Summary of Important Take-Aways
- Board approves Accountability Workplan for 2024 Dashboard and authorizes continuing work for future dashboards. The Board adopted a unit of measurement for the science indicator as well as approved how high school scores will be combined and the inclusion of a participation rate in the science indicator results.
- Board addresses passage of AB 2268, which states that the ELPAC requirements no longer apply to transitional kindergarten (TK) students. After an overview of the provisions of the new law, the Board provided feedback on both interim guidance to local education agencies (LEAs) to support TK students and on long-term methods of identification of TK EL students for programs and services.
- The Board begins work to further define the “California Way.” The Board spent the second day of the meeting in a study session on California’s policies and progress toward student and school success in a time of epic change.
Below we provide an analysis of the significant developments from the State Board of Education’s (SBE) July meeting, followed by additional information on the other agenda items and waiver requests heard by the Board.
Board approves final pieces for 2024 Dashboard and directs staff on continued work for future dashboards (Item 02)
Every March, the Board is presented with an update on the state’s accountability workplan and issues for consideration in that year’s Dashboard. At the July hearing, staff provided the board with several recommendations for updates to the 2024 Dashboard, including adding a science metric based on the science assessment data, addressing Long-Term English Learners on the Dashboard, and incorporation of new requirements in the Differentiated Assistance eligibility criteria. (It was a long one!)
Incorporating Science Assessment Results
After a thorough discussion, the Board approved adding a unique Science Indicator card to display among the other Academic Performance Indicators on the main page of the 2024 Dashboard as well as full student group information on the second page of the 2024 Dashboard.
For the science indicator on the 2025 Dashboard and beyond, staff will develop for Board approval at the July 2025 SBE meeting:
- A unit of measurement based on distance from standard, rather than percent met/exceeds
- Combining students’ scores across all three grades tested by reporting results in the current year, rather than cumulatively
- Including a participation rate within the metric
It is important to remember that under federal requirements, there is a penalty for falling below the 95 percent participation rate in state assessments. That penalty will also apply to participation on the science assessments; however, the penalty will be based on the 2025 Dashboard, not this year’s Dashboard.
Long-Term English Learners (LTELs)
Beginning with the 2024 Dashboard, the LTEL student group will be added to all state indicators:
- Suspension Rate Indicator
- Graduation Rate Indicator
- College/Career Indicator
- Chronic Absenteeism Indicator
- Academic Indicators
- English Learner Progress Indicator
This indicator will now have an overall performance for English Learners as well as for the standalone LTEL student group.
Differentiated Assistance Criteria for the 2024 Dashboard
At the July hearing, the board adopted the eligibility criteria for the LCFF support determinations for the 2024 Dashboard.
State and local indicator results, for each priority area reported on the Dashboard, are used to determine the eligibility of districts and county offices of education (COEs) for differentiated assistance.
There will be no modifications to the standard eligibility criteria in 2024 as the Dashboard will have all indicators available.
There will be an update to incorporate the LTEL student group to the criteria.
The eligibility criteria for charters is identical to districts/COEs eligibility criteria except charter schools are required to meet the criteria in two or more years. Charters will be included in the review for differentiated assistance for the first time in 2024.
Transitional Kindergarteners and Changes to English Learner Identification and English Language Proficiency Testing (Item 03)
When the Governor approved AB 2268 (Muratsuchi) in mid-June, the legislation, an urgency measure, took effect immediately in order to be in place for the 2024-25 school year.
As a result of this new law, state English language proficiency assessment requirements no longer apply to TK students so they will not be administered the ELPAC going forward.
TK students will also no longer be identified as EL students. Instead, based on responses to the Home Language Survey conducted during TK enrollment, a To Be Determined (TBD) status will be assigned to multilingual, potential EL students.
CDE has provided the field with interim guidance on AB 2268 recommending that LEAs provide language supports to TK students as appropriate. See the Item 3 Attachment 1.
During the July hearing, the Board provided feedback to staff on further guidance and longer-term actions needed. The Board was particularly concerned with the use of “TBD” and requested the students be given an alternate designation, possibly as dual language learners.
The California Way
On the second day of the July meeting, the Board held a lengthy study session on “The California Way: Policies designed for school and student success; accomplishments, future work, and perspectives from California’s local educational agencies and other states.”
In the session, the Board received an overview of accomplishments to date, current and future needs, system challenges, and discussed potential future work. The session included presentations from the superintendents of Compton, Anaheim and Lindsay Unified School Districts, as well as from educational leaders in New York and Kentucky on strategies for innovation. The Board discussed goals that might shape objectives for the Board’s future work. Some initial themes emerged, including: creating a portrait of a learner/graduate (not as a mandate for LEAs but rather as a vision), meaningful assessment and accountability, paring down the LCAP into a more impactful and effective document, whole child competencies, performance-based initiatives and how to best prepare students for a world that doesn’t yet exist.
If you are interested in the presentations from the study session, please let us know.
Other Items & Waivers
There were a number of other items heard at the July 2024 meeting. Information on those items heard by the Board can be found in OTHER ITEMS. In addition, there were several WAIVERS discussed at the hearing.
Please let us know if you have any questions or would like additional information.
Lee Angela and Caitlin