The proposed Accountability and ContinuousImprovementS ystem restso n a foundation ofa common vision guidingp rinciples and a shared commitment to the ldquoCalifornia Wayrdquo The Task Force believes this foundation and the more detailed recommendationsth at follow are aligned with and in some cases anextension of the work being undertaken by the CaliforniaSt ate Board of Education (SBE) involving the development ofL CFF EvaluationRubricsThis foundation will also supportplanning workto be undertakenf or the ESSAstate plan
VISION
In the same way thata classroom teacher startse ach school yearw ith a vision of what successw ill look like forh isherst udents we began ourd esign processb y working on a shared vision Asa state we seek to provide a world-class education fora ll students from earlych ildhood to adulthood and prepare students toli vew orka nd thrive in am ulticulturalm ultilinguala nd highly connected world5 The statersquosA ccountability and Continuous Improvement System should help provide local educators and communities with the information and tools they need to engage in a processo f continuousi mprovement where collaborative planning implementation and analysis leads toon going adjustments tos uccessfullyaddress the diverse needs of all students Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should
bull Demonstrate a commitment to equity by ensuring that all student groups are visible in accountabilityan d improvement efforts and settinggoal s for closinggap s The system should provide clarity ong aps ina chievement opportunity and access betweenst udent groups andprovide tools to eliminate these gaps 6
bull Emphasize the importance of educating the whole child by using indicators from multiple domains The system should include holistic and developmentally appropriate metrics to monitor progress towards preparing all students for college career life and leadershipi nt he 21st century
bull Focus on building collaboration engagement and professional capital to ensure that educators have supports they need to improve student learning
bull Recognize that improvement andl earning are continuous and emphasize feedback loops with a focus on continuous improvement and quality throughout every levelo ft he system
bull Value the knowledge and expertise of educators and communities by relying on accountability and improvement plans that are locally driven and state supported
bull Rely on subsidiarity and reciprocal accountabilityholding every level of the system responsible for the contributions it must make to support learning for every child7
5 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 6 The term ldquostudent grouprdquo refers to the student subgroups that are included inL ocal Control and Accountability Plans includingsocioeconomically disadvantaged students English learners studentsw ith disabilities andfo ster youthdisaggregated by race and ethnicity7 According to the Oxford English Dictionary ldquosubsidiarityrdquo represents the idea that a central authority should have a subsidiaryfunction performing only those tasks that cannot be performed effectively at a more immediate or localle vel
Page 7 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Embrace students parents and families as critical stakeholders in the accountability system bull Identify and recognize districts schools and classrooms that can serve as models for those
thatn eed supportto create an environment where we can learn from each other collaborate and improve together
GUIDINGPRINCIPLES
The shared visiono utlined above provides afo undation for developing the proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement System while the following guiding principles from the SBE offer af ramework for making decisions about the system8
1 Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts schools and county offices of educationPromote a broad understanding of the specific goals that need to be met at each level of the educational system 9
2 Foster equityCreate support structuresincluding technical assistance for districts and schoolsto promote success for all students regardless of background primary language or socioeconomic status
3 Provide useful informationt hat helps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of education and policymakers makei mportant decisionsAssist and engage parentseducators and policymakers through regular communicationa nd transparent timely reporting of data so they can take action appropriate to their roles
4 Build capacity and increase support for districts schools and county offices Seek tob uild capacity at all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningp ractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
5 Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measuresfor state and local priorities Focus on ongoing improvement of student outcomes including college- and career-readiness using multiple measures that reflect both status and growth
6 Promote system-wide integration and innovation Purposely ande ffectively integrate each accountabilitys ystem component includinggr oups and technologies creatinga c oherent effective and efficient support structure for districts charter schools and county offices of education10
The Task Force developed the following additional guiding principles 7 Align to the extentp ossible local state and federal accountabilityan d continuous improvement
systemst o create one single integrateds ystem for use by schoolsdi stricts county offices of education and the State of CaliforniaLead with Californiarsquos commitment to subsidiarity and the strengthening of local assets and capacities11 and
8 Encourage labor-management collaboration in districts schools and county offices of education asan underlyingf oundationf or effective implementationo f the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System12
THECALIFORNIAWAY USINGTHERIGHTDRIVERSTOGUIDEIMPROVEMENT
ldquoThe California Way rests ont he belief that educators want to excel trusts them to improve when givent he proper supports and provides local schools and districts witht he leeway and flexibility to deploy resources sot hey can improve The CaliforniaW ay engages students parents and communities as part of ac ollaborative decision-making process about how to fund and implement these
8 SeeA ppendixB for the complete State Board of Educationrsquos Guiding Principles for Accountability System Planning 9 Throughout this document the term ldquoschoolsrdquo is used to refer to all public schools in California including charter schools 10 See httpwwwcdecagovbepnnryr15sberel01asp 11 SeeSec tion 5 for recommendations for alignment ofa ccountability and continuous improvement plans 12 Information on the California Labor-Management Initiativec an bef ounda t wwwcdefoundationorglmi
Page 8 of 41
lued (School and District Whole Child Outcomes)
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
improvement efforts and provides supplemental resources to ensure that Californiarsquos English learners foster youth and students inp overty have the learnings upports they needrdquo13
As notede ducationr esearcher anda dvisor Michael Fullan explains ldquoThe key to system-wide success is tosituate the energy of educatorsa nd studentsa st he central driving force Thism eansa ligningt he goals of reform and the intrinsic motivation of participantsrdquo14 In order to create an effective and sustainable system of accountability and continuous improvement thatb uilds on the collaborative approachde scribedb ybo th Fullan andth e California Wayactors at all levels of the proposed system must focus on the ldquorightd riversrdquowhich ldquofoster motivation of teachers and students engage educators and students in continuousimprovement improve team work and affect all teachers and studentsrdquo15 The right drivers identified in A Blueprint for Great Schools Version 20 include
bull Investing in and building educator professional capital bull Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations bull Supporting effective pedagogy bull Developing systemicso lutions to create a coherent and positive education system16
Moving away from a compliance-driven system towards a system that emphasizes the right drivers will require a significant cultural shift in how many education stakeholders define accountability17 Together with the guiding principles these right drivers serve as a litmus test for future accountability and continuous improvement policies and practices
3 ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK
Building upon the foundation describeda bovethe proposedAc countability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem relieso n a set of multiple measures to examinep erformance equity and improvement These should be presentedthrough user-friendly dashboards18 Examining these multiple measures will
bull Demonstrate the extentto which schoolsa nd districts provide thesupportsa nd resourcest hat will allow studentst o take advantage ofeducational opportunities and succeed in school (Equitable LearningConditions)
bull Highlight whole child development by examining indicators thats how the extent to which all children areh ealthy safe engaged supported challenged and va
13 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 14 Fullan M (2011) 15 Ibid 16 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 17 Appendix A highlights the ways inw hicht hese drivers couldb e appliedac ross the K-12and E arly LearningSy stem tos upportarticulation andal ignment 18 The dashboard approach will allow the presentationo f multiple kinds of data and assessments to support multiple ways ofmonitoring and improving just as adr iver uses many different gauges windows andm irrors
Page 9 of 41
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Cycleof Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District
dagger
Academic Outcomes
Aggregated dagger Disaggregated Aggregated dagger Disaggregated
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Illustrate the extentto which students achieve meaningful learningou tcomes includingt he acquisition of the knowledge language and lifelongl earnings kills needed tos ucceed (School and District AcademicO utcomes)
bull Reveal disparities by disaggregating student outcomes by student groups and examining learning conditions through the lens of equity
DEFINITION OF ACCOUNTABILITY
The Superintendentrsquos Advisory Task Force onA ccountability and Continuous Improvement offers the definitionof accountability belowThis shared definition allowed the Task Force toi dentifyt he primary purposes of ana ccountability system and consider how these purposes could be achieved through a system thate mphasizes both performanceequityand improvement This definitionfo cuses on intrinsicmotivation the right drivers and reciprocal accountabilityac ross all levels of the system
Accountability is a shared responsibility to 1) Provide studentsw ith the learning experiencesa nd supportst hey need to achieve meaningful outcomesand 2) Effectively collaborate and share information amongte achers and classified staffschoolsstudentsparents and caregiversadministratorsdistrictscommunities county offices of education and the state to ensure thatever yp art of thes ystem has thecapacity tools and resources necessary to provide these learning experiences and support Implementing this two-pronged definitiono f accountability leads to increasing levels ofs upport for improvements at alllevels oft he system Our California Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon
bull Shared responsibility to support learning for every child bull Comprehensively measuring performance equity improvement and how well the system is
meeting its goalsincluding linking results to the tiered system of support and intervention19
bull Considering all the factors that affect performance and outcomes in order toi dentify share andpromote best and promising practices and change courseso f action thata re nota chieving our desired outcomes
bull Clearly communicating expectations and processes at all levels bull Reporting the results of selected measures to all partners in education and in the communityand bull Taking what we know and have learned from careful assessments and using thati nformation by
working together to channel support and resourcesto make improvements where they are needed
DEFINITIONS PERFORMANCE EQUITY WHOLE CHILD
Similarly to build commonund erstanding and support for the Task Forcersquos proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemthe task force recommendst he following definitions
Performanceth e extentto which schools districts and the state supports tudents to achieve meaningful outcomes ABl ueprint for Great Schools Version 20 recommendst hat meaningful learning should support the acquisition of the knowledge language lifelongl earnings kills and dispositions that students need to succeed the ability to apply complex knowledge to solve problems collaborate communicate inquire learn independently and build relationships and the capacity to be resilient and resourceful20
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the culturally appropriate and linguistically accessible supports and resources needed to take advantage of educational opportunities and succeed in school at the same level as other students
19 For more information see pages1 5-19 for proposed indicators and pages 22-23 for the tiered system ofs upport andintervention 20 Blueprint 20 PlanningT eam (2015)
Page 10 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Whole ChildAn approach to learning that ensures thatever yc hild is healthy safe engaged supported challenged and valued21
EQUITYPERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System should create a holisticp icture of how well the schoolsLEAsand the state are realizingC aliforniarsquos vision of success for all students To do this the Task Force recommends ab alanced set of academic and non-academic indicators that illustratestudent performance and equitablel earning conditionsand improvement in both (see Figure 1) The Task Force recognizes that it is important tou tilize a whole child approach and noti ncentivize the wrongdrivers Inc onsidering rates andt argets the Task Force advises an emphasis on continuous sustainable improvements rooted in the ongoing development ofp rofessional capital This balanceds et ofa cademic and non-academic indicators should be depicted in easy-to-read dashboard formats(se e p 30)
Performance Academic and non-academic achievement
Performance Improvement Rate of improvement of performance
Equity Improvement Rate of improvement of equity
Equity Gaps in opportunities (learning conditions) and performance across student groups
Figure 1
PERFORMANCE
The performancem easurei llustrates the state of student outcomesa t a point in time across ar ange of academic and non-academic areas22 It uses multiple indicators to depict the current level of performanceThe performance measure shows the extent to which a district or school is meeting outcomes for studentsat both an aggregated and disaggregated (byst udent group)le vel23
PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
The performance improvement or change measure denotes the level of improvement based on changesover time tot he indicators includedi n the performance measure It should be provided in aggregated anddisaggregated( by student group)f orms The Task Forcersquos proposed new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem places significant value on improvementThe value of improvement lies in both the importance of striving to increase studenta nd system outcomes and the opportunity thatimprovement provides for shared learning across the system The performance improvement measure servesmu ltiple purposes providing opportunitiest o
21 Adapted from ASCD See httpwwwascdorgwhole-childaspx 22 There are a number of possible approaches to achieve thisSome possible examples include am odel used in Alberta Canada while another might be a quadrant-based scatter plot such as the model developed by ChildrenN ow 23 Iti s criticalto consider indicators thatr eliably predictth e longer-term studento utcomes we seekfo r example indicators in theearlygr ades should predict graduation rates whilei ndicators in thes econdarygr ades should predict collegea nd careerpreparedness etc
Page 11 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
1 Highlight and recognize those districts and schools makingc oncerted and successful efforts toimprove
2 Identify districts and schools that need support to address challenges and needsand 3 Identify promising practices in aggregate or byst udent groupthat could be applied by other
LEAs ands chools across the system
EQUITY The equityme asure shedsl ight on disparitiesi n opportunitiesa nd outcomesa crossst udent groups Equity should be examined through indicators of equitablel earning conditions and byd isaggregatingp erformance measures by student groups Californiarsquos public education system is entrustedt op rovide high-quality educational opportunities for all of its students A robust accountability system identifiesb arriers that limit access toa r igorous and nurturinge ducational experience for all students especially those requiring special education foster youth homeless youth those from low-income families English learnersand vulnerable racial and ethnic groupsThe Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should help identify supportsne ededt o eradicate those barriers maintaina ndm easure progress towards clear goals and hold schools districts and educators accountable for closingac hievement gaps and advancinga r ange of culturally responsive and linguistically supportive opportunities toe nsure success in school and acquisition of the skills necessaryt ob e college careerand life ready
EQUITY IMPROVEMENT Similar tot he performance improvement or change measure equity improvement illustrates the level of improvement on equityin dicators This measure looks at the rate of improvementof equitable learning conditions thatc apture the level of equity in a school or districta nd the rate atw hich performance gaps across student groupsa re closingstaying the sameor growing Improving equity of access andopportunityan dc losingac hievement gaps are critical toi mprovingou tcomes for all students Additionallylooking at the rate ofi mprovement on equityi ndicators provides aw ayt oi dentifyan d act on promisingpractices for improving student equity
INDICATORS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
The Task Force recommends as eries of indicator sets for differentu ses and at different levels of the system These various sets of indicators should be depicted inv isually attractive and easy-to-use dashboards that will allowt he system to
bull Ensure that the state and system as a whole are continuously improving bull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvement acrosst he state with regard to
student learning and achievement bull Collect additional diagnostic information to support continuous improvement efforts and bull Provide LEAs with the flexibility to identify indicators of interest
LEVELSO FI NDICATORS
To build a system that fully supports and values performance equity andi mprovementCalifornia should utilize appropriate indicator sets for each level of accountability and continuous improvement 24
This work should build upon the state priorities articulated by the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)
24 ldquoAn indicator provides evidence that certain conditionse xist orce rtain resultsh ave or have not been achieved Indicatorse nabledecision-makers to assess progress towards the achievement of intended outputs outcomes goals and objectivesrdquo (HarvardFamilyR esearchP roject) Horsch K (1997) Indicators definition andu se in ar esults-based accountability system Retrieved onApril 14 2016 from httpwwwhfrporgpublications-resourcesbrowse-our-publicationsindicators-definition-and-use-in-a-results-based-accountability-system
Page 12 of 41
Table 1 Levels of Indicators Indicator Set Definition and Use State-Required These indicators should be used for both state and federal (ESSA)
purposes should be applicable and relevant statewide and should be utilized by California to gauge the success of federal and state-level accountability and continuous improvement supports for LEAs and schools
State-Reported These indicators should be vetted and reported by the state and available for use in the statersquos Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System for LEAs and schoolsThese indicators should complement the state-required indicator set by providing a moreholistic picture of performance equity and improvement
State-Supported Locally-Reported These indicators should provide additional diagnostic and evaluation information and should be available for voluntary local use that is
supported with tools provided by the state allowing schools and LEAs to evaluate learning opportunities more deeplyThey should be locally-reported and used for diagnostic and improvement purposes in the context of state and local accountability and continuous improvement systems
Locally Generated and Reported These indicators should be identified and vetted locally and used for additional information for LCAP design impl ementation and eval uation
State System These indicators should be identified by the state to use in evaluatingits work supporting the statewide system these indicators should be
used to drive the continuous improvement of the statersquos systems of support
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
and ongoingw ork tod evelop the LCFFe valuation rubrics The proposed indicators include locally determinedi ndicators includedi nLoc al Control andA ccountability Plans anda lsoi nclude state-determinedi ndicators that alignw ithE SSA requirements As summarized by Table 1 and Figure 2 below targeted indicator sets should be developed and provided for specific system levels and accountability and continuous improvement purposes
As illustrated by Figure 2these indicator sets form ac omprehensive package that focuses on supporting and drivingl ocal accountabilityan d continuous improvement They should be depicted and reported in easy-to-use dashboard formats
Page 13 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State System Indicators
Local Accountability
and Continuous
Improvement
State Required Indicators
State ReportedIndicators
LocallyGenerated
Indicators (LCAP)
State SupportedIndicators
State System Indicators
Figure 2Integrated Indicator Sets
Tables 2-6 provide possible specific indicators with associated comments for each indicator set describedabove Taken together these tables illustrate an integration path utilizing Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) evaluation rubrics as central drivers of one coherent and comprehensive system that incorporates the federal accountability requirements
STATE AND LOCAL INDICATORS FOR LEAS AND SCHOOLS
The tables below contain the proposed indicators for each level of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Each set of indicators including those that are state-required and state-reported includes both academic and whole child indicators that should be used to measure performance equity and improvement This balance of academic and non-academic indicators will provide a more holistic depiction of the extent to which all students are prepared for college career life and leadership in the 21st centuryIndicators in Table 2 are explicitly linked to ESSA Requirements while the indicators in Tables 3-5 are linked to desired outcomes
Page 14 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
Academic achievement as measured profi ciency on annua l assessments
by CASSP English languagearts and mathematics scores in grad es 3- 8 inclusiveplus grade 11
To be measured by scale scores reflecting both status and student growthover time Scale SBAC scores would be broken down into diff erent subjects(ie math and English) and reported by grade span (ie grades 3-5 6-8 11)
Hig h schoo l graduation rates 4-year Graduation rates plus an extended rate (5 - andor 6-year rate)
At high school including rates (wit h a t leas t equa l work with student s wit h
a 5-or 6-year graduation rate weight ) creat es incentives for challenges
as well as 4-yearschool s t o keep
Progress in ach ieving Englis h language proficiency as defined by the State within a State-determined timeline f or all English Learners
English Learner (EL ) progress on state English Proficiency Assessment
The State LCFF identifies pro ress toward English proficiency andreclassification ratesEL pro ress
ggg
using scale scores on an EL profici encymeasure i s bett er for trackin th e progress o f al l students ensuring
attention to the ful l range of EL student s and their needs ndash from th ose wh oare newcomers to th ose who are b ecoming an d h ave b ecome lsquoproficient rsquo
Progress of ELs could be measured by a composite or by multiple i ndicatorsfor Englis h Learner progress ie including long-time English learners
and or reclassification ratesThe Task Force recommends creating a new data marker of ldquoEnglishLearner re-designat edrdquo for reclassified ELs as a means of capturing a fullerpicture of student performance
For public elementary schools andsecondary schools that are not highschools in the Statemdash(I) a measure of student growth if determined appropriate by the State or (II) another valid and reliable statewide academicindicat or tha t all ows for meaningfu ldifferentiation in school performance
Growth measure27 The Task F orce encourages the SBE and model s f or inclusion in th e syst em This and growth across other indicators
CDE to should
research potential incl ude both SBAC
growthscores
25 Every Student Succeeds Act 201526 From LCFFSt ate Priorities augmentedt om eet federal requirements27 The task force is not putting forth a specific way to measure growth but recommends that that State Board ofE ducation continue to research growth measure methodologies
Page 15 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Whole Child Outcomes
No t less than one indicator o f schoo lquality or student success that allowsfor meaningful differentiation in school
performance is valid reliable comparable and statewide and mayinclud e measures of studen tengagement educat or engagementstudent access to and completion ofadvanced coursework postsecondaryreadi ness school climate and safety and any other indicator other Statechooses tha t meets the requirements ofthis clause
bull
bull
bull
bull
Suspensi ons expulsion rat es Statewide schoolclimate surveyChronicabsenteeism College amp careerreadiness indicat or
Suspension and expulsion data are currently available and chronicabsenteeism soon will be Both are local measures of student access andengagemen t that help predict school achievement and high schoolgraduation The Task Force recommend s that suspension expulsion ratesbe utilized in conjunction wit h and tied to authentic programmatic workthat builds positive school climate such as alternative discipline orrestorative justice approaches
A statewide school climate survey of students parents and teachers couldinclud e quest ions on course breadth and access parenta l involvementbasic services safety and social-emotional supports teaching andadministrati ve supports and access to appropriate counseling servicesnurses and school psy gcholo i sts
A non-test-based indicator of coll ege and career readi ness should measurethe extent to which students complete courses and ro ramsp g (c p om letion o fA- G hig qu yh- alit CTE qu se ences and i p )nternshi s that ppsu ort coll ge e andcareer readiness and the development o f 21st yCentur skills such as
28 collaboration communicati pon roblem-solvi gn and creativity This couldbe reviewed in conjunction with other academic indicators as a means forholistically measuri ng the skills and abilities students need to be college andcareer ready
28 The Task Force recognizes that there is not currently a state-adopted tool that measures 21st Century skills like collaboration communication problem solving and creativityThese are qualities that can be evaluated through performance assessments The Task Force recommends that the State Board of Education pilot and study performanceassessments that can measure these competencies as they relate to college and career readiness
Page 16 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 3 State-Reported Indicators Outcome Area Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
College career li fe readi ness indicat ors
and
bull
bull
bull bull
Students completing A-G approved CTE sequence or both Students meeting college standardon AP IB dual credit courseworkPhysical fitness Science assessment resultsonce each in grad es 3-5 6- 8 10-12 for a tota l of three times
If completion o f A- G approved CTE sequences or AB IB dual credi tcoursewor k are not included in t he state required college and career readiness indicator they could be included here
Physical fitness data are already collected by the state
As science assessments develop they could be considered by the SBE in future as a potential add ition t o the require d indicators
the
Whole Child Outcomes
StudentTeacherand ParentCaregiver
Engagement
bull
bull
Attendance
Student teacher andparentcaregiver surveysmeasuring schoo l climat e
for
If attendance and school climate surveys are not in included n the state-required set o f indicat ors they could be included here
School climate surveys could include a core set of questions used across thestate with additional locally determined questions for local use TheCaliforni a Healthy Kids Survey i s an available tool for measuring school climateand measures el ements such as access to resources and programsfeelings of safety and interaction wit h caring adults
Equitable Learning Conditions
Opportunities t o learn
bull
bull bull bull
Teacher and administrator qualificationsSchool facilities qualityAccess to curriculum material s Access to full curriculum
These are required under the Williams Case andor LCAP
Page 17 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 4 State-Supported Locally-Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
As part of i ts eff ort to support l ocal continuous improvement efforts the state could develop and calibrate a library of tools and measures for voluntary use by bull Locally selected developmentally
State provid es tool s LEAs and schools Several of these may be available at t he time of system launchculturally and linguistically30 for sch ools or (launch library) while oth ers wil l requi re further time and resource investmentappropriate observational
31districts to choose (developmental library) kindergarten readiness and use at thei r s29 assessment CA has access to the Innovation Lab Network Performance Assessment Resource optionpotentially bull Classroom embedded authentic Bank that provides performance assessment tasks rubrics scoring protocols andin collaborat ion perf ormance assessments student work linked to CCSS and NGSS standards These can be made available towit h oth er part ners bull Social-emotional learning schools possibly as par t of the SBAC Digita l Libraryand networks indicat ors stAssessments of social-emotional learning might also be used to measure 21
bull Parent Engagement Century skill s such as collaborati on communication problem-solvingandcreativity and should be further studied by the SBE
Table 5 Locally Designed and Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Locally determined indicat ors
bull
bull
Other LCAP indicators es32 local prioriti
Oth er locally designed
for state and
indicators
Districts are not expected to all ocate resources equally to indicat ors bu t t o selec t strat egic goal s an d mak e resource associate d with those
each of the allocat ions
LCAP
29 These are individually administered and open-ended Theys hould beu sed as information for teachers and schools to ensuret heir youngest students arer eceiving the culturallylinguistically andde velopmentallyap propriate supports theyn eed Multiple validatedk indergarten readiness support tools exist andm ay in the short-term be suitable forinclusion in the tool libraryA ppendix A provides a series of recommendations andco nsiderationsr egarding early learning in the Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystemincluding as et of questions pertaining to the use of Kindergarten Readiness Assessments30 The ldquolaunch libraryrdquo could include school climate surveys fors tudents parents and caregiversand teachers (egCalifornia Healthy Kids Survey)tools for measuring implementation ofthe California Standards(C CSS NGSS etc)i ncluding instructional materials practices training etc and toolsfo r measuring indicators ofa rich fullc urriculum thatm ighti nclude art music PE science social studies31 The ldquodevelopment libraryrdquo could include KindergartenR eadiness support tools (Early educationK-12al ignment) Early literacy assessment tools High school graduation systems( Digital portfolio capstone project community service assessment) andSoc ial-Emotional Learning tools32 Californiarsquos emergingac countabilityf rameworki s groundedw ithin ab roader system of continuous improvement andsu pport forL EAsa nd schools By analyzing performance andp erformance improvement on multiple indicators andp resenting thati nformation in user-friendly formats the LCFF evaluation rubrics willa ssist LEAs and schools in self-identifying their strengths and weaknesses where support isn eededa nd who is able to provide it
Page 18 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
STATE SYSTEM INDICATORS
Table 6 Proposed State System Indicators
State Priority Key Indicator Performance Equity Improvement
Success for students withhigher needs in the stateas a whole on each of theSuccess for state as a Annual state gains rate of gap closurestate-required and state-Pupi l Achievement Aggregated Schoo l and whole on th e state-reported indicat ors Rate o f gai ns for students wit h high erand Engagement Distric t Indicators required and state-
needs reported indicat ors
Perf andoppor
ormancetunity gap closure
Awards for schools and Annual state gainsrate of gap closureNumber of schools
Pupi l Achievement LEAs serving high Rate o f gai ns ( number receiving awards)Californi a Awards applying forreceivingand Engagement numbers of higher-needs for sch ools serving high numb ers ofawards
students higher-needs students
Promulgation o fexemplars andomisingbestpr
practices and brokering Effecti veness of supportsof these and other to schools and districtsresources including especially those serving
Support for LCAP Support Systems Growth in service and capacity (360ordmtechnical assistance to high numb ers of st udentsDevelopmen t and Indicators (CDE CCEE revi ews)
districts wit h higher needsImplementation COEs)
Effecti veness of supports to schools and districts Equity and adequacy ofespecially those serving resource distributionhigh numb ers ofstudents wit h high erneeds
Page 19 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 20 of 41
WhiletheindicatorsandtoolsproposedbytheTaskForceformeasuringperformanceequityand
improvementatalllevelsofthesystemarenotperfectwehopetoidentifywhatindicatorsandtoolsare
workingovertimeanddevelopandrefinethesetoolsandmeasuressothattheymoreaccuratelyreflectthe
performanceequityandimprovementofthesystemAdditionallytheTaskForcerecommendsthatthe
stateengageinongoingformalevaluationworktomeasuretheefficacyofsupportsidentifybestand
promisingpracticesandinformcontinuousimprovementofthesystemTheonlywaytoensurethat
schoolsanddistrictsarecontinuouslyimprovingistoestablishacontinuousimprovementframeforthe
systemitselfwemustcommittoreflectiveandongoingassessmentofhowwellthesystemisworkingand
tomakingcoursecorrectionsandupdatesasneededtobetterserveCaliforniarsquosstudentsandstakeholders
4 CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTCaliforniarecognizesthattheaccountability
frameworkdescribedaboveisonlyhelpfulto
theextentthatitisintegrallytiedtoasystem
ofcontinuousimprovementandsupport
alignedwiththeCaliforniaWayandtheldquoright
driversrdquodescribedinSection233Continuous
improvementisthekeytoensuringthat
Californiarsquoseducationsystemrealizesitsvision
forallstudents34
DEFINITIONOFCONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
TheTaskForceoffersthefollowingdefinition
ofcontinuousimprovement
ContinuousImprovementAcontinuouslyimprovingeducationsystemisonethatlearns
fromexperiencebycarefullymeasuringthe
effectivenessofdifferentpoliciesandpracticessupportingtheintrinsicmotivationofeducatorsand
stakeholderssharingbestandpromisingpracticescultivatingacultureofreflectionandlearning
encouraginginnovationandmakingchangesbasedonlearning35
BUILDINGTHECONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSUPPORTSYSTEM
Bylookingatmeasuresofperformanceequityandimprovementillustratedthrougheasy-to-usepublic
dashboardsLEAswillbeabletoself-identifytheirstrengthsandweaknesseswheresupportisneeded
andwhoisabletoprovideit36Thiswillallowforthedevelopmentofasystemofdifferentiated
improvementsupportsthatrecognizessuccessandsharesbestandpromisingpracticesamongallLEAsin
thestateTheSuperintendentofPublicInstruction(SSPI)CaliforniaofEducation(CDE)theCalifornia
CollaborativeforEducationalExcellence(CCEE)andcountysuperintendentsshouldalsousethese
measurestoidentifyandreferLEAsandschoolsforfocusedandintensiveimprovementsupportas
33Blueprint20PlanningTeam(2015)
34Continuousimprovementlikereciprocalaccountabilityissomethingthateachlevelofthesystemisresponsiblefor
35AdaptedfromLoebSandPlankD(2008)LearningWhatWorksContinuousImprovementinCaliforniarsquosEducationSystemPolicyBrief08-4RetrievedonMarch162016fromhttpcepastanfordedusitesdefaultfilesLearning20Briefpdf
36Forexampleselectingoneindicatorinthedashboardmightleadtoapagewithmoredetailthatcouldincludeavarietyof
resourcesforimprovement(informationalresourcesbestpracticesinformationonhowtoself-refertoCCEEalistofTA
providersandoralistoflocaldistrictsorschoolsthathaveachievedsignificantimprovementinthatindicator)
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
described The Task Force recognizes thats ignificantc apacity building mustta ke place ata ll levelsof the system and especiallyf or countyof fices of education in order to take on the provision of tieredsu port summarized below To be effective work at the county office level should include teacherre
Just as modern health systems em hasize well-being and preventiono f illness inC aliforniarsquosAccountability and Continuous Im
utilized Table 7 below describes the proposed levels of support for schools and districts
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
below37
p
presentatives
THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT ALL FOCUSED INTENSIVE
p
provement System the overarching priority should be given tosupporting improvement for allacross multiple dimensions and through an ecosystem of supportIn thoseinstances when general support efforts do not yield results focused and intensive supports should be
38
Table 7 Tiered Support System Tier Type of Support
Improvement
Shared LearningLEAs
and for All
The indicat ors should help recognize successidentify the strengths of LEAs andschools and therefore should serve as a means to identify (and self-identify )whic h LEAs and schools are well-positioned to share their successful practiceswit h others throug h formal and informal improvemen t effort s across school s and
39 LEAs The SSPICDE CCEE and county offices of education should also developtools and supports that will be available to all LEAs and schools (LCAP planningsupports vetted best practi ces etc)
Focused Im rovement
Supp
p
ort
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboardindicat ors to identify schools and LEAs in need of focuse d intervention and th e
areas in which improvemen t support s are needed
of
IntensiveImprovement Support
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboard ofdicat ors to identify LEAs and schools that need more comprehensive andin
int ensive support s to make major improvements in performance andor growthResults on selected measures should not only help to identify where intensivesupports are needed but what other similar LEAs might be best positioned toprovide them
37 Differentiated levels of support could be used across LEAs and schools based on need similar to the ldquoResponse To Interventionrdquomodel which provides varying levels and intensities of support and intervention based on student needs
38 Table 7 describes the tiers and types of supportinterventiona vailable from state-levele ntities The Task Force recognizes thecritical rolest hat will be played by multiple kindso f stakeholdersi n the full ecosystem of support including researchers nonprofitorganizations institutions of higher education philanthropy coalitions etc39 Examples of formal and informal improvement efforts include statewide and regional LCFFLCAP Conferences LCAP SupportTeamsCalifornia Labor Management Initiative events etc
Page 21 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
ThisgraphicpresentsthecorefeaturesoftheproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemThefullreportuses
thisasaroadmapwitheachcomponenthighlightedseparatelytoexplaineachfeatureofthesystem-thefollowingpageprovidesa
summarydescriptionofeachfeature
Page 5 of 41
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions Indicators demonstrating that schools and districts provide the supports and resources that will allow students to
take advantage of educational opportunities and succeed in school
School and District Whole Child Outcomes Indicators demonstrating the
extent to which all children are healthy safe engaged
supported challenged and valued
DisaggregatedAggregated
School and District Academic Outcomes Indicators demonstrating the
extent to which students achieve meaningful learning outcomes including the acquisition
of the knowledge language and lifelong learning skills needed to succeed in todayrsquos
world as outlined by the California standards
DisaggregatedAggregated
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
dagger dagger
dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
ROLES
Cycle of Continuous
Improvem
ent
Cycle of Continuous
Improvem
ent
THEPROPOSEDNEWACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSYSTEMAGRAPHIC
REPRESENTATION
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 6 of 41
SUMMARYDESCRIPTIONSCOMPONENTSOFTHENEWACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSYSTEM
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding PrinciplesCaliforniarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
COE
s
CCEE
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
dagger dagger
dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
ROLES
Cycle of Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous
Improvement
School and District IndicatorsCalifornia seeks to develop a system that incorporates multiple measures to present a holistic picture of performance equity and improvement for schools LEAs and the state The new system rooted in and part of LCFF and LCAP will examine schooldistrict learning conditions to understand if the system is providing equitable resources and opportunities for all students It will also examine academic and non-academic outcome indicators to understand student performance and it will disaggregate these indicators by student groups as a measure of equity The new system will examine the rate of improvement across these indicators as a means of highlighting and building on successful practices and identifying where additional improvement support is needed
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
California recognizes that its accountability framework is only helpful to the extent that it is integrally tied to a system of continuous improvement and support By looking at measures of performance equity and improvement with regard to both whole child and academic indicators schools and districts will be able to self-identify their strengths areas where support is needed and where support is available within the greater ecosystem of peer learning This will allow for a system of differentiated improvement supports at three levels that recognizes success and shares promising and successful practices between LEAs throughout the state
RolesCaliforniarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must include clearly defined roles for federal state and local stakeholders Each level of the system should be held responsible for the contributions it must make to support learning and development for every child
Policy Makers Policy makers at the state and federal level should establish policies and standards that support continuous improvement set clear expectations for outcomes and improvement provide adequate resources support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and foster innovation
Stakeholders and Communities One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders From advocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropy parent groups community voices business organizations early learning and care and beyond this coalition of supportive stakeholders will be instrumental in the successful communication about transition to and implementation of this new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System
The CDE CCEE and COEs The State Superintendent of Public InstructionCDE the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) and county superintendentsoffices of education (COEs)mdashmust work collaboratively to provide coordinated support for school accountability and continuous improvement Additionally the State Superintendent must take action if a school or district is unable to improve over time
Schools and Districts Schools and districts are at the center of Californiarsquos system They must engage students parents and caregivers educators and other stakeholders in school and district-level planning and support to ensure that all students are provided with meaningful opportunities to learn and contribute They must implement instructional improvement strategies and marshal the financial and professional capital required to implement these strategies and improve student outcomes
FoundationAs a state we seek to realize our vision to provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthood and prepare students to live work and thrive in a multicultural multilingual and highly connected world We pursue rigorous learning and achievement in every classroom and every school
We will embrace the California Way which rests on the belief that educators want to excel trusts them to improve when given the proper supports and provides local schools and districts with the leeway and flexibility to deploy resources so they can improve
To do this Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System willbull Demonstrate a commitment to equitybull Emphasize the importance of educating the whole childbull Focus on building collaboration engagement and professional capitalbull Recognize that improvement and learning are continuousbull Value the knowledge and expertise of educators and communitiesbull Rely on reciprocity and subsidiaritybull Embrace students parents and families as critical stakeholdersbull Identify and recognize districts schools and classr ooms that can serve as models and those that need support The proposed system builds on State Board of Education guiding principles
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Cycleof Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District
dagger
Academic Outcomes
Aggregated dagger Disaggregated Aggregated dagger Disaggregated
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
2 FOUNDATION
The proposed Accountability and ContinuousImprovementS ystem restso n a foundation ofa common vision guidingp rinciples and a shared commitment to the ldquoCalifornia Wayrdquo The Task Force believes this foundation and the more detailed recommendationsth at follow are aligned with and in some cases anextension of the work being undertaken by the CaliforniaSt ate Board of Education (SBE) involving the development ofL CFF EvaluationRubricsThis foundation will also supportplanning workto be undertakenf or the ESSAstate plan
VISION
In the same way thata classroom teacher startse ach school yearw ith a vision of what successw ill look like forh isherst udents we began ourd esign processb y working on a shared vision Asa state we seek to provide a world-class education fora ll students from earlych ildhood to adulthood and prepare students toli vew orka nd thrive in am ulticulturalm ultilinguala nd highly connected world5 The statersquosA ccountability and Continuous Improvement System should help provide local educators and communities with the information and tools they need to engage in a processo f continuousi mprovement where collaborative planning implementation and analysis leads toon going adjustments tos uccessfullyaddress the diverse needs of all students Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should
bull Demonstrate a commitment to equity by ensuring that all student groups are visible in accountabilityan d improvement efforts and settinggoal s for closinggap s The system should provide clarity ong aps ina chievement opportunity and access betweenst udent groups andprovide tools to eliminate these gaps 6
bull Emphasize the importance of educating the whole child by using indicators from multiple domains The system should include holistic and developmentally appropriate metrics to monitor progress towards preparing all students for college career life and leadershipi nt he 21st century
bull Focus on building collaboration engagement and professional capital to ensure that educators have supports they need to improve student learning
bull Recognize that improvement andl earning are continuous and emphasize feedback loops with a focus on continuous improvement and quality throughout every levelo ft he system
bull Value the knowledge and expertise of educators and communities by relying on accountability and improvement plans that are locally driven and state supported
bull Rely on subsidiarity and reciprocal accountabilityholding every level of the system responsible for the contributions it must make to support learning for every child7
5 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 6 The term ldquostudent grouprdquo refers to the student subgroups that are included inL ocal Control and Accountability Plans includingsocioeconomically disadvantaged students English learners studentsw ith disabilities andfo ster youthdisaggregated by race and ethnicity7 According to the Oxford English Dictionary ldquosubsidiarityrdquo represents the idea that a central authority should have a subsidiaryfunction performing only those tasks that cannot be performed effectively at a more immediate or localle vel
Page 7 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Embrace students parents and families as critical stakeholders in the accountability system bull Identify and recognize districts schools and classrooms that can serve as models for those
thatn eed supportto create an environment where we can learn from each other collaborate and improve together
GUIDINGPRINCIPLES
The shared visiono utlined above provides afo undation for developing the proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement System while the following guiding principles from the SBE offer af ramework for making decisions about the system8
1 Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts schools and county offices of educationPromote a broad understanding of the specific goals that need to be met at each level of the educational system 9
2 Foster equityCreate support structuresincluding technical assistance for districts and schoolsto promote success for all students regardless of background primary language or socioeconomic status
3 Provide useful informationt hat helps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of education and policymakers makei mportant decisionsAssist and engage parentseducators and policymakers through regular communicationa nd transparent timely reporting of data so they can take action appropriate to their roles
4 Build capacity and increase support for districts schools and county offices Seek tob uild capacity at all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningp ractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
5 Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measuresfor state and local priorities Focus on ongoing improvement of student outcomes including college- and career-readiness using multiple measures that reflect both status and growth
6 Promote system-wide integration and innovation Purposely ande ffectively integrate each accountabilitys ystem component includinggr oups and technologies creatinga c oherent effective and efficient support structure for districts charter schools and county offices of education10
The Task Force developed the following additional guiding principles 7 Align to the extentp ossible local state and federal accountabilityan d continuous improvement
systemst o create one single integrateds ystem for use by schoolsdi stricts county offices of education and the State of CaliforniaLead with Californiarsquos commitment to subsidiarity and the strengthening of local assets and capacities11 and
8 Encourage labor-management collaboration in districts schools and county offices of education asan underlyingf oundationf or effective implementationo f the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System12
THECALIFORNIAWAY USINGTHERIGHTDRIVERSTOGUIDEIMPROVEMENT
ldquoThe California Way rests ont he belief that educators want to excel trusts them to improve when givent he proper supports and provides local schools and districts witht he leeway and flexibility to deploy resources sot hey can improve The CaliforniaW ay engages students parents and communities as part of ac ollaborative decision-making process about how to fund and implement these
8 SeeA ppendixB for the complete State Board of Educationrsquos Guiding Principles for Accountability System Planning 9 Throughout this document the term ldquoschoolsrdquo is used to refer to all public schools in California including charter schools 10 See httpwwwcdecagovbepnnryr15sberel01asp 11 SeeSec tion 5 for recommendations for alignment ofa ccountability and continuous improvement plans 12 Information on the California Labor-Management Initiativec an bef ounda t wwwcdefoundationorglmi
Page 8 of 41
lued (School and District Whole Child Outcomes)
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
improvement efforts and provides supplemental resources to ensure that Californiarsquos English learners foster youth and students inp overty have the learnings upports they needrdquo13
As notede ducationr esearcher anda dvisor Michael Fullan explains ldquoThe key to system-wide success is tosituate the energy of educatorsa nd studentsa st he central driving force Thism eansa ligningt he goals of reform and the intrinsic motivation of participantsrdquo14 In order to create an effective and sustainable system of accountability and continuous improvement thatb uilds on the collaborative approachde scribedb ybo th Fullan andth e California Wayactors at all levels of the proposed system must focus on the ldquorightd riversrdquowhich ldquofoster motivation of teachers and students engage educators and students in continuousimprovement improve team work and affect all teachers and studentsrdquo15 The right drivers identified in A Blueprint for Great Schools Version 20 include
bull Investing in and building educator professional capital bull Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations bull Supporting effective pedagogy bull Developing systemicso lutions to create a coherent and positive education system16
Moving away from a compliance-driven system towards a system that emphasizes the right drivers will require a significant cultural shift in how many education stakeholders define accountability17 Together with the guiding principles these right drivers serve as a litmus test for future accountability and continuous improvement policies and practices
3 ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK
Building upon the foundation describeda bovethe proposedAc countability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem relieso n a set of multiple measures to examinep erformance equity and improvement These should be presentedthrough user-friendly dashboards18 Examining these multiple measures will
bull Demonstrate the extentto which schoolsa nd districts provide thesupportsa nd resourcest hat will allow studentst o take advantage ofeducational opportunities and succeed in school (Equitable LearningConditions)
bull Highlight whole child development by examining indicators thats how the extent to which all children areh ealthy safe engaged supported challenged and va
13 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 14 Fullan M (2011) 15 Ibid 16 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 17 Appendix A highlights the ways inw hicht hese drivers couldb e appliedac ross the K-12and E arly LearningSy stem tos upportarticulation andal ignment 18 The dashboard approach will allow the presentationo f multiple kinds of data and assessments to support multiple ways ofmonitoring and improving just as adr iver uses many different gauges windows andm irrors
Page 9 of 41
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Cycleof Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District
dagger
Academic Outcomes
Aggregated dagger Disaggregated Aggregated dagger Disaggregated
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Illustrate the extentto which students achieve meaningful learningou tcomes includingt he acquisition of the knowledge language and lifelongl earnings kills needed tos ucceed (School and District AcademicO utcomes)
bull Reveal disparities by disaggregating student outcomes by student groups and examining learning conditions through the lens of equity
DEFINITION OF ACCOUNTABILITY
The Superintendentrsquos Advisory Task Force onA ccountability and Continuous Improvement offers the definitionof accountability belowThis shared definition allowed the Task Force toi dentifyt he primary purposes of ana ccountability system and consider how these purposes could be achieved through a system thate mphasizes both performanceequityand improvement This definitionfo cuses on intrinsicmotivation the right drivers and reciprocal accountabilityac ross all levels of the system
Accountability is a shared responsibility to 1) Provide studentsw ith the learning experiencesa nd supportst hey need to achieve meaningful outcomesand 2) Effectively collaborate and share information amongte achers and classified staffschoolsstudentsparents and caregiversadministratorsdistrictscommunities county offices of education and the state to ensure thatever yp art of thes ystem has thecapacity tools and resources necessary to provide these learning experiences and support Implementing this two-pronged definitiono f accountability leads to increasing levels ofs upport for improvements at alllevels oft he system Our California Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon
bull Shared responsibility to support learning for every child bull Comprehensively measuring performance equity improvement and how well the system is
meeting its goalsincluding linking results to the tiered system of support and intervention19
bull Considering all the factors that affect performance and outcomes in order toi dentify share andpromote best and promising practices and change courseso f action thata re nota chieving our desired outcomes
bull Clearly communicating expectations and processes at all levels bull Reporting the results of selected measures to all partners in education and in the communityand bull Taking what we know and have learned from careful assessments and using thati nformation by
working together to channel support and resourcesto make improvements where they are needed
DEFINITIONS PERFORMANCE EQUITY WHOLE CHILD
Similarly to build commonund erstanding and support for the Task Forcersquos proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemthe task force recommendst he following definitions
Performanceth e extentto which schools districts and the state supports tudents to achieve meaningful outcomes ABl ueprint for Great Schools Version 20 recommendst hat meaningful learning should support the acquisition of the knowledge language lifelongl earnings kills and dispositions that students need to succeed the ability to apply complex knowledge to solve problems collaborate communicate inquire learn independently and build relationships and the capacity to be resilient and resourceful20
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the culturally appropriate and linguistically accessible supports and resources needed to take advantage of educational opportunities and succeed in school at the same level as other students
19 For more information see pages1 5-19 for proposed indicators and pages 22-23 for the tiered system ofs upport andintervention 20 Blueprint 20 PlanningT eam (2015)
Page 10 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Whole ChildAn approach to learning that ensures thatever yc hild is healthy safe engaged supported challenged and valued21
EQUITYPERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System should create a holisticp icture of how well the schoolsLEAsand the state are realizingC aliforniarsquos vision of success for all students To do this the Task Force recommends ab alanced set of academic and non-academic indicators that illustratestudent performance and equitablel earning conditionsand improvement in both (see Figure 1) The Task Force recognizes that it is important tou tilize a whole child approach and noti ncentivize the wrongdrivers Inc onsidering rates andt argets the Task Force advises an emphasis on continuous sustainable improvements rooted in the ongoing development ofp rofessional capital This balanceds et ofa cademic and non-academic indicators should be depicted in easy-to-read dashboard formats(se e p 30)
Performance Academic and non-academic achievement
Performance Improvement Rate of improvement of performance
Equity Improvement Rate of improvement of equity
Equity Gaps in opportunities (learning conditions) and performance across student groups
Figure 1
PERFORMANCE
The performancem easurei llustrates the state of student outcomesa t a point in time across ar ange of academic and non-academic areas22 It uses multiple indicators to depict the current level of performanceThe performance measure shows the extent to which a district or school is meeting outcomes for studentsat both an aggregated and disaggregated (byst udent group)le vel23
PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
The performance improvement or change measure denotes the level of improvement based on changesover time tot he indicators includedi n the performance measure It should be provided in aggregated anddisaggregated( by student group)f orms The Task Forcersquos proposed new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem places significant value on improvementThe value of improvement lies in both the importance of striving to increase studenta nd system outcomes and the opportunity thatimprovement provides for shared learning across the system The performance improvement measure servesmu ltiple purposes providing opportunitiest o
21 Adapted from ASCD See httpwwwascdorgwhole-childaspx 22 There are a number of possible approaches to achieve thisSome possible examples include am odel used in Alberta Canada while another might be a quadrant-based scatter plot such as the model developed by ChildrenN ow 23 Iti s criticalto consider indicators thatr eliably predictth e longer-term studento utcomes we seekfo r example indicators in theearlygr ades should predict graduation rates whilei ndicators in thes econdarygr ades should predict collegea nd careerpreparedness etc
Page 11 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
1 Highlight and recognize those districts and schools makingc oncerted and successful efforts toimprove
2 Identify districts and schools that need support to address challenges and needsand 3 Identify promising practices in aggregate or byst udent groupthat could be applied by other
LEAs ands chools across the system
EQUITY The equityme asure shedsl ight on disparitiesi n opportunitiesa nd outcomesa crossst udent groups Equity should be examined through indicators of equitablel earning conditions and byd isaggregatingp erformance measures by student groups Californiarsquos public education system is entrustedt op rovide high-quality educational opportunities for all of its students A robust accountability system identifiesb arriers that limit access toa r igorous and nurturinge ducational experience for all students especially those requiring special education foster youth homeless youth those from low-income families English learnersand vulnerable racial and ethnic groupsThe Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should help identify supportsne ededt o eradicate those barriers maintaina ndm easure progress towards clear goals and hold schools districts and educators accountable for closingac hievement gaps and advancinga r ange of culturally responsive and linguistically supportive opportunities toe nsure success in school and acquisition of the skills necessaryt ob e college careerand life ready
EQUITY IMPROVEMENT Similar tot he performance improvement or change measure equity improvement illustrates the level of improvement on equityin dicators This measure looks at the rate of improvementof equitable learning conditions thatc apture the level of equity in a school or districta nd the rate atw hich performance gaps across student groupsa re closingstaying the sameor growing Improving equity of access andopportunityan dc losingac hievement gaps are critical toi mprovingou tcomes for all students Additionallylooking at the rate ofi mprovement on equityi ndicators provides aw ayt oi dentifyan d act on promisingpractices for improving student equity
INDICATORS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
The Task Force recommends as eries of indicator sets for differentu ses and at different levels of the system These various sets of indicators should be depicted inv isually attractive and easy-to-use dashboards that will allowt he system to
bull Ensure that the state and system as a whole are continuously improving bull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvement acrosst he state with regard to
student learning and achievement bull Collect additional diagnostic information to support continuous improvement efforts and bull Provide LEAs with the flexibility to identify indicators of interest
LEVELSO FI NDICATORS
To build a system that fully supports and values performance equity andi mprovementCalifornia should utilize appropriate indicator sets for each level of accountability and continuous improvement 24
This work should build upon the state priorities articulated by the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)
24 ldquoAn indicator provides evidence that certain conditionse xist orce rtain resultsh ave or have not been achieved Indicatorse nabledecision-makers to assess progress towards the achievement of intended outputs outcomes goals and objectivesrdquo (HarvardFamilyR esearchP roject) Horsch K (1997) Indicators definition andu se in ar esults-based accountability system Retrieved onApril 14 2016 from httpwwwhfrporgpublications-resourcesbrowse-our-publicationsindicators-definition-and-use-in-a-results-based-accountability-system
Page 12 of 41
Table 1 Levels of Indicators Indicator Set Definition and Use State-Required These indicators should be used for both state and federal (ESSA)
purposes should be applicable and relevant statewide and should be utilized by California to gauge the success of federal and state-level accountability and continuous improvement supports for LEAs and schools
State-Reported These indicators should be vetted and reported by the state and available for use in the statersquos Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System for LEAs and schoolsThese indicators should complement the state-required indicator set by providing a moreholistic picture of performance equity and improvement
State-Supported Locally-Reported These indicators should provide additional diagnostic and evaluation information and should be available for voluntary local use that is
supported with tools provided by the state allowing schools and LEAs to evaluate learning opportunities more deeplyThey should be locally-reported and used for diagnostic and improvement purposes in the context of state and local accountability and continuous improvement systems
Locally Generated and Reported These indicators should be identified and vetted locally and used for additional information for LCAP design impl ementation and eval uation
State System These indicators should be identified by the state to use in evaluatingits work supporting the statewide system these indicators should be
used to drive the continuous improvement of the statersquos systems of support
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
and ongoingw ork tod evelop the LCFFe valuation rubrics The proposed indicators include locally determinedi ndicators includedi nLoc al Control andA ccountability Plans anda lsoi nclude state-determinedi ndicators that alignw ithE SSA requirements As summarized by Table 1 and Figure 2 below targeted indicator sets should be developed and provided for specific system levels and accountability and continuous improvement purposes
As illustrated by Figure 2these indicator sets form ac omprehensive package that focuses on supporting and drivingl ocal accountabilityan d continuous improvement They should be depicted and reported in easy-to-use dashboard formats
Page 13 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State System Indicators
Local Accountability
and Continuous
Improvement
State Required Indicators
State ReportedIndicators
LocallyGenerated
Indicators (LCAP)
State SupportedIndicators
State System Indicators
Figure 2Integrated Indicator Sets
Tables 2-6 provide possible specific indicators with associated comments for each indicator set describedabove Taken together these tables illustrate an integration path utilizing Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) evaluation rubrics as central drivers of one coherent and comprehensive system that incorporates the federal accountability requirements
STATE AND LOCAL INDICATORS FOR LEAS AND SCHOOLS
The tables below contain the proposed indicators for each level of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Each set of indicators including those that are state-required and state-reported includes both academic and whole child indicators that should be used to measure performance equity and improvement This balance of academic and non-academic indicators will provide a more holistic depiction of the extent to which all students are prepared for college career life and leadership in the 21st centuryIndicators in Table 2 are explicitly linked to ESSA Requirements while the indicators in Tables 3-5 are linked to desired outcomes
Page 14 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
Academic achievement as measured profi ciency on annua l assessments
by CASSP English languagearts and mathematics scores in grad es 3- 8 inclusiveplus grade 11
To be measured by scale scores reflecting both status and student growthover time Scale SBAC scores would be broken down into diff erent subjects(ie math and English) and reported by grade span (ie grades 3-5 6-8 11)
Hig h schoo l graduation rates 4-year Graduation rates plus an extended rate (5 - andor 6-year rate)
At high school including rates (wit h a t leas t equa l work with student s wit h
a 5-or 6-year graduation rate weight ) creat es incentives for challenges
as well as 4-yearschool s t o keep
Progress in ach ieving Englis h language proficiency as defined by the State within a State-determined timeline f or all English Learners
English Learner (EL ) progress on state English Proficiency Assessment
The State LCFF identifies pro ress toward English proficiency andreclassification ratesEL pro ress
ggg
using scale scores on an EL profici encymeasure i s bett er for trackin th e progress o f al l students ensuring
attention to the ful l range of EL student s and their needs ndash from th ose wh oare newcomers to th ose who are b ecoming an d h ave b ecome lsquoproficient rsquo
Progress of ELs could be measured by a composite or by multiple i ndicatorsfor Englis h Learner progress ie including long-time English learners
and or reclassification ratesThe Task Force recommends creating a new data marker of ldquoEnglishLearner re-designat edrdquo for reclassified ELs as a means of capturing a fullerpicture of student performance
For public elementary schools andsecondary schools that are not highschools in the Statemdash(I) a measure of student growth if determined appropriate by the State or (II) another valid and reliable statewide academicindicat or tha t all ows for meaningfu ldifferentiation in school performance
Growth measure27 The Task F orce encourages the SBE and model s f or inclusion in th e syst em This and growth across other indicators
CDE to should
research potential incl ude both SBAC
growthscores
25 Every Student Succeeds Act 201526 From LCFFSt ate Priorities augmentedt om eet federal requirements27 The task force is not putting forth a specific way to measure growth but recommends that that State Board ofE ducation continue to research growth measure methodologies
Page 15 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Whole Child Outcomes
No t less than one indicator o f schoo lquality or student success that allowsfor meaningful differentiation in school
performance is valid reliable comparable and statewide and mayinclud e measures of studen tengagement educat or engagementstudent access to and completion ofadvanced coursework postsecondaryreadi ness school climate and safety and any other indicator other Statechooses tha t meets the requirements ofthis clause
bull
bull
bull
bull
Suspensi ons expulsion rat es Statewide schoolclimate surveyChronicabsenteeism College amp careerreadiness indicat or
Suspension and expulsion data are currently available and chronicabsenteeism soon will be Both are local measures of student access andengagemen t that help predict school achievement and high schoolgraduation The Task Force recommend s that suspension expulsion ratesbe utilized in conjunction wit h and tied to authentic programmatic workthat builds positive school climate such as alternative discipline orrestorative justice approaches
A statewide school climate survey of students parents and teachers couldinclud e quest ions on course breadth and access parenta l involvementbasic services safety and social-emotional supports teaching andadministrati ve supports and access to appropriate counseling servicesnurses and school psy gcholo i sts
A non-test-based indicator of coll ege and career readi ness should measurethe extent to which students complete courses and ro ramsp g (c p om letion o fA- G hig qu yh- alit CTE qu se ences and i p )nternshi s that ppsu ort coll ge e andcareer readiness and the development o f 21st yCentur skills such as
28 collaboration communicati pon roblem-solvi gn and creativity This couldbe reviewed in conjunction with other academic indicators as a means forholistically measuri ng the skills and abilities students need to be college andcareer ready
28 The Task Force recognizes that there is not currently a state-adopted tool that measures 21st Century skills like collaboration communication problem solving and creativityThese are qualities that can be evaluated through performance assessments The Task Force recommends that the State Board of Education pilot and study performanceassessments that can measure these competencies as they relate to college and career readiness
Page 16 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 3 State-Reported Indicators Outcome Area Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
College career li fe readi ness indicat ors
and
bull
bull
bull bull
Students completing A-G approved CTE sequence or both Students meeting college standardon AP IB dual credit courseworkPhysical fitness Science assessment resultsonce each in grad es 3-5 6- 8 10-12 for a tota l of three times
If completion o f A- G approved CTE sequences or AB IB dual credi tcoursewor k are not included in t he state required college and career readiness indicator they could be included here
Physical fitness data are already collected by the state
As science assessments develop they could be considered by the SBE in future as a potential add ition t o the require d indicators
the
Whole Child Outcomes
StudentTeacherand ParentCaregiver
Engagement
bull
bull
Attendance
Student teacher andparentcaregiver surveysmeasuring schoo l climat e
for
If attendance and school climate surveys are not in included n the state-required set o f indicat ors they could be included here
School climate surveys could include a core set of questions used across thestate with additional locally determined questions for local use TheCaliforni a Healthy Kids Survey i s an available tool for measuring school climateand measures el ements such as access to resources and programsfeelings of safety and interaction wit h caring adults
Equitable Learning Conditions
Opportunities t o learn
bull
bull bull bull
Teacher and administrator qualificationsSchool facilities qualityAccess to curriculum material s Access to full curriculum
These are required under the Williams Case andor LCAP
Page 17 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 4 State-Supported Locally-Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
As part of i ts eff ort to support l ocal continuous improvement efforts the state could develop and calibrate a library of tools and measures for voluntary use by bull Locally selected developmentally
State provid es tool s LEAs and schools Several of these may be available at t he time of system launchculturally and linguistically30 for sch ools or (launch library) while oth ers wil l requi re further time and resource investmentappropriate observational
31districts to choose (developmental library) kindergarten readiness and use at thei r s29 assessment CA has access to the Innovation Lab Network Performance Assessment Resource optionpotentially bull Classroom embedded authentic Bank that provides performance assessment tasks rubrics scoring protocols andin collaborat ion perf ormance assessments student work linked to CCSS and NGSS standards These can be made available towit h oth er part ners bull Social-emotional learning schools possibly as par t of the SBAC Digita l Libraryand networks indicat ors stAssessments of social-emotional learning might also be used to measure 21
bull Parent Engagement Century skill s such as collaborati on communication problem-solvingandcreativity and should be further studied by the SBE
Table 5 Locally Designed and Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Locally determined indicat ors
bull
bull
Other LCAP indicators es32 local prioriti
Oth er locally designed
for state and
indicators
Districts are not expected to all ocate resources equally to indicat ors bu t t o selec t strat egic goal s an d mak e resource associate d with those
each of the allocat ions
LCAP
29 These are individually administered and open-ended Theys hould beu sed as information for teachers and schools to ensuret heir youngest students arer eceiving the culturallylinguistically andde velopmentallyap propriate supports theyn eed Multiple validatedk indergarten readiness support tools exist andm ay in the short-term be suitable forinclusion in the tool libraryA ppendix A provides a series of recommendations andco nsiderationsr egarding early learning in the Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystemincluding as et of questions pertaining to the use of Kindergarten Readiness Assessments30 The ldquolaunch libraryrdquo could include school climate surveys fors tudents parents and caregiversand teachers (egCalifornia Healthy Kids Survey)tools for measuring implementation ofthe California Standards(C CSS NGSS etc)i ncluding instructional materials practices training etc and toolsfo r measuring indicators ofa rich fullc urriculum thatm ighti nclude art music PE science social studies31 The ldquodevelopment libraryrdquo could include KindergartenR eadiness support tools (Early educationK-12al ignment) Early literacy assessment tools High school graduation systems( Digital portfolio capstone project community service assessment) andSoc ial-Emotional Learning tools32 Californiarsquos emergingac countabilityf rameworki s groundedw ithin ab roader system of continuous improvement andsu pport forL EAsa nd schools By analyzing performance andp erformance improvement on multiple indicators andp resenting thati nformation in user-friendly formats the LCFF evaluation rubrics willa ssist LEAs and schools in self-identifying their strengths and weaknesses where support isn eededa nd who is able to provide it
Page 18 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
STATE SYSTEM INDICATORS
Table 6 Proposed State System Indicators
State Priority Key Indicator Performance Equity Improvement
Success for students withhigher needs in the stateas a whole on each of theSuccess for state as a Annual state gains rate of gap closurestate-required and state-Pupi l Achievement Aggregated Schoo l and whole on th e state-reported indicat ors Rate o f gai ns for students wit h high erand Engagement Distric t Indicators required and state-
needs reported indicat ors
Perf andoppor
ormancetunity gap closure
Awards for schools and Annual state gainsrate of gap closureNumber of schools
Pupi l Achievement LEAs serving high Rate o f gai ns ( number receiving awards)Californi a Awards applying forreceivingand Engagement numbers of higher-needs for sch ools serving high numb ers ofawards
students higher-needs students
Promulgation o fexemplars andomisingbestpr
practices and brokering Effecti veness of supportsof these and other to schools and districtsresources including especially those serving
Support for LCAP Support Systems Growth in service and capacity (360ordmtechnical assistance to high numb ers of st udentsDevelopmen t and Indicators (CDE CCEE revi ews)
districts wit h higher needsImplementation COEs)
Effecti veness of supports to schools and districts Equity and adequacy ofespecially those serving resource distributionhigh numb ers ofstudents wit h high erneeds
Page 19 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 20 of 41
WhiletheindicatorsandtoolsproposedbytheTaskForceformeasuringperformanceequityand
improvementatalllevelsofthesystemarenotperfectwehopetoidentifywhatindicatorsandtoolsare
workingovertimeanddevelopandrefinethesetoolsandmeasuressothattheymoreaccuratelyreflectthe
performanceequityandimprovementofthesystemAdditionallytheTaskForcerecommendsthatthe
stateengageinongoingformalevaluationworktomeasuretheefficacyofsupportsidentifybestand
promisingpracticesandinformcontinuousimprovementofthesystemTheonlywaytoensurethat
schoolsanddistrictsarecontinuouslyimprovingistoestablishacontinuousimprovementframeforthe
systemitselfwemustcommittoreflectiveandongoingassessmentofhowwellthesystemisworkingand
tomakingcoursecorrectionsandupdatesasneededtobetterserveCaliforniarsquosstudentsandstakeholders
4 CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTCaliforniarecognizesthattheaccountability
frameworkdescribedaboveisonlyhelpfulto
theextentthatitisintegrallytiedtoasystem
ofcontinuousimprovementandsupport
alignedwiththeCaliforniaWayandtheldquoright
driversrdquodescribedinSection233Continuous
improvementisthekeytoensuringthat
Californiarsquoseducationsystemrealizesitsvision
forallstudents34
DEFINITIONOFCONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
TheTaskForceoffersthefollowingdefinition
ofcontinuousimprovement
ContinuousImprovementAcontinuouslyimprovingeducationsystemisonethatlearns
fromexperiencebycarefullymeasuringthe
effectivenessofdifferentpoliciesandpracticessupportingtheintrinsicmotivationofeducatorsand
stakeholderssharingbestandpromisingpracticescultivatingacultureofreflectionandlearning
encouraginginnovationandmakingchangesbasedonlearning35
BUILDINGTHECONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSUPPORTSYSTEM
Bylookingatmeasuresofperformanceequityandimprovementillustratedthrougheasy-to-usepublic
dashboardsLEAswillbeabletoself-identifytheirstrengthsandweaknesseswheresupportisneeded
andwhoisabletoprovideit36Thiswillallowforthedevelopmentofasystemofdifferentiated
improvementsupportsthatrecognizessuccessandsharesbestandpromisingpracticesamongallLEAsin
thestateTheSuperintendentofPublicInstruction(SSPI)CaliforniaofEducation(CDE)theCalifornia
CollaborativeforEducationalExcellence(CCEE)andcountysuperintendentsshouldalsousethese
measurestoidentifyandreferLEAsandschoolsforfocusedandintensiveimprovementsupportas
33Blueprint20PlanningTeam(2015)
34Continuousimprovementlikereciprocalaccountabilityissomethingthateachlevelofthesystemisresponsiblefor
35AdaptedfromLoebSandPlankD(2008)LearningWhatWorksContinuousImprovementinCaliforniarsquosEducationSystemPolicyBrief08-4RetrievedonMarch162016fromhttpcepastanfordedusitesdefaultfilesLearning20Briefpdf
36Forexampleselectingoneindicatorinthedashboardmightleadtoapagewithmoredetailthatcouldincludeavarietyof
resourcesforimprovement(informationalresourcesbestpracticesinformationonhowtoself-refertoCCEEalistofTA
providersandoralistoflocaldistrictsorschoolsthathaveachievedsignificantimprovementinthatindicator)
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
described The Task Force recognizes thats ignificantc apacity building mustta ke place ata ll levelsof the system and especiallyf or countyof fices of education in order to take on the provision of tieredsu port summarized below To be effective work at the county office level should include teacherre
Just as modern health systems em hasize well-being and preventiono f illness inC aliforniarsquosAccountability and Continuous Im
utilized Table 7 below describes the proposed levels of support for schools and districts
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
below37
p
presentatives
THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT ALL FOCUSED INTENSIVE
p
provement System the overarching priority should be given tosupporting improvement for allacross multiple dimensions and through an ecosystem of supportIn thoseinstances when general support efforts do not yield results focused and intensive supports should be
38
Table 7 Tiered Support System Tier Type of Support
Improvement
Shared LearningLEAs
and for All
The indicat ors should help recognize successidentify the strengths of LEAs andschools and therefore should serve as a means to identify (and self-identify )whic h LEAs and schools are well-positioned to share their successful practiceswit h others throug h formal and informal improvemen t effort s across school s and
39 LEAs The SSPICDE CCEE and county offices of education should also developtools and supports that will be available to all LEAs and schools (LCAP planningsupports vetted best practi ces etc)
Focused Im rovement
Supp
p
ort
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboardindicat ors to identify schools and LEAs in need of focuse d intervention and th e
areas in which improvemen t support s are needed
of
IntensiveImprovement Support
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboard ofdicat ors to identify LEAs and schools that need more comprehensive andin
int ensive support s to make major improvements in performance andor growthResults on selected measures should not only help to identify where intensivesupports are needed but what other similar LEAs might be best positioned toprovide them
37 Differentiated levels of support could be used across LEAs and schools based on need similar to the ldquoResponse To Interventionrdquomodel which provides varying levels and intensities of support and intervention based on student needs
38 Table 7 describes the tiers and types of supportinterventiona vailable from state-levele ntities The Task Force recognizes thecritical rolest hat will be played by multiple kindso f stakeholdersi n the full ecosystem of support including researchers nonprofitorganizations institutions of higher education philanthropy coalitions etc39 Examples of formal and informal improvement efforts include statewide and regional LCFFLCAP Conferences LCAP SupportTeamsCalifornia Labor Management Initiative events etc
Page 21 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 6 of 41
SUMMARYDESCRIPTIONSCOMPONENTSOFTHENEWACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSYSTEM
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding PrinciplesCaliforniarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
COE
s
CCEE
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
dagger dagger
dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
ROLES
Cycle of Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous
Improvement
School and District IndicatorsCalifornia seeks to develop a system that incorporates multiple measures to present a holistic picture of performance equity and improvement for schools LEAs and the state The new system rooted in and part of LCFF and LCAP will examine schooldistrict learning conditions to understand if the system is providing equitable resources and opportunities for all students It will also examine academic and non-academic outcome indicators to understand student performance and it will disaggregate these indicators by student groups as a measure of equity The new system will examine the rate of improvement across these indicators as a means of highlighting and building on successful practices and identifying where additional improvement support is needed
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
California recognizes that its accountability framework is only helpful to the extent that it is integrally tied to a system of continuous improvement and support By looking at measures of performance equity and improvement with regard to both whole child and academic indicators schools and districts will be able to self-identify their strengths areas where support is needed and where support is available within the greater ecosystem of peer learning This will allow for a system of differentiated improvement supports at three levels that recognizes success and shares promising and successful practices between LEAs throughout the state
RolesCaliforniarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must include clearly defined roles for federal state and local stakeholders Each level of the system should be held responsible for the contributions it must make to support learning and development for every child
Policy Makers Policy makers at the state and federal level should establish policies and standards that support continuous improvement set clear expectations for outcomes and improvement provide adequate resources support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and foster innovation
Stakeholders and Communities One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders From advocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropy parent groups community voices business organizations early learning and care and beyond this coalition of supportive stakeholders will be instrumental in the successful communication about transition to and implementation of this new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System
The CDE CCEE and COEs The State Superintendent of Public InstructionCDE the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) and county superintendentsoffices of education (COEs)mdashmust work collaboratively to provide coordinated support for school accountability and continuous improvement Additionally the State Superintendent must take action if a school or district is unable to improve over time
Schools and Districts Schools and districts are at the center of Californiarsquos system They must engage students parents and caregivers educators and other stakeholders in school and district-level planning and support to ensure that all students are provided with meaningful opportunities to learn and contribute They must implement instructional improvement strategies and marshal the financial and professional capital required to implement these strategies and improve student outcomes
FoundationAs a state we seek to realize our vision to provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthood and prepare students to live work and thrive in a multicultural multilingual and highly connected world We pursue rigorous learning and achievement in every classroom and every school
We will embrace the California Way which rests on the belief that educators want to excel trusts them to improve when given the proper supports and provides local schools and districts with the leeway and flexibility to deploy resources so they can improve
To do this Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System willbull Demonstrate a commitment to equitybull Emphasize the importance of educating the whole childbull Focus on building collaboration engagement and professional capitalbull Recognize that improvement and learning are continuousbull Value the knowledge and expertise of educators and communitiesbull Rely on reciprocity and subsidiaritybull Embrace students parents and families as critical stakeholdersbull Identify and recognize districts schools and classr ooms that can serve as models and those that need support The proposed system builds on State Board of Education guiding principles
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Cycleof Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District
dagger
Academic Outcomes
Aggregated dagger Disaggregated Aggregated dagger Disaggregated
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
2 FOUNDATION
The proposed Accountability and ContinuousImprovementS ystem restso n a foundation ofa common vision guidingp rinciples and a shared commitment to the ldquoCalifornia Wayrdquo The Task Force believes this foundation and the more detailed recommendationsth at follow are aligned with and in some cases anextension of the work being undertaken by the CaliforniaSt ate Board of Education (SBE) involving the development ofL CFF EvaluationRubricsThis foundation will also supportplanning workto be undertakenf or the ESSAstate plan
VISION
In the same way thata classroom teacher startse ach school yearw ith a vision of what successw ill look like forh isherst udents we began ourd esign processb y working on a shared vision Asa state we seek to provide a world-class education fora ll students from earlych ildhood to adulthood and prepare students toli vew orka nd thrive in am ulticulturalm ultilinguala nd highly connected world5 The statersquosA ccountability and Continuous Improvement System should help provide local educators and communities with the information and tools they need to engage in a processo f continuousi mprovement where collaborative planning implementation and analysis leads toon going adjustments tos uccessfullyaddress the diverse needs of all students Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should
bull Demonstrate a commitment to equity by ensuring that all student groups are visible in accountabilityan d improvement efforts and settinggoal s for closinggap s The system should provide clarity ong aps ina chievement opportunity and access betweenst udent groups andprovide tools to eliminate these gaps 6
bull Emphasize the importance of educating the whole child by using indicators from multiple domains The system should include holistic and developmentally appropriate metrics to monitor progress towards preparing all students for college career life and leadershipi nt he 21st century
bull Focus on building collaboration engagement and professional capital to ensure that educators have supports they need to improve student learning
bull Recognize that improvement andl earning are continuous and emphasize feedback loops with a focus on continuous improvement and quality throughout every levelo ft he system
bull Value the knowledge and expertise of educators and communities by relying on accountability and improvement plans that are locally driven and state supported
bull Rely on subsidiarity and reciprocal accountabilityholding every level of the system responsible for the contributions it must make to support learning for every child7
5 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 6 The term ldquostudent grouprdquo refers to the student subgroups that are included inL ocal Control and Accountability Plans includingsocioeconomically disadvantaged students English learners studentsw ith disabilities andfo ster youthdisaggregated by race and ethnicity7 According to the Oxford English Dictionary ldquosubsidiarityrdquo represents the idea that a central authority should have a subsidiaryfunction performing only those tasks that cannot be performed effectively at a more immediate or localle vel
Page 7 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Embrace students parents and families as critical stakeholders in the accountability system bull Identify and recognize districts schools and classrooms that can serve as models for those
thatn eed supportto create an environment where we can learn from each other collaborate and improve together
GUIDINGPRINCIPLES
The shared visiono utlined above provides afo undation for developing the proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement System while the following guiding principles from the SBE offer af ramework for making decisions about the system8
1 Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts schools and county offices of educationPromote a broad understanding of the specific goals that need to be met at each level of the educational system 9
2 Foster equityCreate support structuresincluding technical assistance for districts and schoolsto promote success for all students regardless of background primary language or socioeconomic status
3 Provide useful informationt hat helps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of education and policymakers makei mportant decisionsAssist and engage parentseducators and policymakers through regular communicationa nd transparent timely reporting of data so they can take action appropriate to their roles
4 Build capacity and increase support for districts schools and county offices Seek tob uild capacity at all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningp ractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
5 Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measuresfor state and local priorities Focus on ongoing improvement of student outcomes including college- and career-readiness using multiple measures that reflect both status and growth
6 Promote system-wide integration and innovation Purposely ande ffectively integrate each accountabilitys ystem component includinggr oups and technologies creatinga c oherent effective and efficient support structure for districts charter schools and county offices of education10
The Task Force developed the following additional guiding principles 7 Align to the extentp ossible local state and federal accountabilityan d continuous improvement
systemst o create one single integrateds ystem for use by schoolsdi stricts county offices of education and the State of CaliforniaLead with Californiarsquos commitment to subsidiarity and the strengthening of local assets and capacities11 and
8 Encourage labor-management collaboration in districts schools and county offices of education asan underlyingf oundationf or effective implementationo f the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System12
THECALIFORNIAWAY USINGTHERIGHTDRIVERSTOGUIDEIMPROVEMENT
ldquoThe California Way rests ont he belief that educators want to excel trusts them to improve when givent he proper supports and provides local schools and districts witht he leeway and flexibility to deploy resources sot hey can improve The CaliforniaW ay engages students parents and communities as part of ac ollaborative decision-making process about how to fund and implement these
8 SeeA ppendixB for the complete State Board of Educationrsquos Guiding Principles for Accountability System Planning 9 Throughout this document the term ldquoschoolsrdquo is used to refer to all public schools in California including charter schools 10 See httpwwwcdecagovbepnnryr15sberel01asp 11 SeeSec tion 5 for recommendations for alignment ofa ccountability and continuous improvement plans 12 Information on the California Labor-Management Initiativec an bef ounda t wwwcdefoundationorglmi
Page 8 of 41
lued (School and District Whole Child Outcomes)
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
improvement efforts and provides supplemental resources to ensure that Californiarsquos English learners foster youth and students inp overty have the learnings upports they needrdquo13
As notede ducationr esearcher anda dvisor Michael Fullan explains ldquoThe key to system-wide success is tosituate the energy of educatorsa nd studentsa st he central driving force Thism eansa ligningt he goals of reform and the intrinsic motivation of participantsrdquo14 In order to create an effective and sustainable system of accountability and continuous improvement thatb uilds on the collaborative approachde scribedb ybo th Fullan andth e California Wayactors at all levels of the proposed system must focus on the ldquorightd riversrdquowhich ldquofoster motivation of teachers and students engage educators and students in continuousimprovement improve team work and affect all teachers and studentsrdquo15 The right drivers identified in A Blueprint for Great Schools Version 20 include
bull Investing in and building educator professional capital bull Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations bull Supporting effective pedagogy bull Developing systemicso lutions to create a coherent and positive education system16
Moving away from a compliance-driven system towards a system that emphasizes the right drivers will require a significant cultural shift in how many education stakeholders define accountability17 Together with the guiding principles these right drivers serve as a litmus test for future accountability and continuous improvement policies and practices
3 ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK
Building upon the foundation describeda bovethe proposedAc countability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem relieso n a set of multiple measures to examinep erformance equity and improvement These should be presentedthrough user-friendly dashboards18 Examining these multiple measures will
bull Demonstrate the extentto which schoolsa nd districts provide thesupportsa nd resourcest hat will allow studentst o take advantage ofeducational opportunities and succeed in school (Equitable LearningConditions)
bull Highlight whole child development by examining indicators thats how the extent to which all children areh ealthy safe engaged supported challenged and va
13 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 14 Fullan M (2011) 15 Ibid 16 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 17 Appendix A highlights the ways inw hicht hese drivers couldb e appliedac ross the K-12and E arly LearningSy stem tos upportarticulation andal ignment 18 The dashboard approach will allow the presentationo f multiple kinds of data and assessments to support multiple ways ofmonitoring and improving just as adr iver uses many different gauges windows andm irrors
Page 9 of 41
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Cycleof Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District
dagger
Academic Outcomes
Aggregated dagger Disaggregated Aggregated dagger Disaggregated
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Illustrate the extentto which students achieve meaningful learningou tcomes includingt he acquisition of the knowledge language and lifelongl earnings kills needed tos ucceed (School and District AcademicO utcomes)
bull Reveal disparities by disaggregating student outcomes by student groups and examining learning conditions through the lens of equity
DEFINITION OF ACCOUNTABILITY
The Superintendentrsquos Advisory Task Force onA ccountability and Continuous Improvement offers the definitionof accountability belowThis shared definition allowed the Task Force toi dentifyt he primary purposes of ana ccountability system and consider how these purposes could be achieved through a system thate mphasizes both performanceequityand improvement This definitionfo cuses on intrinsicmotivation the right drivers and reciprocal accountabilityac ross all levels of the system
Accountability is a shared responsibility to 1) Provide studentsw ith the learning experiencesa nd supportst hey need to achieve meaningful outcomesand 2) Effectively collaborate and share information amongte achers and classified staffschoolsstudentsparents and caregiversadministratorsdistrictscommunities county offices of education and the state to ensure thatever yp art of thes ystem has thecapacity tools and resources necessary to provide these learning experiences and support Implementing this two-pronged definitiono f accountability leads to increasing levels ofs upport for improvements at alllevels oft he system Our California Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon
bull Shared responsibility to support learning for every child bull Comprehensively measuring performance equity improvement and how well the system is
meeting its goalsincluding linking results to the tiered system of support and intervention19
bull Considering all the factors that affect performance and outcomes in order toi dentify share andpromote best and promising practices and change courseso f action thata re nota chieving our desired outcomes
bull Clearly communicating expectations and processes at all levels bull Reporting the results of selected measures to all partners in education and in the communityand bull Taking what we know and have learned from careful assessments and using thati nformation by
working together to channel support and resourcesto make improvements where they are needed
DEFINITIONS PERFORMANCE EQUITY WHOLE CHILD
Similarly to build commonund erstanding and support for the Task Forcersquos proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemthe task force recommendst he following definitions
Performanceth e extentto which schools districts and the state supports tudents to achieve meaningful outcomes ABl ueprint for Great Schools Version 20 recommendst hat meaningful learning should support the acquisition of the knowledge language lifelongl earnings kills and dispositions that students need to succeed the ability to apply complex knowledge to solve problems collaborate communicate inquire learn independently and build relationships and the capacity to be resilient and resourceful20
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the culturally appropriate and linguistically accessible supports and resources needed to take advantage of educational opportunities and succeed in school at the same level as other students
19 For more information see pages1 5-19 for proposed indicators and pages 22-23 for the tiered system ofs upport andintervention 20 Blueprint 20 PlanningT eam (2015)
Page 10 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Whole ChildAn approach to learning that ensures thatever yc hild is healthy safe engaged supported challenged and valued21
EQUITYPERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System should create a holisticp icture of how well the schoolsLEAsand the state are realizingC aliforniarsquos vision of success for all students To do this the Task Force recommends ab alanced set of academic and non-academic indicators that illustratestudent performance and equitablel earning conditionsand improvement in both (see Figure 1) The Task Force recognizes that it is important tou tilize a whole child approach and noti ncentivize the wrongdrivers Inc onsidering rates andt argets the Task Force advises an emphasis on continuous sustainable improvements rooted in the ongoing development ofp rofessional capital This balanceds et ofa cademic and non-academic indicators should be depicted in easy-to-read dashboard formats(se e p 30)
Performance Academic and non-academic achievement
Performance Improvement Rate of improvement of performance
Equity Improvement Rate of improvement of equity
Equity Gaps in opportunities (learning conditions) and performance across student groups
Figure 1
PERFORMANCE
The performancem easurei llustrates the state of student outcomesa t a point in time across ar ange of academic and non-academic areas22 It uses multiple indicators to depict the current level of performanceThe performance measure shows the extent to which a district or school is meeting outcomes for studentsat both an aggregated and disaggregated (byst udent group)le vel23
PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
The performance improvement or change measure denotes the level of improvement based on changesover time tot he indicators includedi n the performance measure It should be provided in aggregated anddisaggregated( by student group)f orms The Task Forcersquos proposed new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem places significant value on improvementThe value of improvement lies in both the importance of striving to increase studenta nd system outcomes and the opportunity thatimprovement provides for shared learning across the system The performance improvement measure servesmu ltiple purposes providing opportunitiest o
21 Adapted from ASCD See httpwwwascdorgwhole-childaspx 22 There are a number of possible approaches to achieve thisSome possible examples include am odel used in Alberta Canada while another might be a quadrant-based scatter plot such as the model developed by ChildrenN ow 23 Iti s criticalto consider indicators thatr eliably predictth e longer-term studento utcomes we seekfo r example indicators in theearlygr ades should predict graduation rates whilei ndicators in thes econdarygr ades should predict collegea nd careerpreparedness etc
Page 11 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
1 Highlight and recognize those districts and schools makingc oncerted and successful efforts toimprove
2 Identify districts and schools that need support to address challenges and needsand 3 Identify promising practices in aggregate or byst udent groupthat could be applied by other
LEAs ands chools across the system
EQUITY The equityme asure shedsl ight on disparitiesi n opportunitiesa nd outcomesa crossst udent groups Equity should be examined through indicators of equitablel earning conditions and byd isaggregatingp erformance measures by student groups Californiarsquos public education system is entrustedt op rovide high-quality educational opportunities for all of its students A robust accountability system identifiesb arriers that limit access toa r igorous and nurturinge ducational experience for all students especially those requiring special education foster youth homeless youth those from low-income families English learnersand vulnerable racial and ethnic groupsThe Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should help identify supportsne ededt o eradicate those barriers maintaina ndm easure progress towards clear goals and hold schools districts and educators accountable for closingac hievement gaps and advancinga r ange of culturally responsive and linguistically supportive opportunities toe nsure success in school and acquisition of the skills necessaryt ob e college careerand life ready
EQUITY IMPROVEMENT Similar tot he performance improvement or change measure equity improvement illustrates the level of improvement on equityin dicators This measure looks at the rate of improvementof equitable learning conditions thatc apture the level of equity in a school or districta nd the rate atw hich performance gaps across student groupsa re closingstaying the sameor growing Improving equity of access andopportunityan dc losingac hievement gaps are critical toi mprovingou tcomes for all students Additionallylooking at the rate ofi mprovement on equityi ndicators provides aw ayt oi dentifyan d act on promisingpractices for improving student equity
INDICATORS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
The Task Force recommends as eries of indicator sets for differentu ses and at different levels of the system These various sets of indicators should be depicted inv isually attractive and easy-to-use dashboards that will allowt he system to
bull Ensure that the state and system as a whole are continuously improving bull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvement acrosst he state with regard to
student learning and achievement bull Collect additional diagnostic information to support continuous improvement efforts and bull Provide LEAs with the flexibility to identify indicators of interest
LEVELSO FI NDICATORS
To build a system that fully supports and values performance equity andi mprovementCalifornia should utilize appropriate indicator sets for each level of accountability and continuous improvement 24
This work should build upon the state priorities articulated by the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)
24 ldquoAn indicator provides evidence that certain conditionse xist orce rtain resultsh ave or have not been achieved Indicatorse nabledecision-makers to assess progress towards the achievement of intended outputs outcomes goals and objectivesrdquo (HarvardFamilyR esearchP roject) Horsch K (1997) Indicators definition andu se in ar esults-based accountability system Retrieved onApril 14 2016 from httpwwwhfrporgpublications-resourcesbrowse-our-publicationsindicators-definition-and-use-in-a-results-based-accountability-system
Page 12 of 41
Table 1 Levels of Indicators Indicator Set Definition and Use State-Required These indicators should be used for both state and federal (ESSA)
purposes should be applicable and relevant statewide and should be utilized by California to gauge the success of federal and state-level accountability and continuous improvement supports for LEAs and schools
State-Reported These indicators should be vetted and reported by the state and available for use in the statersquos Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System for LEAs and schoolsThese indicators should complement the state-required indicator set by providing a moreholistic picture of performance equity and improvement
State-Supported Locally-Reported These indicators should provide additional diagnostic and evaluation information and should be available for voluntary local use that is
supported with tools provided by the state allowing schools and LEAs to evaluate learning opportunities more deeplyThey should be locally-reported and used for diagnostic and improvement purposes in the context of state and local accountability and continuous improvement systems
Locally Generated and Reported These indicators should be identified and vetted locally and used for additional information for LCAP design impl ementation and eval uation
State System These indicators should be identified by the state to use in evaluatingits work supporting the statewide system these indicators should be
used to drive the continuous improvement of the statersquos systems of support
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
and ongoingw ork tod evelop the LCFFe valuation rubrics The proposed indicators include locally determinedi ndicators includedi nLoc al Control andA ccountability Plans anda lsoi nclude state-determinedi ndicators that alignw ithE SSA requirements As summarized by Table 1 and Figure 2 below targeted indicator sets should be developed and provided for specific system levels and accountability and continuous improvement purposes
As illustrated by Figure 2these indicator sets form ac omprehensive package that focuses on supporting and drivingl ocal accountabilityan d continuous improvement They should be depicted and reported in easy-to-use dashboard formats
Page 13 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State System Indicators
Local Accountability
and Continuous
Improvement
State Required Indicators
State ReportedIndicators
LocallyGenerated
Indicators (LCAP)
State SupportedIndicators
State System Indicators
Figure 2Integrated Indicator Sets
Tables 2-6 provide possible specific indicators with associated comments for each indicator set describedabove Taken together these tables illustrate an integration path utilizing Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) evaluation rubrics as central drivers of one coherent and comprehensive system that incorporates the federal accountability requirements
STATE AND LOCAL INDICATORS FOR LEAS AND SCHOOLS
The tables below contain the proposed indicators for each level of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Each set of indicators including those that are state-required and state-reported includes both academic and whole child indicators that should be used to measure performance equity and improvement This balance of academic and non-academic indicators will provide a more holistic depiction of the extent to which all students are prepared for college career life and leadership in the 21st centuryIndicators in Table 2 are explicitly linked to ESSA Requirements while the indicators in Tables 3-5 are linked to desired outcomes
Page 14 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
Academic achievement as measured profi ciency on annua l assessments
by CASSP English languagearts and mathematics scores in grad es 3- 8 inclusiveplus grade 11
To be measured by scale scores reflecting both status and student growthover time Scale SBAC scores would be broken down into diff erent subjects(ie math and English) and reported by grade span (ie grades 3-5 6-8 11)
Hig h schoo l graduation rates 4-year Graduation rates plus an extended rate (5 - andor 6-year rate)
At high school including rates (wit h a t leas t equa l work with student s wit h
a 5-or 6-year graduation rate weight ) creat es incentives for challenges
as well as 4-yearschool s t o keep
Progress in ach ieving Englis h language proficiency as defined by the State within a State-determined timeline f or all English Learners
English Learner (EL ) progress on state English Proficiency Assessment
The State LCFF identifies pro ress toward English proficiency andreclassification ratesEL pro ress
ggg
using scale scores on an EL profici encymeasure i s bett er for trackin th e progress o f al l students ensuring
attention to the ful l range of EL student s and their needs ndash from th ose wh oare newcomers to th ose who are b ecoming an d h ave b ecome lsquoproficient rsquo
Progress of ELs could be measured by a composite or by multiple i ndicatorsfor Englis h Learner progress ie including long-time English learners
and or reclassification ratesThe Task Force recommends creating a new data marker of ldquoEnglishLearner re-designat edrdquo for reclassified ELs as a means of capturing a fullerpicture of student performance
For public elementary schools andsecondary schools that are not highschools in the Statemdash(I) a measure of student growth if determined appropriate by the State or (II) another valid and reliable statewide academicindicat or tha t all ows for meaningfu ldifferentiation in school performance
Growth measure27 The Task F orce encourages the SBE and model s f or inclusion in th e syst em This and growth across other indicators
CDE to should
research potential incl ude both SBAC
growthscores
25 Every Student Succeeds Act 201526 From LCFFSt ate Priorities augmentedt om eet federal requirements27 The task force is not putting forth a specific way to measure growth but recommends that that State Board ofE ducation continue to research growth measure methodologies
Page 15 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Whole Child Outcomes
No t less than one indicator o f schoo lquality or student success that allowsfor meaningful differentiation in school
performance is valid reliable comparable and statewide and mayinclud e measures of studen tengagement educat or engagementstudent access to and completion ofadvanced coursework postsecondaryreadi ness school climate and safety and any other indicator other Statechooses tha t meets the requirements ofthis clause
bull
bull
bull
bull
Suspensi ons expulsion rat es Statewide schoolclimate surveyChronicabsenteeism College amp careerreadiness indicat or
Suspension and expulsion data are currently available and chronicabsenteeism soon will be Both are local measures of student access andengagemen t that help predict school achievement and high schoolgraduation The Task Force recommend s that suspension expulsion ratesbe utilized in conjunction wit h and tied to authentic programmatic workthat builds positive school climate such as alternative discipline orrestorative justice approaches
A statewide school climate survey of students parents and teachers couldinclud e quest ions on course breadth and access parenta l involvementbasic services safety and social-emotional supports teaching andadministrati ve supports and access to appropriate counseling servicesnurses and school psy gcholo i sts
A non-test-based indicator of coll ege and career readi ness should measurethe extent to which students complete courses and ro ramsp g (c p om letion o fA- G hig qu yh- alit CTE qu se ences and i p )nternshi s that ppsu ort coll ge e andcareer readiness and the development o f 21st yCentur skills such as
28 collaboration communicati pon roblem-solvi gn and creativity This couldbe reviewed in conjunction with other academic indicators as a means forholistically measuri ng the skills and abilities students need to be college andcareer ready
28 The Task Force recognizes that there is not currently a state-adopted tool that measures 21st Century skills like collaboration communication problem solving and creativityThese are qualities that can be evaluated through performance assessments The Task Force recommends that the State Board of Education pilot and study performanceassessments that can measure these competencies as they relate to college and career readiness
Page 16 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 3 State-Reported Indicators Outcome Area Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
College career li fe readi ness indicat ors
and
bull
bull
bull bull
Students completing A-G approved CTE sequence or both Students meeting college standardon AP IB dual credit courseworkPhysical fitness Science assessment resultsonce each in grad es 3-5 6- 8 10-12 for a tota l of three times
If completion o f A- G approved CTE sequences or AB IB dual credi tcoursewor k are not included in t he state required college and career readiness indicator they could be included here
Physical fitness data are already collected by the state
As science assessments develop they could be considered by the SBE in future as a potential add ition t o the require d indicators
the
Whole Child Outcomes
StudentTeacherand ParentCaregiver
Engagement
bull
bull
Attendance
Student teacher andparentcaregiver surveysmeasuring schoo l climat e
for
If attendance and school climate surveys are not in included n the state-required set o f indicat ors they could be included here
School climate surveys could include a core set of questions used across thestate with additional locally determined questions for local use TheCaliforni a Healthy Kids Survey i s an available tool for measuring school climateand measures el ements such as access to resources and programsfeelings of safety and interaction wit h caring adults
Equitable Learning Conditions
Opportunities t o learn
bull
bull bull bull
Teacher and administrator qualificationsSchool facilities qualityAccess to curriculum material s Access to full curriculum
These are required under the Williams Case andor LCAP
Page 17 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 4 State-Supported Locally-Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
As part of i ts eff ort to support l ocal continuous improvement efforts the state could develop and calibrate a library of tools and measures for voluntary use by bull Locally selected developmentally
State provid es tool s LEAs and schools Several of these may be available at t he time of system launchculturally and linguistically30 for sch ools or (launch library) while oth ers wil l requi re further time and resource investmentappropriate observational
31districts to choose (developmental library) kindergarten readiness and use at thei r s29 assessment CA has access to the Innovation Lab Network Performance Assessment Resource optionpotentially bull Classroom embedded authentic Bank that provides performance assessment tasks rubrics scoring protocols andin collaborat ion perf ormance assessments student work linked to CCSS and NGSS standards These can be made available towit h oth er part ners bull Social-emotional learning schools possibly as par t of the SBAC Digita l Libraryand networks indicat ors stAssessments of social-emotional learning might also be used to measure 21
bull Parent Engagement Century skill s such as collaborati on communication problem-solvingandcreativity and should be further studied by the SBE
Table 5 Locally Designed and Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Locally determined indicat ors
bull
bull
Other LCAP indicators es32 local prioriti
Oth er locally designed
for state and
indicators
Districts are not expected to all ocate resources equally to indicat ors bu t t o selec t strat egic goal s an d mak e resource associate d with those
each of the allocat ions
LCAP
29 These are individually administered and open-ended Theys hould beu sed as information for teachers and schools to ensuret heir youngest students arer eceiving the culturallylinguistically andde velopmentallyap propriate supports theyn eed Multiple validatedk indergarten readiness support tools exist andm ay in the short-term be suitable forinclusion in the tool libraryA ppendix A provides a series of recommendations andco nsiderationsr egarding early learning in the Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystemincluding as et of questions pertaining to the use of Kindergarten Readiness Assessments30 The ldquolaunch libraryrdquo could include school climate surveys fors tudents parents and caregiversand teachers (egCalifornia Healthy Kids Survey)tools for measuring implementation ofthe California Standards(C CSS NGSS etc)i ncluding instructional materials practices training etc and toolsfo r measuring indicators ofa rich fullc urriculum thatm ighti nclude art music PE science social studies31 The ldquodevelopment libraryrdquo could include KindergartenR eadiness support tools (Early educationK-12al ignment) Early literacy assessment tools High school graduation systems( Digital portfolio capstone project community service assessment) andSoc ial-Emotional Learning tools32 Californiarsquos emergingac countabilityf rameworki s groundedw ithin ab roader system of continuous improvement andsu pport forL EAsa nd schools By analyzing performance andp erformance improvement on multiple indicators andp resenting thati nformation in user-friendly formats the LCFF evaluation rubrics willa ssist LEAs and schools in self-identifying their strengths and weaknesses where support isn eededa nd who is able to provide it
Page 18 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
STATE SYSTEM INDICATORS
Table 6 Proposed State System Indicators
State Priority Key Indicator Performance Equity Improvement
Success for students withhigher needs in the stateas a whole on each of theSuccess for state as a Annual state gains rate of gap closurestate-required and state-Pupi l Achievement Aggregated Schoo l and whole on th e state-reported indicat ors Rate o f gai ns for students wit h high erand Engagement Distric t Indicators required and state-
needs reported indicat ors
Perf andoppor
ormancetunity gap closure
Awards for schools and Annual state gainsrate of gap closureNumber of schools
Pupi l Achievement LEAs serving high Rate o f gai ns ( number receiving awards)Californi a Awards applying forreceivingand Engagement numbers of higher-needs for sch ools serving high numb ers ofawards
students higher-needs students
Promulgation o fexemplars andomisingbestpr
practices and brokering Effecti veness of supportsof these and other to schools and districtsresources including especially those serving
Support for LCAP Support Systems Growth in service and capacity (360ordmtechnical assistance to high numb ers of st udentsDevelopmen t and Indicators (CDE CCEE revi ews)
districts wit h higher needsImplementation COEs)
Effecti veness of supports to schools and districts Equity and adequacy ofespecially those serving resource distributionhigh numb ers ofstudents wit h high erneeds
Page 19 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 20 of 41
WhiletheindicatorsandtoolsproposedbytheTaskForceformeasuringperformanceequityand
improvementatalllevelsofthesystemarenotperfectwehopetoidentifywhatindicatorsandtoolsare
workingovertimeanddevelopandrefinethesetoolsandmeasuressothattheymoreaccuratelyreflectthe
performanceequityandimprovementofthesystemAdditionallytheTaskForcerecommendsthatthe
stateengageinongoingformalevaluationworktomeasuretheefficacyofsupportsidentifybestand
promisingpracticesandinformcontinuousimprovementofthesystemTheonlywaytoensurethat
schoolsanddistrictsarecontinuouslyimprovingistoestablishacontinuousimprovementframeforthe
systemitselfwemustcommittoreflectiveandongoingassessmentofhowwellthesystemisworkingand
tomakingcoursecorrectionsandupdatesasneededtobetterserveCaliforniarsquosstudentsandstakeholders
4 CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTCaliforniarecognizesthattheaccountability
frameworkdescribedaboveisonlyhelpfulto
theextentthatitisintegrallytiedtoasystem
ofcontinuousimprovementandsupport
alignedwiththeCaliforniaWayandtheldquoright
driversrdquodescribedinSection233Continuous
improvementisthekeytoensuringthat
Californiarsquoseducationsystemrealizesitsvision
forallstudents34
DEFINITIONOFCONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
TheTaskForceoffersthefollowingdefinition
ofcontinuousimprovement
ContinuousImprovementAcontinuouslyimprovingeducationsystemisonethatlearns
fromexperiencebycarefullymeasuringthe
effectivenessofdifferentpoliciesandpracticessupportingtheintrinsicmotivationofeducatorsand
stakeholderssharingbestandpromisingpracticescultivatingacultureofreflectionandlearning
encouraginginnovationandmakingchangesbasedonlearning35
BUILDINGTHECONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSUPPORTSYSTEM
Bylookingatmeasuresofperformanceequityandimprovementillustratedthrougheasy-to-usepublic
dashboardsLEAswillbeabletoself-identifytheirstrengthsandweaknesseswheresupportisneeded
andwhoisabletoprovideit36Thiswillallowforthedevelopmentofasystemofdifferentiated
improvementsupportsthatrecognizessuccessandsharesbestandpromisingpracticesamongallLEAsin
thestateTheSuperintendentofPublicInstruction(SSPI)CaliforniaofEducation(CDE)theCalifornia
CollaborativeforEducationalExcellence(CCEE)andcountysuperintendentsshouldalsousethese
measurestoidentifyandreferLEAsandschoolsforfocusedandintensiveimprovementsupportas
33Blueprint20PlanningTeam(2015)
34Continuousimprovementlikereciprocalaccountabilityissomethingthateachlevelofthesystemisresponsiblefor
35AdaptedfromLoebSandPlankD(2008)LearningWhatWorksContinuousImprovementinCaliforniarsquosEducationSystemPolicyBrief08-4RetrievedonMarch162016fromhttpcepastanfordedusitesdefaultfilesLearning20Briefpdf
36Forexampleselectingoneindicatorinthedashboardmightleadtoapagewithmoredetailthatcouldincludeavarietyof
resourcesforimprovement(informationalresourcesbestpracticesinformationonhowtoself-refertoCCEEalistofTA
providersandoralistoflocaldistrictsorschoolsthathaveachievedsignificantimprovementinthatindicator)
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
described The Task Force recognizes thats ignificantc apacity building mustta ke place ata ll levelsof the system and especiallyf or countyof fices of education in order to take on the provision of tieredsu port summarized below To be effective work at the county office level should include teacherre
Just as modern health systems em hasize well-being and preventiono f illness inC aliforniarsquosAccountability and Continuous Im
utilized Table 7 below describes the proposed levels of support for schools and districts
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
below37
p
presentatives
THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT ALL FOCUSED INTENSIVE
p
provement System the overarching priority should be given tosupporting improvement for allacross multiple dimensions and through an ecosystem of supportIn thoseinstances when general support efforts do not yield results focused and intensive supports should be
38
Table 7 Tiered Support System Tier Type of Support
Improvement
Shared LearningLEAs
and for All
The indicat ors should help recognize successidentify the strengths of LEAs andschools and therefore should serve as a means to identify (and self-identify )whic h LEAs and schools are well-positioned to share their successful practiceswit h others throug h formal and informal improvemen t effort s across school s and
39 LEAs The SSPICDE CCEE and county offices of education should also developtools and supports that will be available to all LEAs and schools (LCAP planningsupports vetted best practi ces etc)
Focused Im rovement
Supp
p
ort
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboardindicat ors to identify schools and LEAs in need of focuse d intervention and th e
areas in which improvemen t support s are needed
of
IntensiveImprovement Support
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboard ofdicat ors to identify LEAs and schools that need more comprehensive andin
int ensive support s to make major improvements in performance andor growthResults on selected measures should not only help to identify where intensivesupports are needed but what other similar LEAs might be best positioned toprovide them
37 Differentiated levels of support could be used across LEAs and schools based on need similar to the ldquoResponse To Interventionrdquomodel which provides varying levels and intensities of support and intervention based on student needs
38 Table 7 describes the tiers and types of supportinterventiona vailable from state-levele ntities The Task Force recognizes thecritical rolest hat will be played by multiple kindso f stakeholdersi n the full ecosystem of support including researchers nonprofitorganizations institutions of higher education philanthropy coalitions etc39 Examples of formal and informal improvement efforts include statewide and regional LCFFLCAP Conferences LCAP SupportTeamsCalifornia Labor Management Initiative events etc
Page 21 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Cycleof Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District
dagger
Academic Outcomes
Aggregated dagger Disaggregated Aggregated dagger Disaggregated
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
2 FOUNDATION
The proposed Accountability and ContinuousImprovementS ystem restso n a foundation ofa common vision guidingp rinciples and a shared commitment to the ldquoCalifornia Wayrdquo The Task Force believes this foundation and the more detailed recommendationsth at follow are aligned with and in some cases anextension of the work being undertaken by the CaliforniaSt ate Board of Education (SBE) involving the development ofL CFF EvaluationRubricsThis foundation will also supportplanning workto be undertakenf or the ESSAstate plan
VISION
In the same way thata classroom teacher startse ach school yearw ith a vision of what successw ill look like forh isherst udents we began ourd esign processb y working on a shared vision Asa state we seek to provide a world-class education fora ll students from earlych ildhood to adulthood and prepare students toli vew orka nd thrive in am ulticulturalm ultilinguala nd highly connected world5 The statersquosA ccountability and Continuous Improvement System should help provide local educators and communities with the information and tools they need to engage in a processo f continuousi mprovement where collaborative planning implementation and analysis leads toon going adjustments tos uccessfullyaddress the diverse needs of all students Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should
bull Demonstrate a commitment to equity by ensuring that all student groups are visible in accountabilityan d improvement efforts and settinggoal s for closinggap s The system should provide clarity ong aps ina chievement opportunity and access betweenst udent groups andprovide tools to eliminate these gaps 6
bull Emphasize the importance of educating the whole child by using indicators from multiple domains The system should include holistic and developmentally appropriate metrics to monitor progress towards preparing all students for college career life and leadershipi nt he 21st century
bull Focus on building collaboration engagement and professional capital to ensure that educators have supports they need to improve student learning
bull Recognize that improvement andl earning are continuous and emphasize feedback loops with a focus on continuous improvement and quality throughout every levelo ft he system
bull Value the knowledge and expertise of educators and communities by relying on accountability and improvement plans that are locally driven and state supported
bull Rely on subsidiarity and reciprocal accountabilityholding every level of the system responsible for the contributions it must make to support learning for every child7
5 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 6 The term ldquostudent grouprdquo refers to the student subgroups that are included inL ocal Control and Accountability Plans includingsocioeconomically disadvantaged students English learners studentsw ith disabilities andfo ster youthdisaggregated by race and ethnicity7 According to the Oxford English Dictionary ldquosubsidiarityrdquo represents the idea that a central authority should have a subsidiaryfunction performing only those tasks that cannot be performed effectively at a more immediate or localle vel
Page 7 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Embrace students parents and families as critical stakeholders in the accountability system bull Identify and recognize districts schools and classrooms that can serve as models for those
thatn eed supportto create an environment where we can learn from each other collaborate and improve together
GUIDINGPRINCIPLES
The shared visiono utlined above provides afo undation for developing the proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement System while the following guiding principles from the SBE offer af ramework for making decisions about the system8
1 Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts schools and county offices of educationPromote a broad understanding of the specific goals that need to be met at each level of the educational system 9
2 Foster equityCreate support structuresincluding technical assistance for districts and schoolsto promote success for all students regardless of background primary language or socioeconomic status
3 Provide useful informationt hat helps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of education and policymakers makei mportant decisionsAssist and engage parentseducators and policymakers through regular communicationa nd transparent timely reporting of data so they can take action appropriate to their roles
4 Build capacity and increase support for districts schools and county offices Seek tob uild capacity at all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningp ractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
5 Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measuresfor state and local priorities Focus on ongoing improvement of student outcomes including college- and career-readiness using multiple measures that reflect both status and growth
6 Promote system-wide integration and innovation Purposely ande ffectively integrate each accountabilitys ystem component includinggr oups and technologies creatinga c oherent effective and efficient support structure for districts charter schools and county offices of education10
The Task Force developed the following additional guiding principles 7 Align to the extentp ossible local state and federal accountabilityan d continuous improvement
systemst o create one single integrateds ystem for use by schoolsdi stricts county offices of education and the State of CaliforniaLead with Californiarsquos commitment to subsidiarity and the strengthening of local assets and capacities11 and
8 Encourage labor-management collaboration in districts schools and county offices of education asan underlyingf oundationf or effective implementationo f the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System12
THECALIFORNIAWAY USINGTHERIGHTDRIVERSTOGUIDEIMPROVEMENT
ldquoThe California Way rests ont he belief that educators want to excel trusts them to improve when givent he proper supports and provides local schools and districts witht he leeway and flexibility to deploy resources sot hey can improve The CaliforniaW ay engages students parents and communities as part of ac ollaborative decision-making process about how to fund and implement these
8 SeeA ppendixB for the complete State Board of Educationrsquos Guiding Principles for Accountability System Planning 9 Throughout this document the term ldquoschoolsrdquo is used to refer to all public schools in California including charter schools 10 See httpwwwcdecagovbepnnryr15sberel01asp 11 SeeSec tion 5 for recommendations for alignment ofa ccountability and continuous improvement plans 12 Information on the California Labor-Management Initiativec an bef ounda t wwwcdefoundationorglmi
Page 8 of 41
lued (School and District Whole Child Outcomes)
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
improvement efforts and provides supplemental resources to ensure that Californiarsquos English learners foster youth and students inp overty have the learnings upports they needrdquo13
As notede ducationr esearcher anda dvisor Michael Fullan explains ldquoThe key to system-wide success is tosituate the energy of educatorsa nd studentsa st he central driving force Thism eansa ligningt he goals of reform and the intrinsic motivation of participantsrdquo14 In order to create an effective and sustainable system of accountability and continuous improvement thatb uilds on the collaborative approachde scribedb ybo th Fullan andth e California Wayactors at all levels of the proposed system must focus on the ldquorightd riversrdquowhich ldquofoster motivation of teachers and students engage educators and students in continuousimprovement improve team work and affect all teachers and studentsrdquo15 The right drivers identified in A Blueprint for Great Schools Version 20 include
bull Investing in and building educator professional capital bull Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations bull Supporting effective pedagogy bull Developing systemicso lutions to create a coherent and positive education system16
Moving away from a compliance-driven system towards a system that emphasizes the right drivers will require a significant cultural shift in how many education stakeholders define accountability17 Together with the guiding principles these right drivers serve as a litmus test for future accountability and continuous improvement policies and practices
3 ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK
Building upon the foundation describeda bovethe proposedAc countability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem relieso n a set of multiple measures to examinep erformance equity and improvement These should be presentedthrough user-friendly dashboards18 Examining these multiple measures will
bull Demonstrate the extentto which schoolsa nd districts provide thesupportsa nd resourcest hat will allow studentst o take advantage ofeducational opportunities and succeed in school (Equitable LearningConditions)
bull Highlight whole child development by examining indicators thats how the extent to which all children areh ealthy safe engaged supported challenged and va
13 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 14 Fullan M (2011) 15 Ibid 16 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 17 Appendix A highlights the ways inw hicht hese drivers couldb e appliedac ross the K-12and E arly LearningSy stem tos upportarticulation andal ignment 18 The dashboard approach will allow the presentationo f multiple kinds of data and assessments to support multiple ways ofmonitoring and improving just as adr iver uses many different gauges windows andm irrors
Page 9 of 41
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Cycleof Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District
dagger
Academic Outcomes
Aggregated dagger Disaggregated Aggregated dagger Disaggregated
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Illustrate the extentto which students achieve meaningful learningou tcomes includingt he acquisition of the knowledge language and lifelongl earnings kills needed tos ucceed (School and District AcademicO utcomes)
bull Reveal disparities by disaggregating student outcomes by student groups and examining learning conditions through the lens of equity
DEFINITION OF ACCOUNTABILITY
The Superintendentrsquos Advisory Task Force onA ccountability and Continuous Improvement offers the definitionof accountability belowThis shared definition allowed the Task Force toi dentifyt he primary purposes of ana ccountability system and consider how these purposes could be achieved through a system thate mphasizes both performanceequityand improvement This definitionfo cuses on intrinsicmotivation the right drivers and reciprocal accountabilityac ross all levels of the system
Accountability is a shared responsibility to 1) Provide studentsw ith the learning experiencesa nd supportst hey need to achieve meaningful outcomesand 2) Effectively collaborate and share information amongte achers and classified staffschoolsstudentsparents and caregiversadministratorsdistrictscommunities county offices of education and the state to ensure thatever yp art of thes ystem has thecapacity tools and resources necessary to provide these learning experiences and support Implementing this two-pronged definitiono f accountability leads to increasing levels ofs upport for improvements at alllevels oft he system Our California Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon
bull Shared responsibility to support learning for every child bull Comprehensively measuring performance equity improvement and how well the system is
meeting its goalsincluding linking results to the tiered system of support and intervention19
bull Considering all the factors that affect performance and outcomes in order toi dentify share andpromote best and promising practices and change courseso f action thata re nota chieving our desired outcomes
bull Clearly communicating expectations and processes at all levels bull Reporting the results of selected measures to all partners in education and in the communityand bull Taking what we know and have learned from careful assessments and using thati nformation by
working together to channel support and resourcesto make improvements where they are needed
DEFINITIONS PERFORMANCE EQUITY WHOLE CHILD
Similarly to build commonund erstanding and support for the Task Forcersquos proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemthe task force recommendst he following definitions
Performanceth e extentto which schools districts and the state supports tudents to achieve meaningful outcomes ABl ueprint for Great Schools Version 20 recommendst hat meaningful learning should support the acquisition of the knowledge language lifelongl earnings kills and dispositions that students need to succeed the ability to apply complex knowledge to solve problems collaborate communicate inquire learn independently and build relationships and the capacity to be resilient and resourceful20
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the culturally appropriate and linguistically accessible supports and resources needed to take advantage of educational opportunities and succeed in school at the same level as other students
19 For more information see pages1 5-19 for proposed indicators and pages 22-23 for the tiered system ofs upport andintervention 20 Blueprint 20 PlanningT eam (2015)
Page 10 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Whole ChildAn approach to learning that ensures thatever yc hild is healthy safe engaged supported challenged and valued21
EQUITYPERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System should create a holisticp icture of how well the schoolsLEAsand the state are realizingC aliforniarsquos vision of success for all students To do this the Task Force recommends ab alanced set of academic and non-academic indicators that illustratestudent performance and equitablel earning conditionsand improvement in both (see Figure 1) The Task Force recognizes that it is important tou tilize a whole child approach and noti ncentivize the wrongdrivers Inc onsidering rates andt argets the Task Force advises an emphasis on continuous sustainable improvements rooted in the ongoing development ofp rofessional capital This balanceds et ofa cademic and non-academic indicators should be depicted in easy-to-read dashboard formats(se e p 30)
Performance Academic and non-academic achievement
Performance Improvement Rate of improvement of performance
Equity Improvement Rate of improvement of equity
Equity Gaps in opportunities (learning conditions) and performance across student groups
Figure 1
PERFORMANCE
The performancem easurei llustrates the state of student outcomesa t a point in time across ar ange of academic and non-academic areas22 It uses multiple indicators to depict the current level of performanceThe performance measure shows the extent to which a district or school is meeting outcomes for studentsat both an aggregated and disaggregated (byst udent group)le vel23
PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
The performance improvement or change measure denotes the level of improvement based on changesover time tot he indicators includedi n the performance measure It should be provided in aggregated anddisaggregated( by student group)f orms The Task Forcersquos proposed new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem places significant value on improvementThe value of improvement lies in both the importance of striving to increase studenta nd system outcomes and the opportunity thatimprovement provides for shared learning across the system The performance improvement measure servesmu ltiple purposes providing opportunitiest o
21 Adapted from ASCD See httpwwwascdorgwhole-childaspx 22 There are a number of possible approaches to achieve thisSome possible examples include am odel used in Alberta Canada while another might be a quadrant-based scatter plot such as the model developed by ChildrenN ow 23 Iti s criticalto consider indicators thatr eliably predictth e longer-term studento utcomes we seekfo r example indicators in theearlygr ades should predict graduation rates whilei ndicators in thes econdarygr ades should predict collegea nd careerpreparedness etc
Page 11 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
1 Highlight and recognize those districts and schools makingc oncerted and successful efforts toimprove
2 Identify districts and schools that need support to address challenges and needsand 3 Identify promising practices in aggregate or byst udent groupthat could be applied by other
LEAs ands chools across the system
EQUITY The equityme asure shedsl ight on disparitiesi n opportunitiesa nd outcomesa crossst udent groups Equity should be examined through indicators of equitablel earning conditions and byd isaggregatingp erformance measures by student groups Californiarsquos public education system is entrustedt op rovide high-quality educational opportunities for all of its students A robust accountability system identifiesb arriers that limit access toa r igorous and nurturinge ducational experience for all students especially those requiring special education foster youth homeless youth those from low-income families English learnersand vulnerable racial and ethnic groupsThe Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should help identify supportsne ededt o eradicate those barriers maintaina ndm easure progress towards clear goals and hold schools districts and educators accountable for closingac hievement gaps and advancinga r ange of culturally responsive and linguistically supportive opportunities toe nsure success in school and acquisition of the skills necessaryt ob e college careerand life ready
EQUITY IMPROVEMENT Similar tot he performance improvement or change measure equity improvement illustrates the level of improvement on equityin dicators This measure looks at the rate of improvementof equitable learning conditions thatc apture the level of equity in a school or districta nd the rate atw hich performance gaps across student groupsa re closingstaying the sameor growing Improving equity of access andopportunityan dc losingac hievement gaps are critical toi mprovingou tcomes for all students Additionallylooking at the rate ofi mprovement on equityi ndicators provides aw ayt oi dentifyan d act on promisingpractices for improving student equity
INDICATORS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
The Task Force recommends as eries of indicator sets for differentu ses and at different levels of the system These various sets of indicators should be depicted inv isually attractive and easy-to-use dashboards that will allowt he system to
bull Ensure that the state and system as a whole are continuously improving bull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvement acrosst he state with regard to
student learning and achievement bull Collect additional diagnostic information to support continuous improvement efforts and bull Provide LEAs with the flexibility to identify indicators of interest
LEVELSO FI NDICATORS
To build a system that fully supports and values performance equity andi mprovementCalifornia should utilize appropriate indicator sets for each level of accountability and continuous improvement 24
This work should build upon the state priorities articulated by the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)
24 ldquoAn indicator provides evidence that certain conditionse xist orce rtain resultsh ave or have not been achieved Indicatorse nabledecision-makers to assess progress towards the achievement of intended outputs outcomes goals and objectivesrdquo (HarvardFamilyR esearchP roject) Horsch K (1997) Indicators definition andu se in ar esults-based accountability system Retrieved onApril 14 2016 from httpwwwhfrporgpublications-resourcesbrowse-our-publicationsindicators-definition-and-use-in-a-results-based-accountability-system
Page 12 of 41
Table 1 Levels of Indicators Indicator Set Definition and Use State-Required These indicators should be used for both state and federal (ESSA)
purposes should be applicable and relevant statewide and should be utilized by California to gauge the success of federal and state-level accountability and continuous improvement supports for LEAs and schools
State-Reported These indicators should be vetted and reported by the state and available for use in the statersquos Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System for LEAs and schoolsThese indicators should complement the state-required indicator set by providing a moreholistic picture of performance equity and improvement
State-Supported Locally-Reported These indicators should provide additional diagnostic and evaluation information and should be available for voluntary local use that is
supported with tools provided by the state allowing schools and LEAs to evaluate learning opportunities more deeplyThey should be locally-reported and used for diagnostic and improvement purposes in the context of state and local accountability and continuous improvement systems
Locally Generated and Reported These indicators should be identified and vetted locally and used for additional information for LCAP design impl ementation and eval uation
State System These indicators should be identified by the state to use in evaluatingits work supporting the statewide system these indicators should be
used to drive the continuous improvement of the statersquos systems of support
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
and ongoingw ork tod evelop the LCFFe valuation rubrics The proposed indicators include locally determinedi ndicators includedi nLoc al Control andA ccountability Plans anda lsoi nclude state-determinedi ndicators that alignw ithE SSA requirements As summarized by Table 1 and Figure 2 below targeted indicator sets should be developed and provided for specific system levels and accountability and continuous improvement purposes
As illustrated by Figure 2these indicator sets form ac omprehensive package that focuses on supporting and drivingl ocal accountabilityan d continuous improvement They should be depicted and reported in easy-to-use dashboard formats
Page 13 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State System Indicators
Local Accountability
and Continuous
Improvement
State Required Indicators
State ReportedIndicators
LocallyGenerated
Indicators (LCAP)
State SupportedIndicators
State System Indicators
Figure 2Integrated Indicator Sets
Tables 2-6 provide possible specific indicators with associated comments for each indicator set describedabove Taken together these tables illustrate an integration path utilizing Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) evaluation rubrics as central drivers of one coherent and comprehensive system that incorporates the federal accountability requirements
STATE AND LOCAL INDICATORS FOR LEAS AND SCHOOLS
The tables below contain the proposed indicators for each level of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Each set of indicators including those that are state-required and state-reported includes both academic and whole child indicators that should be used to measure performance equity and improvement This balance of academic and non-academic indicators will provide a more holistic depiction of the extent to which all students are prepared for college career life and leadership in the 21st centuryIndicators in Table 2 are explicitly linked to ESSA Requirements while the indicators in Tables 3-5 are linked to desired outcomes
Page 14 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
Academic achievement as measured profi ciency on annua l assessments
by CASSP English languagearts and mathematics scores in grad es 3- 8 inclusiveplus grade 11
To be measured by scale scores reflecting both status and student growthover time Scale SBAC scores would be broken down into diff erent subjects(ie math and English) and reported by grade span (ie grades 3-5 6-8 11)
Hig h schoo l graduation rates 4-year Graduation rates plus an extended rate (5 - andor 6-year rate)
At high school including rates (wit h a t leas t equa l work with student s wit h
a 5-or 6-year graduation rate weight ) creat es incentives for challenges
as well as 4-yearschool s t o keep
Progress in ach ieving Englis h language proficiency as defined by the State within a State-determined timeline f or all English Learners
English Learner (EL ) progress on state English Proficiency Assessment
The State LCFF identifies pro ress toward English proficiency andreclassification ratesEL pro ress
ggg
using scale scores on an EL profici encymeasure i s bett er for trackin th e progress o f al l students ensuring
attention to the ful l range of EL student s and their needs ndash from th ose wh oare newcomers to th ose who are b ecoming an d h ave b ecome lsquoproficient rsquo
Progress of ELs could be measured by a composite or by multiple i ndicatorsfor Englis h Learner progress ie including long-time English learners
and or reclassification ratesThe Task Force recommends creating a new data marker of ldquoEnglishLearner re-designat edrdquo for reclassified ELs as a means of capturing a fullerpicture of student performance
For public elementary schools andsecondary schools that are not highschools in the Statemdash(I) a measure of student growth if determined appropriate by the State or (II) another valid and reliable statewide academicindicat or tha t all ows for meaningfu ldifferentiation in school performance
Growth measure27 The Task F orce encourages the SBE and model s f or inclusion in th e syst em This and growth across other indicators
CDE to should
research potential incl ude both SBAC
growthscores
25 Every Student Succeeds Act 201526 From LCFFSt ate Priorities augmentedt om eet federal requirements27 The task force is not putting forth a specific way to measure growth but recommends that that State Board ofE ducation continue to research growth measure methodologies
Page 15 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Whole Child Outcomes
No t less than one indicator o f schoo lquality or student success that allowsfor meaningful differentiation in school
performance is valid reliable comparable and statewide and mayinclud e measures of studen tengagement educat or engagementstudent access to and completion ofadvanced coursework postsecondaryreadi ness school climate and safety and any other indicator other Statechooses tha t meets the requirements ofthis clause
bull
bull
bull
bull
Suspensi ons expulsion rat es Statewide schoolclimate surveyChronicabsenteeism College amp careerreadiness indicat or
Suspension and expulsion data are currently available and chronicabsenteeism soon will be Both are local measures of student access andengagemen t that help predict school achievement and high schoolgraduation The Task Force recommend s that suspension expulsion ratesbe utilized in conjunction wit h and tied to authentic programmatic workthat builds positive school climate such as alternative discipline orrestorative justice approaches
A statewide school climate survey of students parents and teachers couldinclud e quest ions on course breadth and access parenta l involvementbasic services safety and social-emotional supports teaching andadministrati ve supports and access to appropriate counseling servicesnurses and school psy gcholo i sts
A non-test-based indicator of coll ege and career readi ness should measurethe extent to which students complete courses and ro ramsp g (c p om letion o fA- G hig qu yh- alit CTE qu se ences and i p )nternshi s that ppsu ort coll ge e andcareer readiness and the development o f 21st yCentur skills such as
28 collaboration communicati pon roblem-solvi gn and creativity This couldbe reviewed in conjunction with other academic indicators as a means forholistically measuri ng the skills and abilities students need to be college andcareer ready
28 The Task Force recognizes that there is not currently a state-adopted tool that measures 21st Century skills like collaboration communication problem solving and creativityThese are qualities that can be evaluated through performance assessments The Task Force recommends that the State Board of Education pilot and study performanceassessments that can measure these competencies as they relate to college and career readiness
Page 16 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 3 State-Reported Indicators Outcome Area Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
College career li fe readi ness indicat ors
and
bull
bull
bull bull
Students completing A-G approved CTE sequence or both Students meeting college standardon AP IB dual credit courseworkPhysical fitness Science assessment resultsonce each in grad es 3-5 6- 8 10-12 for a tota l of three times
If completion o f A- G approved CTE sequences or AB IB dual credi tcoursewor k are not included in t he state required college and career readiness indicator they could be included here
Physical fitness data are already collected by the state
As science assessments develop they could be considered by the SBE in future as a potential add ition t o the require d indicators
the
Whole Child Outcomes
StudentTeacherand ParentCaregiver
Engagement
bull
bull
Attendance
Student teacher andparentcaregiver surveysmeasuring schoo l climat e
for
If attendance and school climate surveys are not in included n the state-required set o f indicat ors they could be included here
School climate surveys could include a core set of questions used across thestate with additional locally determined questions for local use TheCaliforni a Healthy Kids Survey i s an available tool for measuring school climateand measures el ements such as access to resources and programsfeelings of safety and interaction wit h caring adults
Equitable Learning Conditions
Opportunities t o learn
bull
bull bull bull
Teacher and administrator qualificationsSchool facilities qualityAccess to curriculum material s Access to full curriculum
These are required under the Williams Case andor LCAP
Page 17 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 4 State-Supported Locally-Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
As part of i ts eff ort to support l ocal continuous improvement efforts the state could develop and calibrate a library of tools and measures for voluntary use by bull Locally selected developmentally
State provid es tool s LEAs and schools Several of these may be available at t he time of system launchculturally and linguistically30 for sch ools or (launch library) while oth ers wil l requi re further time and resource investmentappropriate observational
31districts to choose (developmental library) kindergarten readiness and use at thei r s29 assessment CA has access to the Innovation Lab Network Performance Assessment Resource optionpotentially bull Classroom embedded authentic Bank that provides performance assessment tasks rubrics scoring protocols andin collaborat ion perf ormance assessments student work linked to CCSS and NGSS standards These can be made available towit h oth er part ners bull Social-emotional learning schools possibly as par t of the SBAC Digita l Libraryand networks indicat ors stAssessments of social-emotional learning might also be used to measure 21
bull Parent Engagement Century skill s such as collaborati on communication problem-solvingandcreativity and should be further studied by the SBE
Table 5 Locally Designed and Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Locally determined indicat ors
bull
bull
Other LCAP indicators es32 local prioriti
Oth er locally designed
for state and
indicators
Districts are not expected to all ocate resources equally to indicat ors bu t t o selec t strat egic goal s an d mak e resource associate d with those
each of the allocat ions
LCAP
29 These are individually administered and open-ended Theys hould beu sed as information for teachers and schools to ensuret heir youngest students arer eceiving the culturallylinguistically andde velopmentallyap propriate supports theyn eed Multiple validatedk indergarten readiness support tools exist andm ay in the short-term be suitable forinclusion in the tool libraryA ppendix A provides a series of recommendations andco nsiderationsr egarding early learning in the Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystemincluding as et of questions pertaining to the use of Kindergarten Readiness Assessments30 The ldquolaunch libraryrdquo could include school climate surveys fors tudents parents and caregiversand teachers (egCalifornia Healthy Kids Survey)tools for measuring implementation ofthe California Standards(C CSS NGSS etc)i ncluding instructional materials practices training etc and toolsfo r measuring indicators ofa rich fullc urriculum thatm ighti nclude art music PE science social studies31 The ldquodevelopment libraryrdquo could include KindergartenR eadiness support tools (Early educationK-12al ignment) Early literacy assessment tools High school graduation systems( Digital portfolio capstone project community service assessment) andSoc ial-Emotional Learning tools32 Californiarsquos emergingac countabilityf rameworki s groundedw ithin ab roader system of continuous improvement andsu pport forL EAsa nd schools By analyzing performance andp erformance improvement on multiple indicators andp resenting thati nformation in user-friendly formats the LCFF evaluation rubrics willa ssist LEAs and schools in self-identifying their strengths and weaknesses where support isn eededa nd who is able to provide it
Page 18 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
STATE SYSTEM INDICATORS
Table 6 Proposed State System Indicators
State Priority Key Indicator Performance Equity Improvement
Success for students withhigher needs in the stateas a whole on each of theSuccess for state as a Annual state gains rate of gap closurestate-required and state-Pupi l Achievement Aggregated Schoo l and whole on th e state-reported indicat ors Rate o f gai ns for students wit h high erand Engagement Distric t Indicators required and state-
needs reported indicat ors
Perf andoppor
ormancetunity gap closure
Awards for schools and Annual state gainsrate of gap closureNumber of schools
Pupi l Achievement LEAs serving high Rate o f gai ns ( number receiving awards)Californi a Awards applying forreceivingand Engagement numbers of higher-needs for sch ools serving high numb ers ofawards
students higher-needs students
Promulgation o fexemplars andomisingbestpr
practices and brokering Effecti veness of supportsof these and other to schools and districtsresources including especially those serving
Support for LCAP Support Systems Growth in service and capacity (360ordmtechnical assistance to high numb ers of st udentsDevelopmen t and Indicators (CDE CCEE revi ews)
districts wit h higher needsImplementation COEs)
Effecti veness of supports to schools and districts Equity and adequacy ofespecially those serving resource distributionhigh numb ers ofstudents wit h high erneeds
Page 19 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 20 of 41
WhiletheindicatorsandtoolsproposedbytheTaskForceformeasuringperformanceequityand
improvementatalllevelsofthesystemarenotperfectwehopetoidentifywhatindicatorsandtoolsare
workingovertimeanddevelopandrefinethesetoolsandmeasuressothattheymoreaccuratelyreflectthe
performanceequityandimprovementofthesystemAdditionallytheTaskForcerecommendsthatthe
stateengageinongoingformalevaluationworktomeasuretheefficacyofsupportsidentifybestand
promisingpracticesandinformcontinuousimprovementofthesystemTheonlywaytoensurethat
schoolsanddistrictsarecontinuouslyimprovingistoestablishacontinuousimprovementframeforthe
systemitselfwemustcommittoreflectiveandongoingassessmentofhowwellthesystemisworkingand
tomakingcoursecorrectionsandupdatesasneededtobetterserveCaliforniarsquosstudentsandstakeholders
4 CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTCaliforniarecognizesthattheaccountability
frameworkdescribedaboveisonlyhelpfulto
theextentthatitisintegrallytiedtoasystem
ofcontinuousimprovementandsupport
alignedwiththeCaliforniaWayandtheldquoright
driversrdquodescribedinSection233Continuous
improvementisthekeytoensuringthat
Californiarsquoseducationsystemrealizesitsvision
forallstudents34
DEFINITIONOFCONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
TheTaskForceoffersthefollowingdefinition
ofcontinuousimprovement
ContinuousImprovementAcontinuouslyimprovingeducationsystemisonethatlearns
fromexperiencebycarefullymeasuringthe
effectivenessofdifferentpoliciesandpracticessupportingtheintrinsicmotivationofeducatorsand
stakeholderssharingbestandpromisingpracticescultivatingacultureofreflectionandlearning
encouraginginnovationandmakingchangesbasedonlearning35
BUILDINGTHECONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSUPPORTSYSTEM
Bylookingatmeasuresofperformanceequityandimprovementillustratedthrougheasy-to-usepublic
dashboardsLEAswillbeabletoself-identifytheirstrengthsandweaknesseswheresupportisneeded
andwhoisabletoprovideit36Thiswillallowforthedevelopmentofasystemofdifferentiated
improvementsupportsthatrecognizessuccessandsharesbestandpromisingpracticesamongallLEAsin
thestateTheSuperintendentofPublicInstruction(SSPI)CaliforniaofEducation(CDE)theCalifornia
CollaborativeforEducationalExcellence(CCEE)andcountysuperintendentsshouldalsousethese
measurestoidentifyandreferLEAsandschoolsforfocusedandintensiveimprovementsupportas
33Blueprint20PlanningTeam(2015)
34Continuousimprovementlikereciprocalaccountabilityissomethingthateachlevelofthesystemisresponsiblefor
35AdaptedfromLoebSandPlankD(2008)LearningWhatWorksContinuousImprovementinCaliforniarsquosEducationSystemPolicyBrief08-4RetrievedonMarch162016fromhttpcepastanfordedusitesdefaultfilesLearning20Briefpdf
36Forexampleselectingoneindicatorinthedashboardmightleadtoapagewithmoredetailthatcouldincludeavarietyof
resourcesforimprovement(informationalresourcesbestpracticesinformationonhowtoself-refertoCCEEalistofTA
providersandoralistoflocaldistrictsorschoolsthathaveachievedsignificantimprovementinthatindicator)
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
described The Task Force recognizes thats ignificantc apacity building mustta ke place ata ll levelsof the system and especiallyf or countyof fices of education in order to take on the provision of tieredsu port summarized below To be effective work at the county office level should include teacherre
Just as modern health systems em hasize well-being and preventiono f illness inC aliforniarsquosAccountability and Continuous Im
utilized Table 7 below describes the proposed levels of support for schools and districts
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
below37
p
presentatives
THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT ALL FOCUSED INTENSIVE
p
provement System the overarching priority should be given tosupporting improvement for allacross multiple dimensions and through an ecosystem of supportIn thoseinstances when general support efforts do not yield results focused and intensive supports should be
38
Table 7 Tiered Support System Tier Type of Support
Improvement
Shared LearningLEAs
and for All
The indicat ors should help recognize successidentify the strengths of LEAs andschools and therefore should serve as a means to identify (and self-identify )whic h LEAs and schools are well-positioned to share their successful practiceswit h others throug h formal and informal improvemen t effort s across school s and
39 LEAs The SSPICDE CCEE and county offices of education should also developtools and supports that will be available to all LEAs and schools (LCAP planningsupports vetted best practi ces etc)
Focused Im rovement
Supp
p
ort
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboardindicat ors to identify schools and LEAs in need of focuse d intervention and th e
areas in which improvemen t support s are needed
of
IntensiveImprovement Support
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboard ofdicat ors to identify LEAs and schools that need more comprehensive andin
int ensive support s to make major improvements in performance andor growthResults on selected measures should not only help to identify where intensivesupports are needed but what other similar LEAs might be best positioned toprovide them
37 Differentiated levels of support could be used across LEAs and schools based on need similar to the ldquoResponse To Interventionrdquomodel which provides varying levels and intensities of support and intervention based on student needs
38 Table 7 describes the tiers and types of supportinterventiona vailable from state-levele ntities The Task Force recognizes thecritical rolest hat will be played by multiple kindso f stakeholdersi n the full ecosystem of support including researchers nonprofitorganizations institutions of higher education philanthropy coalitions etc39 Examples of formal and informal improvement efforts include statewide and regional LCFFLCAP Conferences LCAP SupportTeamsCalifornia Labor Management Initiative events etc
Page 21 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Embrace students parents and families as critical stakeholders in the accountability system bull Identify and recognize districts schools and classrooms that can serve as models for those
thatn eed supportto create an environment where we can learn from each other collaborate and improve together
GUIDINGPRINCIPLES
The shared visiono utlined above provides afo undation for developing the proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement System while the following guiding principles from the SBE offer af ramework for making decisions about the system8
1 Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts schools and county offices of educationPromote a broad understanding of the specific goals that need to be met at each level of the educational system 9
2 Foster equityCreate support structuresincluding technical assistance for districts and schoolsto promote success for all students regardless of background primary language or socioeconomic status
3 Provide useful informationt hat helps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of education and policymakers makei mportant decisionsAssist and engage parentseducators and policymakers through regular communicationa nd transparent timely reporting of data so they can take action appropriate to their roles
4 Build capacity and increase support for districts schools and county offices Seek tob uild capacity at all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningp ractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
5 Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measuresfor state and local priorities Focus on ongoing improvement of student outcomes including college- and career-readiness using multiple measures that reflect both status and growth
6 Promote system-wide integration and innovation Purposely ande ffectively integrate each accountabilitys ystem component includinggr oups and technologies creatinga c oherent effective and efficient support structure for districts charter schools and county offices of education10
The Task Force developed the following additional guiding principles 7 Align to the extentp ossible local state and federal accountabilityan d continuous improvement
systemst o create one single integrateds ystem for use by schoolsdi stricts county offices of education and the State of CaliforniaLead with Californiarsquos commitment to subsidiarity and the strengthening of local assets and capacities11 and
8 Encourage labor-management collaboration in districts schools and county offices of education asan underlyingf oundationf or effective implementationo f the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System12
THECALIFORNIAWAY USINGTHERIGHTDRIVERSTOGUIDEIMPROVEMENT
ldquoThe California Way rests ont he belief that educators want to excel trusts them to improve when givent he proper supports and provides local schools and districts witht he leeway and flexibility to deploy resources sot hey can improve The CaliforniaW ay engages students parents and communities as part of ac ollaborative decision-making process about how to fund and implement these
8 SeeA ppendixB for the complete State Board of Educationrsquos Guiding Principles for Accountability System Planning 9 Throughout this document the term ldquoschoolsrdquo is used to refer to all public schools in California including charter schools 10 See httpwwwcdecagovbepnnryr15sberel01asp 11 SeeSec tion 5 for recommendations for alignment ofa ccountability and continuous improvement plans 12 Information on the California Labor-Management Initiativec an bef ounda t wwwcdefoundationorglmi
Page 8 of 41
lued (School and District Whole Child Outcomes)
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
improvement efforts and provides supplemental resources to ensure that Californiarsquos English learners foster youth and students inp overty have the learnings upports they needrdquo13
As notede ducationr esearcher anda dvisor Michael Fullan explains ldquoThe key to system-wide success is tosituate the energy of educatorsa nd studentsa st he central driving force Thism eansa ligningt he goals of reform and the intrinsic motivation of participantsrdquo14 In order to create an effective and sustainable system of accountability and continuous improvement thatb uilds on the collaborative approachde scribedb ybo th Fullan andth e California Wayactors at all levels of the proposed system must focus on the ldquorightd riversrdquowhich ldquofoster motivation of teachers and students engage educators and students in continuousimprovement improve team work and affect all teachers and studentsrdquo15 The right drivers identified in A Blueprint for Great Schools Version 20 include
bull Investing in and building educator professional capital bull Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations bull Supporting effective pedagogy bull Developing systemicso lutions to create a coherent and positive education system16
Moving away from a compliance-driven system towards a system that emphasizes the right drivers will require a significant cultural shift in how many education stakeholders define accountability17 Together with the guiding principles these right drivers serve as a litmus test for future accountability and continuous improvement policies and practices
3 ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK
Building upon the foundation describeda bovethe proposedAc countability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem relieso n a set of multiple measures to examinep erformance equity and improvement These should be presentedthrough user-friendly dashboards18 Examining these multiple measures will
bull Demonstrate the extentto which schoolsa nd districts provide thesupportsa nd resourcest hat will allow studentst o take advantage ofeducational opportunities and succeed in school (Equitable LearningConditions)
bull Highlight whole child development by examining indicators thats how the extent to which all children areh ealthy safe engaged supported challenged and va
13 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 14 Fullan M (2011) 15 Ibid 16 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 17 Appendix A highlights the ways inw hicht hese drivers couldb e appliedac ross the K-12and E arly LearningSy stem tos upportarticulation andal ignment 18 The dashboard approach will allow the presentationo f multiple kinds of data and assessments to support multiple ways ofmonitoring and improving just as adr iver uses many different gauges windows andm irrors
Page 9 of 41
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Cycleof Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District
dagger
Academic Outcomes
Aggregated dagger Disaggregated Aggregated dagger Disaggregated
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Illustrate the extentto which students achieve meaningful learningou tcomes includingt he acquisition of the knowledge language and lifelongl earnings kills needed tos ucceed (School and District AcademicO utcomes)
bull Reveal disparities by disaggregating student outcomes by student groups and examining learning conditions through the lens of equity
DEFINITION OF ACCOUNTABILITY
The Superintendentrsquos Advisory Task Force onA ccountability and Continuous Improvement offers the definitionof accountability belowThis shared definition allowed the Task Force toi dentifyt he primary purposes of ana ccountability system and consider how these purposes could be achieved through a system thate mphasizes both performanceequityand improvement This definitionfo cuses on intrinsicmotivation the right drivers and reciprocal accountabilityac ross all levels of the system
Accountability is a shared responsibility to 1) Provide studentsw ith the learning experiencesa nd supportst hey need to achieve meaningful outcomesand 2) Effectively collaborate and share information amongte achers and classified staffschoolsstudentsparents and caregiversadministratorsdistrictscommunities county offices of education and the state to ensure thatever yp art of thes ystem has thecapacity tools and resources necessary to provide these learning experiences and support Implementing this two-pronged definitiono f accountability leads to increasing levels ofs upport for improvements at alllevels oft he system Our California Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon
bull Shared responsibility to support learning for every child bull Comprehensively measuring performance equity improvement and how well the system is
meeting its goalsincluding linking results to the tiered system of support and intervention19
bull Considering all the factors that affect performance and outcomes in order toi dentify share andpromote best and promising practices and change courseso f action thata re nota chieving our desired outcomes
bull Clearly communicating expectations and processes at all levels bull Reporting the results of selected measures to all partners in education and in the communityand bull Taking what we know and have learned from careful assessments and using thati nformation by
working together to channel support and resourcesto make improvements where they are needed
DEFINITIONS PERFORMANCE EQUITY WHOLE CHILD
Similarly to build commonund erstanding and support for the Task Forcersquos proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemthe task force recommendst he following definitions
Performanceth e extentto which schools districts and the state supports tudents to achieve meaningful outcomes ABl ueprint for Great Schools Version 20 recommendst hat meaningful learning should support the acquisition of the knowledge language lifelongl earnings kills and dispositions that students need to succeed the ability to apply complex knowledge to solve problems collaborate communicate inquire learn independently and build relationships and the capacity to be resilient and resourceful20
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the culturally appropriate and linguistically accessible supports and resources needed to take advantage of educational opportunities and succeed in school at the same level as other students
19 For more information see pages1 5-19 for proposed indicators and pages 22-23 for the tiered system ofs upport andintervention 20 Blueprint 20 PlanningT eam (2015)
Page 10 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Whole ChildAn approach to learning that ensures thatever yc hild is healthy safe engaged supported challenged and valued21
EQUITYPERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System should create a holisticp icture of how well the schoolsLEAsand the state are realizingC aliforniarsquos vision of success for all students To do this the Task Force recommends ab alanced set of academic and non-academic indicators that illustratestudent performance and equitablel earning conditionsand improvement in both (see Figure 1) The Task Force recognizes that it is important tou tilize a whole child approach and noti ncentivize the wrongdrivers Inc onsidering rates andt argets the Task Force advises an emphasis on continuous sustainable improvements rooted in the ongoing development ofp rofessional capital This balanceds et ofa cademic and non-academic indicators should be depicted in easy-to-read dashboard formats(se e p 30)
Performance Academic and non-academic achievement
Performance Improvement Rate of improvement of performance
Equity Improvement Rate of improvement of equity
Equity Gaps in opportunities (learning conditions) and performance across student groups
Figure 1
PERFORMANCE
The performancem easurei llustrates the state of student outcomesa t a point in time across ar ange of academic and non-academic areas22 It uses multiple indicators to depict the current level of performanceThe performance measure shows the extent to which a district or school is meeting outcomes for studentsat both an aggregated and disaggregated (byst udent group)le vel23
PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
The performance improvement or change measure denotes the level of improvement based on changesover time tot he indicators includedi n the performance measure It should be provided in aggregated anddisaggregated( by student group)f orms The Task Forcersquos proposed new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem places significant value on improvementThe value of improvement lies in both the importance of striving to increase studenta nd system outcomes and the opportunity thatimprovement provides for shared learning across the system The performance improvement measure servesmu ltiple purposes providing opportunitiest o
21 Adapted from ASCD See httpwwwascdorgwhole-childaspx 22 There are a number of possible approaches to achieve thisSome possible examples include am odel used in Alberta Canada while another might be a quadrant-based scatter plot such as the model developed by ChildrenN ow 23 Iti s criticalto consider indicators thatr eliably predictth e longer-term studento utcomes we seekfo r example indicators in theearlygr ades should predict graduation rates whilei ndicators in thes econdarygr ades should predict collegea nd careerpreparedness etc
Page 11 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
1 Highlight and recognize those districts and schools makingc oncerted and successful efforts toimprove
2 Identify districts and schools that need support to address challenges and needsand 3 Identify promising practices in aggregate or byst udent groupthat could be applied by other
LEAs ands chools across the system
EQUITY The equityme asure shedsl ight on disparitiesi n opportunitiesa nd outcomesa crossst udent groups Equity should be examined through indicators of equitablel earning conditions and byd isaggregatingp erformance measures by student groups Californiarsquos public education system is entrustedt op rovide high-quality educational opportunities for all of its students A robust accountability system identifiesb arriers that limit access toa r igorous and nurturinge ducational experience for all students especially those requiring special education foster youth homeless youth those from low-income families English learnersand vulnerable racial and ethnic groupsThe Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should help identify supportsne ededt o eradicate those barriers maintaina ndm easure progress towards clear goals and hold schools districts and educators accountable for closingac hievement gaps and advancinga r ange of culturally responsive and linguistically supportive opportunities toe nsure success in school and acquisition of the skills necessaryt ob e college careerand life ready
EQUITY IMPROVEMENT Similar tot he performance improvement or change measure equity improvement illustrates the level of improvement on equityin dicators This measure looks at the rate of improvementof equitable learning conditions thatc apture the level of equity in a school or districta nd the rate atw hich performance gaps across student groupsa re closingstaying the sameor growing Improving equity of access andopportunityan dc losingac hievement gaps are critical toi mprovingou tcomes for all students Additionallylooking at the rate ofi mprovement on equityi ndicators provides aw ayt oi dentifyan d act on promisingpractices for improving student equity
INDICATORS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
The Task Force recommends as eries of indicator sets for differentu ses and at different levels of the system These various sets of indicators should be depicted inv isually attractive and easy-to-use dashboards that will allowt he system to
bull Ensure that the state and system as a whole are continuously improving bull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvement acrosst he state with regard to
student learning and achievement bull Collect additional diagnostic information to support continuous improvement efforts and bull Provide LEAs with the flexibility to identify indicators of interest
LEVELSO FI NDICATORS
To build a system that fully supports and values performance equity andi mprovementCalifornia should utilize appropriate indicator sets for each level of accountability and continuous improvement 24
This work should build upon the state priorities articulated by the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)
24 ldquoAn indicator provides evidence that certain conditionse xist orce rtain resultsh ave or have not been achieved Indicatorse nabledecision-makers to assess progress towards the achievement of intended outputs outcomes goals and objectivesrdquo (HarvardFamilyR esearchP roject) Horsch K (1997) Indicators definition andu se in ar esults-based accountability system Retrieved onApril 14 2016 from httpwwwhfrporgpublications-resourcesbrowse-our-publicationsindicators-definition-and-use-in-a-results-based-accountability-system
Page 12 of 41
Table 1 Levels of Indicators Indicator Set Definition and Use State-Required These indicators should be used for both state and federal (ESSA)
purposes should be applicable and relevant statewide and should be utilized by California to gauge the success of federal and state-level accountability and continuous improvement supports for LEAs and schools
State-Reported These indicators should be vetted and reported by the state and available for use in the statersquos Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System for LEAs and schoolsThese indicators should complement the state-required indicator set by providing a moreholistic picture of performance equity and improvement
State-Supported Locally-Reported These indicators should provide additional diagnostic and evaluation information and should be available for voluntary local use that is
supported with tools provided by the state allowing schools and LEAs to evaluate learning opportunities more deeplyThey should be locally-reported and used for diagnostic and improvement purposes in the context of state and local accountability and continuous improvement systems
Locally Generated and Reported These indicators should be identified and vetted locally and used for additional information for LCAP design impl ementation and eval uation
State System These indicators should be identified by the state to use in evaluatingits work supporting the statewide system these indicators should be
used to drive the continuous improvement of the statersquos systems of support
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
and ongoingw ork tod evelop the LCFFe valuation rubrics The proposed indicators include locally determinedi ndicators includedi nLoc al Control andA ccountability Plans anda lsoi nclude state-determinedi ndicators that alignw ithE SSA requirements As summarized by Table 1 and Figure 2 below targeted indicator sets should be developed and provided for specific system levels and accountability and continuous improvement purposes
As illustrated by Figure 2these indicator sets form ac omprehensive package that focuses on supporting and drivingl ocal accountabilityan d continuous improvement They should be depicted and reported in easy-to-use dashboard formats
Page 13 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State System Indicators
Local Accountability
and Continuous
Improvement
State Required Indicators
State ReportedIndicators
LocallyGenerated
Indicators (LCAP)
State SupportedIndicators
State System Indicators
Figure 2Integrated Indicator Sets
Tables 2-6 provide possible specific indicators with associated comments for each indicator set describedabove Taken together these tables illustrate an integration path utilizing Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) evaluation rubrics as central drivers of one coherent and comprehensive system that incorporates the federal accountability requirements
STATE AND LOCAL INDICATORS FOR LEAS AND SCHOOLS
The tables below contain the proposed indicators for each level of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Each set of indicators including those that are state-required and state-reported includes both academic and whole child indicators that should be used to measure performance equity and improvement This balance of academic and non-academic indicators will provide a more holistic depiction of the extent to which all students are prepared for college career life and leadership in the 21st centuryIndicators in Table 2 are explicitly linked to ESSA Requirements while the indicators in Tables 3-5 are linked to desired outcomes
Page 14 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
Academic achievement as measured profi ciency on annua l assessments
by CASSP English languagearts and mathematics scores in grad es 3- 8 inclusiveplus grade 11
To be measured by scale scores reflecting both status and student growthover time Scale SBAC scores would be broken down into diff erent subjects(ie math and English) and reported by grade span (ie grades 3-5 6-8 11)
Hig h schoo l graduation rates 4-year Graduation rates plus an extended rate (5 - andor 6-year rate)
At high school including rates (wit h a t leas t equa l work with student s wit h
a 5-or 6-year graduation rate weight ) creat es incentives for challenges
as well as 4-yearschool s t o keep
Progress in ach ieving Englis h language proficiency as defined by the State within a State-determined timeline f or all English Learners
English Learner (EL ) progress on state English Proficiency Assessment
The State LCFF identifies pro ress toward English proficiency andreclassification ratesEL pro ress
ggg
using scale scores on an EL profici encymeasure i s bett er for trackin th e progress o f al l students ensuring
attention to the ful l range of EL student s and their needs ndash from th ose wh oare newcomers to th ose who are b ecoming an d h ave b ecome lsquoproficient rsquo
Progress of ELs could be measured by a composite or by multiple i ndicatorsfor Englis h Learner progress ie including long-time English learners
and or reclassification ratesThe Task Force recommends creating a new data marker of ldquoEnglishLearner re-designat edrdquo for reclassified ELs as a means of capturing a fullerpicture of student performance
For public elementary schools andsecondary schools that are not highschools in the Statemdash(I) a measure of student growth if determined appropriate by the State or (II) another valid and reliable statewide academicindicat or tha t all ows for meaningfu ldifferentiation in school performance
Growth measure27 The Task F orce encourages the SBE and model s f or inclusion in th e syst em This and growth across other indicators
CDE to should
research potential incl ude both SBAC
growthscores
25 Every Student Succeeds Act 201526 From LCFFSt ate Priorities augmentedt om eet federal requirements27 The task force is not putting forth a specific way to measure growth but recommends that that State Board ofE ducation continue to research growth measure methodologies
Page 15 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Whole Child Outcomes
No t less than one indicator o f schoo lquality or student success that allowsfor meaningful differentiation in school
performance is valid reliable comparable and statewide and mayinclud e measures of studen tengagement educat or engagementstudent access to and completion ofadvanced coursework postsecondaryreadi ness school climate and safety and any other indicator other Statechooses tha t meets the requirements ofthis clause
bull
bull
bull
bull
Suspensi ons expulsion rat es Statewide schoolclimate surveyChronicabsenteeism College amp careerreadiness indicat or
Suspension and expulsion data are currently available and chronicabsenteeism soon will be Both are local measures of student access andengagemen t that help predict school achievement and high schoolgraduation The Task Force recommend s that suspension expulsion ratesbe utilized in conjunction wit h and tied to authentic programmatic workthat builds positive school climate such as alternative discipline orrestorative justice approaches
A statewide school climate survey of students parents and teachers couldinclud e quest ions on course breadth and access parenta l involvementbasic services safety and social-emotional supports teaching andadministrati ve supports and access to appropriate counseling servicesnurses and school psy gcholo i sts
A non-test-based indicator of coll ege and career readi ness should measurethe extent to which students complete courses and ro ramsp g (c p om letion o fA- G hig qu yh- alit CTE qu se ences and i p )nternshi s that ppsu ort coll ge e andcareer readiness and the development o f 21st yCentur skills such as
28 collaboration communicati pon roblem-solvi gn and creativity This couldbe reviewed in conjunction with other academic indicators as a means forholistically measuri ng the skills and abilities students need to be college andcareer ready
28 The Task Force recognizes that there is not currently a state-adopted tool that measures 21st Century skills like collaboration communication problem solving and creativityThese are qualities that can be evaluated through performance assessments The Task Force recommends that the State Board of Education pilot and study performanceassessments that can measure these competencies as they relate to college and career readiness
Page 16 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 3 State-Reported Indicators Outcome Area Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
College career li fe readi ness indicat ors
and
bull
bull
bull bull
Students completing A-G approved CTE sequence or both Students meeting college standardon AP IB dual credit courseworkPhysical fitness Science assessment resultsonce each in grad es 3-5 6- 8 10-12 for a tota l of three times
If completion o f A- G approved CTE sequences or AB IB dual credi tcoursewor k are not included in t he state required college and career readiness indicator they could be included here
Physical fitness data are already collected by the state
As science assessments develop they could be considered by the SBE in future as a potential add ition t o the require d indicators
the
Whole Child Outcomes
StudentTeacherand ParentCaregiver
Engagement
bull
bull
Attendance
Student teacher andparentcaregiver surveysmeasuring schoo l climat e
for
If attendance and school climate surveys are not in included n the state-required set o f indicat ors they could be included here
School climate surveys could include a core set of questions used across thestate with additional locally determined questions for local use TheCaliforni a Healthy Kids Survey i s an available tool for measuring school climateand measures el ements such as access to resources and programsfeelings of safety and interaction wit h caring adults
Equitable Learning Conditions
Opportunities t o learn
bull
bull bull bull
Teacher and administrator qualificationsSchool facilities qualityAccess to curriculum material s Access to full curriculum
These are required under the Williams Case andor LCAP
Page 17 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 4 State-Supported Locally-Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
As part of i ts eff ort to support l ocal continuous improvement efforts the state could develop and calibrate a library of tools and measures for voluntary use by bull Locally selected developmentally
State provid es tool s LEAs and schools Several of these may be available at t he time of system launchculturally and linguistically30 for sch ools or (launch library) while oth ers wil l requi re further time and resource investmentappropriate observational
31districts to choose (developmental library) kindergarten readiness and use at thei r s29 assessment CA has access to the Innovation Lab Network Performance Assessment Resource optionpotentially bull Classroom embedded authentic Bank that provides performance assessment tasks rubrics scoring protocols andin collaborat ion perf ormance assessments student work linked to CCSS and NGSS standards These can be made available towit h oth er part ners bull Social-emotional learning schools possibly as par t of the SBAC Digita l Libraryand networks indicat ors stAssessments of social-emotional learning might also be used to measure 21
bull Parent Engagement Century skill s such as collaborati on communication problem-solvingandcreativity and should be further studied by the SBE
Table 5 Locally Designed and Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Locally determined indicat ors
bull
bull
Other LCAP indicators es32 local prioriti
Oth er locally designed
for state and
indicators
Districts are not expected to all ocate resources equally to indicat ors bu t t o selec t strat egic goal s an d mak e resource associate d with those
each of the allocat ions
LCAP
29 These are individually administered and open-ended Theys hould beu sed as information for teachers and schools to ensuret heir youngest students arer eceiving the culturallylinguistically andde velopmentallyap propriate supports theyn eed Multiple validatedk indergarten readiness support tools exist andm ay in the short-term be suitable forinclusion in the tool libraryA ppendix A provides a series of recommendations andco nsiderationsr egarding early learning in the Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystemincluding as et of questions pertaining to the use of Kindergarten Readiness Assessments30 The ldquolaunch libraryrdquo could include school climate surveys fors tudents parents and caregiversand teachers (egCalifornia Healthy Kids Survey)tools for measuring implementation ofthe California Standards(C CSS NGSS etc)i ncluding instructional materials practices training etc and toolsfo r measuring indicators ofa rich fullc urriculum thatm ighti nclude art music PE science social studies31 The ldquodevelopment libraryrdquo could include KindergartenR eadiness support tools (Early educationK-12al ignment) Early literacy assessment tools High school graduation systems( Digital portfolio capstone project community service assessment) andSoc ial-Emotional Learning tools32 Californiarsquos emergingac countabilityf rameworki s groundedw ithin ab roader system of continuous improvement andsu pport forL EAsa nd schools By analyzing performance andp erformance improvement on multiple indicators andp resenting thati nformation in user-friendly formats the LCFF evaluation rubrics willa ssist LEAs and schools in self-identifying their strengths and weaknesses where support isn eededa nd who is able to provide it
Page 18 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
STATE SYSTEM INDICATORS
Table 6 Proposed State System Indicators
State Priority Key Indicator Performance Equity Improvement
Success for students withhigher needs in the stateas a whole on each of theSuccess for state as a Annual state gains rate of gap closurestate-required and state-Pupi l Achievement Aggregated Schoo l and whole on th e state-reported indicat ors Rate o f gai ns for students wit h high erand Engagement Distric t Indicators required and state-
needs reported indicat ors
Perf andoppor
ormancetunity gap closure
Awards for schools and Annual state gainsrate of gap closureNumber of schools
Pupi l Achievement LEAs serving high Rate o f gai ns ( number receiving awards)Californi a Awards applying forreceivingand Engagement numbers of higher-needs for sch ools serving high numb ers ofawards
students higher-needs students
Promulgation o fexemplars andomisingbestpr
practices and brokering Effecti veness of supportsof these and other to schools and districtsresources including especially those serving
Support for LCAP Support Systems Growth in service and capacity (360ordmtechnical assistance to high numb ers of st udentsDevelopmen t and Indicators (CDE CCEE revi ews)
districts wit h higher needsImplementation COEs)
Effecti veness of supports to schools and districts Equity and adequacy ofespecially those serving resource distributionhigh numb ers ofstudents wit h high erneeds
Page 19 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 20 of 41
WhiletheindicatorsandtoolsproposedbytheTaskForceformeasuringperformanceequityand
improvementatalllevelsofthesystemarenotperfectwehopetoidentifywhatindicatorsandtoolsare
workingovertimeanddevelopandrefinethesetoolsandmeasuressothattheymoreaccuratelyreflectthe
performanceequityandimprovementofthesystemAdditionallytheTaskForcerecommendsthatthe
stateengageinongoingformalevaluationworktomeasuretheefficacyofsupportsidentifybestand
promisingpracticesandinformcontinuousimprovementofthesystemTheonlywaytoensurethat
schoolsanddistrictsarecontinuouslyimprovingistoestablishacontinuousimprovementframeforthe
systemitselfwemustcommittoreflectiveandongoingassessmentofhowwellthesystemisworkingand
tomakingcoursecorrectionsandupdatesasneededtobetterserveCaliforniarsquosstudentsandstakeholders
4 CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTCaliforniarecognizesthattheaccountability
frameworkdescribedaboveisonlyhelpfulto
theextentthatitisintegrallytiedtoasystem
ofcontinuousimprovementandsupport
alignedwiththeCaliforniaWayandtheldquoright
driversrdquodescribedinSection233Continuous
improvementisthekeytoensuringthat
Californiarsquoseducationsystemrealizesitsvision
forallstudents34
DEFINITIONOFCONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
TheTaskForceoffersthefollowingdefinition
ofcontinuousimprovement
ContinuousImprovementAcontinuouslyimprovingeducationsystemisonethatlearns
fromexperiencebycarefullymeasuringthe
effectivenessofdifferentpoliciesandpracticessupportingtheintrinsicmotivationofeducatorsand
stakeholderssharingbestandpromisingpracticescultivatingacultureofreflectionandlearning
encouraginginnovationandmakingchangesbasedonlearning35
BUILDINGTHECONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSUPPORTSYSTEM
Bylookingatmeasuresofperformanceequityandimprovementillustratedthrougheasy-to-usepublic
dashboardsLEAswillbeabletoself-identifytheirstrengthsandweaknesseswheresupportisneeded
andwhoisabletoprovideit36Thiswillallowforthedevelopmentofasystemofdifferentiated
improvementsupportsthatrecognizessuccessandsharesbestandpromisingpracticesamongallLEAsin
thestateTheSuperintendentofPublicInstruction(SSPI)CaliforniaofEducation(CDE)theCalifornia
CollaborativeforEducationalExcellence(CCEE)andcountysuperintendentsshouldalsousethese
measurestoidentifyandreferLEAsandschoolsforfocusedandintensiveimprovementsupportas
33Blueprint20PlanningTeam(2015)
34Continuousimprovementlikereciprocalaccountabilityissomethingthateachlevelofthesystemisresponsiblefor
35AdaptedfromLoebSandPlankD(2008)LearningWhatWorksContinuousImprovementinCaliforniarsquosEducationSystemPolicyBrief08-4RetrievedonMarch162016fromhttpcepastanfordedusitesdefaultfilesLearning20Briefpdf
36Forexampleselectingoneindicatorinthedashboardmightleadtoapagewithmoredetailthatcouldincludeavarietyof
resourcesforimprovement(informationalresourcesbestpracticesinformationonhowtoself-refertoCCEEalistofTA
providersandoralistoflocaldistrictsorschoolsthathaveachievedsignificantimprovementinthatindicator)
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
described The Task Force recognizes thats ignificantc apacity building mustta ke place ata ll levelsof the system and especiallyf or countyof fices of education in order to take on the provision of tieredsu port summarized below To be effective work at the county office level should include teacherre
Just as modern health systems em hasize well-being and preventiono f illness inC aliforniarsquosAccountability and Continuous Im
utilized Table 7 below describes the proposed levels of support for schools and districts
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
below37
p
presentatives
THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT ALL FOCUSED INTENSIVE
p
provement System the overarching priority should be given tosupporting improvement for allacross multiple dimensions and through an ecosystem of supportIn thoseinstances when general support efforts do not yield results focused and intensive supports should be
38
Table 7 Tiered Support System Tier Type of Support
Improvement
Shared LearningLEAs
and for All
The indicat ors should help recognize successidentify the strengths of LEAs andschools and therefore should serve as a means to identify (and self-identify )whic h LEAs and schools are well-positioned to share their successful practiceswit h others throug h formal and informal improvemen t effort s across school s and
39 LEAs The SSPICDE CCEE and county offices of education should also developtools and supports that will be available to all LEAs and schools (LCAP planningsupports vetted best practi ces etc)
Focused Im rovement
Supp
p
ort
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboardindicat ors to identify schools and LEAs in need of focuse d intervention and th e
areas in which improvemen t support s are needed
of
IntensiveImprovement Support
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboard ofdicat ors to identify LEAs and schools that need more comprehensive andin
int ensive support s to make major improvements in performance andor growthResults on selected measures should not only help to identify where intensivesupports are needed but what other similar LEAs might be best positioned toprovide them
37 Differentiated levels of support could be used across LEAs and schools based on need similar to the ldquoResponse To Interventionrdquomodel which provides varying levels and intensities of support and intervention based on student needs
38 Table 7 describes the tiers and types of supportinterventiona vailable from state-levele ntities The Task Force recognizes thecritical rolest hat will be played by multiple kindso f stakeholdersi n the full ecosystem of support including researchers nonprofitorganizations institutions of higher education philanthropy coalitions etc39 Examples of formal and informal improvement efforts include statewide and regional LCFFLCAP Conferences LCAP SupportTeamsCalifornia Labor Management Initiative events etc
Page 21 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
lued (School and District Whole Child Outcomes)
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
improvement efforts and provides supplemental resources to ensure that Californiarsquos English learners foster youth and students inp overty have the learnings upports they needrdquo13
As notede ducationr esearcher anda dvisor Michael Fullan explains ldquoThe key to system-wide success is tosituate the energy of educatorsa nd studentsa st he central driving force Thism eansa ligningt he goals of reform and the intrinsic motivation of participantsrdquo14 In order to create an effective and sustainable system of accountability and continuous improvement thatb uilds on the collaborative approachde scribedb ybo th Fullan andth e California Wayactors at all levels of the proposed system must focus on the ldquorightd riversrdquowhich ldquofoster motivation of teachers and students engage educators and students in continuousimprovement improve team work and affect all teachers and studentsrdquo15 The right drivers identified in A Blueprint for Great Schools Version 20 include
bull Investing in and building educator professional capital bull Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations bull Supporting effective pedagogy bull Developing systemicso lutions to create a coherent and positive education system16
Moving away from a compliance-driven system towards a system that emphasizes the right drivers will require a significant cultural shift in how many education stakeholders define accountability17 Together with the guiding principles these right drivers serve as a litmus test for future accountability and continuous improvement policies and practices
3 ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK
Building upon the foundation describeda bovethe proposedAc countability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem relieso n a set of multiple measures to examinep erformance equity and improvement These should be presentedthrough user-friendly dashboards18 Examining these multiple measures will
bull Demonstrate the extentto which schoolsa nd districts provide thesupportsa nd resourcest hat will allow studentst o take advantage ofeducational opportunities and succeed in school (Equitable LearningConditions)
bull Highlight whole child development by examining indicators thats how the extent to which all children areh ealthy safe engaged supported challenged and va
13 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 14 Fullan M (2011) 15 Ibid 16 Blueprint 20 Planning Team (2015) 17 Appendix A highlights the ways inw hicht hese drivers couldb e appliedac ross the K-12and E arly LearningSy stem tos upportarticulation andal ignment 18 The dashboard approach will allow the presentationo f multiple kinds of data and assessments to support multiple ways ofmonitoring and improving just as adr iver uses many different gauges windows andm irrors
Page 9 of 41
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
Cycleof Continuous
Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District
dagger
Academic Outcomes
Aggregated dagger Disaggregated Aggregated dagger Disaggregated
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Illustrate the extentto which students achieve meaningful learningou tcomes includingt he acquisition of the knowledge language and lifelongl earnings kills needed tos ucceed (School and District AcademicO utcomes)
bull Reveal disparities by disaggregating student outcomes by student groups and examining learning conditions through the lens of equity
DEFINITION OF ACCOUNTABILITY
The Superintendentrsquos Advisory Task Force onA ccountability and Continuous Improvement offers the definitionof accountability belowThis shared definition allowed the Task Force toi dentifyt he primary purposes of ana ccountability system and consider how these purposes could be achieved through a system thate mphasizes both performanceequityand improvement This definitionfo cuses on intrinsicmotivation the right drivers and reciprocal accountabilityac ross all levels of the system
Accountability is a shared responsibility to 1) Provide studentsw ith the learning experiencesa nd supportst hey need to achieve meaningful outcomesand 2) Effectively collaborate and share information amongte achers and classified staffschoolsstudentsparents and caregiversadministratorsdistrictscommunities county offices of education and the state to ensure thatever yp art of thes ystem has thecapacity tools and resources necessary to provide these learning experiences and support Implementing this two-pronged definitiono f accountability leads to increasing levels ofs upport for improvements at alllevels oft he system Our California Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon
bull Shared responsibility to support learning for every child bull Comprehensively measuring performance equity improvement and how well the system is
meeting its goalsincluding linking results to the tiered system of support and intervention19
bull Considering all the factors that affect performance and outcomes in order toi dentify share andpromote best and promising practices and change courseso f action thata re nota chieving our desired outcomes
bull Clearly communicating expectations and processes at all levels bull Reporting the results of selected measures to all partners in education and in the communityand bull Taking what we know and have learned from careful assessments and using thati nformation by
working together to channel support and resourcesto make improvements where they are needed
DEFINITIONS PERFORMANCE EQUITY WHOLE CHILD
Similarly to build commonund erstanding and support for the Task Forcersquos proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemthe task force recommendst he following definitions
Performanceth e extentto which schools districts and the state supports tudents to achieve meaningful outcomes ABl ueprint for Great Schools Version 20 recommendst hat meaningful learning should support the acquisition of the knowledge language lifelongl earnings kills and dispositions that students need to succeed the ability to apply complex knowledge to solve problems collaborate communicate inquire learn independently and build relationships and the capacity to be resilient and resourceful20
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the culturally appropriate and linguistically accessible supports and resources needed to take advantage of educational opportunities and succeed in school at the same level as other students
19 For more information see pages1 5-19 for proposed indicators and pages 22-23 for the tiered system ofs upport andintervention 20 Blueprint 20 PlanningT eam (2015)
Page 10 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Whole ChildAn approach to learning that ensures thatever yc hild is healthy safe engaged supported challenged and valued21
EQUITYPERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System should create a holisticp icture of how well the schoolsLEAsand the state are realizingC aliforniarsquos vision of success for all students To do this the Task Force recommends ab alanced set of academic and non-academic indicators that illustratestudent performance and equitablel earning conditionsand improvement in both (see Figure 1) The Task Force recognizes that it is important tou tilize a whole child approach and noti ncentivize the wrongdrivers Inc onsidering rates andt argets the Task Force advises an emphasis on continuous sustainable improvements rooted in the ongoing development ofp rofessional capital This balanceds et ofa cademic and non-academic indicators should be depicted in easy-to-read dashboard formats(se e p 30)
Performance Academic and non-academic achievement
Performance Improvement Rate of improvement of performance
Equity Improvement Rate of improvement of equity
Equity Gaps in opportunities (learning conditions) and performance across student groups
Figure 1
PERFORMANCE
The performancem easurei llustrates the state of student outcomesa t a point in time across ar ange of academic and non-academic areas22 It uses multiple indicators to depict the current level of performanceThe performance measure shows the extent to which a district or school is meeting outcomes for studentsat both an aggregated and disaggregated (byst udent group)le vel23
PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
The performance improvement or change measure denotes the level of improvement based on changesover time tot he indicators includedi n the performance measure It should be provided in aggregated anddisaggregated( by student group)f orms The Task Forcersquos proposed new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem places significant value on improvementThe value of improvement lies in both the importance of striving to increase studenta nd system outcomes and the opportunity thatimprovement provides for shared learning across the system The performance improvement measure servesmu ltiple purposes providing opportunitiest o
21 Adapted from ASCD See httpwwwascdorgwhole-childaspx 22 There are a number of possible approaches to achieve thisSome possible examples include am odel used in Alberta Canada while another might be a quadrant-based scatter plot such as the model developed by ChildrenN ow 23 Iti s criticalto consider indicators thatr eliably predictth e longer-term studento utcomes we seekfo r example indicators in theearlygr ades should predict graduation rates whilei ndicators in thes econdarygr ades should predict collegea nd careerpreparedness etc
Page 11 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
1 Highlight and recognize those districts and schools makingc oncerted and successful efforts toimprove
2 Identify districts and schools that need support to address challenges and needsand 3 Identify promising practices in aggregate or byst udent groupthat could be applied by other
LEAs ands chools across the system
EQUITY The equityme asure shedsl ight on disparitiesi n opportunitiesa nd outcomesa crossst udent groups Equity should be examined through indicators of equitablel earning conditions and byd isaggregatingp erformance measures by student groups Californiarsquos public education system is entrustedt op rovide high-quality educational opportunities for all of its students A robust accountability system identifiesb arriers that limit access toa r igorous and nurturinge ducational experience for all students especially those requiring special education foster youth homeless youth those from low-income families English learnersand vulnerable racial and ethnic groupsThe Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should help identify supportsne ededt o eradicate those barriers maintaina ndm easure progress towards clear goals and hold schools districts and educators accountable for closingac hievement gaps and advancinga r ange of culturally responsive and linguistically supportive opportunities toe nsure success in school and acquisition of the skills necessaryt ob e college careerand life ready
EQUITY IMPROVEMENT Similar tot he performance improvement or change measure equity improvement illustrates the level of improvement on equityin dicators This measure looks at the rate of improvementof equitable learning conditions thatc apture the level of equity in a school or districta nd the rate atw hich performance gaps across student groupsa re closingstaying the sameor growing Improving equity of access andopportunityan dc losingac hievement gaps are critical toi mprovingou tcomes for all students Additionallylooking at the rate ofi mprovement on equityi ndicators provides aw ayt oi dentifyan d act on promisingpractices for improving student equity
INDICATORS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
The Task Force recommends as eries of indicator sets for differentu ses and at different levels of the system These various sets of indicators should be depicted inv isually attractive and easy-to-use dashboards that will allowt he system to
bull Ensure that the state and system as a whole are continuously improving bull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvement acrosst he state with regard to
student learning and achievement bull Collect additional diagnostic information to support continuous improvement efforts and bull Provide LEAs with the flexibility to identify indicators of interest
LEVELSO FI NDICATORS
To build a system that fully supports and values performance equity andi mprovementCalifornia should utilize appropriate indicator sets for each level of accountability and continuous improvement 24
This work should build upon the state priorities articulated by the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)
24 ldquoAn indicator provides evidence that certain conditionse xist orce rtain resultsh ave or have not been achieved Indicatorse nabledecision-makers to assess progress towards the achievement of intended outputs outcomes goals and objectivesrdquo (HarvardFamilyR esearchP roject) Horsch K (1997) Indicators definition andu se in ar esults-based accountability system Retrieved onApril 14 2016 from httpwwwhfrporgpublications-resourcesbrowse-our-publicationsindicators-definition-and-use-in-a-results-based-accountability-system
Page 12 of 41
Table 1 Levels of Indicators Indicator Set Definition and Use State-Required These indicators should be used for both state and federal (ESSA)
purposes should be applicable and relevant statewide and should be utilized by California to gauge the success of federal and state-level accountability and continuous improvement supports for LEAs and schools
State-Reported These indicators should be vetted and reported by the state and available for use in the statersquos Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System for LEAs and schoolsThese indicators should complement the state-required indicator set by providing a moreholistic picture of performance equity and improvement
State-Supported Locally-Reported These indicators should provide additional diagnostic and evaluation information and should be available for voluntary local use that is
supported with tools provided by the state allowing schools and LEAs to evaluate learning opportunities more deeplyThey should be locally-reported and used for diagnostic and improvement purposes in the context of state and local accountability and continuous improvement systems
Locally Generated and Reported These indicators should be identified and vetted locally and used for additional information for LCAP design impl ementation and eval uation
State System These indicators should be identified by the state to use in evaluatingits work supporting the statewide system these indicators should be
used to drive the continuous improvement of the statersquos systems of support
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
and ongoingw ork tod evelop the LCFFe valuation rubrics The proposed indicators include locally determinedi ndicators includedi nLoc al Control andA ccountability Plans anda lsoi nclude state-determinedi ndicators that alignw ithE SSA requirements As summarized by Table 1 and Figure 2 below targeted indicator sets should be developed and provided for specific system levels and accountability and continuous improvement purposes
As illustrated by Figure 2these indicator sets form ac omprehensive package that focuses on supporting and drivingl ocal accountabilityan d continuous improvement They should be depicted and reported in easy-to-use dashboard formats
Page 13 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State System Indicators
Local Accountability
and Continuous
Improvement
State Required Indicators
State ReportedIndicators
LocallyGenerated
Indicators (LCAP)
State SupportedIndicators
State System Indicators
Figure 2Integrated Indicator Sets
Tables 2-6 provide possible specific indicators with associated comments for each indicator set describedabove Taken together these tables illustrate an integration path utilizing Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) evaluation rubrics as central drivers of one coherent and comprehensive system that incorporates the federal accountability requirements
STATE AND LOCAL INDICATORS FOR LEAS AND SCHOOLS
The tables below contain the proposed indicators for each level of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Each set of indicators including those that are state-required and state-reported includes both academic and whole child indicators that should be used to measure performance equity and improvement This balance of academic and non-academic indicators will provide a more holistic depiction of the extent to which all students are prepared for college career life and leadership in the 21st centuryIndicators in Table 2 are explicitly linked to ESSA Requirements while the indicators in Tables 3-5 are linked to desired outcomes
Page 14 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
Academic achievement as measured profi ciency on annua l assessments
by CASSP English languagearts and mathematics scores in grad es 3- 8 inclusiveplus grade 11
To be measured by scale scores reflecting both status and student growthover time Scale SBAC scores would be broken down into diff erent subjects(ie math and English) and reported by grade span (ie grades 3-5 6-8 11)
Hig h schoo l graduation rates 4-year Graduation rates plus an extended rate (5 - andor 6-year rate)
At high school including rates (wit h a t leas t equa l work with student s wit h
a 5-or 6-year graduation rate weight ) creat es incentives for challenges
as well as 4-yearschool s t o keep
Progress in ach ieving Englis h language proficiency as defined by the State within a State-determined timeline f or all English Learners
English Learner (EL ) progress on state English Proficiency Assessment
The State LCFF identifies pro ress toward English proficiency andreclassification ratesEL pro ress
ggg
using scale scores on an EL profici encymeasure i s bett er for trackin th e progress o f al l students ensuring
attention to the ful l range of EL student s and their needs ndash from th ose wh oare newcomers to th ose who are b ecoming an d h ave b ecome lsquoproficient rsquo
Progress of ELs could be measured by a composite or by multiple i ndicatorsfor Englis h Learner progress ie including long-time English learners
and or reclassification ratesThe Task Force recommends creating a new data marker of ldquoEnglishLearner re-designat edrdquo for reclassified ELs as a means of capturing a fullerpicture of student performance
For public elementary schools andsecondary schools that are not highschools in the Statemdash(I) a measure of student growth if determined appropriate by the State or (II) another valid and reliable statewide academicindicat or tha t all ows for meaningfu ldifferentiation in school performance
Growth measure27 The Task F orce encourages the SBE and model s f or inclusion in th e syst em This and growth across other indicators
CDE to should
research potential incl ude both SBAC
growthscores
25 Every Student Succeeds Act 201526 From LCFFSt ate Priorities augmentedt om eet federal requirements27 The task force is not putting forth a specific way to measure growth but recommends that that State Board ofE ducation continue to research growth measure methodologies
Page 15 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Whole Child Outcomes
No t less than one indicator o f schoo lquality or student success that allowsfor meaningful differentiation in school
performance is valid reliable comparable and statewide and mayinclud e measures of studen tengagement educat or engagementstudent access to and completion ofadvanced coursework postsecondaryreadi ness school climate and safety and any other indicator other Statechooses tha t meets the requirements ofthis clause
bull
bull
bull
bull
Suspensi ons expulsion rat es Statewide schoolclimate surveyChronicabsenteeism College amp careerreadiness indicat or
Suspension and expulsion data are currently available and chronicabsenteeism soon will be Both are local measures of student access andengagemen t that help predict school achievement and high schoolgraduation The Task Force recommend s that suspension expulsion ratesbe utilized in conjunction wit h and tied to authentic programmatic workthat builds positive school climate such as alternative discipline orrestorative justice approaches
A statewide school climate survey of students parents and teachers couldinclud e quest ions on course breadth and access parenta l involvementbasic services safety and social-emotional supports teaching andadministrati ve supports and access to appropriate counseling servicesnurses and school psy gcholo i sts
A non-test-based indicator of coll ege and career readi ness should measurethe extent to which students complete courses and ro ramsp g (c p om letion o fA- G hig qu yh- alit CTE qu se ences and i p )nternshi s that ppsu ort coll ge e andcareer readiness and the development o f 21st yCentur skills such as
28 collaboration communicati pon roblem-solvi gn and creativity This couldbe reviewed in conjunction with other academic indicators as a means forholistically measuri ng the skills and abilities students need to be college andcareer ready
28 The Task Force recognizes that there is not currently a state-adopted tool that measures 21st Century skills like collaboration communication problem solving and creativityThese are qualities that can be evaluated through performance assessments The Task Force recommends that the State Board of Education pilot and study performanceassessments that can measure these competencies as they relate to college and career readiness
Page 16 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 3 State-Reported Indicators Outcome Area Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
College career li fe readi ness indicat ors
and
bull
bull
bull bull
Students completing A-G approved CTE sequence or both Students meeting college standardon AP IB dual credit courseworkPhysical fitness Science assessment resultsonce each in grad es 3-5 6- 8 10-12 for a tota l of three times
If completion o f A- G approved CTE sequences or AB IB dual credi tcoursewor k are not included in t he state required college and career readiness indicator they could be included here
Physical fitness data are already collected by the state
As science assessments develop they could be considered by the SBE in future as a potential add ition t o the require d indicators
the
Whole Child Outcomes
StudentTeacherand ParentCaregiver
Engagement
bull
bull
Attendance
Student teacher andparentcaregiver surveysmeasuring schoo l climat e
for
If attendance and school climate surveys are not in included n the state-required set o f indicat ors they could be included here
School climate surveys could include a core set of questions used across thestate with additional locally determined questions for local use TheCaliforni a Healthy Kids Survey i s an available tool for measuring school climateand measures el ements such as access to resources and programsfeelings of safety and interaction wit h caring adults
Equitable Learning Conditions
Opportunities t o learn
bull
bull bull bull
Teacher and administrator qualificationsSchool facilities qualityAccess to curriculum material s Access to full curriculum
These are required under the Williams Case andor LCAP
Page 17 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 4 State-Supported Locally-Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
As part of i ts eff ort to support l ocal continuous improvement efforts the state could develop and calibrate a library of tools and measures for voluntary use by bull Locally selected developmentally
State provid es tool s LEAs and schools Several of these may be available at t he time of system launchculturally and linguistically30 for sch ools or (launch library) while oth ers wil l requi re further time and resource investmentappropriate observational
31districts to choose (developmental library) kindergarten readiness and use at thei r s29 assessment CA has access to the Innovation Lab Network Performance Assessment Resource optionpotentially bull Classroom embedded authentic Bank that provides performance assessment tasks rubrics scoring protocols andin collaborat ion perf ormance assessments student work linked to CCSS and NGSS standards These can be made available towit h oth er part ners bull Social-emotional learning schools possibly as par t of the SBAC Digita l Libraryand networks indicat ors stAssessments of social-emotional learning might also be used to measure 21
bull Parent Engagement Century skill s such as collaborati on communication problem-solvingandcreativity and should be further studied by the SBE
Table 5 Locally Designed and Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Locally determined indicat ors
bull
bull
Other LCAP indicators es32 local prioriti
Oth er locally designed
for state and
indicators
Districts are not expected to all ocate resources equally to indicat ors bu t t o selec t strat egic goal s an d mak e resource associate d with those
each of the allocat ions
LCAP
29 These are individually administered and open-ended Theys hould beu sed as information for teachers and schools to ensuret heir youngest students arer eceiving the culturallylinguistically andde velopmentallyap propriate supports theyn eed Multiple validatedk indergarten readiness support tools exist andm ay in the short-term be suitable forinclusion in the tool libraryA ppendix A provides a series of recommendations andco nsiderationsr egarding early learning in the Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystemincluding as et of questions pertaining to the use of Kindergarten Readiness Assessments30 The ldquolaunch libraryrdquo could include school climate surveys fors tudents parents and caregiversand teachers (egCalifornia Healthy Kids Survey)tools for measuring implementation ofthe California Standards(C CSS NGSS etc)i ncluding instructional materials practices training etc and toolsfo r measuring indicators ofa rich fullc urriculum thatm ighti nclude art music PE science social studies31 The ldquodevelopment libraryrdquo could include KindergartenR eadiness support tools (Early educationK-12al ignment) Early literacy assessment tools High school graduation systems( Digital portfolio capstone project community service assessment) andSoc ial-Emotional Learning tools32 Californiarsquos emergingac countabilityf rameworki s groundedw ithin ab roader system of continuous improvement andsu pport forL EAsa nd schools By analyzing performance andp erformance improvement on multiple indicators andp resenting thati nformation in user-friendly formats the LCFF evaluation rubrics willa ssist LEAs and schools in self-identifying their strengths and weaknesses where support isn eededa nd who is able to provide it
Page 18 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
STATE SYSTEM INDICATORS
Table 6 Proposed State System Indicators
State Priority Key Indicator Performance Equity Improvement
Success for students withhigher needs in the stateas a whole on each of theSuccess for state as a Annual state gains rate of gap closurestate-required and state-Pupi l Achievement Aggregated Schoo l and whole on th e state-reported indicat ors Rate o f gai ns for students wit h high erand Engagement Distric t Indicators required and state-
needs reported indicat ors
Perf andoppor
ormancetunity gap closure
Awards for schools and Annual state gainsrate of gap closureNumber of schools
Pupi l Achievement LEAs serving high Rate o f gai ns ( number receiving awards)Californi a Awards applying forreceivingand Engagement numbers of higher-needs for sch ools serving high numb ers ofawards
students higher-needs students
Promulgation o fexemplars andomisingbestpr
practices and brokering Effecti veness of supportsof these and other to schools and districtsresources including especially those serving
Support for LCAP Support Systems Growth in service and capacity (360ordmtechnical assistance to high numb ers of st udentsDevelopmen t and Indicators (CDE CCEE revi ews)
districts wit h higher needsImplementation COEs)
Effecti veness of supports to schools and districts Equity and adequacy ofespecially those serving resource distributionhigh numb ers ofstudents wit h high erneeds
Page 19 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 20 of 41
WhiletheindicatorsandtoolsproposedbytheTaskForceformeasuringperformanceequityand
improvementatalllevelsofthesystemarenotperfectwehopetoidentifywhatindicatorsandtoolsare
workingovertimeanddevelopandrefinethesetoolsandmeasuressothattheymoreaccuratelyreflectthe
performanceequityandimprovementofthesystemAdditionallytheTaskForcerecommendsthatthe
stateengageinongoingformalevaluationworktomeasuretheefficacyofsupportsidentifybestand
promisingpracticesandinformcontinuousimprovementofthesystemTheonlywaytoensurethat
schoolsanddistrictsarecontinuouslyimprovingistoestablishacontinuousimprovementframeforthe
systemitselfwemustcommittoreflectiveandongoingassessmentofhowwellthesystemisworkingand
tomakingcoursecorrectionsandupdatesasneededtobetterserveCaliforniarsquosstudentsandstakeholders
4 CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTCaliforniarecognizesthattheaccountability
frameworkdescribedaboveisonlyhelpfulto
theextentthatitisintegrallytiedtoasystem
ofcontinuousimprovementandsupport
alignedwiththeCaliforniaWayandtheldquoright
driversrdquodescribedinSection233Continuous
improvementisthekeytoensuringthat
Californiarsquoseducationsystemrealizesitsvision
forallstudents34
DEFINITIONOFCONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
TheTaskForceoffersthefollowingdefinition
ofcontinuousimprovement
ContinuousImprovementAcontinuouslyimprovingeducationsystemisonethatlearns
fromexperiencebycarefullymeasuringthe
effectivenessofdifferentpoliciesandpracticessupportingtheintrinsicmotivationofeducatorsand
stakeholderssharingbestandpromisingpracticescultivatingacultureofreflectionandlearning
encouraginginnovationandmakingchangesbasedonlearning35
BUILDINGTHECONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSUPPORTSYSTEM
Bylookingatmeasuresofperformanceequityandimprovementillustratedthrougheasy-to-usepublic
dashboardsLEAswillbeabletoself-identifytheirstrengthsandweaknesseswheresupportisneeded
andwhoisabletoprovideit36Thiswillallowforthedevelopmentofasystemofdifferentiated
improvementsupportsthatrecognizessuccessandsharesbestandpromisingpracticesamongallLEAsin
thestateTheSuperintendentofPublicInstruction(SSPI)CaliforniaofEducation(CDE)theCalifornia
CollaborativeforEducationalExcellence(CCEE)andcountysuperintendentsshouldalsousethese
measurestoidentifyandreferLEAsandschoolsforfocusedandintensiveimprovementsupportas
33Blueprint20PlanningTeam(2015)
34Continuousimprovementlikereciprocalaccountabilityissomethingthateachlevelofthesystemisresponsiblefor
35AdaptedfromLoebSandPlankD(2008)LearningWhatWorksContinuousImprovementinCaliforniarsquosEducationSystemPolicyBrief08-4RetrievedonMarch162016fromhttpcepastanfordedusitesdefaultfilesLearning20Briefpdf
36Forexampleselectingoneindicatorinthedashboardmightleadtoapagewithmoredetailthatcouldincludeavarietyof
resourcesforimprovement(informationalresourcesbestpracticesinformationonhowtoself-refertoCCEEalistofTA
providersandoralistoflocaldistrictsorschoolsthathaveachievedsignificantimprovementinthatindicator)
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
described The Task Force recognizes thats ignificantc apacity building mustta ke place ata ll levelsof the system and especiallyf or countyof fices of education in order to take on the provision of tieredsu port summarized below To be effective work at the county office level should include teacherre
Just as modern health systems em hasize well-being and preventiono f illness inC aliforniarsquosAccountability and Continuous Im
utilized Table 7 below describes the proposed levels of support for schools and districts
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
below37
p
presentatives
THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT ALL FOCUSED INTENSIVE
p
provement System the overarching priority should be given tosupporting improvement for allacross multiple dimensions and through an ecosystem of supportIn thoseinstances when general support efforts do not yield results focused and intensive supports should be
38
Table 7 Tiered Support System Tier Type of Support
Improvement
Shared LearningLEAs
and for All
The indicat ors should help recognize successidentify the strengths of LEAs andschools and therefore should serve as a means to identify (and self-identify )whic h LEAs and schools are well-positioned to share their successful practiceswit h others throug h formal and informal improvemen t effort s across school s and
39 LEAs The SSPICDE CCEE and county offices of education should also developtools and supports that will be available to all LEAs and schools (LCAP planningsupports vetted best practi ces etc)
Focused Im rovement
Supp
p
ort
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboardindicat ors to identify schools and LEAs in need of focuse d intervention and th e
areas in which improvemen t support s are needed
of
IntensiveImprovement Support
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboard ofdicat ors to identify LEAs and schools that need more comprehensive andin
int ensive support s to make major improvements in performance andor growthResults on selected measures should not only help to identify where intensivesupports are needed but what other similar LEAs might be best positioned toprovide them
37 Differentiated levels of support could be used across LEAs and schools based on need similar to the ldquoResponse To Interventionrdquomodel which provides varying levels and intensities of support and intervention based on student needs
38 Table 7 describes the tiers and types of supportinterventiona vailable from state-levele ntities The Task Force recognizes thecritical rolest hat will be played by multiple kindso f stakeholdersi n the full ecosystem of support including researchers nonprofitorganizations institutions of higher education philanthropy coalitions etc39 Examples of formal and informal improvement efforts include statewide and regional LCFFLCAP Conferences LCAP SupportTeamsCalifornia Labor Management Initiative events etc
Page 21 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Illustrate the extentto which students achieve meaningful learningou tcomes includingt he acquisition of the knowledge language and lifelongl earnings kills needed tos ucceed (School and District AcademicO utcomes)
bull Reveal disparities by disaggregating student outcomes by student groups and examining learning conditions through the lens of equity
DEFINITION OF ACCOUNTABILITY
The Superintendentrsquos Advisory Task Force onA ccountability and Continuous Improvement offers the definitionof accountability belowThis shared definition allowed the Task Force toi dentifyt he primary purposes of ana ccountability system and consider how these purposes could be achieved through a system thate mphasizes both performanceequityand improvement This definitionfo cuses on intrinsicmotivation the right drivers and reciprocal accountabilityac ross all levels of the system
Accountability is a shared responsibility to 1) Provide studentsw ith the learning experiencesa nd supportst hey need to achieve meaningful outcomesand 2) Effectively collaborate and share information amongte achers and classified staffschoolsstudentsparents and caregiversadministratorsdistrictscommunities county offices of education and the state to ensure thatever yp art of thes ystem has thecapacity tools and resources necessary to provide these learning experiences and support Implementing this two-pronged definitiono f accountability leads to increasing levels ofs upport for improvements at alllevels oft he system Our California Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon
bull Shared responsibility to support learning for every child bull Comprehensively measuring performance equity improvement and how well the system is
meeting its goalsincluding linking results to the tiered system of support and intervention19
bull Considering all the factors that affect performance and outcomes in order toi dentify share andpromote best and promising practices and change courseso f action thata re nota chieving our desired outcomes
bull Clearly communicating expectations and processes at all levels bull Reporting the results of selected measures to all partners in education and in the communityand bull Taking what we know and have learned from careful assessments and using thati nformation by
working together to channel support and resourcesto make improvements where they are needed
DEFINITIONS PERFORMANCE EQUITY WHOLE CHILD
Similarly to build commonund erstanding and support for the Task Forcersquos proposed Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemthe task force recommendst he following definitions
Performanceth e extentto which schools districts and the state supports tudents to achieve meaningful outcomes ABl ueprint for Great Schools Version 20 recommendst hat meaningful learning should support the acquisition of the knowledge language lifelongl earnings kills and dispositions that students need to succeed the ability to apply complex knowledge to solve problems collaborate communicate inquire learn independently and build relationships and the capacity to be resilient and resourceful20
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the culturally appropriate and linguistically accessible supports and resources needed to take advantage of educational opportunities and succeed in school at the same level as other students
19 For more information see pages1 5-19 for proposed indicators and pages 22-23 for the tiered system ofs upport andintervention 20 Blueprint 20 PlanningT eam (2015)
Page 10 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Whole ChildAn approach to learning that ensures thatever yc hild is healthy safe engaged supported challenged and valued21
EQUITYPERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System should create a holisticp icture of how well the schoolsLEAsand the state are realizingC aliforniarsquos vision of success for all students To do this the Task Force recommends ab alanced set of academic and non-academic indicators that illustratestudent performance and equitablel earning conditionsand improvement in both (see Figure 1) The Task Force recognizes that it is important tou tilize a whole child approach and noti ncentivize the wrongdrivers Inc onsidering rates andt argets the Task Force advises an emphasis on continuous sustainable improvements rooted in the ongoing development ofp rofessional capital This balanceds et ofa cademic and non-academic indicators should be depicted in easy-to-read dashboard formats(se e p 30)
Performance Academic and non-academic achievement
Performance Improvement Rate of improvement of performance
Equity Improvement Rate of improvement of equity
Equity Gaps in opportunities (learning conditions) and performance across student groups
Figure 1
PERFORMANCE
The performancem easurei llustrates the state of student outcomesa t a point in time across ar ange of academic and non-academic areas22 It uses multiple indicators to depict the current level of performanceThe performance measure shows the extent to which a district or school is meeting outcomes for studentsat both an aggregated and disaggregated (byst udent group)le vel23
PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
The performance improvement or change measure denotes the level of improvement based on changesover time tot he indicators includedi n the performance measure It should be provided in aggregated anddisaggregated( by student group)f orms The Task Forcersquos proposed new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem places significant value on improvementThe value of improvement lies in both the importance of striving to increase studenta nd system outcomes and the opportunity thatimprovement provides for shared learning across the system The performance improvement measure servesmu ltiple purposes providing opportunitiest o
21 Adapted from ASCD See httpwwwascdorgwhole-childaspx 22 There are a number of possible approaches to achieve thisSome possible examples include am odel used in Alberta Canada while another might be a quadrant-based scatter plot such as the model developed by ChildrenN ow 23 Iti s criticalto consider indicators thatr eliably predictth e longer-term studento utcomes we seekfo r example indicators in theearlygr ades should predict graduation rates whilei ndicators in thes econdarygr ades should predict collegea nd careerpreparedness etc
Page 11 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
1 Highlight and recognize those districts and schools makingc oncerted and successful efforts toimprove
2 Identify districts and schools that need support to address challenges and needsand 3 Identify promising practices in aggregate or byst udent groupthat could be applied by other
LEAs ands chools across the system
EQUITY The equityme asure shedsl ight on disparitiesi n opportunitiesa nd outcomesa crossst udent groups Equity should be examined through indicators of equitablel earning conditions and byd isaggregatingp erformance measures by student groups Californiarsquos public education system is entrustedt op rovide high-quality educational opportunities for all of its students A robust accountability system identifiesb arriers that limit access toa r igorous and nurturinge ducational experience for all students especially those requiring special education foster youth homeless youth those from low-income families English learnersand vulnerable racial and ethnic groupsThe Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should help identify supportsne ededt o eradicate those barriers maintaina ndm easure progress towards clear goals and hold schools districts and educators accountable for closingac hievement gaps and advancinga r ange of culturally responsive and linguistically supportive opportunities toe nsure success in school and acquisition of the skills necessaryt ob e college careerand life ready
EQUITY IMPROVEMENT Similar tot he performance improvement or change measure equity improvement illustrates the level of improvement on equityin dicators This measure looks at the rate of improvementof equitable learning conditions thatc apture the level of equity in a school or districta nd the rate atw hich performance gaps across student groupsa re closingstaying the sameor growing Improving equity of access andopportunityan dc losingac hievement gaps are critical toi mprovingou tcomes for all students Additionallylooking at the rate ofi mprovement on equityi ndicators provides aw ayt oi dentifyan d act on promisingpractices for improving student equity
INDICATORS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
The Task Force recommends as eries of indicator sets for differentu ses and at different levels of the system These various sets of indicators should be depicted inv isually attractive and easy-to-use dashboards that will allowt he system to
bull Ensure that the state and system as a whole are continuously improving bull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvement acrosst he state with regard to
student learning and achievement bull Collect additional diagnostic information to support continuous improvement efforts and bull Provide LEAs with the flexibility to identify indicators of interest
LEVELSO FI NDICATORS
To build a system that fully supports and values performance equity andi mprovementCalifornia should utilize appropriate indicator sets for each level of accountability and continuous improvement 24
This work should build upon the state priorities articulated by the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)
24 ldquoAn indicator provides evidence that certain conditionse xist orce rtain resultsh ave or have not been achieved Indicatorse nabledecision-makers to assess progress towards the achievement of intended outputs outcomes goals and objectivesrdquo (HarvardFamilyR esearchP roject) Horsch K (1997) Indicators definition andu se in ar esults-based accountability system Retrieved onApril 14 2016 from httpwwwhfrporgpublications-resourcesbrowse-our-publicationsindicators-definition-and-use-in-a-results-based-accountability-system
Page 12 of 41
Table 1 Levels of Indicators Indicator Set Definition and Use State-Required These indicators should be used for both state and federal (ESSA)
purposes should be applicable and relevant statewide and should be utilized by California to gauge the success of federal and state-level accountability and continuous improvement supports for LEAs and schools
State-Reported These indicators should be vetted and reported by the state and available for use in the statersquos Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System for LEAs and schoolsThese indicators should complement the state-required indicator set by providing a moreholistic picture of performance equity and improvement
State-Supported Locally-Reported These indicators should provide additional diagnostic and evaluation information and should be available for voluntary local use that is
supported with tools provided by the state allowing schools and LEAs to evaluate learning opportunities more deeplyThey should be locally-reported and used for diagnostic and improvement purposes in the context of state and local accountability and continuous improvement systems
Locally Generated and Reported These indicators should be identified and vetted locally and used for additional information for LCAP design impl ementation and eval uation
State System These indicators should be identified by the state to use in evaluatingits work supporting the statewide system these indicators should be
used to drive the continuous improvement of the statersquos systems of support
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
and ongoingw ork tod evelop the LCFFe valuation rubrics The proposed indicators include locally determinedi ndicators includedi nLoc al Control andA ccountability Plans anda lsoi nclude state-determinedi ndicators that alignw ithE SSA requirements As summarized by Table 1 and Figure 2 below targeted indicator sets should be developed and provided for specific system levels and accountability and continuous improvement purposes
As illustrated by Figure 2these indicator sets form ac omprehensive package that focuses on supporting and drivingl ocal accountabilityan d continuous improvement They should be depicted and reported in easy-to-use dashboard formats
Page 13 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State System Indicators
Local Accountability
and Continuous
Improvement
State Required Indicators
State ReportedIndicators
LocallyGenerated
Indicators (LCAP)
State SupportedIndicators
State System Indicators
Figure 2Integrated Indicator Sets
Tables 2-6 provide possible specific indicators with associated comments for each indicator set describedabove Taken together these tables illustrate an integration path utilizing Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) evaluation rubrics as central drivers of one coherent and comprehensive system that incorporates the federal accountability requirements
STATE AND LOCAL INDICATORS FOR LEAS AND SCHOOLS
The tables below contain the proposed indicators for each level of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Each set of indicators including those that are state-required and state-reported includes both academic and whole child indicators that should be used to measure performance equity and improvement This balance of academic and non-academic indicators will provide a more holistic depiction of the extent to which all students are prepared for college career life and leadership in the 21st centuryIndicators in Table 2 are explicitly linked to ESSA Requirements while the indicators in Tables 3-5 are linked to desired outcomes
Page 14 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
Academic achievement as measured profi ciency on annua l assessments
by CASSP English languagearts and mathematics scores in grad es 3- 8 inclusiveplus grade 11
To be measured by scale scores reflecting both status and student growthover time Scale SBAC scores would be broken down into diff erent subjects(ie math and English) and reported by grade span (ie grades 3-5 6-8 11)
Hig h schoo l graduation rates 4-year Graduation rates plus an extended rate (5 - andor 6-year rate)
At high school including rates (wit h a t leas t equa l work with student s wit h
a 5-or 6-year graduation rate weight ) creat es incentives for challenges
as well as 4-yearschool s t o keep
Progress in ach ieving Englis h language proficiency as defined by the State within a State-determined timeline f or all English Learners
English Learner (EL ) progress on state English Proficiency Assessment
The State LCFF identifies pro ress toward English proficiency andreclassification ratesEL pro ress
ggg
using scale scores on an EL profici encymeasure i s bett er for trackin th e progress o f al l students ensuring
attention to the ful l range of EL student s and their needs ndash from th ose wh oare newcomers to th ose who are b ecoming an d h ave b ecome lsquoproficient rsquo
Progress of ELs could be measured by a composite or by multiple i ndicatorsfor Englis h Learner progress ie including long-time English learners
and or reclassification ratesThe Task Force recommends creating a new data marker of ldquoEnglishLearner re-designat edrdquo for reclassified ELs as a means of capturing a fullerpicture of student performance
For public elementary schools andsecondary schools that are not highschools in the Statemdash(I) a measure of student growth if determined appropriate by the State or (II) another valid and reliable statewide academicindicat or tha t all ows for meaningfu ldifferentiation in school performance
Growth measure27 The Task F orce encourages the SBE and model s f or inclusion in th e syst em This and growth across other indicators
CDE to should
research potential incl ude both SBAC
growthscores
25 Every Student Succeeds Act 201526 From LCFFSt ate Priorities augmentedt om eet federal requirements27 The task force is not putting forth a specific way to measure growth but recommends that that State Board ofE ducation continue to research growth measure methodologies
Page 15 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Whole Child Outcomes
No t less than one indicator o f schoo lquality or student success that allowsfor meaningful differentiation in school
performance is valid reliable comparable and statewide and mayinclud e measures of studen tengagement educat or engagementstudent access to and completion ofadvanced coursework postsecondaryreadi ness school climate and safety and any other indicator other Statechooses tha t meets the requirements ofthis clause
bull
bull
bull
bull
Suspensi ons expulsion rat es Statewide schoolclimate surveyChronicabsenteeism College amp careerreadiness indicat or
Suspension and expulsion data are currently available and chronicabsenteeism soon will be Both are local measures of student access andengagemen t that help predict school achievement and high schoolgraduation The Task Force recommend s that suspension expulsion ratesbe utilized in conjunction wit h and tied to authentic programmatic workthat builds positive school climate such as alternative discipline orrestorative justice approaches
A statewide school climate survey of students parents and teachers couldinclud e quest ions on course breadth and access parenta l involvementbasic services safety and social-emotional supports teaching andadministrati ve supports and access to appropriate counseling servicesnurses and school psy gcholo i sts
A non-test-based indicator of coll ege and career readi ness should measurethe extent to which students complete courses and ro ramsp g (c p om letion o fA- G hig qu yh- alit CTE qu se ences and i p )nternshi s that ppsu ort coll ge e andcareer readiness and the development o f 21st yCentur skills such as
28 collaboration communicati pon roblem-solvi gn and creativity This couldbe reviewed in conjunction with other academic indicators as a means forholistically measuri ng the skills and abilities students need to be college andcareer ready
28 The Task Force recognizes that there is not currently a state-adopted tool that measures 21st Century skills like collaboration communication problem solving and creativityThese are qualities that can be evaluated through performance assessments The Task Force recommends that the State Board of Education pilot and study performanceassessments that can measure these competencies as they relate to college and career readiness
Page 16 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 3 State-Reported Indicators Outcome Area Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
College career li fe readi ness indicat ors
and
bull
bull
bull bull
Students completing A-G approved CTE sequence or both Students meeting college standardon AP IB dual credit courseworkPhysical fitness Science assessment resultsonce each in grad es 3-5 6- 8 10-12 for a tota l of three times
If completion o f A- G approved CTE sequences or AB IB dual credi tcoursewor k are not included in t he state required college and career readiness indicator they could be included here
Physical fitness data are already collected by the state
As science assessments develop they could be considered by the SBE in future as a potential add ition t o the require d indicators
the
Whole Child Outcomes
StudentTeacherand ParentCaregiver
Engagement
bull
bull
Attendance
Student teacher andparentcaregiver surveysmeasuring schoo l climat e
for
If attendance and school climate surveys are not in included n the state-required set o f indicat ors they could be included here
School climate surveys could include a core set of questions used across thestate with additional locally determined questions for local use TheCaliforni a Healthy Kids Survey i s an available tool for measuring school climateand measures el ements such as access to resources and programsfeelings of safety and interaction wit h caring adults
Equitable Learning Conditions
Opportunities t o learn
bull
bull bull bull
Teacher and administrator qualificationsSchool facilities qualityAccess to curriculum material s Access to full curriculum
These are required under the Williams Case andor LCAP
Page 17 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 4 State-Supported Locally-Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
As part of i ts eff ort to support l ocal continuous improvement efforts the state could develop and calibrate a library of tools and measures for voluntary use by bull Locally selected developmentally
State provid es tool s LEAs and schools Several of these may be available at t he time of system launchculturally and linguistically30 for sch ools or (launch library) while oth ers wil l requi re further time and resource investmentappropriate observational
31districts to choose (developmental library) kindergarten readiness and use at thei r s29 assessment CA has access to the Innovation Lab Network Performance Assessment Resource optionpotentially bull Classroom embedded authentic Bank that provides performance assessment tasks rubrics scoring protocols andin collaborat ion perf ormance assessments student work linked to CCSS and NGSS standards These can be made available towit h oth er part ners bull Social-emotional learning schools possibly as par t of the SBAC Digita l Libraryand networks indicat ors stAssessments of social-emotional learning might also be used to measure 21
bull Parent Engagement Century skill s such as collaborati on communication problem-solvingandcreativity and should be further studied by the SBE
Table 5 Locally Designed and Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Locally determined indicat ors
bull
bull
Other LCAP indicators es32 local prioriti
Oth er locally designed
for state and
indicators
Districts are not expected to all ocate resources equally to indicat ors bu t t o selec t strat egic goal s an d mak e resource associate d with those
each of the allocat ions
LCAP
29 These are individually administered and open-ended Theys hould beu sed as information for teachers and schools to ensuret heir youngest students arer eceiving the culturallylinguistically andde velopmentallyap propriate supports theyn eed Multiple validatedk indergarten readiness support tools exist andm ay in the short-term be suitable forinclusion in the tool libraryA ppendix A provides a series of recommendations andco nsiderationsr egarding early learning in the Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystemincluding as et of questions pertaining to the use of Kindergarten Readiness Assessments30 The ldquolaunch libraryrdquo could include school climate surveys fors tudents parents and caregiversand teachers (egCalifornia Healthy Kids Survey)tools for measuring implementation ofthe California Standards(C CSS NGSS etc)i ncluding instructional materials practices training etc and toolsfo r measuring indicators ofa rich fullc urriculum thatm ighti nclude art music PE science social studies31 The ldquodevelopment libraryrdquo could include KindergartenR eadiness support tools (Early educationK-12al ignment) Early literacy assessment tools High school graduation systems( Digital portfolio capstone project community service assessment) andSoc ial-Emotional Learning tools32 Californiarsquos emergingac countabilityf rameworki s groundedw ithin ab roader system of continuous improvement andsu pport forL EAsa nd schools By analyzing performance andp erformance improvement on multiple indicators andp resenting thati nformation in user-friendly formats the LCFF evaluation rubrics willa ssist LEAs and schools in self-identifying their strengths and weaknesses where support isn eededa nd who is able to provide it
Page 18 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
STATE SYSTEM INDICATORS
Table 6 Proposed State System Indicators
State Priority Key Indicator Performance Equity Improvement
Success for students withhigher needs in the stateas a whole on each of theSuccess for state as a Annual state gains rate of gap closurestate-required and state-Pupi l Achievement Aggregated Schoo l and whole on th e state-reported indicat ors Rate o f gai ns for students wit h high erand Engagement Distric t Indicators required and state-
needs reported indicat ors
Perf andoppor
ormancetunity gap closure
Awards for schools and Annual state gainsrate of gap closureNumber of schools
Pupi l Achievement LEAs serving high Rate o f gai ns ( number receiving awards)Californi a Awards applying forreceivingand Engagement numbers of higher-needs for sch ools serving high numb ers ofawards
students higher-needs students
Promulgation o fexemplars andomisingbestpr
practices and brokering Effecti veness of supportsof these and other to schools and districtsresources including especially those serving
Support for LCAP Support Systems Growth in service and capacity (360ordmtechnical assistance to high numb ers of st udentsDevelopmen t and Indicators (CDE CCEE revi ews)
districts wit h higher needsImplementation COEs)
Effecti veness of supports to schools and districts Equity and adequacy ofespecially those serving resource distributionhigh numb ers ofstudents wit h high erneeds
Page 19 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 20 of 41
WhiletheindicatorsandtoolsproposedbytheTaskForceformeasuringperformanceequityand
improvementatalllevelsofthesystemarenotperfectwehopetoidentifywhatindicatorsandtoolsare
workingovertimeanddevelopandrefinethesetoolsandmeasuressothattheymoreaccuratelyreflectthe
performanceequityandimprovementofthesystemAdditionallytheTaskForcerecommendsthatthe
stateengageinongoingformalevaluationworktomeasuretheefficacyofsupportsidentifybestand
promisingpracticesandinformcontinuousimprovementofthesystemTheonlywaytoensurethat
schoolsanddistrictsarecontinuouslyimprovingistoestablishacontinuousimprovementframeforthe
systemitselfwemustcommittoreflectiveandongoingassessmentofhowwellthesystemisworkingand
tomakingcoursecorrectionsandupdatesasneededtobetterserveCaliforniarsquosstudentsandstakeholders
4 CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTCaliforniarecognizesthattheaccountability
frameworkdescribedaboveisonlyhelpfulto
theextentthatitisintegrallytiedtoasystem
ofcontinuousimprovementandsupport
alignedwiththeCaliforniaWayandtheldquoright
driversrdquodescribedinSection233Continuous
improvementisthekeytoensuringthat
Californiarsquoseducationsystemrealizesitsvision
forallstudents34
DEFINITIONOFCONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
TheTaskForceoffersthefollowingdefinition
ofcontinuousimprovement
ContinuousImprovementAcontinuouslyimprovingeducationsystemisonethatlearns
fromexperiencebycarefullymeasuringthe
effectivenessofdifferentpoliciesandpracticessupportingtheintrinsicmotivationofeducatorsand
stakeholderssharingbestandpromisingpracticescultivatingacultureofreflectionandlearning
encouraginginnovationandmakingchangesbasedonlearning35
BUILDINGTHECONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSUPPORTSYSTEM
Bylookingatmeasuresofperformanceequityandimprovementillustratedthrougheasy-to-usepublic
dashboardsLEAswillbeabletoself-identifytheirstrengthsandweaknesseswheresupportisneeded
andwhoisabletoprovideit36Thiswillallowforthedevelopmentofasystemofdifferentiated
improvementsupportsthatrecognizessuccessandsharesbestandpromisingpracticesamongallLEAsin
thestateTheSuperintendentofPublicInstruction(SSPI)CaliforniaofEducation(CDE)theCalifornia
CollaborativeforEducationalExcellence(CCEE)andcountysuperintendentsshouldalsousethese
measurestoidentifyandreferLEAsandschoolsforfocusedandintensiveimprovementsupportas
33Blueprint20PlanningTeam(2015)
34Continuousimprovementlikereciprocalaccountabilityissomethingthateachlevelofthesystemisresponsiblefor
35AdaptedfromLoebSandPlankD(2008)LearningWhatWorksContinuousImprovementinCaliforniarsquosEducationSystemPolicyBrief08-4RetrievedonMarch162016fromhttpcepastanfordedusitesdefaultfilesLearning20Briefpdf
36Forexampleselectingoneindicatorinthedashboardmightleadtoapagewithmoredetailthatcouldincludeavarietyof
resourcesforimprovement(informationalresourcesbestpracticesinformationonhowtoself-refertoCCEEalistofTA
providersandoralistoflocaldistrictsorschoolsthathaveachievedsignificantimprovementinthatindicator)
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
described The Task Force recognizes thats ignificantc apacity building mustta ke place ata ll levelsof the system and especiallyf or countyof fices of education in order to take on the provision of tieredsu port summarized below To be effective work at the county office level should include teacherre
Just as modern health systems em hasize well-being and preventiono f illness inC aliforniarsquosAccountability and Continuous Im
utilized Table 7 below describes the proposed levels of support for schools and districts
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
below37
p
presentatives
THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT ALL FOCUSED INTENSIVE
p
provement System the overarching priority should be given tosupporting improvement for allacross multiple dimensions and through an ecosystem of supportIn thoseinstances when general support efforts do not yield results focused and intensive supports should be
38
Table 7 Tiered Support System Tier Type of Support
Improvement
Shared LearningLEAs
and for All
The indicat ors should help recognize successidentify the strengths of LEAs andschools and therefore should serve as a means to identify (and self-identify )whic h LEAs and schools are well-positioned to share their successful practiceswit h others throug h formal and informal improvemen t effort s across school s and
39 LEAs The SSPICDE CCEE and county offices of education should also developtools and supports that will be available to all LEAs and schools (LCAP planningsupports vetted best practi ces etc)
Focused Im rovement
Supp
p
ort
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboardindicat ors to identify schools and LEAs in need of focuse d intervention and th e
areas in which improvemen t support s are needed
of
IntensiveImprovement Support
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboard ofdicat ors to identify LEAs and schools that need more comprehensive andin
int ensive support s to make major improvements in performance andor growthResults on selected measures should not only help to identify where intensivesupports are needed but what other similar LEAs might be best positioned toprovide them
37 Differentiated levels of support could be used across LEAs and schools based on need similar to the ldquoResponse To Interventionrdquomodel which provides varying levels and intensities of support and intervention based on student needs
38 Table 7 describes the tiers and types of supportinterventiona vailable from state-levele ntities The Task Force recognizes thecritical rolest hat will be played by multiple kindso f stakeholdersi n the full ecosystem of support including researchers nonprofitorganizations institutions of higher education philanthropy coalitions etc39 Examples of formal and informal improvement efforts include statewide and regional LCFFLCAP Conferences LCAP SupportTeamsCalifornia Labor Management Initiative events etc
Page 21 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Whole ChildAn approach to learning that ensures thatever yc hild is healthy safe engaged supported challenged and valued21
EQUITYPERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System should create a holisticp icture of how well the schoolsLEAsand the state are realizingC aliforniarsquos vision of success for all students To do this the Task Force recommends ab alanced set of academic and non-academic indicators that illustratestudent performance and equitablel earning conditionsand improvement in both (see Figure 1) The Task Force recognizes that it is important tou tilize a whole child approach and noti ncentivize the wrongdrivers Inc onsidering rates andt argets the Task Force advises an emphasis on continuous sustainable improvements rooted in the ongoing development ofp rofessional capital This balanceds et ofa cademic and non-academic indicators should be depicted in easy-to-read dashboard formats(se e p 30)
Performance Academic and non-academic achievement
Performance Improvement Rate of improvement of performance
Equity Improvement Rate of improvement of equity
Equity Gaps in opportunities (learning conditions) and performance across student groups
Figure 1
PERFORMANCE
The performancem easurei llustrates the state of student outcomesa t a point in time across ar ange of academic and non-academic areas22 It uses multiple indicators to depict the current level of performanceThe performance measure shows the extent to which a district or school is meeting outcomes for studentsat both an aggregated and disaggregated (byst udent group)le vel23
PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
The performance improvement or change measure denotes the level of improvement based on changesover time tot he indicators includedi n the performance measure It should be provided in aggregated anddisaggregated( by student group)f orms The Task Forcersquos proposed new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem places significant value on improvementThe value of improvement lies in both the importance of striving to increase studenta nd system outcomes and the opportunity thatimprovement provides for shared learning across the system The performance improvement measure servesmu ltiple purposes providing opportunitiest o
21 Adapted from ASCD See httpwwwascdorgwhole-childaspx 22 There are a number of possible approaches to achieve thisSome possible examples include am odel used in Alberta Canada while another might be a quadrant-based scatter plot such as the model developed by ChildrenN ow 23 Iti s criticalto consider indicators thatr eliably predictth e longer-term studento utcomes we seekfo r example indicators in theearlygr ades should predict graduation rates whilei ndicators in thes econdarygr ades should predict collegea nd careerpreparedness etc
Page 11 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
1 Highlight and recognize those districts and schools makingc oncerted and successful efforts toimprove
2 Identify districts and schools that need support to address challenges and needsand 3 Identify promising practices in aggregate or byst udent groupthat could be applied by other
LEAs ands chools across the system
EQUITY The equityme asure shedsl ight on disparitiesi n opportunitiesa nd outcomesa crossst udent groups Equity should be examined through indicators of equitablel earning conditions and byd isaggregatingp erformance measures by student groups Californiarsquos public education system is entrustedt op rovide high-quality educational opportunities for all of its students A robust accountability system identifiesb arriers that limit access toa r igorous and nurturinge ducational experience for all students especially those requiring special education foster youth homeless youth those from low-income families English learnersand vulnerable racial and ethnic groupsThe Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should help identify supportsne ededt o eradicate those barriers maintaina ndm easure progress towards clear goals and hold schools districts and educators accountable for closingac hievement gaps and advancinga r ange of culturally responsive and linguistically supportive opportunities toe nsure success in school and acquisition of the skills necessaryt ob e college careerand life ready
EQUITY IMPROVEMENT Similar tot he performance improvement or change measure equity improvement illustrates the level of improvement on equityin dicators This measure looks at the rate of improvementof equitable learning conditions thatc apture the level of equity in a school or districta nd the rate atw hich performance gaps across student groupsa re closingstaying the sameor growing Improving equity of access andopportunityan dc losingac hievement gaps are critical toi mprovingou tcomes for all students Additionallylooking at the rate ofi mprovement on equityi ndicators provides aw ayt oi dentifyan d act on promisingpractices for improving student equity
INDICATORS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
The Task Force recommends as eries of indicator sets for differentu ses and at different levels of the system These various sets of indicators should be depicted inv isually attractive and easy-to-use dashboards that will allowt he system to
bull Ensure that the state and system as a whole are continuously improving bull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvement acrosst he state with regard to
student learning and achievement bull Collect additional diagnostic information to support continuous improvement efforts and bull Provide LEAs with the flexibility to identify indicators of interest
LEVELSO FI NDICATORS
To build a system that fully supports and values performance equity andi mprovementCalifornia should utilize appropriate indicator sets for each level of accountability and continuous improvement 24
This work should build upon the state priorities articulated by the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)
24 ldquoAn indicator provides evidence that certain conditionse xist orce rtain resultsh ave or have not been achieved Indicatorse nabledecision-makers to assess progress towards the achievement of intended outputs outcomes goals and objectivesrdquo (HarvardFamilyR esearchP roject) Horsch K (1997) Indicators definition andu se in ar esults-based accountability system Retrieved onApril 14 2016 from httpwwwhfrporgpublications-resourcesbrowse-our-publicationsindicators-definition-and-use-in-a-results-based-accountability-system
Page 12 of 41
Table 1 Levels of Indicators Indicator Set Definition and Use State-Required These indicators should be used for both state and federal (ESSA)
purposes should be applicable and relevant statewide and should be utilized by California to gauge the success of federal and state-level accountability and continuous improvement supports for LEAs and schools
State-Reported These indicators should be vetted and reported by the state and available for use in the statersquos Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System for LEAs and schoolsThese indicators should complement the state-required indicator set by providing a moreholistic picture of performance equity and improvement
State-Supported Locally-Reported These indicators should provide additional diagnostic and evaluation information and should be available for voluntary local use that is
supported with tools provided by the state allowing schools and LEAs to evaluate learning opportunities more deeplyThey should be locally-reported and used for diagnostic and improvement purposes in the context of state and local accountability and continuous improvement systems
Locally Generated and Reported These indicators should be identified and vetted locally and used for additional information for LCAP design impl ementation and eval uation
State System These indicators should be identified by the state to use in evaluatingits work supporting the statewide system these indicators should be
used to drive the continuous improvement of the statersquos systems of support
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
and ongoingw ork tod evelop the LCFFe valuation rubrics The proposed indicators include locally determinedi ndicators includedi nLoc al Control andA ccountability Plans anda lsoi nclude state-determinedi ndicators that alignw ithE SSA requirements As summarized by Table 1 and Figure 2 below targeted indicator sets should be developed and provided for specific system levels and accountability and continuous improvement purposes
As illustrated by Figure 2these indicator sets form ac omprehensive package that focuses on supporting and drivingl ocal accountabilityan d continuous improvement They should be depicted and reported in easy-to-use dashboard formats
Page 13 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State System Indicators
Local Accountability
and Continuous
Improvement
State Required Indicators
State ReportedIndicators
LocallyGenerated
Indicators (LCAP)
State SupportedIndicators
State System Indicators
Figure 2Integrated Indicator Sets
Tables 2-6 provide possible specific indicators with associated comments for each indicator set describedabove Taken together these tables illustrate an integration path utilizing Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) evaluation rubrics as central drivers of one coherent and comprehensive system that incorporates the federal accountability requirements
STATE AND LOCAL INDICATORS FOR LEAS AND SCHOOLS
The tables below contain the proposed indicators for each level of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Each set of indicators including those that are state-required and state-reported includes both academic and whole child indicators that should be used to measure performance equity and improvement This balance of academic and non-academic indicators will provide a more holistic depiction of the extent to which all students are prepared for college career life and leadership in the 21st centuryIndicators in Table 2 are explicitly linked to ESSA Requirements while the indicators in Tables 3-5 are linked to desired outcomes
Page 14 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
Academic achievement as measured profi ciency on annua l assessments
by CASSP English languagearts and mathematics scores in grad es 3- 8 inclusiveplus grade 11
To be measured by scale scores reflecting both status and student growthover time Scale SBAC scores would be broken down into diff erent subjects(ie math and English) and reported by grade span (ie grades 3-5 6-8 11)
Hig h schoo l graduation rates 4-year Graduation rates plus an extended rate (5 - andor 6-year rate)
At high school including rates (wit h a t leas t equa l work with student s wit h
a 5-or 6-year graduation rate weight ) creat es incentives for challenges
as well as 4-yearschool s t o keep
Progress in ach ieving Englis h language proficiency as defined by the State within a State-determined timeline f or all English Learners
English Learner (EL ) progress on state English Proficiency Assessment
The State LCFF identifies pro ress toward English proficiency andreclassification ratesEL pro ress
ggg
using scale scores on an EL profici encymeasure i s bett er for trackin th e progress o f al l students ensuring
attention to the ful l range of EL student s and their needs ndash from th ose wh oare newcomers to th ose who are b ecoming an d h ave b ecome lsquoproficient rsquo
Progress of ELs could be measured by a composite or by multiple i ndicatorsfor Englis h Learner progress ie including long-time English learners
and or reclassification ratesThe Task Force recommends creating a new data marker of ldquoEnglishLearner re-designat edrdquo for reclassified ELs as a means of capturing a fullerpicture of student performance
For public elementary schools andsecondary schools that are not highschools in the Statemdash(I) a measure of student growth if determined appropriate by the State or (II) another valid and reliable statewide academicindicat or tha t all ows for meaningfu ldifferentiation in school performance
Growth measure27 The Task F orce encourages the SBE and model s f or inclusion in th e syst em This and growth across other indicators
CDE to should
research potential incl ude both SBAC
growthscores
25 Every Student Succeeds Act 201526 From LCFFSt ate Priorities augmentedt om eet federal requirements27 The task force is not putting forth a specific way to measure growth but recommends that that State Board ofE ducation continue to research growth measure methodologies
Page 15 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Whole Child Outcomes
No t less than one indicator o f schoo lquality or student success that allowsfor meaningful differentiation in school
performance is valid reliable comparable and statewide and mayinclud e measures of studen tengagement educat or engagementstudent access to and completion ofadvanced coursework postsecondaryreadi ness school climate and safety and any other indicator other Statechooses tha t meets the requirements ofthis clause
bull
bull
bull
bull
Suspensi ons expulsion rat es Statewide schoolclimate surveyChronicabsenteeism College amp careerreadiness indicat or
Suspension and expulsion data are currently available and chronicabsenteeism soon will be Both are local measures of student access andengagemen t that help predict school achievement and high schoolgraduation The Task Force recommend s that suspension expulsion ratesbe utilized in conjunction wit h and tied to authentic programmatic workthat builds positive school climate such as alternative discipline orrestorative justice approaches
A statewide school climate survey of students parents and teachers couldinclud e quest ions on course breadth and access parenta l involvementbasic services safety and social-emotional supports teaching andadministrati ve supports and access to appropriate counseling servicesnurses and school psy gcholo i sts
A non-test-based indicator of coll ege and career readi ness should measurethe extent to which students complete courses and ro ramsp g (c p om letion o fA- G hig qu yh- alit CTE qu se ences and i p )nternshi s that ppsu ort coll ge e andcareer readiness and the development o f 21st yCentur skills such as
28 collaboration communicati pon roblem-solvi gn and creativity This couldbe reviewed in conjunction with other academic indicators as a means forholistically measuri ng the skills and abilities students need to be college andcareer ready
28 The Task Force recognizes that there is not currently a state-adopted tool that measures 21st Century skills like collaboration communication problem solving and creativityThese are qualities that can be evaluated through performance assessments The Task Force recommends that the State Board of Education pilot and study performanceassessments that can measure these competencies as they relate to college and career readiness
Page 16 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 3 State-Reported Indicators Outcome Area Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
College career li fe readi ness indicat ors
and
bull
bull
bull bull
Students completing A-G approved CTE sequence or both Students meeting college standardon AP IB dual credit courseworkPhysical fitness Science assessment resultsonce each in grad es 3-5 6- 8 10-12 for a tota l of three times
If completion o f A- G approved CTE sequences or AB IB dual credi tcoursewor k are not included in t he state required college and career readiness indicator they could be included here
Physical fitness data are already collected by the state
As science assessments develop they could be considered by the SBE in future as a potential add ition t o the require d indicators
the
Whole Child Outcomes
StudentTeacherand ParentCaregiver
Engagement
bull
bull
Attendance
Student teacher andparentcaregiver surveysmeasuring schoo l climat e
for
If attendance and school climate surveys are not in included n the state-required set o f indicat ors they could be included here
School climate surveys could include a core set of questions used across thestate with additional locally determined questions for local use TheCaliforni a Healthy Kids Survey i s an available tool for measuring school climateand measures el ements such as access to resources and programsfeelings of safety and interaction wit h caring adults
Equitable Learning Conditions
Opportunities t o learn
bull
bull bull bull
Teacher and administrator qualificationsSchool facilities qualityAccess to curriculum material s Access to full curriculum
These are required under the Williams Case andor LCAP
Page 17 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 4 State-Supported Locally-Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
As part of i ts eff ort to support l ocal continuous improvement efforts the state could develop and calibrate a library of tools and measures for voluntary use by bull Locally selected developmentally
State provid es tool s LEAs and schools Several of these may be available at t he time of system launchculturally and linguistically30 for sch ools or (launch library) while oth ers wil l requi re further time and resource investmentappropriate observational
31districts to choose (developmental library) kindergarten readiness and use at thei r s29 assessment CA has access to the Innovation Lab Network Performance Assessment Resource optionpotentially bull Classroom embedded authentic Bank that provides performance assessment tasks rubrics scoring protocols andin collaborat ion perf ormance assessments student work linked to CCSS and NGSS standards These can be made available towit h oth er part ners bull Social-emotional learning schools possibly as par t of the SBAC Digita l Libraryand networks indicat ors stAssessments of social-emotional learning might also be used to measure 21
bull Parent Engagement Century skill s such as collaborati on communication problem-solvingandcreativity and should be further studied by the SBE
Table 5 Locally Designed and Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Locally determined indicat ors
bull
bull
Other LCAP indicators es32 local prioriti
Oth er locally designed
for state and
indicators
Districts are not expected to all ocate resources equally to indicat ors bu t t o selec t strat egic goal s an d mak e resource associate d with those
each of the allocat ions
LCAP
29 These are individually administered and open-ended Theys hould beu sed as information for teachers and schools to ensuret heir youngest students arer eceiving the culturallylinguistically andde velopmentallyap propriate supports theyn eed Multiple validatedk indergarten readiness support tools exist andm ay in the short-term be suitable forinclusion in the tool libraryA ppendix A provides a series of recommendations andco nsiderationsr egarding early learning in the Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystemincluding as et of questions pertaining to the use of Kindergarten Readiness Assessments30 The ldquolaunch libraryrdquo could include school climate surveys fors tudents parents and caregiversand teachers (egCalifornia Healthy Kids Survey)tools for measuring implementation ofthe California Standards(C CSS NGSS etc)i ncluding instructional materials practices training etc and toolsfo r measuring indicators ofa rich fullc urriculum thatm ighti nclude art music PE science social studies31 The ldquodevelopment libraryrdquo could include KindergartenR eadiness support tools (Early educationK-12al ignment) Early literacy assessment tools High school graduation systems( Digital portfolio capstone project community service assessment) andSoc ial-Emotional Learning tools32 Californiarsquos emergingac countabilityf rameworki s groundedw ithin ab roader system of continuous improvement andsu pport forL EAsa nd schools By analyzing performance andp erformance improvement on multiple indicators andp resenting thati nformation in user-friendly formats the LCFF evaluation rubrics willa ssist LEAs and schools in self-identifying their strengths and weaknesses where support isn eededa nd who is able to provide it
Page 18 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
STATE SYSTEM INDICATORS
Table 6 Proposed State System Indicators
State Priority Key Indicator Performance Equity Improvement
Success for students withhigher needs in the stateas a whole on each of theSuccess for state as a Annual state gains rate of gap closurestate-required and state-Pupi l Achievement Aggregated Schoo l and whole on th e state-reported indicat ors Rate o f gai ns for students wit h high erand Engagement Distric t Indicators required and state-
needs reported indicat ors
Perf andoppor
ormancetunity gap closure
Awards for schools and Annual state gainsrate of gap closureNumber of schools
Pupi l Achievement LEAs serving high Rate o f gai ns ( number receiving awards)Californi a Awards applying forreceivingand Engagement numbers of higher-needs for sch ools serving high numb ers ofawards
students higher-needs students
Promulgation o fexemplars andomisingbestpr
practices and brokering Effecti veness of supportsof these and other to schools and districtsresources including especially those serving
Support for LCAP Support Systems Growth in service and capacity (360ordmtechnical assistance to high numb ers of st udentsDevelopmen t and Indicators (CDE CCEE revi ews)
districts wit h higher needsImplementation COEs)
Effecti veness of supports to schools and districts Equity and adequacy ofespecially those serving resource distributionhigh numb ers ofstudents wit h high erneeds
Page 19 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 20 of 41
WhiletheindicatorsandtoolsproposedbytheTaskForceformeasuringperformanceequityand
improvementatalllevelsofthesystemarenotperfectwehopetoidentifywhatindicatorsandtoolsare
workingovertimeanddevelopandrefinethesetoolsandmeasuressothattheymoreaccuratelyreflectthe
performanceequityandimprovementofthesystemAdditionallytheTaskForcerecommendsthatthe
stateengageinongoingformalevaluationworktomeasuretheefficacyofsupportsidentifybestand
promisingpracticesandinformcontinuousimprovementofthesystemTheonlywaytoensurethat
schoolsanddistrictsarecontinuouslyimprovingistoestablishacontinuousimprovementframeforthe
systemitselfwemustcommittoreflectiveandongoingassessmentofhowwellthesystemisworkingand
tomakingcoursecorrectionsandupdatesasneededtobetterserveCaliforniarsquosstudentsandstakeholders
4 CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTCaliforniarecognizesthattheaccountability
frameworkdescribedaboveisonlyhelpfulto
theextentthatitisintegrallytiedtoasystem
ofcontinuousimprovementandsupport
alignedwiththeCaliforniaWayandtheldquoright
driversrdquodescribedinSection233Continuous
improvementisthekeytoensuringthat
Californiarsquoseducationsystemrealizesitsvision
forallstudents34
DEFINITIONOFCONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
TheTaskForceoffersthefollowingdefinition
ofcontinuousimprovement
ContinuousImprovementAcontinuouslyimprovingeducationsystemisonethatlearns
fromexperiencebycarefullymeasuringthe
effectivenessofdifferentpoliciesandpracticessupportingtheintrinsicmotivationofeducatorsand
stakeholderssharingbestandpromisingpracticescultivatingacultureofreflectionandlearning
encouraginginnovationandmakingchangesbasedonlearning35
BUILDINGTHECONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSUPPORTSYSTEM
Bylookingatmeasuresofperformanceequityandimprovementillustratedthrougheasy-to-usepublic
dashboardsLEAswillbeabletoself-identifytheirstrengthsandweaknesseswheresupportisneeded
andwhoisabletoprovideit36Thiswillallowforthedevelopmentofasystemofdifferentiated
improvementsupportsthatrecognizessuccessandsharesbestandpromisingpracticesamongallLEAsin
thestateTheSuperintendentofPublicInstruction(SSPI)CaliforniaofEducation(CDE)theCalifornia
CollaborativeforEducationalExcellence(CCEE)andcountysuperintendentsshouldalsousethese
measurestoidentifyandreferLEAsandschoolsforfocusedandintensiveimprovementsupportas
33Blueprint20PlanningTeam(2015)
34Continuousimprovementlikereciprocalaccountabilityissomethingthateachlevelofthesystemisresponsiblefor
35AdaptedfromLoebSandPlankD(2008)LearningWhatWorksContinuousImprovementinCaliforniarsquosEducationSystemPolicyBrief08-4RetrievedonMarch162016fromhttpcepastanfordedusitesdefaultfilesLearning20Briefpdf
36Forexampleselectingoneindicatorinthedashboardmightleadtoapagewithmoredetailthatcouldincludeavarietyof
resourcesforimprovement(informationalresourcesbestpracticesinformationonhowtoself-refertoCCEEalistofTA
providersandoralistoflocaldistrictsorschoolsthathaveachievedsignificantimprovementinthatindicator)
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
described The Task Force recognizes thats ignificantc apacity building mustta ke place ata ll levelsof the system and especiallyf or countyof fices of education in order to take on the provision of tieredsu port summarized below To be effective work at the county office level should include teacherre
Just as modern health systems em hasize well-being and preventiono f illness inC aliforniarsquosAccountability and Continuous Im
utilized Table 7 below describes the proposed levels of support for schools and districts
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
below37
p
presentatives
THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT ALL FOCUSED INTENSIVE
p
provement System the overarching priority should be given tosupporting improvement for allacross multiple dimensions and through an ecosystem of supportIn thoseinstances when general support efforts do not yield results focused and intensive supports should be
38
Table 7 Tiered Support System Tier Type of Support
Improvement
Shared LearningLEAs
and for All
The indicat ors should help recognize successidentify the strengths of LEAs andschools and therefore should serve as a means to identify (and self-identify )whic h LEAs and schools are well-positioned to share their successful practiceswit h others throug h formal and informal improvemen t effort s across school s and
39 LEAs The SSPICDE CCEE and county offices of education should also developtools and supports that will be available to all LEAs and schools (LCAP planningsupports vetted best practi ces etc)
Focused Im rovement
Supp
p
ort
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboardindicat ors to identify schools and LEAs in need of focuse d intervention and th e
areas in which improvemen t support s are needed
of
IntensiveImprovement Support
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboard ofdicat ors to identify LEAs and schools that need more comprehensive andin
int ensive support s to make major improvements in performance andor growthResults on selected measures should not only help to identify where intensivesupports are needed but what other similar LEAs might be best positioned toprovide them
37 Differentiated levels of support could be used across LEAs and schools based on need similar to the ldquoResponse To Interventionrdquomodel which provides varying levels and intensities of support and intervention based on student needs
38 Table 7 describes the tiers and types of supportinterventiona vailable from state-levele ntities The Task Force recognizes thecritical rolest hat will be played by multiple kindso f stakeholdersi n the full ecosystem of support including researchers nonprofitorganizations institutions of higher education philanthropy coalitions etc39 Examples of formal and informal improvement efforts include statewide and regional LCFFLCAP Conferences LCAP SupportTeamsCalifornia Labor Management Initiative events etc
Page 21 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
1 Highlight and recognize those districts and schools makingc oncerted and successful efforts toimprove
2 Identify districts and schools that need support to address challenges and needsand 3 Identify promising practices in aggregate or byst udent groupthat could be applied by other
LEAs ands chools across the system
EQUITY The equityme asure shedsl ight on disparitiesi n opportunitiesa nd outcomesa crossst udent groups Equity should be examined through indicators of equitablel earning conditions and byd isaggregatingp erformance measures by student groups Californiarsquos public education system is entrustedt op rovide high-quality educational opportunities for all of its students A robust accountability system identifiesb arriers that limit access toa r igorous and nurturinge ducational experience for all students especially those requiring special education foster youth homeless youth those from low-income families English learnersand vulnerable racial and ethnic groupsThe Accountability and Continuous Improvement System should help identify supportsne ededt o eradicate those barriers maintaina ndm easure progress towards clear goals and hold schools districts and educators accountable for closingac hievement gaps and advancinga r ange of culturally responsive and linguistically supportive opportunities toe nsure success in school and acquisition of the skills necessaryt ob e college careerand life ready
EQUITY IMPROVEMENT Similar tot he performance improvement or change measure equity improvement illustrates the level of improvement on equityin dicators This measure looks at the rate of improvementof equitable learning conditions thatc apture the level of equity in a school or districta nd the rate atw hich performance gaps across student groupsa re closingstaying the sameor growing Improving equity of access andopportunityan dc losingac hievement gaps are critical toi mprovingou tcomes for all students Additionallylooking at the rate ofi mprovement on equityi ndicators provides aw ayt oi dentifyan d act on promisingpractices for improving student equity
INDICATORS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
The Task Force recommends as eries of indicator sets for differentu ses and at different levels of the system These various sets of indicators should be depicted inv isually attractive and easy-to-use dashboards that will allowt he system to
bull Ensure that the state and system as a whole are continuously improving bull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvement acrosst he state with regard to
student learning and achievement bull Collect additional diagnostic information to support continuous improvement efforts and bull Provide LEAs with the flexibility to identify indicators of interest
LEVELSO FI NDICATORS
To build a system that fully supports and values performance equity andi mprovementCalifornia should utilize appropriate indicator sets for each level of accountability and continuous improvement 24
This work should build upon the state priorities articulated by the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)
24 ldquoAn indicator provides evidence that certain conditionse xist orce rtain resultsh ave or have not been achieved Indicatorse nabledecision-makers to assess progress towards the achievement of intended outputs outcomes goals and objectivesrdquo (HarvardFamilyR esearchP roject) Horsch K (1997) Indicators definition andu se in ar esults-based accountability system Retrieved onApril 14 2016 from httpwwwhfrporgpublications-resourcesbrowse-our-publicationsindicators-definition-and-use-in-a-results-based-accountability-system
Page 12 of 41
Table 1 Levels of Indicators Indicator Set Definition and Use State-Required These indicators should be used for both state and federal (ESSA)
purposes should be applicable and relevant statewide and should be utilized by California to gauge the success of federal and state-level accountability and continuous improvement supports for LEAs and schools
State-Reported These indicators should be vetted and reported by the state and available for use in the statersquos Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System for LEAs and schoolsThese indicators should complement the state-required indicator set by providing a moreholistic picture of performance equity and improvement
State-Supported Locally-Reported These indicators should provide additional diagnostic and evaluation information and should be available for voluntary local use that is
supported with tools provided by the state allowing schools and LEAs to evaluate learning opportunities more deeplyThey should be locally-reported and used for diagnostic and improvement purposes in the context of state and local accountability and continuous improvement systems
Locally Generated and Reported These indicators should be identified and vetted locally and used for additional information for LCAP design impl ementation and eval uation
State System These indicators should be identified by the state to use in evaluatingits work supporting the statewide system these indicators should be
used to drive the continuous improvement of the statersquos systems of support
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
and ongoingw ork tod evelop the LCFFe valuation rubrics The proposed indicators include locally determinedi ndicators includedi nLoc al Control andA ccountability Plans anda lsoi nclude state-determinedi ndicators that alignw ithE SSA requirements As summarized by Table 1 and Figure 2 below targeted indicator sets should be developed and provided for specific system levels and accountability and continuous improvement purposes
As illustrated by Figure 2these indicator sets form ac omprehensive package that focuses on supporting and drivingl ocal accountabilityan d continuous improvement They should be depicted and reported in easy-to-use dashboard formats
Page 13 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State System Indicators
Local Accountability
and Continuous
Improvement
State Required Indicators
State ReportedIndicators
LocallyGenerated
Indicators (LCAP)
State SupportedIndicators
State System Indicators
Figure 2Integrated Indicator Sets
Tables 2-6 provide possible specific indicators with associated comments for each indicator set describedabove Taken together these tables illustrate an integration path utilizing Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) evaluation rubrics as central drivers of one coherent and comprehensive system that incorporates the federal accountability requirements
STATE AND LOCAL INDICATORS FOR LEAS AND SCHOOLS
The tables below contain the proposed indicators for each level of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Each set of indicators including those that are state-required and state-reported includes both academic and whole child indicators that should be used to measure performance equity and improvement This balance of academic and non-academic indicators will provide a more holistic depiction of the extent to which all students are prepared for college career life and leadership in the 21st centuryIndicators in Table 2 are explicitly linked to ESSA Requirements while the indicators in Tables 3-5 are linked to desired outcomes
Page 14 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
Academic achievement as measured profi ciency on annua l assessments
by CASSP English languagearts and mathematics scores in grad es 3- 8 inclusiveplus grade 11
To be measured by scale scores reflecting both status and student growthover time Scale SBAC scores would be broken down into diff erent subjects(ie math and English) and reported by grade span (ie grades 3-5 6-8 11)
Hig h schoo l graduation rates 4-year Graduation rates plus an extended rate (5 - andor 6-year rate)
At high school including rates (wit h a t leas t equa l work with student s wit h
a 5-or 6-year graduation rate weight ) creat es incentives for challenges
as well as 4-yearschool s t o keep
Progress in ach ieving Englis h language proficiency as defined by the State within a State-determined timeline f or all English Learners
English Learner (EL ) progress on state English Proficiency Assessment
The State LCFF identifies pro ress toward English proficiency andreclassification ratesEL pro ress
ggg
using scale scores on an EL profici encymeasure i s bett er for trackin th e progress o f al l students ensuring
attention to the ful l range of EL student s and their needs ndash from th ose wh oare newcomers to th ose who are b ecoming an d h ave b ecome lsquoproficient rsquo
Progress of ELs could be measured by a composite or by multiple i ndicatorsfor Englis h Learner progress ie including long-time English learners
and or reclassification ratesThe Task Force recommends creating a new data marker of ldquoEnglishLearner re-designat edrdquo for reclassified ELs as a means of capturing a fullerpicture of student performance
For public elementary schools andsecondary schools that are not highschools in the Statemdash(I) a measure of student growth if determined appropriate by the State or (II) another valid and reliable statewide academicindicat or tha t all ows for meaningfu ldifferentiation in school performance
Growth measure27 The Task F orce encourages the SBE and model s f or inclusion in th e syst em This and growth across other indicators
CDE to should
research potential incl ude both SBAC
growthscores
25 Every Student Succeeds Act 201526 From LCFFSt ate Priorities augmentedt om eet federal requirements27 The task force is not putting forth a specific way to measure growth but recommends that that State Board ofE ducation continue to research growth measure methodologies
Page 15 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Whole Child Outcomes
No t less than one indicator o f schoo lquality or student success that allowsfor meaningful differentiation in school
performance is valid reliable comparable and statewide and mayinclud e measures of studen tengagement educat or engagementstudent access to and completion ofadvanced coursework postsecondaryreadi ness school climate and safety and any other indicator other Statechooses tha t meets the requirements ofthis clause
bull
bull
bull
bull
Suspensi ons expulsion rat es Statewide schoolclimate surveyChronicabsenteeism College amp careerreadiness indicat or
Suspension and expulsion data are currently available and chronicabsenteeism soon will be Both are local measures of student access andengagemen t that help predict school achievement and high schoolgraduation The Task Force recommend s that suspension expulsion ratesbe utilized in conjunction wit h and tied to authentic programmatic workthat builds positive school climate such as alternative discipline orrestorative justice approaches
A statewide school climate survey of students parents and teachers couldinclud e quest ions on course breadth and access parenta l involvementbasic services safety and social-emotional supports teaching andadministrati ve supports and access to appropriate counseling servicesnurses and school psy gcholo i sts
A non-test-based indicator of coll ege and career readi ness should measurethe extent to which students complete courses and ro ramsp g (c p om letion o fA- G hig qu yh- alit CTE qu se ences and i p )nternshi s that ppsu ort coll ge e andcareer readiness and the development o f 21st yCentur skills such as
28 collaboration communicati pon roblem-solvi gn and creativity This couldbe reviewed in conjunction with other academic indicators as a means forholistically measuri ng the skills and abilities students need to be college andcareer ready
28 The Task Force recognizes that there is not currently a state-adopted tool that measures 21st Century skills like collaboration communication problem solving and creativityThese are qualities that can be evaluated through performance assessments The Task Force recommends that the State Board of Education pilot and study performanceassessments that can measure these competencies as they relate to college and career readiness
Page 16 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 3 State-Reported Indicators Outcome Area Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
College career li fe readi ness indicat ors
and
bull
bull
bull bull
Students completing A-G approved CTE sequence or both Students meeting college standardon AP IB dual credit courseworkPhysical fitness Science assessment resultsonce each in grad es 3-5 6- 8 10-12 for a tota l of three times
If completion o f A- G approved CTE sequences or AB IB dual credi tcoursewor k are not included in t he state required college and career readiness indicator they could be included here
Physical fitness data are already collected by the state
As science assessments develop they could be considered by the SBE in future as a potential add ition t o the require d indicators
the
Whole Child Outcomes
StudentTeacherand ParentCaregiver
Engagement
bull
bull
Attendance
Student teacher andparentcaregiver surveysmeasuring schoo l climat e
for
If attendance and school climate surveys are not in included n the state-required set o f indicat ors they could be included here
School climate surveys could include a core set of questions used across thestate with additional locally determined questions for local use TheCaliforni a Healthy Kids Survey i s an available tool for measuring school climateand measures el ements such as access to resources and programsfeelings of safety and interaction wit h caring adults
Equitable Learning Conditions
Opportunities t o learn
bull
bull bull bull
Teacher and administrator qualificationsSchool facilities qualityAccess to curriculum material s Access to full curriculum
These are required under the Williams Case andor LCAP
Page 17 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 4 State-Supported Locally-Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
As part of i ts eff ort to support l ocal continuous improvement efforts the state could develop and calibrate a library of tools and measures for voluntary use by bull Locally selected developmentally
State provid es tool s LEAs and schools Several of these may be available at t he time of system launchculturally and linguistically30 for sch ools or (launch library) while oth ers wil l requi re further time and resource investmentappropriate observational
31districts to choose (developmental library) kindergarten readiness and use at thei r s29 assessment CA has access to the Innovation Lab Network Performance Assessment Resource optionpotentially bull Classroom embedded authentic Bank that provides performance assessment tasks rubrics scoring protocols andin collaborat ion perf ormance assessments student work linked to CCSS and NGSS standards These can be made available towit h oth er part ners bull Social-emotional learning schools possibly as par t of the SBAC Digita l Libraryand networks indicat ors stAssessments of social-emotional learning might also be used to measure 21
bull Parent Engagement Century skill s such as collaborati on communication problem-solvingandcreativity and should be further studied by the SBE
Table 5 Locally Designed and Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Locally determined indicat ors
bull
bull
Other LCAP indicators es32 local prioriti
Oth er locally designed
for state and
indicators
Districts are not expected to all ocate resources equally to indicat ors bu t t o selec t strat egic goal s an d mak e resource associate d with those
each of the allocat ions
LCAP
29 These are individually administered and open-ended Theys hould beu sed as information for teachers and schools to ensuret heir youngest students arer eceiving the culturallylinguistically andde velopmentallyap propriate supports theyn eed Multiple validatedk indergarten readiness support tools exist andm ay in the short-term be suitable forinclusion in the tool libraryA ppendix A provides a series of recommendations andco nsiderationsr egarding early learning in the Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystemincluding as et of questions pertaining to the use of Kindergarten Readiness Assessments30 The ldquolaunch libraryrdquo could include school climate surveys fors tudents parents and caregiversand teachers (egCalifornia Healthy Kids Survey)tools for measuring implementation ofthe California Standards(C CSS NGSS etc)i ncluding instructional materials practices training etc and toolsfo r measuring indicators ofa rich fullc urriculum thatm ighti nclude art music PE science social studies31 The ldquodevelopment libraryrdquo could include KindergartenR eadiness support tools (Early educationK-12al ignment) Early literacy assessment tools High school graduation systems( Digital portfolio capstone project community service assessment) andSoc ial-Emotional Learning tools32 Californiarsquos emergingac countabilityf rameworki s groundedw ithin ab roader system of continuous improvement andsu pport forL EAsa nd schools By analyzing performance andp erformance improvement on multiple indicators andp resenting thati nformation in user-friendly formats the LCFF evaluation rubrics willa ssist LEAs and schools in self-identifying their strengths and weaknesses where support isn eededa nd who is able to provide it
Page 18 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
STATE SYSTEM INDICATORS
Table 6 Proposed State System Indicators
State Priority Key Indicator Performance Equity Improvement
Success for students withhigher needs in the stateas a whole on each of theSuccess for state as a Annual state gains rate of gap closurestate-required and state-Pupi l Achievement Aggregated Schoo l and whole on th e state-reported indicat ors Rate o f gai ns for students wit h high erand Engagement Distric t Indicators required and state-
needs reported indicat ors
Perf andoppor
ormancetunity gap closure
Awards for schools and Annual state gainsrate of gap closureNumber of schools
Pupi l Achievement LEAs serving high Rate o f gai ns ( number receiving awards)Californi a Awards applying forreceivingand Engagement numbers of higher-needs for sch ools serving high numb ers ofawards
students higher-needs students
Promulgation o fexemplars andomisingbestpr
practices and brokering Effecti veness of supportsof these and other to schools and districtsresources including especially those serving
Support for LCAP Support Systems Growth in service and capacity (360ordmtechnical assistance to high numb ers of st udentsDevelopmen t and Indicators (CDE CCEE revi ews)
districts wit h higher needsImplementation COEs)
Effecti veness of supports to schools and districts Equity and adequacy ofespecially those serving resource distributionhigh numb ers ofstudents wit h high erneeds
Page 19 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 20 of 41
WhiletheindicatorsandtoolsproposedbytheTaskForceformeasuringperformanceequityand
improvementatalllevelsofthesystemarenotperfectwehopetoidentifywhatindicatorsandtoolsare
workingovertimeanddevelopandrefinethesetoolsandmeasuressothattheymoreaccuratelyreflectthe
performanceequityandimprovementofthesystemAdditionallytheTaskForcerecommendsthatthe
stateengageinongoingformalevaluationworktomeasuretheefficacyofsupportsidentifybestand
promisingpracticesandinformcontinuousimprovementofthesystemTheonlywaytoensurethat
schoolsanddistrictsarecontinuouslyimprovingistoestablishacontinuousimprovementframeforthe
systemitselfwemustcommittoreflectiveandongoingassessmentofhowwellthesystemisworkingand
tomakingcoursecorrectionsandupdatesasneededtobetterserveCaliforniarsquosstudentsandstakeholders
4 CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTCaliforniarecognizesthattheaccountability
frameworkdescribedaboveisonlyhelpfulto
theextentthatitisintegrallytiedtoasystem
ofcontinuousimprovementandsupport
alignedwiththeCaliforniaWayandtheldquoright
driversrdquodescribedinSection233Continuous
improvementisthekeytoensuringthat
Californiarsquoseducationsystemrealizesitsvision
forallstudents34
DEFINITIONOFCONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
TheTaskForceoffersthefollowingdefinition
ofcontinuousimprovement
ContinuousImprovementAcontinuouslyimprovingeducationsystemisonethatlearns
fromexperiencebycarefullymeasuringthe
effectivenessofdifferentpoliciesandpracticessupportingtheintrinsicmotivationofeducatorsand
stakeholderssharingbestandpromisingpracticescultivatingacultureofreflectionandlearning
encouraginginnovationandmakingchangesbasedonlearning35
BUILDINGTHECONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSUPPORTSYSTEM
Bylookingatmeasuresofperformanceequityandimprovementillustratedthrougheasy-to-usepublic
dashboardsLEAswillbeabletoself-identifytheirstrengthsandweaknesseswheresupportisneeded
andwhoisabletoprovideit36Thiswillallowforthedevelopmentofasystemofdifferentiated
improvementsupportsthatrecognizessuccessandsharesbestandpromisingpracticesamongallLEAsin
thestateTheSuperintendentofPublicInstruction(SSPI)CaliforniaofEducation(CDE)theCalifornia
CollaborativeforEducationalExcellence(CCEE)andcountysuperintendentsshouldalsousethese
measurestoidentifyandreferLEAsandschoolsforfocusedandintensiveimprovementsupportas
33Blueprint20PlanningTeam(2015)
34Continuousimprovementlikereciprocalaccountabilityissomethingthateachlevelofthesystemisresponsiblefor
35AdaptedfromLoebSandPlankD(2008)LearningWhatWorksContinuousImprovementinCaliforniarsquosEducationSystemPolicyBrief08-4RetrievedonMarch162016fromhttpcepastanfordedusitesdefaultfilesLearning20Briefpdf
36Forexampleselectingoneindicatorinthedashboardmightleadtoapagewithmoredetailthatcouldincludeavarietyof
resourcesforimprovement(informationalresourcesbestpracticesinformationonhowtoself-refertoCCEEalistofTA
providersandoralistoflocaldistrictsorschoolsthathaveachievedsignificantimprovementinthatindicator)
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
described The Task Force recognizes thats ignificantc apacity building mustta ke place ata ll levelsof the system and especiallyf or countyof fices of education in order to take on the provision of tieredsu port summarized below To be effective work at the county office level should include teacherre
Just as modern health systems em hasize well-being and preventiono f illness inC aliforniarsquosAccountability and Continuous Im
utilized Table 7 below describes the proposed levels of support for schools and districts
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
below37
p
presentatives
THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT ALL FOCUSED INTENSIVE
p
provement System the overarching priority should be given tosupporting improvement for allacross multiple dimensions and through an ecosystem of supportIn thoseinstances when general support efforts do not yield results focused and intensive supports should be
38
Table 7 Tiered Support System Tier Type of Support
Improvement
Shared LearningLEAs
and for All
The indicat ors should help recognize successidentify the strengths of LEAs andschools and therefore should serve as a means to identify (and self-identify )whic h LEAs and schools are well-positioned to share their successful practiceswit h others throug h formal and informal improvemen t effort s across school s and
39 LEAs The SSPICDE CCEE and county offices of education should also developtools and supports that will be available to all LEAs and schools (LCAP planningsupports vetted best practi ces etc)
Focused Im rovement
Supp
p
ort
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboardindicat ors to identify schools and LEAs in need of focuse d intervention and th e
areas in which improvemen t support s are needed
of
IntensiveImprovement Support
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboard ofdicat ors to identify LEAs and schools that need more comprehensive andin
int ensive support s to make major improvements in performance andor growthResults on selected measures should not only help to identify where intensivesupports are needed but what other similar LEAs might be best positioned toprovide them
37 Differentiated levels of support could be used across LEAs and schools based on need similar to the ldquoResponse To Interventionrdquomodel which provides varying levels and intensities of support and intervention based on student needs
38 Table 7 describes the tiers and types of supportinterventiona vailable from state-levele ntities The Task Force recognizes thecritical rolest hat will be played by multiple kindso f stakeholdersi n the full ecosystem of support including researchers nonprofitorganizations institutions of higher education philanthropy coalitions etc39 Examples of formal and informal improvement efforts include statewide and regional LCFFLCAP Conferences LCAP SupportTeamsCalifornia Labor Management Initiative events etc
Page 21 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
Table 1 Levels of Indicators Indicator Set Definition and Use State-Required These indicators should be used for both state and federal (ESSA)
purposes should be applicable and relevant statewide and should be utilized by California to gauge the success of federal and state-level accountability and continuous improvement supports for LEAs and schools
State-Reported These indicators should be vetted and reported by the state and available for use in the statersquos Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System for LEAs and schoolsThese indicators should complement the state-required indicator set by providing a moreholistic picture of performance equity and improvement
State-Supported Locally-Reported These indicators should provide additional diagnostic and evaluation information and should be available for voluntary local use that is
supported with tools provided by the state allowing schools and LEAs to evaluate learning opportunities more deeplyThey should be locally-reported and used for diagnostic and improvement purposes in the context of state and local accountability and continuous improvement systems
Locally Generated and Reported These indicators should be identified and vetted locally and used for additional information for LCAP design impl ementation and eval uation
State System These indicators should be identified by the state to use in evaluatingits work supporting the statewide system these indicators should be
used to drive the continuous improvement of the statersquos systems of support
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
and ongoingw ork tod evelop the LCFFe valuation rubrics The proposed indicators include locally determinedi ndicators includedi nLoc al Control andA ccountability Plans anda lsoi nclude state-determinedi ndicators that alignw ithE SSA requirements As summarized by Table 1 and Figure 2 below targeted indicator sets should be developed and provided for specific system levels and accountability and continuous improvement purposes
As illustrated by Figure 2these indicator sets form ac omprehensive package that focuses on supporting and drivingl ocal accountabilityan d continuous improvement They should be depicted and reported in easy-to-use dashboard formats
Page 13 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State System Indicators
Local Accountability
and Continuous
Improvement
State Required Indicators
State ReportedIndicators
LocallyGenerated
Indicators (LCAP)
State SupportedIndicators
State System Indicators
Figure 2Integrated Indicator Sets
Tables 2-6 provide possible specific indicators with associated comments for each indicator set describedabove Taken together these tables illustrate an integration path utilizing Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) evaluation rubrics as central drivers of one coherent and comprehensive system that incorporates the federal accountability requirements
STATE AND LOCAL INDICATORS FOR LEAS AND SCHOOLS
The tables below contain the proposed indicators for each level of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Each set of indicators including those that are state-required and state-reported includes both academic and whole child indicators that should be used to measure performance equity and improvement This balance of academic and non-academic indicators will provide a more holistic depiction of the extent to which all students are prepared for college career life and leadership in the 21st centuryIndicators in Table 2 are explicitly linked to ESSA Requirements while the indicators in Tables 3-5 are linked to desired outcomes
Page 14 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
Academic achievement as measured profi ciency on annua l assessments
by CASSP English languagearts and mathematics scores in grad es 3- 8 inclusiveplus grade 11
To be measured by scale scores reflecting both status and student growthover time Scale SBAC scores would be broken down into diff erent subjects(ie math and English) and reported by grade span (ie grades 3-5 6-8 11)
Hig h schoo l graduation rates 4-year Graduation rates plus an extended rate (5 - andor 6-year rate)
At high school including rates (wit h a t leas t equa l work with student s wit h
a 5-or 6-year graduation rate weight ) creat es incentives for challenges
as well as 4-yearschool s t o keep
Progress in ach ieving Englis h language proficiency as defined by the State within a State-determined timeline f or all English Learners
English Learner (EL ) progress on state English Proficiency Assessment
The State LCFF identifies pro ress toward English proficiency andreclassification ratesEL pro ress
ggg
using scale scores on an EL profici encymeasure i s bett er for trackin th e progress o f al l students ensuring
attention to the ful l range of EL student s and their needs ndash from th ose wh oare newcomers to th ose who are b ecoming an d h ave b ecome lsquoproficient rsquo
Progress of ELs could be measured by a composite or by multiple i ndicatorsfor Englis h Learner progress ie including long-time English learners
and or reclassification ratesThe Task Force recommends creating a new data marker of ldquoEnglishLearner re-designat edrdquo for reclassified ELs as a means of capturing a fullerpicture of student performance
For public elementary schools andsecondary schools that are not highschools in the Statemdash(I) a measure of student growth if determined appropriate by the State or (II) another valid and reliable statewide academicindicat or tha t all ows for meaningfu ldifferentiation in school performance
Growth measure27 The Task F orce encourages the SBE and model s f or inclusion in th e syst em This and growth across other indicators
CDE to should
research potential incl ude both SBAC
growthscores
25 Every Student Succeeds Act 201526 From LCFFSt ate Priorities augmentedt om eet federal requirements27 The task force is not putting forth a specific way to measure growth but recommends that that State Board ofE ducation continue to research growth measure methodologies
Page 15 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Whole Child Outcomes
No t less than one indicator o f schoo lquality or student success that allowsfor meaningful differentiation in school
performance is valid reliable comparable and statewide and mayinclud e measures of studen tengagement educat or engagementstudent access to and completion ofadvanced coursework postsecondaryreadi ness school climate and safety and any other indicator other Statechooses tha t meets the requirements ofthis clause
bull
bull
bull
bull
Suspensi ons expulsion rat es Statewide schoolclimate surveyChronicabsenteeism College amp careerreadiness indicat or
Suspension and expulsion data are currently available and chronicabsenteeism soon will be Both are local measures of student access andengagemen t that help predict school achievement and high schoolgraduation The Task Force recommend s that suspension expulsion ratesbe utilized in conjunction wit h and tied to authentic programmatic workthat builds positive school climate such as alternative discipline orrestorative justice approaches
A statewide school climate survey of students parents and teachers couldinclud e quest ions on course breadth and access parenta l involvementbasic services safety and social-emotional supports teaching andadministrati ve supports and access to appropriate counseling servicesnurses and school psy gcholo i sts
A non-test-based indicator of coll ege and career readi ness should measurethe extent to which students complete courses and ro ramsp g (c p om letion o fA- G hig qu yh- alit CTE qu se ences and i p )nternshi s that ppsu ort coll ge e andcareer readiness and the development o f 21st yCentur skills such as
28 collaboration communicati pon roblem-solvi gn and creativity This couldbe reviewed in conjunction with other academic indicators as a means forholistically measuri ng the skills and abilities students need to be college andcareer ready
28 The Task Force recognizes that there is not currently a state-adopted tool that measures 21st Century skills like collaboration communication problem solving and creativityThese are qualities that can be evaluated through performance assessments The Task Force recommends that the State Board of Education pilot and study performanceassessments that can measure these competencies as they relate to college and career readiness
Page 16 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 3 State-Reported Indicators Outcome Area Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
College career li fe readi ness indicat ors
and
bull
bull
bull bull
Students completing A-G approved CTE sequence or both Students meeting college standardon AP IB dual credit courseworkPhysical fitness Science assessment resultsonce each in grad es 3-5 6- 8 10-12 for a tota l of three times
If completion o f A- G approved CTE sequences or AB IB dual credi tcoursewor k are not included in t he state required college and career readiness indicator they could be included here
Physical fitness data are already collected by the state
As science assessments develop they could be considered by the SBE in future as a potential add ition t o the require d indicators
the
Whole Child Outcomes
StudentTeacherand ParentCaregiver
Engagement
bull
bull
Attendance
Student teacher andparentcaregiver surveysmeasuring schoo l climat e
for
If attendance and school climate surveys are not in included n the state-required set o f indicat ors they could be included here
School climate surveys could include a core set of questions used across thestate with additional locally determined questions for local use TheCaliforni a Healthy Kids Survey i s an available tool for measuring school climateand measures el ements such as access to resources and programsfeelings of safety and interaction wit h caring adults
Equitable Learning Conditions
Opportunities t o learn
bull
bull bull bull
Teacher and administrator qualificationsSchool facilities qualityAccess to curriculum material s Access to full curriculum
These are required under the Williams Case andor LCAP
Page 17 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 4 State-Supported Locally-Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
As part of i ts eff ort to support l ocal continuous improvement efforts the state could develop and calibrate a library of tools and measures for voluntary use by bull Locally selected developmentally
State provid es tool s LEAs and schools Several of these may be available at t he time of system launchculturally and linguistically30 for sch ools or (launch library) while oth ers wil l requi re further time and resource investmentappropriate observational
31districts to choose (developmental library) kindergarten readiness and use at thei r s29 assessment CA has access to the Innovation Lab Network Performance Assessment Resource optionpotentially bull Classroom embedded authentic Bank that provides performance assessment tasks rubrics scoring protocols andin collaborat ion perf ormance assessments student work linked to CCSS and NGSS standards These can be made available towit h oth er part ners bull Social-emotional learning schools possibly as par t of the SBAC Digita l Libraryand networks indicat ors stAssessments of social-emotional learning might also be used to measure 21
bull Parent Engagement Century skill s such as collaborati on communication problem-solvingandcreativity and should be further studied by the SBE
Table 5 Locally Designed and Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Locally determined indicat ors
bull
bull
Other LCAP indicators es32 local prioriti
Oth er locally designed
for state and
indicators
Districts are not expected to all ocate resources equally to indicat ors bu t t o selec t strat egic goal s an d mak e resource associate d with those
each of the allocat ions
LCAP
29 These are individually administered and open-ended Theys hould beu sed as information for teachers and schools to ensuret heir youngest students arer eceiving the culturallylinguistically andde velopmentallyap propriate supports theyn eed Multiple validatedk indergarten readiness support tools exist andm ay in the short-term be suitable forinclusion in the tool libraryA ppendix A provides a series of recommendations andco nsiderationsr egarding early learning in the Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystemincluding as et of questions pertaining to the use of Kindergarten Readiness Assessments30 The ldquolaunch libraryrdquo could include school climate surveys fors tudents parents and caregiversand teachers (egCalifornia Healthy Kids Survey)tools for measuring implementation ofthe California Standards(C CSS NGSS etc)i ncluding instructional materials practices training etc and toolsfo r measuring indicators ofa rich fullc urriculum thatm ighti nclude art music PE science social studies31 The ldquodevelopment libraryrdquo could include KindergartenR eadiness support tools (Early educationK-12al ignment) Early literacy assessment tools High school graduation systems( Digital portfolio capstone project community service assessment) andSoc ial-Emotional Learning tools32 Californiarsquos emergingac countabilityf rameworki s groundedw ithin ab roader system of continuous improvement andsu pport forL EAsa nd schools By analyzing performance andp erformance improvement on multiple indicators andp resenting thati nformation in user-friendly formats the LCFF evaluation rubrics willa ssist LEAs and schools in self-identifying their strengths and weaknesses where support isn eededa nd who is able to provide it
Page 18 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
STATE SYSTEM INDICATORS
Table 6 Proposed State System Indicators
State Priority Key Indicator Performance Equity Improvement
Success for students withhigher needs in the stateas a whole on each of theSuccess for state as a Annual state gains rate of gap closurestate-required and state-Pupi l Achievement Aggregated Schoo l and whole on th e state-reported indicat ors Rate o f gai ns for students wit h high erand Engagement Distric t Indicators required and state-
needs reported indicat ors
Perf andoppor
ormancetunity gap closure
Awards for schools and Annual state gainsrate of gap closureNumber of schools
Pupi l Achievement LEAs serving high Rate o f gai ns ( number receiving awards)Californi a Awards applying forreceivingand Engagement numbers of higher-needs for sch ools serving high numb ers ofawards
students higher-needs students
Promulgation o fexemplars andomisingbestpr
practices and brokering Effecti veness of supportsof these and other to schools and districtsresources including especially those serving
Support for LCAP Support Systems Growth in service and capacity (360ordmtechnical assistance to high numb ers of st udentsDevelopmen t and Indicators (CDE CCEE revi ews)
districts wit h higher needsImplementation COEs)
Effecti veness of supports to schools and districts Equity and adequacy ofespecially those serving resource distributionhigh numb ers ofstudents wit h high erneeds
Page 19 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 20 of 41
WhiletheindicatorsandtoolsproposedbytheTaskForceformeasuringperformanceequityand
improvementatalllevelsofthesystemarenotperfectwehopetoidentifywhatindicatorsandtoolsare
workingovertimeanddevelopandrefinethesetoolsandmeasuressothattheymoreaccuratelyreflectthe
performanceequityandimprovementofthesystemAdditionallytheTaskForcerecommendsthatthe
stateengageinongoingformalevaluationworktomeasuretheefficacyofsupportsidentifybestand
promisingpracticesandinformcontinuousimprovementofthesystemTheonlywaytoensurethat
schoolsanddistrictsarecontinuouslyimprovingistoestablishacontinuousimprovementframeforthe
systemitselfwemustcommittoreflectiveandongoingassessmentofhowwellthesystemisworkingand
tomakingcoursecorrectionsandupdatesasneededtobetterserveCaliforniarsquosstudentsandstakeholders
4 CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTCaliforniarecognizesthattheaccountability
frameworkdescribedaboveisonlyhelpfulto
theextentthatitisintegrallytiedtoasystem
ofcontinuousimprovementandsupport
alignedwiththeCaliforniaWayandtheldquoright
driversrdquodescribedinSection233Continuous
improvementisthekeytoensuringthat
Californiarsquoseducationsystemrealizesitsvision
forallstudents34
DEFINITIONOFCONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
TheTaskForceoffersthefollowingdefinition
ofcontinuousimprovement
ContinuousImprovementAcontinuouslyimprovingeducationsystemisonethatlearns
fromexperiencebycarefullymeasuringthe
effectivenessofdifferentpoliciesandpracticessupportingtheintrinsicmotivationofeducatorsand
stakeholderssharingbestandpromisingpracticescultivatingacultureofreflectionandlearning
encouraginginnovationandmakingchangesbasedonlearning35
BUILDINGTHECONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSUPPORTSYSTEM
Bylookingatmeasuresofperformanceequityandimprovementillustratedthrougheasy-to-usepublic
dashboardsLEAswillbeabletoself-identifytheirstrengthsandweaknesseswheresupportisneeded
andwhoisabletoprovideit36Thiswillallowforthedevelopmentofasystemofdifferentiated
improvementsupportsthatrecognizessuccessandsharesbestandpromisingpracticesamongallLEAsin
thestateTheSuperintendentofPublicInstruction(SSPI)CaliforniaofEducation(CDE)theCalifornia
CollaborativeforEducationalExcellence(CCEE)andcountysuperintendentsshouldalsousethese
measurestoidentifyandreferLEAsandschoolsforfocusedandintensiveimprovementsupportas
33Blueprint20PlanningTeam(2015)
34Continuousimprovementlikereciprocalaccountabilityissomethingthateachlevelofthesystemisresponsiblefor
35AdaptedfromLoebSandPlankD(2008)LearningWhatWorksContinuousImprovementinCaliforniarsquosEducationSystemPolicyBrief08-4RetrievedonMarch162016fromhttpcepastanfordedusitesdefaultfilesLearning20Briefpdf
36Forexampleselectingoneindicatorinthedashboardmightleadtoapagewithmoredetailthatcouldincludeavarietyof
resourcesforimprovement(informationalresourcesbestpracticesinformationonhowtoself-refertoCCEEalistofTA
providersandoralistoflocaldistrictsorschoolsthathaveachievedsignificantimprovementinthatindicator)
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
described The Task Force recognizes thats ignificantc apacity building mustta ke place ata ll levelsof the system and especiallyf or countyof fices of education in order to take on the provision of tieredsu port summarized below To be effective work at the county office level should include teacherre
Just as modern health systems em hasize well-being and preventiono f illness inC aliforniarsquosAccountability and Continuous Im
utilized Table 7 below describes the proposed levels of support for schools and districts
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
below37
p
presentatives
THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT ALL FOCUSED INTENSIVE
p
provement System the overarching priority should be given tosupporting improvement for allacross multiple dimensions and through an ecosystem of supportIn thoseinstances when general support efforts do not yield results focused and intensive supports should be
38
Table 7 Tiered Support System Tier Type of Support
Improvement
Shared LearningLEAs
and for All
The indicat ors should help recognize successidentify the strengths of LEAs andschools and therefore should serve as a means to identify (and self-identify )whic h LEAs and schools are well-positioned to share their successful practiceswit h others throug h formal and informal improvemen t effort s across school s and
39 LEAs The SSPICDE CCEE and county offices of education should also developtools and supports that will be available to all LEAs and schools (LCAP planningsupports vetted best practi ces etc)
Focused Im rovement
Supp
p
ort
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboardindicat ors to identify schools and LEAs in need of focuse d intervention and th e
areas in which improvemen t support s are needed
of
IntensiveImprovement Support
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboard ofdicat ors to identify LEAs and schools that need more comprehensive andin
int ensive support s to make major improvements in performance andor growthResults on selected measures should not only help to identify where intensivesupports are needed but what other similar LEAs might be best positioned toprovide them
37 Differentiated levels of support could be used across LEAs and schools based on need similar to the ldquoResponse To Interventionrdquomodel which provides varying levels and intensities of support and intervention based on student needs
38 Table 7 describes the tiers and types of supportinterventiona vailable from state-levele ntities The Task Force recognizes thecritical rolest hat will be played by multiple kindso f stakeholdersi n the full ecosystem of support including researchers nonprofitorganizations institutions of higher education philanthropy coalitions etc39 Examples of formal and informal improvement efforts include statewide and regional LCFFLCAP Conferences LCAP SupportTeamsCalifornia Labor Management Initiative events etc
Page 21 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
State System Indicators
Local Accountability
and Continuous
Improvement
State Required Indicators
State ReportedIndicators
LocallyGenerated
Indicators (LCAP)
State SupportedIndicators
State System Indicators
Figure 2Integrated Indicator Sets
Tables 2-6 provide possible specific indicators with associated comments for each indicator set describedabove Taken together these tables illustrate an integration path utilizing Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) evaluation rubrics as central drivers of one coherent and comprehensive system that incorporates the federal accountability requirements
STATE AND LOCAL INDICATORS FOR LEAS AND SCHOOLS
The tables below contain the proposed indicators for each level of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Each set of indicators including those that are state-required and state-reported includes both academic and whole child indicators that should be used to measure performance equity and improvement This balance of academic and non-academic indicators will provide a more holistic depiction of the extent to which all students are prepared for college career life and leadership in the 21st centuryIndicators in Table 2 are explicitly linked to ESSA Requirements while the indicators in Tables 3-5 are linked to desired outcomes
Page 14 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
Academic achievement as measured profi ciency on annua l assessments
by CASSP English languagearts and mathematics scores in grad es 3- 8 inclusiveplus grade 11
To be measured by scale scores reflecting both status and student growthover time Scale SBAC scores would be broken down into diff erent subjects(ie math and English) and reported by grade span (ie grades 3-5 6-8 11)
Hig h schoo l graduation rates 4-year Graduation rates plus an extended rate (5 - andor 6-year rate)
At high school including rates (wit h a t leas t equa l work with student s wit h
a 5-or 6-year graduation rate weight ) creat es incentives for challenges
as well as 4-yearschool s t o keep
Progress in ach ieving Englis h language proficiency as defined by the State within a State-determined timeline f or all English Learners
English Learner (EL ) progress on state English Proficiency Assessment
The State LCFF identifies pro ress toward English proficiency andreclassification ratesEL pro ress
ggg
using scale scores on an EL profici encymeasure i s bett er for trackin th e progress o f al l students ensuring
attention to the ful l range of EL student s and their needs ndash from th ose wh oare newcomers to th ose who are b ecoming an d h ave b ecome lsquoproficient rsquo
Progress of ELs could be measured by a composite or by multiple i ndicatorsfor Englis h Learner progress ie including long-time English learners
and or reclassification ratesThe Task Force recommends creating a new data marker of ldquoEnglishLearner re-designat edrdquo for reclassified ELs as a means of capturing a fullerpicture of student performance
For public elementary schools andsecondary schools that are not highschools in the Statemdash(I) a measure of student growth if determined appropriate by the State or (II) another valid and reliable statewide academicindicat or tha t all ows for meaningfu ldifferentiation in school performance
Growth measure27 The Task F orce encourages the SBE and model s f or inclusion in th e syst em This and growth across other indicators
CDE to should
research potential incl ude both SBAC
growthscores
25 Every Student Succeeds Act 201526 From LCFFSt ate Priorities augmentedt om eet federal requirements27 The task force is not putting forth a specific way to measure growth but recommends that that State Board ofE ducation continue to research growth measure methodologies
Page 15 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Whole Child Outcomes
No t less than one indicator o f schoo lquality or student success that allowsfor meaningful differentiation in school
performance is valid reliable comparable and statewide and mayinclud e measures of studen tengagement educat or engagementstudent access to and completion ofadvanced coursework postsecondaryreadi ness school climate and safety and any other indicator other Statechooses tha t meets the requirements ofthis clause
bull
bull
bull
bull
Suspensi ons expulsion rat es Statewide schoolclimate surveyChronicabsenteeism College amp careerreadiness indicat or
Suspension and expulsion data are currently available and chronicabsenteeism soon will be Both are local measures of student access andengagemen t that help predict school achievement and high schoolgraduation The Task Force recommend s that suspension expulsion ratesbe utilized in conjunction wit h and tied to authentic programmatic workthat builds positive school climate such as alternative discipline orrestorative justice approaches
A statewide school climate survey of students parents and teachers couldinclud e quest ions on course breadth and access parenta l involvementbasic services safety and social-emotional supports teaching andadministrati ve supports and access to appropriate counseling servicesnurses and school psy gcholo i sts
A non-test-based indicator of coll ege and career readi ness should measurethe extent to which students complete courses and ro ramsp g (c p om letion o fA- G hig qu yh- alit CTE qu se ences and i p )nternshi s that ppsu ort coll ge e andcareer readiness and the development o f 21st yCentur skills such as
28 collaboration communicati pon roblem-solvi gn and creativity This couldbe reviewed in conjunction with other academic indicators as a means forholistically measuri ng the skills and abilities students need to be college andcareer ready
28 The Task Force recognizes that there is not currently a state-adopted tool that measures 21st Century skills like collaboration communication problem solving and creativityThese are qualities that can be evaluated through performance assessments The Task Force recommends that the State Board of Education pilot and study performanceassessments that can measure these competencies as they relate to college and career readiness
Page 16 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 3 State-Reported Indicators Outcome Area Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
College career li fe readi ness indicat ors
and
bull
bull
bull bull
Students completing A-G approved CTE sequence or both Students meeting college standardon AP IB dual credit courseworkPhysical fitness Science assessment resultsonce each in grad es 3-5 6- 8 10-12 for a tota l of three times
If completion o f A- G approved CTE sequences or AB IB dual credi tcoursewor k are not included in t he state required college and career readiness indicator they could be included here
Physical fitness data are already collected by the state
As science assessments develop they could be considered by the SBE in future as a potential add ition t o the require d indicators
the
Whole Child Outcomes
StudentTeacherand ParentCaregiver
Engagement
bull
bull
Attendance
Student teacher andparentcaregiver surveysmeasuring schoo l climat e
for
If attendance and school climate surveys are not in included n the state-required set o f indicat ors they could be included here
School climate surveys could include a core set of questions used across thestate with additional locally determined questions for local use TheCaliforni a Healthy Kids Survey i s an available tool for measuring school climateand measures el ements such as access to resources and programsfeelings of safety and interaction wit h caring adults
Equitable Learning Conditions
Opportunities t o learn
bull
bull bull bull
Teacher and administrator qualificationsSchool facilities qualityAccess to curriculum material s Access to full curriculum
These are required under the Williams Case andor LCAP
Page 17 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 4 State-Supported Locally-Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
As part of i ts eff ort to support l ocal continuous improvement efforts the state could develop and calibrate a library of tools and measures for voluntary use by bull Locally selected developmentally
State provid es tool s LEAs and schools Several of these may be available at t he time of system launchculturally and linguistically30 for sch ools or (launch library) while oth ers wil l requi re further time and resource investmentappropriate observational
31districts to choose (developmental library) kindergarten readiness and use at thei r s29 assessment CA has access to the Innovation Lab Network Performance Assessment Resource optionpotentially bull Classroom embedded authentic Bank that provides performance assessment tasks rubrics scoring protocols andin collaborat ion perf ormance assessments student work linked to CCSS and NGSS standards These can be made available towit h oth er part ners bull Social-emotional learning schools possibly as par t of the SBAC Digita l Libraryand networks indicat ors stAssessments of social-emotional learning might also be used to measure 21
bull Parent Engagement Century skill s such as collaborati on communication problem-solvingandcreativity and should be further studied by the SBE
Table 5 Locally Designed and Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Locally determined indicat ors
bull
bull
Other LCAP indicators es32 local prioriti
Oth er locally designed
for state and
indicators
Districts are not expected to all ocate resources equally to indicat ors bu t t o selec t strat egic goal s an d mak e resource associate d with those
each of the allocat ions
LCAP
29 These are individually administered and open-ended Theys hould beu sed as information for teachers and schools to ensuret heir youngest students arer eceiving the culturallylinguistically andde velopmentallyap propriate supports theyn eed Multiple validatedk indergarten readiness support tools exist andm ay in the short-term be suitable forinclusion in the tool libraryA ppendix A provides a series of recommendations andco nsiderationsr egarding early learning in the Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystemincluding as et of questions pertaining to the use of Kindergarten Readiness Assessments30 The ldquolaunch libraryrdquo could include school climate surveys fors tudents parents and caregiversand teachers (egCalifornia Healthy Kids Survey)tools for measuring implementation ofthe California Standards(C CSS NGSS etc)i ncluding instructional materials practices training etc and toolsfo r measuring indicators ofa rich fullc urriculum thatm ighti nclude art music PE science social studies31 The ldquodevelopment libraryrdquo could include KindergartenR eadiness support tools (Early educationK-12al ignment) Early literacy assessment tools High school graduation systems( Digital portfolio capstone project community service assessment) andSoc ial-Emotional Learning tools32 Californiarsquos emergingac countabilityf rameworki s groundedw ithin ab roader system of continuous improvement andsu pport forL EAsa nd schools By analyzing performance andp erformance improvement on multiple indicators andp resenting thati nformation in user-friendly formats the LCFF evaluation rubrics willa ssist LEAs and schools in self-identifying their strengths and weaknesses where support isn eededa nd who is able to provide it
Page 18 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
STATE SYSTEM INDICATORS
Table 6 Proposed State System Indicators
State Priority Key Indicator Performance Equity Improvement
Success for students withhigher needs in the stateas a whole on each of theSuccess for state as a Annual state gains rate of gap closurestate-required and state-Pupi l Achievement Aggregated Schoo l and whole on th e state-reported indicat ors Rate o f gai ns for students wit h high erand Engagement Distric t Indicators required and state-
needs reported indicat ors
Perf andoppor
ormancetunity gap closure
Awards for schools and Annual state gainsrate of gap closureNumber of schools
Pupi l Achievement LEAs serving high Rate o f gai ns ( number receiving awards)Californi a Awards applying forreceivingand Engagement numbers of higher-needs for sch ools serving high numb ers ofawards
students higher-needs students
Promulgation o fexemplars andomisingbestpr
practices and brokering Effecti veness of supportsof these and other to schools and districtsresources including especially those serving
Support for LCAP Support Systems Growth in service and capacity (360ordmtechnical assistance to high numb ers of st udentsDevelopmen t and Indicators (CDE CCEE revi ews)
districts wit h higher needsImplementation COEs)
Effecti veness of supports to schools and districts Equity and adequacy ofespecially those serving resource distributionhigh numb ers ofstudents wit h high erneeds
Page 19 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 20 of 41
WhiletheindicatorsandtoolsproposedbytheTaskForceformeasuringperformanceequityand
improvementatalllevelsofthesystemarenotperfectwehopetoidentifywhatindicatorsandtoolsare
workingovertimeanddevelopandrefinethesetoolsandmeasuressothattheymoreaccuratelyreflectthe
performanceequityandimprovementofthesystemAdditionallytheTaskForcerecommendsthatthe
stateengageinongoingformalevaluationworktomeasuretheefficacyofsupportsidentifybestand
promisingpracticesandinformcontinuousimprovementofthesystemTheonlywaytoensurethat
schoolsanddistrictsarecontinuouslyimprovingistoestablishacontinuousimprovementframeforthe
systemitselfwemustcommittoreflectiveandongoingassessmentofhowwellthesystemisworkingand
tomakingcoursecorrectionsandupdatesasneededtobetterserveCaliforniarsquosstudentsandstakeholders
4 CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTCaliforniarecognizesthattheaccountability
frameworkdescribedaboveisonlyhelpfulto
theextentthatitisintegrallytiedtoasystem
ofcontinuousimprovementandsupport
alignedwiththeCaliforniaWayandtheldquoright
driversrdquodescribedinSection233Continuous
improvementisthekeytoensuringthat
Californiarsquoseducationsystemrealizesitsvision
forallstudents34
DEFINITIONOFCONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
TheTaskForceoffersthefollowingdefinition
ofcontinuousimprovement
ContinuousImprovementAcontinuouslyimprovingeducationsystemisonethatlearns
fromexperiencebycarefullymeasuringthe
effectivenessofdifferentpoliciesandpracticessupportingtheintrinsicmotivationofeducatorsand
stakeholderssharingbestandpromisingpracticescultivatingacultureofreflectionandlearning
encouraginginnovationandmakingchangesbasedonlearning35
BUILDINGTHECONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSUPPORTSYSTEM
Bylookingatmeasuresofperformanceequityandimprovementillustratedthrougheasy-to-usepublic
dashboardsLEAswillbeabletoself-identifytheirstrengthsandweaknesseswheresupportisneeded
andwhoisabletoprovideit36Thiswillallowforthedevelopmentofasystemofdifferentiated
improvementsupportsthatrecognizessuccessandsharesbestandpromisingpracticesamongallLEAsin
thestateTheSuperintendentofPublicInstruction(SSPI)CaliforniaofEducation(CDE)theCalifornia
CollaborativeforEducationalExcellence(CCEE)andcountysuperintendentsshouldalsousethese
measurestoidentifyandreferLEAsandschoolsforfocusedandintensiveimprovementsupportas
33Blueprint20PlanningTeam(2015)
34Continuousimprovementlikereciprocalaccountabilityissomethingthateachlevelofthesystemisresponsiblefor
35AdaptedfromLoebSandPlankD(2008)LearningWhatWorksContinuousImprovementinCaliforniarsquosEducationSystemPolicyBrief08-4RetrievedonMarch162016fromhttpcepastanfordedusitesdefaultfilesLearning20Briefpdf
36Forexampleselectingoneindicatorinthedashboardmightleadtoapagewithmoredetailthatcouldincludeavarietyof
resourcesforimprovement(informationalresourcesbestpracticesinformationonhowtoself-refertoCCEEalistofTA
providersandoralistoflocaldistrictsorschoolsthathaveachievedsignificantimprovementinthatindicator)
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
described The Task Force recognizes thats ignificantc apacity building mustta ke place ata ll levelsof the system and especiallyf or countyof fices of education in order to take on the provision of tieredsu port summarized below To be effective work at the county office level should include teacherre
Just as modern health systems em hasize well-being and preventiono f illness inC aliforniarsquosAccountability and Continuous Im
utilized Table 7 below describes the proposed levels of support for schools and districts
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
below37
p
presentatives
THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT ALL FOCUSED INTENSIVE
p
provement System the overarching priority should be given tosupporting improvement for allacross multiple dimensions and through an ecosystem of supportIn thoseinstances when general support efforts do not yield results focused and intensive supports should be
38
Table 7 Tiered Support System Tier Type of Support
Improvement
Shared LearningLEAs
and for All
The indicat ors should help recognize successidentify the strengths of LEAs andschools and therefore should serve as a means to identify (and self-identify )whic h LEAs and schools are well-positioned to share their successful practiceswit h others throug h formal and informal improvemen t effort s across school s and
39 LEAs The SSPICDE CCEE and county offices of education should also developtools and supports that will be available to all LEAs and schools (LCAP planningsupports vetted best practi ces etc)
Focused Im rovement
Supp
p
ort
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboardindicat ors to identify schools and LEAs in need of focuse d intervention and th e
areas in which improvemen t support s are needed
of
IntensiveImprovement Support
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboard ofdicat ors to identify LEAs and schools that need more comprehensive andin
int ensive support s to make major improvements in performance andor growthResults on selected measures should not only help to identify where intensivesupports are needed but what other similar LEAs might be best positioned toprovide them
37 Differentiated levels of support could be used across LEAs and schools based on need similar to the ldquoResponse To Interventionrdquomodel which provides varying levels and intensities of support and intervention based on student needs
38 Table 7 describes the tiers and types of supportinterventiona vailable from state-levele ntities The Task Force recognizes thecritical rolest hat will be played by multiple kindso f stakeholdersi n the full ecosystem of support including researchers nonprofitorganizations institutions of higher education philanthropy coalitions etc39 Examples of formal and informal improvement efforts include statewide and regional LCFFLCAP Conferences LCAP SupportTeamsCalifornia Labor Management Initiative events etc
Page 21 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
Academic achievement as measured profi ciency on annua l assessments
by CASSP English languagearts and mathematics scores in grad es 3- 8 inclusiveplus grade 11
To be measured by scale scores reflecting both status and student growthover time Scale SBAC scores would be broken down into diff erent subjects(ie math and English) and reported by grade span (ie grades 3-5 6-8 11)
Hig h schoo l graduation rates 4-year Graduation rates plus an extended rate (5 - andor 6-year rate)
At high school including rates (wit h a t leas t equa l work with student s wit h
a 5-or 6-year graduation rate weight ) creat es incentives for challenges
as well as 4-yearschool s t o keep
Progress in ach ieving Englis h language proficiency as defined by the State within a State-determined timeline f or all English Learners
English Learner (EL ) progress on state English Proficiency Assessment
The State LCFF identifies pro ress toward English proficiency andreclassification ratesEL pro ress
ggg
using scale scores on an EL profici encymeasure i s bett er for trackin th e progress o f al l students ensuring
attention to the ful l range of EL student s and their needs ndash from th ose wh oare newcomers to th ose who are b ecoming an d h ave b ecome lsquoproficient rsquo
Progress of ELs could be measured by a composite or by multiple i ndicatorsfor Englis h Learner progress ie including long-time English learners
and or reclassification ratesThe Task Force recommends creating a new data marker of ldquoEnglishLearner re-designat edrdquo for reclassified ELs as a means of capturing a fullerpicture of student performance
For public elementary schools andsecondary schools that are not highschools in the Statemdash(I) a measure of student growth if determined appropriate by the State or (II) another valid and reliable statewide academicindicat or tha t all ows for meaningfu ldifferentiation in school performance
Growth measure27 The Task F orce encourages the SBE and model s f or inclusion in th e syst em This and growth across other indicators
CDE to should
research potential incl ude both SBAC
growthscores
25 Every Student Succeeds Act 201526 From LCFFSt ate Priorities augmentedt om eet federal requirements27 The task force is not putting forth a specific way to measure growth but recommends that that State Board ofE ducation continue to research growth measure methodologies
Page 15 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Whole Child Outcomes
No t less than one indicator o f schoo lquality or student success that allowsfor meaningful differentiation in school
performance is valid reliable comparable and statewide and mayinclud e measures of studen tengagement educat or engagementstudent access to and completion ofadvanced coursework postsecondaryreadi ness school climate and safety and any other indicator other Statechooses tha t meets the requirements ofthis clause
bull
bull
bull
bull
Suspensi ons expulsion rat es Statewide schoolclimate surveyChronicabsenteeism College amp careerreadiness indicat or
Suspension and expulsion data are currently available and chronicabsenteeism soon will be Both are local measures of student access andengagemen t that help predict school achievement and high schoolgraduation The Task Force recommend s that suspension expulsion ratesbe utilized in conjunction wit h and tied to authentic programmatic workthat builds positive school climate such as alternative discipline orrestorative justice approaches
A statewide school climate survey of students parents and teachers couldinclud e quest ions on course breadth and access parenta l involvementbasic services safety and social-emotional supports teaching andadministrati ve supports and access to appropriate counseling servicesnurses and school psy gcholo i sts
A non-test-based indicator of coll ege and career readi ness should measurethe extent to which students complete courses and ro ramsp g (c p om letion o fA- G hig qu yh- alit CTE qu se ences and i p )nternshi s that ppsu ort coll ge e andcareer readiness and the development o f 21st yCentur skills such as
28 collaboration communicati pon roblem-solvi gn and creativity This couldbe reviewed in conjunction with other academic indicators as a means forholistically measuri ng the skills and abilities students need to be college andcareer ready
28 The Task Force recognizes that there is not currently a state-adopted tool that measures 21st Century skills like collaboration communication problem solving and creativityThese are qualities that can be evaluated through performance assessments The Task Force recommends that the State Board of Education pilot and study performanceassessments that can measure these competencies as they relate to college and career readiness
Page 16 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 3 State-Reported Indicators Outcome Area Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
College career li fe readi ness indicat ors
and
bull
bull
bull bull
Students completing A-G approved CTE sequence or both Students meeting college standardon AP IB dual credit courseworkPhysical fitness Science assessment resultsonce each in grad es 3-5 6- 8 10-12 for a tota l of three times
If completion o f A- G approved CTE sequences or AB IB dual credi tcoursewor k are not included in t he state required college and career readiness indicator they could be included here
Physical fitness data are already collected by the state
As science assessments develop they could be considered by the SBE in future as a potential add ition t o the require d indicators
the
Whole Child Outcomes
StudentTeacherand ParentCaregiver
Engagement
bull
bull
Attendance
Student teacher andparentcaregiver surveysmeasuring schoo l climat e
for
If attendance and school climate surveys are not in included n the state-required set o f indicat ors they could be included here
School climate surveys could include a core set of questions used across thestate with additional locally determined questions for local use TheCaliforni a Healthy Kids Survey i s an available tool for measuring school climateand measures el ements such as access to resources and programsfeelings of safety and interaction wit h caring adults
Equitable Learning Conditions
Opportunities t o learn
bull
bull bull bull
Teacher and administrator qualificationsSchool facilities qualityAccess to curriculum material s Access to full curriculum
These are required under the Williams Case andor LCAP
Page 17 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 4 State-Supported Locally-Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
As part of i ts eff ort to support l ocal continuous improvement efforts the state could develop and calibrate a library of tools and measures for voluntary use by bull Locally selected developmentally
State provid es tool s LEAs and schools Several of these may be available at t he time of system launchculturally and linguistically30 for sch ools or (launch library) while oth ers wil l requi re further time and resource investmentappropriate observational
31districts to choose (developmental library) kindergarten readiness and use at thei r s29 assessment CA has access to the Innovation Lab Network Performance Assessment Resource optionpotentially bull Classroom embedded authentic Bank that provides performance assessment tasks rubrics scoring protocols andin collaborat ion perf ormance assessments student work linked to CCSS and NGSS standards These can be made available towit h oth er part ners bull Social-emotional learning schools possibly as par t of the SBAC Digita l Libraryand networks indicat ors stAssessments of social-emotional learning might also be used to measure 21
bull Parent Engagement Century skill s such as collaborati on communication problem-solvingandcreativity and should be further studied by the SBE
Table 5 Locally Designed and Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Locally determined indicat ors
bull
bull
Other LCAP indicators es32 local prioriti
Oth er locally designed
for state and
indicators
Districts are not expected to all ocate resources equally to indicat ors bu t t o selec t strat egic goal s an d mak e resource associate d with those
each of the allocat ions
LCAP
29 These are individually administered and open-ended Theys hould beu sed as information for teachers and schools to ensuret heir youngest students arer eceiving the culturallylinguistically andde velopmentallyap propriate supports theyn eed Multiple validatedk indergarten readiness support tools exist andm ay in the short-term be suitable forinclusion in the tool libraryA ppendix A provides a series of recommendations andco nsiderationsr egarding early learning in the Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystemincluding as et of questions pertaining to the use of Kindergarten Readiness Assessments30 The ldquolaunch libraryrdquo could include school climate surveys fors tudents parents and caregiversand teachers (egCalifornia Healthy Kids Survey)tools for measuring implementation ofthe California Standards(C CSS NGSS etc)i ncluding instructional materials practices training etc and toolsfo r measuring indicators ofa rich fullc urriculum thatm ighti nclude art music PE science social studies31 The ldquodevelopment libraryrdquo could include KindergartenR eadiness support tools (Early educationK-12al ignment) Early literacy assessment tools High school graduation systems( Digital portfolio capstone project community service assessment) andSoc ial-Emotional Learning tools32 Californiarsquos emergingac countabilityf rameworki s groundedw ithin ab roader system of continuous improvement andsu pport forL EAsa nd schools By analyzing performance andp erformance improvement on multiple indicators andp resenting thati nformation in user-friendly formats the LCFF evaluation rubrics willa ssist LEAs and schools in self-identifying their strengths and weaknesses where support isn eededa nd who is able to provide it
Page 18 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
STATE SYSTEM INDICATORS
Table 6 Proposed State System Indicators
State Priority Key Indicator Performance Equity Improvement
Success for students withhigher needs in the stateas a whole on each of theSuccess for state as a Annual state gains rate of gap closurestate-required and state-Pupi l Achievement Aggregated Schoo l and whole on th e state-reported indicat ors Rate o f gai ns for students wit h high erand Engagement Distric t Indicators required and state-
needs reported indicat ors
Perf andoppor
ormancetunity gap closure
Awards for schools and Annual state gainsrate of gap closureNumber of schools
Pupi l Achievement LEAs serving high Rate o f gai ns ( number receiving awards)Californi a Awards applying forreceivingand Engagement numbers of higher-needs for sch ools serving high numb ers ofawards
students higher-needs students
Promulgation o fexemplars andomisingbestpr
practices and brokering Effecti veness of supportsof these and other to schools and districtsresources including especially those serving
Support for LCAP Support Systems Growth in service and capacity (360ordmtechnical assistance to high numb ers of st udentsDevelopmen t and Indicators (CDE CCEE revi ews)
districts wit h higher needsImplementation COEs)
Effecti veness of supports to schools and districts Equity and adequacy ofespecially those serving resource distributionhigh numb ers ofstudents wit h high erneeds
Page 19 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 20 of 41
WhiletheindicatorsandtoolsproposedbytheTaskForceformeasuringperformanceequityand
improvementatalllevelsofthesystemarenotperfectwehopetoidentifywhatindicatorsandtoolsare
workingovertimeanddevelopandrefinethesetoolsandmeasuressothattheymoreaccuratelyreflectthe
performanceequityandimprovementofthesystemAdditionallytheTaskForcerecommendsthatthe
stateengageinongoingformalevaluationworktomeasuretheefficacyofsupportsidentifybestand
promisingpracticesandinformcontinuousimprovementofthesystemTheonlywaytoensurethat
schoolsanddistrictsarecontinuouslyimprovingistoestablishacontinuousimprovementframeforthe
systemitselfwemustcommittoreflectiveandongoingassessmentofhowwellthesystemisworkingand
tomakingcoursecorrectionsandupdatesasneededtobetterserveCaliforniarsquosstudentsandstakeholders
4 CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTCaliforniarecognizesthattheaccountability
frameworkdescribedaboveisonlyhelpfulto
theextentthatitisintegrallytiedtoasystem
ofcontinuousimprovementandsupport
alignedwiththeCaliforniaWayandtheldquoright
driversrdquodescribedinSection233Continuous
improvementisthekeytoensuringthat
Californiarsquoseducationsystemrealizesitsvision
forallstudents34
DEFINITIONOFCONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
TheTaskForceoffersthefollowingdefinition
ofcontinuousimprovement
ContinuousImprovementAcontinuouslyimprovingeducationsystemisonethatlearns
fromexperiencebycarefullymeasuringthe
effectivenessofdifferentpoliciesandpracticessupportingtheintrinsicmotivationofeducatorsand
stakeholderssharingbestandpromisingpracticescultivatingacultureofreflectionandlearning
encouraginginnovationandmakingchangesbasedonlearning35
BUILDINGTHECONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSUPPORTSYSTEM
Bylookingatmeasuresofperformanceequityandimprovementillustratedthrougheasy-to-usepublic
dashboardsLEAswillbeabletoself-identifytheirstrengthsandweaknesseswheresupportisneeded
andwhoisabletoprovideit36Thiswillallowforthedevelopmentofasystemofdifferentiated
improvementsupportsthatrecognizessuccessandsharesbestandpromisingpracticesamongallLEAsin
thestateTheSuperintendentofPublicInstruction(SSPI)CaliforniaofEducation(CDE)theCalifornia
CollaborativeforEducationalExcellence(CCEE)andcountysuperintendentsshouldalsousethese
measurestoidentifyandreferLEAsandschoolsforfocusedandintensiveimprovementsupportas
33Blueprint20PlanningTeam(2015)
34Continuousimprovementlikereciprocalaccountabilityissomethingthateachlevelofthesystemisresponsiblefor
35AdaptedfromLoebSandPlankD(2008)LearningWhatWorksContinuousImprovementinCaliforniarsquosEducationSystemPolicyBrief08-4RetrievedonMarch162016fromhttpcepastanfordedusitesdefaultfilesLearning20Briefpdf
36Forexampleselectingoneindicatorinthedashboardmightleadtoapagewithmoredetailthatcouldincludeavarietyof
resourcesforimprovement(informationalresourcesbestpracticesinformationonhowtoself-refertoCCEEalistofTA
providersandoralistoflocaldistrictsorschoolsthathaveachievedsignificantimprovementinthatindicator)
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
described The Task Force recognizes thats ignificantc apacity building mustta ke place ata ll levelsof the system and especiallyf or countyof fices of education in order to take on the provision of tieredsu port summarized below To be effective work at the county office level should include teacherre
Just as modern health systems em hasize well-being and preventiono f illness inC aliforniarsquosAccountability and Continuous Im
utilized Table 7 below describes the proposed levels of support for schools and districts
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
below37
p
presentatives
THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT ALL FOCUSED INTENSIVE
p
provement System the overarching priority should be given tosupporting improvement for allacross multiple dimensions and through an ecosystem of supportIn thoseinstances when general support efforts do not yield results focused and intensive supports should be
38
Table 7 Tiered Support System Tier Type of Support
Improvement
Shared LearningLEAs
and for All
The indicat ors should help recognize successidentify the strengths of LEAs andschools and therefore should serve as a means to identify (and self-identify )whic h LEAs and schools are well-positioned to share their successful practiceswit h others throug h formal and informal improvemen t effort s across school s and
39 LEAs The SSPICDE CCEE and county offices of education should also developtools and supports that will be available to all LEAs and schools (LCAP planningsupports vetted best practi ces etc)
Focused Im rovement
Supp
p
ort
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboardindicat ors to identify schools and LEAs in need of focuse d intervention and th e
areas in which improvemen t support s are needed
of
IntensiveImprovement Support
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboard ofdicat ors to identify LEAs and schools that need more comprehensive andin
int ensive support s to make major improvements in performance andor growthResults on selected measures should not only help to identify where intensivesupports are needed but what other similar LEAs might be best positioned toprovide them
37 Differentiated levels of support could be used across LEAs and schools based on need similar to the ldquoResponse To Interventionrdquomodel which provides varying levels and intensities of support and intervention based on student needs
38 Table 7 describes the tiers and types of supportinterventiona vailable from state-levele ntities The Task Force recognizes thecritical rolest hat will be played by multiple kindso f stakeholdersi n the full ecosystem of support including researchers nonprofitorganizations institutions of higher education philanthropy coalitions etc39 Examples of formal and informal improvement efforts include statewide and regional LCFFLCAP Conferences LCAP SupportTeamsCalifornia Labor Management Initiative events etc
Page 21 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 2 State-Required Indicators
ESSA Requirement25 Recommended California Indicators26 Explanatory Notes
Whole Child Outcomes
No t less than one indicator o f schoo lquality or student success that allowsfor meaningful differentiation in school
performance is valid reliable comparable and statewide and mayinclud e measures of studen tengagement educat or engagementstudent access to and completion ofadvanced coursework postsecondaryreadi ness school climate and safety and any other indicator other Statechooses tha t meets the requirements ofthis clause
bull
bull
bull
bull
Suspensi ons expulsion rat es Statewide schoolclimate surveyChronicabsenteeism College amp careerreadiness indicat or
Suspension and expulsion data are currently available and chronicabsenteeism soon will be Both are local measures of student access andengagemen t that help predict school achievement and high schoolgraduation The Task Force recommend s that suspension expulsion ratesbe utilized in conjunction wit h and tied to authentic programmatic workthat builds positive school climate such as alternative discipline orrestorative justice approaches
A statewide school climate survey of students parents and teachers couldinclud e quest ions on course breadth and access parenta l involvementbasic services safety and social-emotional supports teaching andadministrati ve supports and access to appropriate counseling servicesnurses and school psy gcholo i sts
A non-test-based indicator of coll ege and career readi ness should measurethe extent to which students complete courses and ro ramsp g (c p om letion o fA- G hig qu yh- alit CTE qu se ences and i p )nternshi s that ppsu ort coll ge e andcareer readiness and the development o f 21st yCentur skills such as
28 collaboration communicati pon roblem-solvi gn and creativity This couldbe reviewed in conjunction with other academic indicators as a means forholistically measuri ng the skills and abilities students need to be college andcareer ready
28 The Task Force recognizes that there is not currently a state-adopted tool that measures 21st Century skills like collaboration communication problem solving and creativityThese are qualities that can be evaluated through performance assessments The Task Force recommends that the State Board of Education pilot and study performanceassessments that can measure these competencies as they relate to college and career readiness
Page 16 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 3 State-Reported Indicators Outcome Area Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
College career li fe readi ness indicat ors
and
bull
bull
bull bull
Students completing A-G approved CTE sequence or both Students meeting college standardon AP IB dual credit courseworkPhysical fitness Science assessment resultsonce each in grad es 3-5 6- 8 10-12 for a tota l of three times
If completion o f A- G approved CTE sequences or AB IB dual credi tcoursewor k are not included in t he state required college and career readiness indicator they could be included here
Physical fitness data are already collected by the state
As science assessments develop they could be considered by the SBE in future as a potential add ition t o the require d indicators
the
Whole Child Outcomes
StudentTeacherand ParentCaregiver
Engagement
bull
bull
Attendance
Student teacher andparentcaregiver surveysmeasuring schoo l climat e
for
If attendance and school climate surveys are not in included n the state-required set o f indicat ors they could be included here
School climate surveys could include a core set of questions used across thestate with additional locally determined questions for local use TheCaliforni a Healthy Kids Survey i s an available tool for measuring school climateand measures el ements such as access to resources and programsfeelings of safety and interaction wit h caring adults
Equitable Learning Conditions
Opportunities t o learn
bull
bull bull bull
Teacher and administrator qualificationsSchool facilities qualityAccess to curriculum material s Access to full curriculum
These are required under the Williams Case andor LCAP
Page 17 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 4 State-Supported Locally-Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
As part of i ts eff ort to support l ocal continuous improvement efforts the state could develop and calibrate a library of tools and measures for voluntary use by bull Locally selected developmentally
State provid es tool s LEAs and schools Several of these may be available at t he time of system launchculturally and linguistically30 for sch ools or (launch library) while oth ers wil l requi re further time and resource investmentappropriate observational
31districts to choose (developmental library) kindergarten readiness and use at thei r s29 assessment CA has access to the Innovation Lab Network Performance Assessment Resource optionpotentially bull Classroom embedded authentic Bank that provides performance assessment tasks rubrics scoring protocols andin collaborat ion perf ormance assessments student work linked to CCSS and NGSS standards These can be made available towit h oth er part ners bull Social-emotional learning schools possibly as par t of the SBAC Digita l Libraryand networks indicat ors stAssessments of social-emotional learning might also be used to measure 21
bull Parent Engagement Century skill s such as collaborati on communication problem-solvingandcreativity and should be further studied by the SBE
Table 5 Locally Designed and Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Locally determined indicat ors
bull
bull
Other LCAP indicators es32 local prioriti
Oth er locally designed
for state and
indicators
Districts are not expected to all ocate resources equally to indicat ors bu t t o selec t strat egic goal s an d mak e resource associate d with those
each of the allocat ions
LCAP
29 These are individually administered and open-ended Theys hould beu sed as information for teachers and schools to ensuret heir youngest students arer eceiving the culturallylinguistically andde velopmentallyap propriate supports theyn eed Multiple validatedk indergarten readiness support tools exist andm ay in the short-term be suitable forinclusion in the tool libraryA ppendix A provides a series of recommendations andco nsiderationsr egarding early learning in the Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystemincluding as et of questions pertaining to the use of Kindergarten Readiness Assessments30 The ldquolaunch libraryrdquo could include school climate surveys fors tudents parents and caregiversand teachers (egCalifornia Healthy Kids Survey)tools for measuring implementation ofthe California Standards(C CSS NGSS etc)i ncluding instructional materials practices training etc and toolsfo r measuring indicators ofa rich fullc urriculum thatm ighti nclude art music PE science social studies31 The ldquodevelopment libraryrdquo could include KindergartenR eadiness support tools (Early educationK-12al ignment) Early literacy assessment tools High school graduation systems( Digital portfolio capstone project community service assessment) andSoc ial-Emotional Learning tools32 Californiarsquos emergingac countabilityf rameworki s groundedw ithin ab roader system of continuous improvement andsu pport forL EAsa nd schools By analyzing performance andp erformance improvement on multiple indicators andp resenting thati nformation in user-friendly formats the LCFF evaluation rubrics willa ssist LEAs and schools in self-identifying their strengths and weaknesses where support isn eededa nd who is able to provide it
Page 18 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
STATE SYSTEM INDICATORS
Table 6 Proposed State System Indicators
State Priority Key Indicator Performance Equity Improvement
Success for students withhigher needs in the stateas a whole on each of theSuccess for state as a Annual state gains rate of gap closurestate-required and state-Pupi l Achievement Aggregated Schoo l and whole on th e state-reported indicat ors Rate o f gai ns for students wit h high erand Engagement Distric t Indicators required and state-
needs reported indicat ors
Perf andoppor
ormancetunity gap closure
Awards for schools and Annual state gainsrate of gap closureNumber of schools
Pupi l Achievement LEAs serving high Rate o f gai ns ( number receiving awards)Californi a Awards applying forreceivingand Engagement numbers of higher-needs for sch ools serving high numb ers ofawards
students higher-needs students
Promulgation o fexemplars andomisingbestpr
practices and brokering Effecti veness of supportsof these and other to schools and districtsresources including especially those serving
Support for LCAP Support Systems Growth in service and capacity (360ordmtechnical assistance to high numb ers of st udentsDevelopmen t and Indicators (CDE CCEE revi ews)
districts wit h higher needsImplementation COEs)
Effecti veness of supports to schools and districts Equity and adequacy ofespecially those serving resource distributionhigh numb ers ofstudents wit h high erneeds
Page 19 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 20 of 41
WhiletheindicatorsandtoolsproposedbytheTaskForceformeasuringperformanceequityand
improvementatalllevelsofthesystemarenotperfectwehopetoidentifywhatindicatorsandtoolsare
workingovertimeanddevelopandrefinethesetoolsandmeasuressothattheymoreaccuratelyreflectthe
performanceequityandimprovementofthesystemAdditionallytheTaskForcerecommendsthatthe
stateengageinongoingformalevaluationworktomeasuretheefficacyofsupportsidentifybestand
promisingpracticesandinformcontinuousimprovementofthesystemTheonlywaytoensurethat
schoolsanddistrictsarecontinuouslyimprovingistoestablishacontinuousimprovementframeforthe
systemitselfwemustcommittoreflectiveandongoingassessmentofhowwellthesystemisworkingand
tomakingcoursecorrectionsandupdatesasneededtobetterserveCaliforniarsquosstudentsandstakeholders
4 CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTCaliforniarecognizesthattheaccountability
frameworkdescribedaboveisonlyhelpfulto
theextentthatitisintegrallytiedtoasystem
ofcontinuousimprovementandsupport
alignedwiththeCaliforniaWayandtheldquoright
driversrdquodescribedinSection233Continuous
improvementisthekeytoensuringthat
Californiarsquoseducationsystemrealizesitsvision
forallstudents34
DEFINITIONOFCONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
TheTaskForceoffersthefollowingdefinition
ofcontinuousimprovement
ContinuousImprovementAcontinuouslyimprovingeducationsystemisonethatlearns
fromexperiencebycarefullymeasuringthe
effectivenessofdifferentpoliciesandpracticessupportingtheintrinsicmotivationofeducatorsand
stakeholderssharingbestandpromisingpracticescultivatingacultureofreflectionandlearning
encouraginginnovationandmakingchangesbasedonlearning35
BUILDINGTHECONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSUPPORTSYSTEM
Bylookingatmeasuresofperformanceequityandimprovementillustratedthrougheasy-to-usepublic
dashboardsLEAswillbeabletoself-identifytheirstrengthsandweaknesseswheresupportisneeded
andwhoisabletoprovideit36Thiswillallowforthedevelopmentofasystemofdifferentiated
improvementsupportsthatrecognizessuccessandsharesbestandpromisingpracticesamongallLEAsin
thestateTheSuperintendentofPublicInstruction(SSPI)CaliforniaofEducation(CDE)theCalifornia
CollaborativeforEducationalExcellence(CCEE)andcountysuperintendentsshouldalsousethese
measurestoidentifyandreferLEAsandschoolsforfocusedandintensiveimprovementsupportas
33Blueprint20PlanningTeam(2015)
34Continuousimprovementlikereciprocalaccountabilityissomethingthateachlevelofthesystemisresponsiblefor
35AdaptedfromLoebSandPlankD(2008)LearningWhatWorksContinuousImprovementinCaliforniarsquosEducationSystemPolicyBrief08-4RetrievedonMarch162016fromhttpcepastanfordedusitesdefaultfilesLearning20Briefpdf
36Forexampleselectingoneindicatorinthedashboardmightleadtoapagewithmoredetailthatcouldincludeavarietyof
resourcesforimprovement(informationalresourcesbestpracticesinformationonhowtoself-refertoCCEEalistofTA
providersandoralistoflocaldistrictsorschoolsthathaveachievedsignificantimprovementinthatindicator)
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
described The Task Force recognizes thats ignificantc apacity building mustta ke place ata ll levelsof the system and especiallyf or countyof fices of education in order to take on the provision of tieredsu port summarized below To be effective work at the county office level should include teacherre
Just as modern health systems em hasize well-being and preventiono f illness inC aliforniarsquosAccountability and Continuous Im
utilized Table 7 below describes the proposed levels of support for schools and districts
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
below37
p
presentatives
THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT ALL FOCUSED INTENSIVE
p
provement System the overarching priority should be given tosupporting improvement for allacross multiple dimensions and through an ecosystem of supportIn thoseinstances when general support efforts do not yield results focused and intensive supports should be
38
Table 7 Tiered Support System Tier Type of Support
Improvement
Shared LearningLEAs
and for All
The indicat ors should help recognize successidentify the strengths of LEAs andschools and therefore should serve as a means to identify (and self-identify )whic h LEAs and schools are well-positioned to share their successful practiceswit h others throug h formal and informal improvemen t effort s across school s and
39 LEAs The SSPICDE CCEE and county offices of education should also developtools and supports that will be available to all LEAs and schools (LCAP planningsupports vetted best practi ces etc)
Focused Im rovement
Supp
p
ort
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboardindicat ors to identify schools and LEAs in need of focuse d intervention and th e
areas in which improvemen t support s are needed
of
IntensiveImprovement Support
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboard ofdicat ors to identify LEAs and schools that need more comprehensive andin
int ensive support s to make major improvements in performance andor growthResults on selected measures should not only help to identify where intensivesupports are needed but what other similar LEAs might be best positioned toprovide them
37 Differentiated levels of support could be used across LEAs and schools based on need similar to the ldquoResponse To Interventionrdquomodel which provides varying levels and intensities of support and intervention based on student needs
38 Table 7 describes the tiers and types of supportinterventiona vailable from state-levele ntities The Task Force recognizes thecritical rolest hat will be played by multiple kindso f stakeholdersi n the full ecosystem of support including researchers nonprofitorganizations institutions of higher education philanthropy coalitions etc39 Examples of formal and informal improvement efforts include statewide and regional LCFFLCAP Conferences LCAP SupportTeamsCalifornia Labor Management Initiative events etc
Page 21 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 3 State-Reported Indicators Outcome Area Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Academic Outcomes
College career li fe readi ness indicat ors
and
bull
bull
bull bull
Students completing A-G approved CTE sequence or both Students meeting college standardon AP IB dual credit courseworkPhysical fitness Science assessment resultsonce each in grad es 3-5 6- 8 10-12 for a tota l of three times
If completion o f A- G approved CTE sequences or AB IB dual credi tcoursewor k are not included in t he state required college and career readiness indicator they could be included here
Physical fitness data are already collected by the state
As science assessments develop they could be considered by the SBE in future as a potential add ition t o the require d indicators
the
Whole Child Outcomes
StudentTeacherand ParentCaregiver
Engagement
bull
bull
Attendance
Student teacher andparentcaregiver surveysmeasuring schoo l climat e
for
If attendance and school climate surveys are not in included n the state-required set o f indicat ors they could be included here
School climate surveys could include a core set of questions used across thestate with additional locally determined questions for local use TheCaliforni a Healthy Kids Survey i s an available tool for measuring school climateand measures el ements such as access to resources and programsfeelings of safety and interaction wit h caring adults
Equitable Learning Conditions
Opportunities t o learn
bull
bull bull bull
Teacher and administrator qualificationsSchool facilities qualityAccess to curriculum material s Access to full curriculum
These are required under the Williams Case andor LCAP
Page 17 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 4 State-Supported Locally-Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
As part of i ts eff ort to support l ocal continuous improvement efforts the state could develop and calibrate a library of tools and measures for voluntary use by bull Locally selected developmentally
State provid es tool s LEAs and schools Several of these may be available at t he time of system launchculturally and linguistically30 for sch ools or (launch library) while oth ers wil l requi re further time and resource investmentappropriate observational
31districts to choose (developmental library) kindergarten readiness and use at thei r s29 assessment CA has access to the Innovation Lab Network Performance Assessment Resource optionpotentially bull Classroom embedded authentic Bank that provides performance assessment tasks rubrics scoring protocols andin collaborat ion perf ormance assessments student work linked to CCSS and NGSS standards These can be made available towit h oth er part ners bull Social-emotional learning schools possibly as par t of the SBAC Digita l Libraryand networks indicat ors stAssessments of social-emotional learning might also be used to measure 21
bull Parent Engagement Century skill s such as collaborati on communication problem-solvingandcreativity and should be further studied by the SBE
Table 5 Locally Designed and Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Locally determined indicat ors
bull
bull
Other LCAP indicators es32 local prioriti
Oth er locally designed
for state and
indicators
Districts are not expected to all ocate resources equally to indicat ors bu t t o selec t strat egic goal s an d mak e resource associate d with those
each of the allocat ions
LCAP
29 These are individually administered and open-ended Theys hould beu sed as information for teachers and schools to ensuret heir youngest students arer eceiving the culturallylinguistically andde velopmentallyap propriate supports theyn eed Multiple validatedk indergarten readiness support tools exist andm ay in the short-term be suitable forinclusion in the tool libraryA ppendix A provides a series of recommendations andco nsiderationsr egarding early learning in the Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystemincluding as et of questions pertaining to the use of Kindergarten Readiness Assessments30 The ldquolaunch libraryrdquo could include school climate surveys fors tudents parents and caregiversand teachers (egCalifornia Healthy Kids Survey)tools for measuring implementation ofthe California Standards(C CSS NGSS etc)i ncluding instructional materials practices training etc and toolsfo r measuring indicators ofa rich fullc urriculum thatm ighti nclude art music PE science social studies31 The ldquodevelopment libraryrdquo could include KindergartenR eadiness support tools (Early educationK-12al ignment) Early literacy assessment tools High school graduation systems( Digital portfolio capstone project community service assessment) andSoc ial-Emotional Learning tools32 Californiarsquos emergingac countabilityf rameworki s groundedw ithin ab roader system of continuous improvement andsu pport forL EAsa nd schools By analyzing performance andp erformance improvement on multiple indicators andp resenting thati nformation in user-friendly formats the LCFF evaluation rubrics willa ssist LEAs and schools in self-identifying their strengths and weaknesses where support isn eededa nd who is able to provide it
Page 18 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
STATE SYSTEM INDICATORS
Table 6 Proposed State System Indicators
State Priority Key Indicator Performance Equity Improvement
Success for students withhigher needs in the stateas a whole on each of theSuccess for state as a Annual state gains rate of gap closurestate-required and state-Pupi l Achievement Aggregated Schoo l and whole on th e state-reported indicat ors Rate o f gai ns for students wit h high erand Engagement Distric t Indicators required and state-
needs reported indicat ors
Perf andoppor
ormancetunity gap closure
Awards for schools and Annual state gainsrate of gap closureNumber of schools
Pupi l Achievement LEAs serving high Rate o f gai ns ( number receiving awards)Californi a Awards applying forreceivingand Engagement numbers of higher-needs for sch ools serving high numb ers ofawards
students higher-needs students
Promulgation o fexemplars andomisingbestpr
practices and brokering Effecti veness of supportsof these and other to schools and districtsresources including especially those serving
Support for LCAP Support Systems Growth in service and capacity (360ordmtechnical assistance to high numb ers of st udentsDevelopmen t and Indicators (CDE CCEE revi ews)
districts wit h higher needsImplementation COEs)
Effecti veness of supports to schools and districts Equity and adequacy ofespecially those serving resource distributionhigh numb ers ofstudents wit h high erneeds
Page 19 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 20 of 41
WhiletheindicatorsandtoolsproposedbytheTaskForceformeasuringperformanceequityand
improvementatalllevelsofthesystemarenotperfectwehopetoidentifywhatindicatorsandtoolsare
workingovertimeanddevelopandrefinethesetoolsandmeasuressothattheymoreaccuratelyreflectthe
performanceequityandimprovementofthesystemAdditionallytheTaskForcerecommendsthatthe
stateengageinongoingformalevaluationworktomeasuretheefficacyofsupportsidentifybestand
promisingpracticesandinformcontinuousimprovementofthesystemTheonlywaytoensurethat
schoolsanddistrictsarecontinuouslyimprovingistoestablishacontinuousimprovementframeforthe
systemitselfwemustcommittoreflectiveandongoingassessmentofhowwellthesystemisworkingand
tomakingcoursecorrectionsandupdatesasneededtobetterserveCaliforniarsquosstudentsandstakeholders
4 CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTCaliforniarecognizesthattheaccountability
frameworkdescribedaboveisonlyhelpfulto
theextentthatitisintegrallytiedtoasystem
ofcontinuousimprovementandsupport
alignedwiththeCaliforniaWayandtheldquoright
driversrdquodescribedinSection233Continuous
improvementisthekeytoensuringthat
Californiarsquoseducationsystemrealizesitsvision
forallstudents34
DEFINITIONOFCONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
TheTaskForceoffersthefollowingdefinition
ofcontinuousimprovement
ContinuousImprovementAcontinuouslyimprovingeducationsystemisonethatlearns
fromexperiencebycarefullymeasuringthe
effectivenessofdifferentpoliciesandpracticessupportingtheintrinsicmotivationofeducatorsand
stakeholderssharingbestandpromisingpracticescultivatingacultureofreflectionandlearning
encouraginginnovationandmakingchangesbasedonlearning35
BUILDINGTHECONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSUPPORTSYSTEM
Bylookingatmeasuresofperformanceequityandimprovementillustratedthrougheasy-to-usepublic
dashboardsLEAswillbeabletoself-identifytheirstrengthsandweaknesseswheresupportisneeded
andwhoisabletoprovideit36Thiswillallowforthedevelopmentofasystemofdifferentiated
improvementsupportsthatrecognizessuccessandsharesbestandpromisingpracticesamongallLEAsin
thestateTheSuperintendentofPublicInstruction(SSPI)CaliforniaofEducation(CDE)theCalifornia
CollaborativeforEducationalExcellence(CCEE)andcountysuperintendentsshouldalsousethese
measurestoidentifyandreferLEAsandschoolsforfocusedandintensiveimprovementsupportas
33Blueprint20PlanningTeam(2015)
34Continuousimprovementlikereciprocalaccountabilityissomethingthateachlevelofthesystemisresponsiblefor
35AdaptedfromLoebSandPlankD(2008)LearningWhatWorksContinuousImprovementinCaliforniarsquosEducationSystemPolicyBrief08-4RetrievedonMarch162016fromhttpcepastanfordedusitesdefaultfilesLearning20Briefpdf
36Forexampleselectingoneindicatorinthedashboardmightleadtoapagewithmoredetailthatcouldincludeavarietyof
resourcesforimprovement(informationalresourcesbestpracticesinformationonhowtoself-refertoCCEEalistofTA
providersandoralistoflocaldistrictsorschoolsthathaveachievedsignificantimprovementinthatindicator)
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
described The Task Force recognizes thats ignificantc apacity building mustta ke place ata ll levelsof the system and especiallyf or countyof fices of education in order to take on the provision of tieredsu port summarized below To be effective work at the county office level should include teacherre
Just as modern health systems em hasize well-being and preventiono f illness inC aliforniarsquosAccountability and Continuous Im
utilized Table 7 below describes the proposed levels of support for schools and districts
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
below37
p
presentatives
THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT ALL FOCUSED INTENSIVE
p
provement System the overarching priority should be given tosupporting improvement for allacross multiple dimensions and through an ecosystem of supportIn thoseinstances when general support efforts do not yield results focused and intensive supports should be
38
Table 7 Tiered Support System Tier Type of Support
Improvement
Shared LearningLEAs
and for All
The indicat ors should help recognize successidentify the strengths of LEAs andschools and therefore should serve as a means to identify (and self-identify )whic h LEAs and schools are well-positioned to share their successful practiceswit h others throug h formal and informal improvemen t effort s across school s and
39 LEAs The SSPICDE CCEE and county offices of education should also developtools and supports that will be available to all LEAs and schools (LCAP planningsupports vetted best practi ces etc)
Focused Im rovement
Supp
p
ort
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboardindicat ors to identify schools and LEAs in need of focuse d intervention and th e
areas in which improvemen t support s are needed
of
IntensiveImprovement Support
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboard ofdicat ors to identify LEAs and schools that need more comprehensive andin
int ensive support s to make major improvements in performance andor growthResults on selected measures should not only help to identify where intensivesupports are needed but what other similar LEAs might be best positioned toprovide them
37 Differentiated levels of support could be used across LEAs and schools based on need similar to the ldquoResponse To Interventionrdquomodel which provides varying levels and intensities of support and intervention based on student needs
38 Table 7 describes the tiers and types of supportinterventiona vailable from state-levele ntities The Task Force recognizes thecritical rolest hat will be played by multiple kindso f stakeholdersi n the full ecosystem of support including researchers nonprofitorganizations institutions of higher education philanthropy coalitions etc39 Examples of formal and informal improvement efforts include statewide and regional LCFFLCAP Conferences LCAP SupportTeamsCalifornia Labor Management Initiative events etc
Page 21 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 4 State-Supported Locally-Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
As part of i ts eff ort to support l ocal continuous improvement efforts the state could develop and calibrate a library of tools and measures for voluntary use by bull Locally selected developmentally
State provid es tool s LEAs and schools Several of these may be available at t he time of system launchculturally and linguistically30 for sch ools or (launch library) while oth ers wil l requi re further time and resource investmentappropriate observational
31districts to choose (developmental library) kindergarten readiness and use at thei r s29 assessment CA has access to the Innovation Lab Network Performance Assessment Resource optionpotentially bull Classroom embedded authentic Bank that provides performance assessment tasks rubrics scoring protocols andin collaborat ion perf ormance assessments student work linked to CCSS and NGSS standards These can be made available towit h oth er part ners bull Social-emotional learning schools possibly as par t of the SBAC Digita l Libraryand networks indicat ors stAssessments of social-emotional learning might also be used to measure 21
bull Parent Engagement Century skill s such as collaborati on communication problem-solvingandcreativity and should be further studied by the SBE
Table 5 Locally Designed and Reported Indicators Recommended California Indicators Explanatory Notes
Locally determined indicat ors
bull
bull
Other LCAP indicators es32 local prioriti
Oth er locally designed
for state and
indicators
Districts are not expected to all ocate resources equally to indicat ors bu t t o selec t strat egic goal s an d mak e resource associate d with those
each of the allocat ions
LCAP
29 These are individually administered and open-ended Theys hould beu sed as information for teachers and schools to ensuret heir youngest students arer eceiving the culturallylinguistically andde velopmentallyap propriate supports theyn eed Multiple validatedk indergarten readiness support tools exist andm ay in the short-term be suitable forinclusion in the tool libraryA ppendix A provides a series of recommendations andco nsiderationsr egarding early learning in the Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystemincluding as et of questions pertaining to the use of Kindergarten Readiness Assessments30 The ldquolaunch libraryrdquo could include school climate surveys fors tudents parents and caregiversand teachers (egCalifornia Healthy Kids Survey)tools for measuring implementation ofthe California Standards(C CSS NGSS etc)i ncluding instructional materials practices training etc and toolsfo r measuring indicators ofa rich fullc urriculum thatm ighti nclude art music PE science social studies31 The ldquodevelopment libraryrdquo could include KindergartenR eadiness support tools (Early educationK-12al ignment) Early literacy assessment tools High school graduation systems( Digital portfolio capstone project community service assessment) andSoc ial-Emotional Learning tools32 Californiarsquos emergingac countabilityf rameworki s groundedw ithin ab roader system of continuous improvement andsu pport forL EAsa nd schools By analyzing performance andp erformance improvement on multiple indicators andp resenting thati nformation in user-friendly formats the LCFF evaluation rubrics willa ssist LEAs and schools in self-identifying their strengths and weaknesses where support isn eededa nd who is able to provide it
Page 18 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
STATE SYSTEM INDICATORS
Table 6 Proposed State System Indicators
State Priority Key Indicator Performance Equity Improvement
Success for students withhigher needs in the stateas a whole on each of theSuccess for state as a Annual state gains rate of gap closurestate-required and state-Pupi l Achievement Aggregated Schoo l and whole on th e state-reported indicat ors Rate o f gai ns for students wit h high erand Engagement Distric t Indicators required and state-
needs reported indicat ors
Perf andoppor
ormancetunity gap closure
Awards for schools and Annual state gainsrate of gap closureNumber of schools
Pupi l Achievement LEAs serving high Rate o f gai ns ( number receiving awards)Californi a Awards applying forreceivingand Engagement numbers of higher-needs for sch ools serving high numb ers ofawards
students higher-needs students
Promulgation o fexemplars andomisingbestpr
practices and brokering Effecti veness of supportsof these and other to schools and districtsresources including especially those serving
Support for LCAP Support Systems Growth in service and capacity (360ordmtechnical assistance to high numb ers of st udentsDevelopmen t and Indicators (CDE CCEE revi ews)
districts wit h higher needsImplementation COEs)
Effecti veness of supports to schools and districts Equity and adequacy ofespecially those serving resource distributionhigh numb ers ofstudents wit h high erneeds
Page 19 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 20 of 41
WhiletheindicatorsandtoolsproposedbytheTaskForceformeasuringperformanceequityand
improvementatalllevelsofthesystemarenotperfectwehopetoidentifywhatindicatorsandtoolsare
workingovertimeanddevelopandrefinethesetoolsandmeasuressothattheymoreaccuratelyreflectthe
performanceequityandimprovementofthesystemAdditionallytheTaskForcerecommendsthatthe
stateengageinongoingformalevaluationworktomeasuretheefficacyofsupportsidentifybestand
promisingpracticesandinformcontinuousimprovementofthesystemTheonlywaytoensurethat
schoolsanddistrictsarecontinuouslyimprovingistoestablishacontinuousimprovementframeforthe
systemitselfwemustcommittoreflectiveandongoingassessmentofhowwellthesystemisworkingand
tomakingcoursecorrectionsandupdatesasneededtobetterserveCaliforniarsquosstudentsandstakeholders
4 CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTCaliforniarecognizesthattheaccountability
frameworkdescribedaboveisonlyhelpfulto
theextentthatitisintegrallytiedtoasystem
ofcontinuousimprovementandsupport
alignedwiththeCaliforniaWayandtheldquoright
driversrdquodescribedinSection233Continuous
improvementisthekeytoensuringthat
Californiarsquoseducationsystemrealizesitsvision
forallstudents34
DEFINITIONOFCONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
TheTaskForceoffersthefollowingdefinition
ofcontinuousimprovement
ContinuousImprovementAcontinuouslyimprovingeducationsystemisonethatlearns
fromexperiencebycarefullymeasuringthe
effectivenessofdifferentpoliciesandpracticessupportingtheintrinsicmotivationofeducatorsand
stakeholderssharingbestandpromisingpracticescultivatingacultureofreflectionandlearning
encouraginginnovationandmakingchangesbasedonlearning35
BUILDINGTHECONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSUPPORTSYSTEM
Bylookingatmeasuresofperformanceequityandimprovementillustratedthrougheasy-to-usepublic
dashboardsLEAswillbeabletoself-identifytheirstrengthsandweaknesseswheresupportisneeded
andwhoisabletoprovideit36Thiswillallowforthedevelopmentofasystemofdifferentiated
improvementsupportsthatrecognizessuccessandsharesbestandpromisingpracticesamongallLEAsin
thestateTheSuperintendentofPublicInstruction(SSPI)CaliforniaofEducation(CDE)theCalifornia
CollaborativeforEducationalExcellence(CCEE)andcountysuperintendentsshouldalsousethese
measurestoidentifyandreferLEAsandschoolsforfocusedandintensiveimprovementsupportas
33Blueprint20PlanningTeam(2015)
34Continuousimprovementlikereciprocalaccountabilityissomethingthateachlevelofthesystemisresponsiblefor
35AdaptedfromLoebSandPlankD(2008)LearningWhatWorksContinuousImprovementinCaliforniarsquosEducationSystemPolicyBrief08-4RetrievedonMarch162016fromhttpcepastanfordedusitesdefaultfilesLearning20Briefpdf
36Forexampleselectingoneindicatorinthedashboardmightleadtoapagewithmoredetailthatcouldincludeavarietyof
resourcesforimprovement(informationalresourcesbestpracticesinformationonhowtoself-refertoCCEEalistofTA
providersandoralistoflocaldistrictsorschoolsthathaveachievedsignificantimprovementinthatindicator)
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
described The Task Force recognizes thats ignificantc apacity building mustta ke place ata ll levelsof the system and especiallyf or countyof fices of education in order to take on the provision of tieredsu port summarized below To be effective work at the county office level should include teacherre
Just as modern health systems em hasize well-being and preventiono f illness inC aliforniarsquosAccountability and Continuous Im
utilized Table 7 below describes the proposed levels of support for schools and districts
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
below37
p
presentatives
THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT ALL FOCUSED INTENSIVE
p
provement System the overarching priority should be given tosupporting improvement for allacross multiple dimensions and through an ecosystem of supportIn thoseinstances when general support efforts do not yield results focused and intensive supports should be
38
Table 7 Tiered Support System Tier Type of Support
Improvement
Shared LearningLEAs
and for All
The indicat ors should help recognize successidentify the strengths of LEAs andschools and therefore should serve as a means to identify (and self-identify )whic h LEAs and schools are well-positioned to share their successful practiceswit h others throug h formal and informal improvemen t effort s across school s and
39 LEAs The SSPICDE CCEE and county offices of education should also developtools and supports that will be available to all LEAs and schools (LCAP planningsupports vetted best practi ces etc)
Focused Im rovement
Supp
p
ort
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboardindicat ors to identify schools and LEAs in need of focuse d intervention and th e
areas in which improvemen t support s are needed
of
IntensiveImprovement Support
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboard ofdicat ors to identify LEAs and schools that need more comprehensive andin
int ensive support s to make major improvements in performance andor growthResults on selected measures should not only help to identify where intensivesupports are needed but what other similar LEAs might be best positioned toprovide them
37 Differentiated levels of support could be used across LEAs and schools based on need similar to the ldquoResponse To Interventionrdquomodel which provides varying levels and intensities of support and intervention based on student needs
38 Table 7 describes the tiers and types of supportinterventiona vailable from state-levele ntities The Task Force recognizes thecritical rolest hat will be played by multiple kindso f stakeholdersi n the full ecosystem of support including researchers nonprofitorganizations institutions of higher education philanthropy coalitions etc39 Examples of formal and informal improvement efforts include statewide and regional LCFFLCAP Conferences LCAP SupportTeamsCalifornia Labor Management Initiative events etc
Page 21 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
STATE SYSTEM INDICATORS
Table 6 Proposed State System Indicators
State Priority Key Indicator Performance Equity Improvement
Success for students withhigher needs in the stateas a whole on each of theSuccess for state as a Annual state gains rate of gap closurestate-required and state-Pupi l Achievement Aggregated Schoo l and whole on th e state-reported indicat ors Rate o f gai ns for students wit h high erand Engagement Distric t Indicators required and state-
needs reported indicat ors
Perf andoppor
ormancetunity gap closure
Awards for schools and Annual state gainsrate of gap closureNumber of schools
Pupi l Achievement LEAs serving high Rate o f gai ns ( number receiving awards)Californi a Awards applying forreceivingand Engagement numbers of higher-needs for sch ools serving high numb ers ofawards
students higher-needs students
Promulgation o fexemplars andomisingbestpr
practices and brokering Effecti veness of supportsof these and other to schools and districtsresources including especially those serving
Support for LCAP Support Systems Growth in service and capacity (360ordmtechnical assistance to high numb ers of st udentsDevelopmen t and Indicators (CDE CCEE revi ews)
districts wit h higher needsImplementation COEs)
Effecti veness of supports to schools and districts Equity and adequacy ofespecially those serving resource distributionhigh numb ers ofstudents wit h high erneeds
Page 19 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 20 of 41
WhiletheindicatorsandtoolsproposedbytheTaskForceformeasuringperformanceequityand
improvementatalllevelsofthesystemarenotperfectwehopetoidentifywhatindicatorsandtoolsare
workingovertimeanddevelopandrefinethesetoolsandmeasuressothattheymoreaccuratelyreflectthe
performanceequityandimprovementofthesystemAdditionallytheTaskForcerecommendsthatthe
stateengageinongoingformalevaluationworktomeasuretheefficacyofsupportsidentifybestand
promisingpracticesandinformcontinuousimprovementofthesystemTheonlywaytoensurethat
schoolsanddistrictsarecontinuouslyimprovingistoestablishacontinuousimprovementframeforthe
systemitselfwemustcommittoreflectiveandongoingassessmentofhowwellthesystemisworkingand
tomakingcoursecorrectionsandupdatesasneededtobetterserveCaliforniarsquosstudentsandstakeholders
4 CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTCaliforniarecognizesthattheaccountability
frameworkdescribedaboveisonlyhelpfulto
theextentthatitisintegrallytiedtoasystem
ofcontinuousimprovementandsupport
alignedwiththeCaliforniaWayandtheldquoright
driversrdquodescribedinSection233Continuous
improvementisthekeytoensuringthat
Californiarsquoseducationsystemrealizesitsvision
forallstudents34
DEFINITIONOFCONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
TheTaskForceoffersthefollowingdefinition
ofcontinuousimprovement
ContinuousImprovementAcontinuouslyimprovingeducationsystemisonethatlearns
fromexperiencebycarefullymeasuringthe
effectivenessofdifferentpoliciesandpracticessupportingtheintrinsicmotivationofeducatorsand
stakeholderssharingbestandpromisingpracticescultivatingacultureofreflectionandlearning
encouraginginnovationandmakingchangesbasedonlearning35
BUILDINGTHECONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSUPPORTSYSTEM
Bylookingatmeasuresofperformanceequityandimprovementillustratedthrougheasy-to-usepublic
dashboardsLEAswillbeabletoself-identifytheirstrengthsandweaknesseswheresupportisneeded
andwhoisabletoprovideit36Thiswillallowforthedevelopmentofasystemofdifferentiated
improvementsupportsthatrecognizessuccessandsharesbestandpromisingpracticesamongallLEAsin
thestateTheSuperintendentofPublicInstruction(SSPI)CaliforniaofEducation(CDE)theCalifornia
CollaborativeforEducationalExcellence(CCEE)andcountysuperintendentsshouldalsousethese
measurestoidentifyandreferLEAsandschoolsforfocusedandintensiveimprovementsupportas
33Blueprint20PlanningTeam(2015)
34Continuousimprovementlikereciprocalaccountabilityissomethingthateachlevelofthesystemisresponsiblefor
35AdaptedfromLoebSandPlankD(2008)LearningWhatWorksContinuousImprovementinCaliforniarsquosEducationSystemPolicyBrief08-4RetrievedonMarch162016fromhttpcepastanfordedusitesdefaultfilesLearning20Briefpdf
36Forexampleselectingoneindicatorinthedashboardmightleadtoapagewithmoredetailthatcouldincludeavarietyof
resourcesforimprovement(informationalresourcesbestpracticesinformationonhowtoself-refertoCCEEalistofTA
providersandoralistoflocaldistrictsorschoolsthathaveachievedsignificantimprovementinthatindicator)
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
described The Task Force recognizes thats ignificantc apacity building mustta ke place ata ll levelsof the system and especiallyf or countyof fices of education in order to take on the provision of tieredsu port summarized below To be effective work at the county office level should include teacherre
Just as modern health systems em hasize well-being and preventiono f illness inC aliforniarsquosAccountability and Continuous Im
utilized Table 7 below describes the proposed levels of support for schools and districts
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
below37
p
presentatives
THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT ALL FOCUSED INTENSIVE
p
provement System the overarching priority should be given tosupporting improvement for allacross multiple dimensions and through an ecosystem of supportIn thoseinstances when general support efforts do not yield results focused and intensive supports should be
38
Table 7 Tiered Support System Tier Type of Support
Improvement
Shared LearningLEAs
and for All
The indicat ors should help recognize successidentify the strengths of LEAs andschools and therefore should serve as a means to identify (and self-identify )whic h LEAs and schools are well-positioned to share their successful practiceswit h others throug h formal and informal improvemen t effort s across school s and
39 LEAs The SSPICDE CCEE and county offices of education should also developtools and supports that will be available to all LEAs and schools (LCAP planningsupports vetted best practi ces etc)
Focused Im rovement
Supp
p
ort
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboardindicat ors to identify schools and LEAs in need of focuse d intervention and th e
areas in which improvemen t support s are needed
of
IntensiveImprovement Support
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboard ofdicat ors to identify LEAs and schools that need more comprehensive andin
int ensive support s to make major improvements in performance andor growthResults on selected measures should not only help to identify where intensivesupports are needed but what other similar LEAs might be best positioned toprovide them
37 Differentiated levels of support could be used across LEAs and schools based on need similar to the ldquoResponse To Interventionrdquomodel which provides varying levels and intensities of support and intervention based on student needs
38 Table 7 describes the tiers and types of supportinterventiona vailable from state-levele ntities The Task Force recognizes thecritical rolest hat will be played by multiple kindso f stakeholdersi n the full ecosystem of support including researchers nonprofitorganizations institutions of higher education philanthropy coalitions etc39 Examples of formal and informal improvement efforts include statewide and regional LCFFLCAP Conferences LCAP SupportTeamsCalifornia Labor Management Initiative events etc
Page 21 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
Page 20 of 41
WhiletheindicatorsandtoolsproposedbytheTaskForceformeasuringperformanceequityand
improvementatalllevelsofthesystemarenotperfectwehopetoidentifywhatindicatorsandtoolsare
workingovertimeanddevelopandrefinethesetoolsandmeasuressothattheymoreaccuratelyreflectthe
performanceequityandimprovementofthesystemAdditionallytheTaskForcerecommendsthatthe
stateengageinongoingformalevaluationworktomeasuretheefficacyofsupportsidentifybestand
promisingpracticesandinformcontinuousimprovementofthesystemTheonlywaytoensurethat
schoolsanddistrictsarecontinuouslyimprovingistoestablishacontinuousimprovementframeforthe
systemitselfwemustcommittoreflectiveandongoingassessmentofhowwellthesystemisworkingand
tomakingcoursecorrectionsandupdatesasneededtobetterserveCaliforniarsquosstudentsandstakeholders
4 CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTCaliforniarecognizesthattheaccountability
frameworkdescribedaboveisonlyhelpfulto
theextentthatitisintegrallytiedtoasystem
ofcontinuousimprovementandsupport
alignedwiththeCaliforniaWayandtheldquoright
driversrdquodescribedinSection233Continuous
improvementisthekeytoensuringthat
Californiarsquoseducationsystemrealizesitsvision
forallstudents34
DEFINITIONOFCONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
TheTaskForceoffersthefollowingdefinition
ofcontinuousimprovement
ContinuousImprovementAcontinuouslyimprovingeducationsystemisonethatlearns
fromexperiencebycarefullymeasuringthe
effectivenessofdifferentpoliciesandpracticessupportingtheintrinsicmotivationofeducatorsand
stakeholderssharingbestandpromisingpracticescultivatingacultureofreflectionandlearning
encouraginginnovationandmakingchangesbasedonlearning35
BUILDINGTHECONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENTSUPPORTSYSTEM
Bylookingatmeasuresofperformanceequityandimprovementillustratedthrougheasy-to-usepublic
dashboardsLEAswillbeabletoself-identifytheirstrengthsandweaknesseswheresupportisneeded
andwhoisabletoprovideit36Thiswillallowforthedevelopmentofasystemofdifferentiated
improvementsupportsthatrecognizessuccessandsharesbestandpromisingpracticesamongallLEAsin
thestateTheSuperintendentofPublicInstruction(SSPI)CaliforniaofEducation(CDE)theCalifornia
CollaborativeforEducationalExcellence(CCEE)andcountysuperintendentsshouldalsousethese
measurestoidentifyandreferLEAsandschoolsforfocusedandintensiveimprovementsupportas
33Blueprint20PlanningTeam(2015)
34Continuousimprovementlikereciprocalaccountabilityissomethingthateachlevelofthesystemisresponsiblefor
35AdaptedfromLoebSandPlankD(2008)LearningWhatWorksContinuousImprovementinCaliforniarsquosEducationSystemPolicyBrief08-4RetrievedonMarch162016fromhttpcepastanfordedusitesdefaultfilesLearning20Briefpdf
36Forexampleselectingoneindicatorinthedashboardmightleadtoapagewithmoredetailthatcouldincludeavarietyof
resourcesforimprovement(informationalresourcesbestpracticesinformationonhowtoself-refertoCCEEalistofTA
providersandoralistoflocaldistrictsorschoolsthathaveachievedsignificantimprovementinthatindicator)
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right Drivers
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Scho
ols
and
Dist
ricts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
ROLES
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
U
S E
D
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
described The Task Force recognizes thats ignificantc apacity building mustta ke place ata ll levelsof the system and especiallyf or countyof fices of education in order to take on the provision of tieredsu port summarized below To be effective work at the county office level should include teacherre
Just as modern health systems em hasize well-being and preventiono f illness inC aliforniarsquosAccountability and Continuous Im
utilized Table 7 below describes the proposed levels of support for schools and districts
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
below37
p
presentatives
THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT ALL FOCUSED INTENSIVE
p
provement System the overarching priority should be given tosupporting improvement for allacross multiple dimensions and through an ecosystem of supportIn thoseinstances when general support efforts do not yield results focused and intensive supports should be
38
Table 7 Tiered Support System Tier Type of Support
Improvement
Shared LearningLEAs
and for All
The indicat ors should help recognize successidentify the strengths of LEAs andschools and therefore should serve as a means to identify (and self-identify )whic h LEAs and schools are well-positioned to share their successful practiceswit h others throug h formal and informal improvemen t effort s across school s and
39 LEAs The SSPICDE CCEE and county offices of education should also developtools and supports that will be available to all LEAs and schools (LCAP planningsupports vetted best practi ces etc)
Focused Im rovement
Supp
p
ort
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboardindicat ors to identify schools and LEAs in need of focuse d intervention and th e
areas in which improvemen t support s are needed
of
IntensiveImprovement Support
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboard ofdicat ors to identify LEAs and schools that need more comprehensive andin
int ensive support s to make major improvements in performance andor growthResults on selected measures should not only help to identify where intensivesupports are needed but what other similar LEAs might be best positioned toprovide them
37 Differentiated levels of support could be used across LEAs and schools based on need similar to the ldquoResponse To Interventionrdquomodel which provides varying levels and intensities of support and intervention based on student needs
38 Table 7 describes the tiers and types of supportinterventiona vailable from state-levele ntities The Task Force recognizes thecritical rolest hat will be played by multiple kindso f stakeholdersi n the full ecosystem of support including researchers nonprofitorganizations institutions of higher education philanthropy coalitions etc39 Examples of formal and informal improvement efforts include statewide and regional LCFFLCAP Conferences LCAP SupportTeamsCalifornia Labor Management Initiative events etc
Page 21 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
described The Task Force recognizes thats ignificantc apacity building mustta ke place ata ll levelsof the system and especiallyf or countyof fices of education in order to take on the provision of tieredsu port summarized below To be effective work at the county office level should include teacherre
Just as modern health systems em hasize well-being and preventiono f illness inC aliforniarsquosAccountability and Continuous Im
utilized Table 7 below describes the proposed levels of support for schools and districts
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
below37
p
presentatives
THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT ALL FOCUSED INTENSIVE
p
provement System the overarching priority should be given tosupporting improvement for allacross multiple dimensions and through an ecosystem of supportIn thoseinstances when general support efforts do not yield results focused and intensive supports should be
38
Table 7 Tiered Support System Tier Type of Support
Improvement
Shared LearningLEAs
and for All
The indicat ors should help recognize successidentify the strengths of LEAs andschools and therefore should serve as a means to identify (and self-identify )whic h LEAs and schools are well-positioned to share their successful practiceswit h others throug h formal and informal improvemen t effort s across school s and
39 LEAs The SSPICDE CCEE and county offices of education should also developtools and supports that will be available to all LEAs and schools (LCAP planningsupports vetted best practi ces etc)
Focused Im rovement
Supp
p
ort
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboardindicat ors to identify schools and LEAs in need of focuse d intervention and th e
areas in which improvemen t support s are needed
of
IntensiveImprovement Support
The SSPICDE CCEE and county offi ces of education should use the dashboard ofdicat ors to identify LEAs and schools that need more comprehensive andin
int ensive support s to make major improvements in performance andor growthResults on selected measures should not only help to identify where intensivesupports are needed but what other similar LEAs might be best positioned toprovide them
37 Differentiated levels of support could be used across LEAs and schools based on need similar to the ldquoResponse To Interventionrdquomodel which provides varying levels and intensities of support and intervention based on student needs
38 Table 7 describes the tiers and types of supportinterventiona vailable from state-levele ntities The Task Force recognizes thecritical rolest hat will be played by multiple kindso f stakeholdersi n the full ecosystem of support including researchers nonprofitorganizations institutions of higher education philanthropy coalitions etc39 Examples of formal and informal improvement efforts include statewide and regional LCFFLCAP Conferences LCAP SupportTeamsCalifornia Labor Management Initiative events etc
Page 21 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
USING EACHS ET OF INDICATORS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 8 shows how each indicator set should beu tilized to inform and prompt continuous improvement supports appropriatef or each level anddimensionof the systemand Table 9 provides ano utline of initial continuous improvement activities
Table 8 Proposed Indicators by Set and Continuous Improvement Use
Indicator Set Primary Continuous Improvement Supporter
(Working in collaboration with school board members teachers classified staff other school staff local bargaini ng units parents and caregiversand students)
principals administrators
State-Required Californi a Department of Education (CDE) California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
State-Reported CDE CCEE County Offices of Education (COEs)
State-SupportedLocally-Reported
CDE CCEE COEs
Locally Designed and Reported COEs District s
State System State Board of Education (SBE)Legislat ure
Tiers How elevate equity What
All Build statewide systems of supports and capacity to
promote continuous improvement across all
schools and districts
Providing a full system of supports can help connect the statersquosAccountabilit y an d Continuous Improvement System more fully toresources for evidence-basedimprovemen t an d can hel p add ress achievement gaps across the state includ ing with in schools across schools and across district s
School and district systems for annua l planning for continuous improvement bull Integrate data analyses and school diagnostic quality reviews to helpdetermine root causes and identify resource an d capacity issues
bull Support the developmentinclusion of evidence-based school qualityreview processes as part o f the LCAP process andor through reform of the accreditation systems
bull Developmen t of supportive and integrative planning t ools (LCAP LEA Plan SPSA SSIP ndash see Section 5)
Table 9 Key Elements of Californiarsquos Continuous Improvement System of Support
Page 22 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Table 9 Key Elements of Ca
Tiers
liforniarsquos Continuous Improvement S
How elevate equity
ystem of Support
What
District and school recognition systems
County office support for district planning and implementation (andcapacity building for COEs to effectively provide this support)
Best practice identification and implementation support
Statewide online resource exchange systems
Professional learning community and peer networking support systems(including Labor-Management Collaboration)
Capacity building for data management utilization and integration
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Voluntary district technical assistance (TA) and supports
Focused Identify schools in which student groups consistently demonstrate need for focused support and improvement
Focused supports for schools withconsistently underperformingstudent groups should providethese schools with the necessarysupports to elevate erformanceand close gaps in op
pportunity and
achievement
Identification of focused support providers
County office technical assistance
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Referrals to LEASchool TA and supports
Intensive Ensure significant sustained evidence-based interventions in priority LEAs and schools
Focusing on both the highest-needschools and highest-need studentgroups can directly affect equity byclosing gaps in opportunity andachievement
Identify a group of highest-need districts and schools for intensivesupport and improvement
Identification of intensive support providers
Mandatory LEAschool TA and supports that build LEAschool capacity tosustain improvement over time
Shared findings from researchdevelopmentvetting of professionallearning and support systems
Page 23 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
Itw ill be critical to build in checkpoints for revisiting the indicators and supports ystems outlined in this reportto ensure not only thatth e state isusing the appropriate measures and methods to supports uccess in performance and equitybut also to determine the extentto which the state issupporting those in need of assistance andorc apacity building The indicators inTa ble 6 are as tartingp oint for measuringh ow the system isperforming and improving The LCFF evaluationr ubricscurrently under development by the SBE should be af oundational tool for this systemThe prototype LCFFe valuation rubrics focus on outcome andi mprovement as dual dimensions of performance withan emphasis on equitythrough student group performance40 The LCFF evaluation rubrics prototype design includes the following three components
1 A dataan alysist ool that displaysL EA- and school-levelp erformance (outcome and improvement) on state-leveli ndicatorsdisaggregatedt ot he student group level andt hat supports the display of local data
2 Statements of model practices that describe research-supported practices relevant to various indicators and 3 References or links to external practice guides digital resource libraries and other resources aligned to the statements of model
practice andor specific indicators
The LCFF evaluationr ubrics could be utilized to support and build district and school capacity by analyzing and displaying at the LEA studentgroup and school site levels state-available dataw ithin the LCFFp riorities and alsoal lowing LEAs top opulate some locallyhe lddat ai ntoa multiple measures dashboardAdditionally the rubrics will support LEAsa nd schoolsi n using the performance data to identify strengths andareas for improvement in their current practices and services relative to the statementso f model practicesa nd in connecting LEAs to additionalsupport resources41 The CCEE working with its collaborative partners should take the lead in creating a framework for determining whether thesystem is driving performance equity and improvement
40 httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item02doc (Terminology) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item03doc (Architecture) httpwwwcdecagovbepnimdocumentsmemo-sbe-feb16item04doc (Graduation Rate Analysis)41 This could include more detailed practice guides or resources libraries information on how to self-referto CCEE a listo f TA providers andora listo f local districtso rs choolsthat have achieved significant improvement in that area
Page 24 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASKFORCEONACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
5 IMPLEMENTINGTHENEWSYSTEMTODRIVEIMPROVEMENTAND
TheTaskForceunderstandsthatthesuccessofthisproposednewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemdependsonthequalityofitsimplementationandoffersrecommendationsforthefollowingkeyimplementationareas
bull RoleswithinthenewAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystembull Toolsfortransparencyandcommunicationbull Processesforrecognizingsuccessandimprovementandbull Alignedandsimplifiedplansforaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovement
ROLES
CaliforniarsquosAccountabilityandContinuousImprovementSystemmustincludeclearlydefinedrolesforlocalregionalstateandfederalstakeholdersRelationshipsbetweeneachoftheseactorsshouldbuildontheconceptsofreciprocityandsubsidiaritysothateachlevelofthesystemisheldresponsibleforthecontributionsitmustmaketosupportlearninganddevelopmentforeverychildThisrequiresanecosystemofengagedactorsthatmovesawayfromthetraditionaltop-downroleofthefederalandstateeducationalagenciesStrongcollaborativelabor-managementrelationshipswithineachlevelofthesystemcreatetheessentialconditionsforsuccessAdditionallyitwillbecriticaltoincreasecapacityatalllevelsofthesystemtofulfilltherolesandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelow
State and Federal Policy Context
Stakeholders and Communities
Improvement and Shared Learning for All Districts and Schools
Focused Improvement Support
Intensive Improvement Support
School and District Indicators Conditions and Outcomes for Equity ( ) and
Performance ( )
Equitable Learning Conditions
School and District Whole Child Outcomes
School and District Academic Outcomes
DisaggregatedAggregated DisaggregatedAggregateddagger dagger
Improvement Indicators Improvement Indicators
dagger
Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Cycle of Continuous Improvem
ent
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Guiding Principles
Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System Vision
The California Way and the Right DriversSc
hool
s an
d D
istric
ts
CDE
CO
Es
CCEE
Stak
ehol
ders
and
Com
mun
ities
SBE
Leg
islat
ure
US
ED
ROLES
REGIONALANDLOCAL
Schoolsshould
bull Ensurethatallstudentsareprovidedwithmeaningfulopportunitiestolearnbull Managespendingandhiringappropriatelyandmakeinstructionaldecisionsbull Implementinstructionalimprovementstrategiesandmarshalthefinancialandprofessionalcapital
requiredtoimplementthesestrategiesandimprovestudentoutcomesbull Engagestudentsparentsandcaregiverseducatorsandotherstakeholdersinschool-level
planningandsupportandbull Fostercollaborationbetweenlaborandmanagementtoimprovecapacityforproblemsolving
communicationandimplementationofnewinitiatives
Schoolboardsanddistrictsshould
bull Providestrongleadershipforthedevelopmentandimplementationofeffectivelocalaccountabilityandcontinuousimprovementplans
Page 25 of 41
COMMUNICATEABOUTEQUITYANDPERFORMANCE
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
bull Help schools find ther esources and support theyn eed to improve( including supplementaryservicesp rovided by health and social servicesage ncies)
bull Allocate resources from local state and federal sourcesbull Improve the individual and collective capacities of teachers classified staff and school leadersbull Engage relevant stakeholders to help make informed decisions on behalf of eachc ommunityrsquos
linguistic cultural and academic contextbull Work with local and count early learning systems to increase access to and quality of
developmentally culturallyy andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities tob uilda
strong foundationf or later success from the earliest possible momentbull Work to eliminate access opportunity and achievement gapsbull Enhance collaborative relationships betweenl abor and management ino rder to improve decision-
making processes and ultimately improve student learningbull Adopt policies that can influence equity efforts student achievement and resource allocationand bull Encourage school board members to seek professional development that strengthens their
knowledge ands kills aroundt he various aspects of their governancer esponsibilities including forexample collectiveb argaining student achievement LCAPs etc
County offices ofe ducation should
bull Become experts in the process of continuous improvement and support their school districts inimplementing proven strategies to improves tudent success ndash build and strengthenl ocal andregional professional learning communitiesa nd networks
bull Su port the development and implementation of effective local accountability and continuousimpprovement plans
bull Provide consistent technical assistance to districts in need of more focused and intensiveimprovement support
bull Provide feedback to the state on what is and is not working as a means to continuously improvethe system itself
bull Support districts toco llaborate in local and county early learning systems to support systemalignment articulation shared learning and qualityi mprovement efforts and increase access tohighqu ality and developmentally culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learningop ortunities and
bull Suppport labor-management collaboration as part of the continuous improvement process
STATE
The success of Californiarsquos Accountability and Continuous Improvement System will of necessity hingeupont he ability of diverse stakeholders at allle vels oft he system to collaborate effectively It is and willb eac hallengingan d ongoingt ask tom ake the shift ton ew ways of holdinge ach other accountable andsupporting system-wide improvement
To address system-wide needs there are many support efforts and activities taking place in Californiasupported by a variety of entitiesi ncluding state associations nonprofits institutions ofhi gher educationand philanthropy However the state has ap rimaryr esponsibilityt oc oordinate these efforts understandhow they are collectively addressing implementationne eds across the state identify gaps int he systems ofsupport and ensure the development of resourcesa nd supportsm ost needed in the field
The state also works to ensure that all districts schools and students are beings erved and supportedespeciallyt hosei n our most struggling communities Thes tatem ust ber esponsiblef or clear and consistentcommunication about all elements of the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System includingkey milestones tools andr esources opportunities for collaborationa nds haredl earning best andpromising practices and innovative ideas
Page 26 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The primary entities that represent ldquothe staterdquo ndash the State Superintendento f Public Instruction (SPI)CDEthe State Board of Education (SBE)the County Superintendentsand the California Collaborative forEducational Excellence (CCEE) ndash must be in alignment in their messages to the field and work in a deeplycollaborative wa to avoid duplication of effortavoid confusing or conflicting messagesand enable astrong and highl
yy leveraged coordinated approach to supporting implementation of the Accountability and
Continuous Improvement System
The SBE will provide policy direction for this work The CDE County Offices of Educationand the CCEEwill be primarily responsible for state-leveli mplementationStrong and effective collaborative tiesbetweent hese three fundamental statewide players will be essential for success as will their ability toeffectivelyd raw in other local regional and statewideen tities
The state must ensure that the Accountability and Continuous Improvement System is true to its name byintentionally reviewing how the system itselfis working and finding ways to continuously improve thesystem to betterse rve all of itsst akeholders Thiswi ll require communication and outreach acrossa lllevels oft he system and creating a growth mindset among the statersquos primary entities
Additionally the state should
bull Provide adequate ande quitable funding andr esourcesbull Establish meaningful policies and standardsbull Set clear expectations for performance equity and improvementbull Intervene if a school or district fails tos how improvement across multiple student groupsi nt hree
42out of four consecutive yearsbull Utilize the California School Recognition Program to highlight and promote achievement and
improvement in academic performance and programs and policies that support the physical socialand emotional health needs of students
bull Establish and develop an ecosystem of peer learning and support by recognizing and identif inareas n w c schools and LEAs are excelling and can provide support to others and identif
yyingg
areas iin w
hhiichh they require assistance
bull Support the elimination of gaps in access achievement and opportunityb etween student groupsthrough establishing key accountability indicators providing resources and professional learningand eliminatingp ractices and policies that allow disparities top ersist
bull Support LEAs in collaboratingac ross the K-12a ndE arly Learning Systems tos upport increasedaccess toan d qualityi mprovement efforts for high quality and developmentally culturally andlinguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
bull Facilitate shared learning across multiple domains and platforms by providing professionaldevelopment investing in data systems and making essential data available
bull Build the capacity of schools districts county offices of education and state agencies to engage incontinuous improvement in partnership with technical assistance providers institutions of highereducation and philanthropic foundations
bull Establish the conditions for and support effective labor-management collaborationbull Support an accessible online resource exchange of tools andr esources tob e sharedac ross systems
thati ncludes standardized surveys reporting tools data and vetted promising practicesbull Work together to foster and support continuous improvement in the performance of districts and bull Cultivate andpr actice continuous improvement at the state levelt hrough ongoing assessment to
ensuret hes ystem makes progress towards the desired results and commits to making coursecorrections as needed
42 CaliforniaD epartment of Education (2016) Local Control Funding Formula OverviewRetrieved on March 14 2016 fromhttpwwwcdecagovfgaalclcffoverviewasp
Page 27 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
FEDERAL
The federal government and especially the United States Department ofE ducation should bull Ensure transparency of results across states and their districts and schools including inpa rticular
the outcomes of students who are poor from minority populations or have special needsbull Su ort the development of interstate professional learning communities and networksbull Su
pppport investment in high-quality state longitudinal data systems
bull Provide adequate funding andr esourcesbull Support the elimination of opportunity and achievement gaps and bull Foster innovation43
CALIFORNIArsquoS STAKEHOLDERSA ND COMMUNITIES
One of Californiarsquos greatest assets is its large base of supportive and committed stakeholders This baseincludes an array ofg roups and individuals who care about the success ofo ur public schools Rangingf romadvocates professional organizations unions institutions of higher education philanthropic organizationsparent groups students community voicesbusiness organizationsand beyondThese individuals andtheir organizations believeever yC alifornia student should havea ccess to an excellent education Thiscoalition of supportive stakeholders contributes to the success of Californiarsquos education system writ largebut will also be instrumental int he successful communicationa bout transition to and implementation ofCaliforniarsquos new Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement System These actors will also play a key rolein the development ofl ocal solutions for improving student learning Itw ill be importantth atth eAccountability and Continuous Improvement System is transparent and approachable allowingal lstakeholderg roupsto engagei n thes ystem
USINGADASHBOARDFORTRANSPARENTACCOUNTABILITY ANDTOIN FORMIMPROVEMENTEFFORTS
As indicated by our guidingp rinciples the system hasa n obligation to provide useful information thathelps parents and caregiversdistrictsschoolscounty offices of educationand policymakers makeimportant decisionsThis information also serves as a tool to supportd eeper inquiry into root causes andareas for capacityb uilding as am eans of continuous improvementTo achieve this the Task Forcerecommendsa dashboard approach providing easy-to-understand reports inr elationt o both outcomesand improvement
To provide informationa nd track progress where applicablethe data for each school or district should bereported by each individual indicator These results canbe translated into descriptions of performancestatus( eg veryh igh high intermediate low or veryl ow) as well as improvement (eg improvedsignificantly improved maintained declined ord eclined significantly) This will allow the public as wellas local county state and federala gencies to see how schools and districts are progressing
There are a number of ways that the multiple measures of the system can be displayed The SBE and CDEshould consider the models included below
Like the reportings ystem in Alberta Canada( see Figure 3 below) this dashboard approach canbe used toguide planningan d improvement decisions Further diagnosis and assistance can be focused on the areas ofneedr epresentedby these indicators
43 Darling-Hammond L and Hill PT (2015) Accountability and the Federal Role A Third Way on ESEA Stanford Center forOpportunity Policy in Education and Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington Bothell Retrieved onDecember 20 2015 from httpfilesericedgovfulltextED556473pdf
Page 28 of 41
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
Figure 3
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One way to recognize school and district successes and needs for support and intervention is byu singa scatterplot that reflectsp erformance and improvement simultaneously as in Figure 4 on the following page Each circle represents a separate school or district with the size of the circle reflecting enrollmentthe location on the scatterplotr epresents performance on the x-axis and improvement on the y-axis
This information presented int his way allows for schools or districts to see themselves inr elationt oothers andi n relation toa s tandard This data canb e further disaggregatedb y student grouppermitting aschool ord istrict to see performance and improvement in relation to how they have served a particularstudent population In the lowerl eft hand quadrant schoolso rd istrictst hat are both low-performing and not improving couldbe identifiedf or intensive interventiona nds upport The color-coding in Figure 4below indicates regionso f the graph that correspond to a rating of Excellent (blue) Good (green) Emerging (yellow) Issue (orange) or Concern (red) These regions of the graph varyb ased on the individual indicator being examined There may be bothb aseline standards andp erformance targets for ani ndicatorand its improvement thats hould inform these regions Int he example below baseline standards are 75 for the indicator and 0 for indicator improvement and performance targets are 90 for the indicator and 2for indicator improvement
Page 29 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
10060 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
16
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Y A
xis
Impr
ovem
ent i
n In
dica
tor X
Indicator X (Performance)
Figure 4
X Axis
Ac ritical point is that schools and districts in a continuous improvement cyclec an identifyan y areas in which they wantto improve and ideally access state resources and reach outto schoolsdistricts thathave experienceds uccess in those areas to help them improve Californiarsquos system would produce this datafor identified indicators such as graduation ratesa ssessments ofE LA math English learner proficiency gains student completion of college and career readyc urriculum attendance and chronic absenteeismsuspensionsa nd expulsions The data could help schoolsa nd districts identify areas for focus identifyothers makings tronggai ns andal low the state tor ecognize ands tudys uccessful efforts tos hare new knowledge witho thers
RECOGNITION
As outlined in the Task Forcersquos vision for the proposedn ew Accountability and Continuous ImprovementSystem the new system must identify andr ecognize districts schools andc lassrooms that can serve as models and those that need supportto create an environment in which we can learn from each othercollaborate and improvet ogether As such it is critical to recognizerewardand highlight success in eachof the areas that matter most performance equity andi mprovement
The California School Recognitionpr ogram has long beena part of recognizing excellence inpubl iceducation across California Formerlyen titled California Distinguished Schools and now known as Gold
Page 30 of 41
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
Table 10 California Performance Equity and Improvement Recognition
Recognition (Sample Award Names for Criteria
illustrative purposes )
Summit eer Award for Elevation Gain Outstanding perf ormance improvemen t
The Mt Whitney Award Outstanding perf ormance
The Mt Muir Award Outstanding equity
Exceptiona l service and support to other LEAs The Mt Shast a Award
schools
Outstanding improvemen t in eliminating achievemen tThe Mt Baldy Award
gaps across student groups
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ribbon Schools it has relied on the statersquos accountability system to determine schools thata re eligible forrecognition
Previously CaliforniaD istinguished Schools used am inimum API toq ualifyan d each year schools submitted applicationsa fterm eeting the threshold Since the suspension of the API CDE hasc reated GoldRibbon Schools to recognize excellence in academic achievement as well as exemplary programs in thearts nutrition and physical fitness Schools submit applications that are scored based on ar ubric Those thata re successful on the scoring rubric receive a site visitb y county representatives for verification andares ubsequentlyr ecognized in Mayo f each year
The proposed new system offers a chance to holistically integrate the recognitionpr ogram into theldquoCalifornia Wayrdquondash with its focus on performance and continuous improvement In order to be effective afullr edesign oft he recognition program must be based on aligned with and part oft he new Accountabilityand Continuous Improvement System
The School Recognition Program must reflect ourn ew systemrsquosc ommitment to equity and the whole childKnowing that schoolsw orking towardsg oalsw ill not alwaysre ach the highest outcome levelsi mmediatelyschoolssh ould be recognized forb oth outcomesa nd improvement Especially in the early yearso fimprovement schools and districts shouldb e recognizedf or improvements in targeted priorities and used as models for others even though theym ayn ot have fullyar rived at all of the highesto utcome levels Inthis recognition system emphasis should be placed onlo cals olutions thata ddress targeted priorities inlocalc ontexts
Different levels of recognition should result from a variety of factorsi ncluding sharing of best practices For example schools that havet heh ighest levels of performancein all indicators and across all groups of students would receive theh ighest award and would ber ecognized not just for performanceb ut for equitya mong student group populations Schools that make significant gains where needed would also be eligiblef or recognition even if theyh aveyet to meet a specific performance threshold Schools would also be eligible for recognitioni ns pecific areas of accountability or areas of unique importance to student successt hat are not included in the accountability system but are known to contribute to improvedacademic outcomes
The new School Recognition Program should alsoe xpand on the measures included in the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement System and mays erveas proof of concept for locally-developedm easures or other indicators being exploredas the system itself undergoes a continuous improvement process (eg additional indicators of school climate and culture health and physical fitnessfamily engagement and other measures of commitment to the whole child)
Page 31 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
By explicitly including the California School Recognition Program in thedevelopment of the new Accountability and Continuous Improvement Systemwe will make progress towards an aligned and coherent systemt hat bothidentifies areas ofn eed and recognizes areas ofe xcellence The proposedrecognitionso utlined by Table 10 needno t be mutually exclusive mdash as choolor district might receive multiple awards at the same time Recognized schoolscould be awarded a benchmark award modeled on the USGS benchmarks sothato thers mightu se their achievementa s a bearing for their own growth
PLANNINGFORACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT ndash UNIFICATIONINTEGRATIONAND SIMPLIFICATION
California has made great strides in providing local stakeholders witht he autonomy they needt om akedecisions onhow best to support theirst udentsand trusting them to do itTodayschoolsLEAsand theCalifornia Department of Education are confrontedb y multiple overlapping ands ometimes conflictingplanning requirements which are oftend irected at the same students educators and schools The creationof Californiarsquos new Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System andt he recent adoption at thefederalle velo ft he Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provide California with the opportunity to realizeone of its guidingp rinciples promote system-wide integration and innovationThis will be done byunifying integrating and simplifying these systems to achieve greater efficiency and focus andauthenticallyen gaging multiple constituencies In addition while progress has been made implementingthe Local Control Funding Formula and the associated Local Control and Accountability Plan significantwork remains to be done to create better planning tools and greater capacity to develop and implementstrong plans
TODAY
Currently both at the state and local levels there are avar ietyof planningp rocesses addressingb oth stateand federal priorities that are onlyoc casionallyi ntegrated or alignedFigure 5 illustrates the mostprominent of these current planning elements althought here are additional requireds tate andf ederalans While all of these plans serve important purposes they are oftend eveloped ini solationf rom each
other Witht he implementation of LCFF the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as chool-levelpl
plan is oftenv iewed as a compliance exercise and not as a vibrant school-levelp lanning activity Thedevelopment of the Local EducationA gency Plan( LEAP) is requiredu nder federal law (ESSA) for districtsbut covers many of the same domainspriorities as thes tateo f Californiarsquos required LCAP ESSA alsorequiresst atest o develop ESSA State Plans California is currently in the initial stages of beginning workon this plan which will also be framed by the statersquos ongoing work implementing the Local Control FundingFormula The SPI and CDE have been implementing a school recognition program California GoldR ibbonSchools as an interim method for recognizings chool success until Californiarsquos new Accountability andContinuous Improvement System is fully adopted The Gold Ribbon Schools program requires a separateapplicationproposal from schools
Page 32 of 41
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LCFF Evaluation
Rubrics (Under Development)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan (To Be Developed)
California School Recognition Program
Figure 5
THEF UTUREI NTEGRATIONP ATHWAY
The continued implementation oft he Local Control Funding Formula the passage of ESSAand the creationof an ew Accountability and Continuous Improvement System provide the opportunity to alignma jor stateand federal processeswith a primary emphasis on key locala nd state agency plans required under federallawThe objective should be to create ana ligned planning process at the local level producing the Local Control Accountability andCon tinuous Improvement Plan (which includes the currentS ingle Plan forStudent Achievement Local Control and AccountabilityP lan and Local Educational Agency Plan) At theschool level thissh ould allow for greater participation and engagement in relevant planningp rocesses andto ensure thatth ese planning rocesses are aligned and dialogicFor the statethe objective should be tocreate and implement a state
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (SACIP)
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) Local Education
Agency Plan (LEAP)
ESSA State Plan California School
RecognitionProgram
Local Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan (LACIP)
LACIP Evaluation
Rubrics
Figure 6
44 These planna mes and acronyms are placeholders
Page 33 of 41
pplan the State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan designed to
support local efforts and integrate the ESSA State Plan and the California School Recognition Program (seeFigure 6)44
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
Local and State Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement Rubrics
Local Control Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Plan (LACIP)
State Accountability and Continuous Improvement Plan
(SACIP)
Figure 7
SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSA DVISORY TASK FORCEO N ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PLAN INTEGRATION
Development of these new andi ntegratedp lans should be inspired and guided by evaluationa ndcontinuous improvement rubrics and the local regional and state support systems (see Figure 7b elow)
6 CONCLUSION
In this report the Superi t d trsquos Advi T k Force on Account bilit d C ti I tn en en sory as a y an on nuous mprovemenhas put forth an ambitious and innovative design for Californiarsquos new Accountability and ContinuousImprovement System The proposed new system is a significant departure from the traditional ways thestate hast hought about accountability in the past and builds upon the significant work alreadyu ndertakenby the State Board of Education The Task Force recognizes that it will take time for Californiarsquos diverseeducation stakeholders to both trusta nd embrace this new way of doing business Nevertheless it iscritical for us as a state to make these important shifts and to begin implementing a system of reciprocalaccountability Together and individually it is our shared responsibilityt o provides tudents with thelearning experiences and supports they need to achieve meaningfulo utcomes
Shiftingt ot his new system will require time meaningful learning and course corrections toe nsureeffectivei mplementation TheT ask Force recognizes that as as tate we are not readyt oi mplement allaspects of this proposed new system from the outset For example the Task Force understands that datai snot currently being collectedt o support eacho f the identifiedi ndicators inth is report and thatc urrentcontinuous improvement systems are not sufficiently resourced for all of the work identified Now is thetime however to take meaningful ste s in the direction of what we knowwi ll work and away from whathas failedu s andou r children in the
ppast
The Task Force sincerelyhop es that the Superintendent in partnership witht he State Boardof Educationand the Legislature carefullyc onsiders the purpose and intent of the new Accountabilityan d ContinuousImprovementS ystem as laid out in this report and commits tot he shared learningan d state-levelcontinuous improvement efforts required to make this new system a success The Task Force memberslook forward to providing continued support and serving as thought partners as the Superintendent StateBoard and Legislature consider these recommendations
Page 34 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
7 APPENDICES
AEARLYLEARNINGTHE FIRSTSTEPINA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVINGSYSTEM
Brain science indicates that 90 of brain development takes place between birth and age 5 making early learning a criticalcomponent of Californiarsquos education system
A childrsquos earlyyear s arec ritical for his or her development as the majority of a childrsquos brainde velopmentoccurs before age five45 Inequalities in familiesrsquo financial and non-financial resources contribute toachievement gaps that manifest early in a childrsquos life impacting the child through elementary school andbeyond46 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate early learning opportunities engagechildren during a critical period of development and make a significant difference in later academicachievement47
In seeking to develop a continuously improving education system thath olds itself accountable for thesuccesso fa llit s students California must consider the criticalim portance ofe arly learning Learningbegins the moment a child is born Locallyar ticulated pathways linking district andc ounty early learning systems with their TK-12c ounterparts can ensure students get the best possible start building the foundation for lifelong learning andc ollege andc areer success
PERFORMANCE INVESTING INA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beyond building a strong foundation for learning investing in the early learning system yields the highestrate of return of any educational investment48 High-quality culturally andl inguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities support children in developing the physical and motor skills social and emotionalaptitudes language number sense and cognitive abilities to be active and engaged learners when theyenter kindergarten or transitional kindergartenIn factstudents that are ldquoready for schoolrdquo are 10 timesmore likely to meet the expectations of California state standards by 3rd grade than those who are lessready when they start school49 Children reading at grade-level at 3rd grade are more likely to complete highschool pre ared forc ollege career and civic life50 Additionallyearly math skills have the greatestpredictive
ppower on later academic success51 Finallyevidence suggests that more than half of the
achievement gap found in later school years is already present at kindergarten entry52 This has hugeimplications for childrenrsquos chances to succeed and for Californiarsquos education system
EQUITY ENSURINGA CCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CULTURALLY ANDL INGUISTICALLYAPPROPRIATE EARLY LEARNINGO PPORTUNITIES
45 Executive Office of the President of the United States (2014) The Economics of Early Childhood InvestmentsRetrieved on April14 2016from httpswwwwhitehousegovsitesdefaultfilesdocsearly_childhood_rep46 Ibid47 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015) Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation48 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016) Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpswwwcommonsensemediaorgsitesdefaultfilesuploadskids_actioncsm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_opdf49 Mobilio L (2009) ldquoUnderstandingamp ImprovingSc hool Readiness in Silicon Valleyrdquo presentation AppliedSu rveyR esearchRetrieved on September 2013 from httpwwwappliedsurveyresearchorgstoragedatabaseresearch-presentationsreadykidstoreadyschoolsUnderstandingSRinSiliconValley-ASRpresentation2009pdf50 Annie E Casey Foundation (2010) Early Warning Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwaecforgmresourcedocAECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010pdf51 Duncan G J Dowsett C J Claessens A Magnuson K Huston A C Klebanov P amp Sexton H (2007) School readiness andlater achievement Developmental psychology 43(6) 142852 Stedron J M amp Berger A (2010) NCSL technical report State approaches to school readiness assessment In National Conference of State Legislatures Retrieved on April 14 2016 fromhttpwwwncslorgdocumentsEducKindergartenAssessmentpdf
Page 35 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
This report defines equity as follows
Equity Educational equity exists where students particularly from vulnerable student groups are guaranteed the supports and resources needed tot ake advantage of educational opportunities andsucceed in school at the same level aso therst udents
Though early learning is vital for a childrsquos development California faces significant unmet needs53 The statersquosh igh proportion of immigrantsm eanst hat many children in California face barrierst o accessb asedon limitedE nglishp roficiency More than 75 percent of children under age five are children of color andthe majority of the statersquos child population is Latino54 High-quality early learning disproportionatelybenefits childrenw ith significant barriers both int he short- and long-term yetth ese are also the children least likely to have access to these programs Participating ine arly learning programs creates positive impacts for low-income minority children through adulthood includingd ecreased chances ofp articipating in Special Education or repeating a grade higher likelihood ofc ompleting high school improved healthoutcomes and lower chance of being charged with a crime55
IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT THROUGH THEACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS YSTEM
California will be better equippedt oa chieve its desiredou tcomes for students schoolsand communities ifchildren enter school with the skills and abilities necessary for success As part of a whole-child cradle tocareer continuum the statersquos new Accountability and Continuous ImprovementS ystem should provide the mechanisms and supportsf orl ocal districtst o collaborate and partnerw ith early learning systemst oachieve the following
bull Develop a shared vision of high-quality and culturally linguisticallyand developmentallyappropriate earlyl earningop portunities and supports56
bull Build the communication and information-sharing mechanismsf orsy stem articulation tos upportsmooth transitionsf orc hildren and theirf amilies
bull Collaboratively define the assessments measures andor indicators ofe ffectivedevelopmentallyappropriate student learning environments from preschool throughpr imary grades and
bull Implement ana ligned approach to support student learning and development
USING THE RIGHT DRIVERS PERFORMANCE EQUITY ANDI MPROVEMENTF OR CALIFORNIArsquoS YOUNGESTS TUDENTS
The CDErsquos mission includes supporting the statersquos youngest learners it states
California will provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthoodThe Department of Educations erves our state by innovating and collaborating with educatorsschools parents and community partners Together asa team we prepare studentst o live workand thrive in am ulticultural multilingual and highlyc onnected world
To achieve this mission the state is committed to using the ldquoright driversrdquo to supportc ontinuous improvement in the statersquos education system The following recommendations suggest a pathway foru sing these drivers to supporta lignmenta cross local districts and early learning systems
53 American Institutes for Research (2016) Unmet Need for Preschool Services in California Statewide and Local AnalysisRetrievedon April 14 2016from httpwwwairorgsitesdefaultfilesdownloadsreportUnmet-Need-for-Preschool-Services-California-Analysis-March-2016pdf54 Right Start Commission Report Rebuilding the California Dream (2016)55 RANDC orporation (2005) The Economics of Investingi nU niversal Preschool Educationi nC alifornia Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwrandorgcontentdamrandpubsmonographs2005RAND_MG349pdf56 The Task Force wants tob e veryc lear that earlyl earningp rograms must meet the developmental needs of youngc hildren andshould focuso n play-based opportunities to learna nd build intrinsic curiosity
Page 36 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Investing in andbuilding educator professional
capital
A recent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Report notedldquoThe science of child development and early learning clearly indicates that the work of lead educators for young children of all ages requires the same high level of sophisticated knowledge and competencies related to child development content knowledge and educational practicesrdquo57 This is true from preschool through primary grades and transcends early learning and TK-12 system boundaries
As recommended in Blueprint 20California must ldquoElevate public opinion about the education profession (including the early childhood education and bilingual workforce) as a respected anddesirable career pathwayrdquo At the state level this could be supported by ensuring that teachers responsible for early learning have the necessary training and competencies to offerdevelopmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate learning experiences
Emphasizing collaborative efforts based on shared aspirations and expectations
Through collaboration local districts and earlylearning systems should develop a shared vision ofhigh-quality culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports as a means to identify gaps and opportunities and ensure that all students have access to the early learning opportunities that build a strong foundation for future success
Through this collaborative effort localities may find opportunitiesto braid and blend funding sources identify in-kind resources that could support expanded opportunities for young students and work together to develop a locally driven plan for ensuring all eligible students in a district have access to high-quality culturallyand linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities and supports Collaboratively the state and localities should also support advocating for increased funding to support these earlylearning opportunities This can potentially be achieved through the LCAP development process through F5 IMPACT systemmapping processes and Quality Rating and Improvement System(QRIS) efforts or through efforts supported by Local Planning Councils
57 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (2015)
Page 37 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN A CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
The Right Drivers Importance Opportunities for cross-system application
Supporting effective pedagogy
Early learning from preschool through third grademust be developmentally culturally and linguistically appropriate to support Californiarsquos young children as they develop foundational social-emotional literacy and numeracy skillsEvidence suggests that the quality of the adult-child interaction in early learning settings has a major impact on student outcomes58
As recommended in Blueprint 20 California must ldquoimprove pre-service professional learning and develop in-service professional learning opportunities for early childhood educatorsrdquo TheAccountability and Continuous Improvement System should support districts to offer professional learning opportunities to educators teaching young childrenDistricts should also ensure that the professional development opportunities they offer support teachers and classified staff to gain the developmental culturaland linguistic competencies necessary to support the great diversity of Californiarsquos young learners
Developing systemic solutionsto create a coherent
and positiveeducation system
Local articulation of early learning and TK-12 systems will provide students with the early learningfoundations they need to be successful and thrive
To accomplish this California should implement the followingrecommendations from the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan59
bull Implementation of Californiarsquos early learning standards should be built into the statersquos continuous quality improvement mechanisms
bull Learning standards should be aligned across years and systems bull Schools should be equipped to address the full range of child needs including skills development and executive function
bull Prekindergartentransitional kindergartenand kindergartenprofessionals should participate in collaborative professional development to learn best practices and engage each other to support learning
bull Elementary school principals should participate in training on the role of early learning
58 US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) A Review of the Literature Retrieved on April 14 2016from httpwwwacfhhsgovsitesdefaultfilesoprequality_caregiverpdf 59 Governorrsquos State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (2013) California Comprehensive Early Learning PlanRetrieved on September 2013from httpwwwcdecagovspcdcedocumentscompearlylearningplan2013pdf
Page 38 of 41
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
APPENDIX A EARLY LEARNING THE FIRST STEP IN AC ONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING SYSTEM
CONSIDERING INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE EQUITY AND IMPROVEMENT
Californiarsquos Accountabilityan dCon tinuous Improvement System is basedon three equallyi mportantpillars erformance equity andi mprovement These pillars are critical to examining the extent to whichwe are
pproviding our youngest students with the early learning experiences they deserve The State Board
of Education the CDE and local districts and their partners should reflect upon the followingconsiderations when identifying indicators and continuous improvement activities in each of these areas
PERFORMANCE
bull What tools are currently being used to assess kindergarten readiness language acquisition healthydevelopment andot hera reaso f interest such asf amily involvement andorsm ooth transitionst okindergarten and transitional kindergarten
bull e these tools valid reliableand developmentally appropriate bull
ArAre assessments offered in a studentrsquos native language to demonstrate outcomes for Dual LanguageLearners
bull What is the potential desired use of a kindergarten readiness assessment (population-levelinformation gathering or student-level data to inform instruction)
EQUITY
bull Do all children who are eligible for early learning opportunities as identified by local state andorfederale ligibility requirements have access to these opportunities
bull Does access to high qualitydevelopmentallyculturallyand linguistically appropriate earlylearning opportunities differ by subgroups within the local population
bull e Dual Language Learners appropriately supported in early learning opportunities bull
ArAre families of all races and socio-economic levels empowered with the information they need tomake early learning decisions on behalf of their children
IMPROVEMENT
bull What is the level of quality of the early learning opportunities within a communitydistrict bull Is a district participating in local QRIS efforts bull What pedagogical and professional learnings upports are offered tol ocal earlyl earning
professionals bull To what extent is there collaboration among the systems that offer early learning opportunities to
students within a community bull How much funding is allocated to provide highqu ality and developmentally culturally and
linguistically appropriate early learning opportunities
CONCLUSION
Ali nment of the early learning and TK-12s ystems is essential to addressing the whole child (cognitivelingguistic social-emotional and physical development) and to closing achievement gaps Thes tatersquos
Accountability and Continuous Improvement System must support districts in their local decisions to alignsystemst o provide a more seamless developmentally appropriate continuum of early learningexperiencesThis should be coupled with meaningful progress at the state level to more systematicallybridge the systems responsible for educating our youngest learners
Page 39 of 41
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
APPENDIX B STATE BOARD OFE DUCATION GUIDINGPR INCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEPLANNI
MNG
BSTATEBOARD OF EDUCATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ACCOUNTABILITYSYSTEMPLANNING
Articulate the statersquos expectations for districts charter schools and county offices of education
bull Promote a broadunde rstanding of the specific goals that needt o be met at eachl evel of theeducational system
Foster equity
bull Create support structures including technical assistance for districts ands chools top romotesuccessfo r alls tudents regardless ofb ackground rimary language or socioeconomic status
bull Continue to disaggregate data by student subgroupp for both reporting and accountability purposes
Provide useful informationt hat helps parents districts charter schools county officeso f education and policymakers make important decisions
bull Assist and engage parents educators and policyma ers through regular communication andtransparent timely reporting of data so they can ta
kke action appropriate to their roles
Build capacity and increase support for districts charter schools and county offices
bull Seek tob uild capacityat all levels byr einforcingt he importance of sound teachingan d learningpractices and providing necessary support to helps chools reach their goals
bull Create multiple ways toc elebrate district ands chool success basedon state identifieda ndl ocallydesignatedm etrics Intervene inp ersistently underperforming districts tob uildc apacity along acontinuum of increasing support and attention through state and regional mechanisms of supportEnsure thatth ere are services and skills necessary to meetth e needs of the students and familiesthey serve
Encourage continuous improvement focused on student-level outcomes using multiple measures for state and local priorities
bull Focus on ongoingi mprovement of student outcomes includingc ollege- and career-readiness usingmultiple measures that reflect both status and growth This means in part making determinationsbased ons ome versiono f the following twof oundational questions
o How well is this schooldistrict performing o Is the schooldistrict improving
bull Tie accountability determinations to multiple measures of student progress based ont he statepriorities integrating data from various forms of assessmentsome of which will be locallydetermined Balance validity andr eliability demands witht he ability toc learly ands imply explainresultst o stakeholders including the use of a multiple measuresd ashboard
Promote system-wide integration and innovation
bull Purposely ande ffectively integrate eacha ccountability system component including groups andtechnologies creating a coherent effective and efficients upports tructure for districts charterschoolsa nd county officeso f education
bull Recognizing that there is a new context for accountability in the state the coming years will providenew insights at all levels of the educational system To that end it is important to encouragecontinued learning innovation and improvements related to the accountability system as a wholecore elements of the system and the impact of the system on individual schools and districts
Page 40 of 41
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
APPENDIX C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoS ADVISORYTA SK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITY ANDC ONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT
C SUPERINTENDENTrsquoSADVISORYTASK FORCE ON ACCOUNTABILITYANDCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Eric Heins California Teachers AssociationWes Smith Association of California School Administrators
TASK FORCEM EMBERS
Jorge Aguilar University of California MercedShawn Ahdout California Association of Student CouncilsEric Andrew Campbell Union School District California Association of African American Superintendentsand AdministratorsVernonB illy California School Boards AssociationPeter Birdsall California County Superintendents Educational Services AssociationShannan Brown San Juan Teachers Associationrolina Cardenas California State University Office of the ChancellorCa
Carl Cohn California Collaborative for Educational ExcellenceLinda Darling-Hammond Stanford University Learning Policy InstituteCristina de Jesus Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaAdam Ebrahim Fresno County Office of EducationMike Hanson Fresno Unified School DistrictJudi Larsen The California EndowmentBrian Lee California Fight Crime Invest in Kids Council for a StrongA mericaCamille Maben First 5 CaliforniaShelly Masur Californians Dedicated to Education FoundationLaurie Olsen SobratoE arlyA cademic Language InitiativeMartha Penry California School Employees AssociationDavid Plank Policy Analysis for California EducationGina Plate California Advisory Commission on Special Education California Charter Schools AssociationMorgan Polikoff University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationDavid Rattray Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce UNITE-LARyan Ruelas Anaheim High School Anaheim City School BoardSherry Skelly Griffith California State Parent Teacher AssociationSuzan Solomo Newhall School DistrictSamantha Tra
nn Children Now
David Verdugo California Association of Latino Superintendents and AdministratorsKenn Young Riverside County Office of Education
AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks toal l others whop articipated on the task force and contributed to the developmento f thisreport including staff from the California Department of Education State Board of Education as well asdesignatedr epresentatives that participatedon b ehalf of taskf orce members
Generous financial support was provided by the California Education Policy Fund
Coordination facilitation andw riting support was funded by the Californians Dedicated to EducationFoundation andp rovidedb yG PG
Page 41 of 41
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-
California Department of Education1430 N Street
Sacramento CA 95814
- Publishing Information
- Message from Task Force Co-Chairs
- Table of Contents
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Foundation
- 3 Accountability Framework
- 7 Appendices
-