Sacramento / CALIFORNIA
In an effort to close the achievement gap and give all kids access to a quality education, Senator Carol Liu, Chair of the Senate Education Committee and Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León are introducing legislation to provide additional funding to train school district staff on how to use the evaluation rubrics. This plan will ensure California schools have access to critical training to implement the accountability measures of the K-12 Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF).
Senator Carol Liu (D- La Cañada/Flintridge) said, “Some school districts and county offices of education faced challenges in the development of local control and accountability plans. The evaluation rubrics now being developed should be used to drive updates to plans and as a basis for establishing systems of continuous improvement. We need to provide opportunities for schools to capitalize on lessons learned and share best practices to accelerate learning.”
As part of LCFF, school districts, charter schools and county offices of education must complete a Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), which explains how they will increase student achievement for all students. Likewise, the State Board of Education is required to develop and adopt evaluation rubrics that districts, charter schools, and COEs use to assess their progress toward their goals identified in their LCAP.
“In 2013, California changed the way it funded schools by targeting more resources to our most disadvantaged students,” said De León (D-Los Angeles). “In order to ensure resources are being used to improve student achievement, California must establish an infrastructure that is focused on accountability.”
The State Board of Education is expected to adopt the evaluation rubrics in spring 2016. These rubrics are critical to evaluating how local school districts are serving students and whether they are meeting standards of achievement.
Senate Legislative Proposal:
·Establishes a professional development training program, administered by the California Collaborative for Education Excellence (CCEE), to provide training to school districts on how to use the evaluation rubrics to increase student achievement.
·The training will focus on how the evaluation rubrics help school districts develop their Local Control and Accountability Plans
·Establishes a pilot program to provide technical assistance to local school districts to help them improve instructional practice that will lead to better outcomes for students.
