Governor and Superintendent of Public Instruction Join to Recommend Individualized Assistance to California's Underachieving School Districts
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Today, Governor Schwarzenegger and
Superintendent of Public Instruction O'Connell visited Northwood
Elementary School in Sacramento,
to discuss the importance of improving student achievement in California's schools. During his State of
the State Address, the Governor announced California will use the powers given under
the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act to intervene in 97 school districts
that are not meeting NCLB achievement goals. The administration and
Superintendent of Public Instruction have been working together to assess the
needs of each district and today they will announce recommended intervention
and assistance on an individual, district-by-district basis. The State Board of
Education will consider the Governor and Superintendent's proposal at their
next meeting, March 12-13, 2008.
For more information on the Governor's proposals to improve student achievement
visit: www.gov.ca.gov/sots/2008/#/education.
California has 97
school districts that have persistently failed to meet federal student
achievement standards. There are 97
school districts throughout California-responsible
for educating approximately one-third of the state's public school students-that
have been identified as "Year Three Program Improvement Districts." This means
these districts have not made adequate yearly progress toward meeting federal
NCLB goals for at least five consecutive years.
- By law, California's State Board of Education is required to intervene to improve student achievement. These reforms are critical, as the integrity of California's school system-and billions in federal funds-are on the line.
The Governor is proposing tailored reforms that help school districts based on their needs. The administration has been working with teachers, administrators, parents, elected officials and the Superintendent of Public Instruction to create a sustainable architecture for accountability that helps school districts meet federal standards and improve student achievement based on individualized needs.
- The solution fits the district. The problems driving underachievement in each school district are different, so a one-size-fits-all approach will not work. That is why the administration has proposed a plan that will provide assistance based on the individual needs of these districts.
The Governor is proposing four levels of individualized assistance to support underachieving school districts. Every district has been analyzed individually to arrive at the most appropriate level of intervention to improve student achievement. These include:
- Intensive: The State Board of Education will assign a
state approved education assistance provider to the lowest performing
districts to perform an independent analysis of district performance.
Based on this analysis, recommendations will be presented to the Board for
further corrective action under the federal NCLB Act.
- Corrective actions can include: replacing school district personnel, appointing a receiver or trustee, permitting students to transfer to different schools, putting new curricula in-place and-in the most serious cases-abolishing and restructuring the district.
- Moderate: The school district will choose its state approved education assistance provider in consultation with the local county superintendent of schools. In these districts, as above, the assistance provider will create a plan of action for the district's improvement that the district will be required to implement.
- Light: The school district will choose a state-approved technical assistance provider. This provider will help develop a tailored plan to assist the school district in meeting federal accountability targets.
- Other: Districts that narrowly missed federal accountability targets will be directed to revise their Local Education Agency (LEA) plans, which outline how they will implement NCLB. Additionally in this category, there are LEA plans that require special attention based on extenuating circumstances, such as voter approved consolidation/elimination of school districts.
The Governor is committed to getting the $45 million in available federal funds allocated. California has $45 million in federal funds available to turn these school districts around and the Governor will be working very closely with the Legislature to ensure these funds are allocated to maximize results and boost student achievement.
