California County Superintendents Educational Services Association
1121 L Street, Suite 510 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 446-3095 www.ccsesa.org
June 12, 2008 TO: County Superintendents Williams Lawsuit Settlement Coordinators Gaye Smoot, Assistant Executive Director Steering Committee Chairs Williams Settlement Update: 1. Legislation Revises Deadline for Publishing School Accountability Report Cards (SARC) 2. Updated Instructional Materials Templates and Worksheets Posted 3. Guidebook for the Facility Inspection Tool (FIT) Published 4. Valenzula Settlement Compliance Added to Williams Visits for 2008-09 5. ACLU and Public Advocates Remind School Districts About Legal Requirements under the Williams Settlement
FROM: CC: SUBJECT:
The information below provides an update on legislative changes and new information posted to the CCSESA website. We hope this new information and updated resources will be helpful as county offices of education prepare for the 2008-09 site visits. 1. Legislation Revises Deadline for Publishing School Accountability Report Cards (SARC) For the 2008-09 school year Williams visits, County Superintendents will use the SARC verification tool based on the 2006-07 SARC template for review of district SARCs. The updated verification tool is now posted on CCSESA’s website. Beginning with the 2008-09 school year, school districts are required to publish their SARC by February 1 of each year. Assembly Bill 1061 (Chapter 530, Statutes of 2007) amended Section 35258 of the Education Code moving the date of publication in hard copy or on the Internet and reduced the overall number of data elements that schools address. At its July 2008 meeting, the State Board of Education will review and approve the new SARC template for 2007-08 incorporating these changes. The California Department of Education (CDE) will apprise school districts of the new SARC template this fall. Once available, CCSESA will post the new template on our website and update the verification tool used by county offices of education for the 200910 school year Williams visits.
2. Updated Instructional Materials Templates and Worksheets are Posted
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The updated Instructional Materials Surveys for Elementary and Middle Schools prepared by the CDE are posted on CCSESA’s website. The new surveys include the 2007 state-adopted mathematics materials for K-8 students. The Instructional Materials Worksheets for elementary and middle schools for county offices to use in their 2008-09 visits have been updated as follows: Added the list of mathematics materials from the 2007 adoption Removed the list of history-social science materials from the previous adoption Removed the list of science materials from the previous adoption
County office of education Williams teams will begin to see the 2007 state-adopted mathematics materials in classrooms this fall. School districts may continue to use the previously adopted mathematics materials to meet the sufficiency requirements of Education Code section 60119 for the 2008-09 school year. Education Code section 60422, the Instructional Materials Funding Realignment Program, requires that newly adopted materials be purchased by the start of the fall term no later than 24 months after a State Board of Education adoption. For mathematics materials, the 24 month requirement will be implemented fall 2009. CCSESA is in the process of updating the pictures for the new mathematics materials on its website. We anticipate that these will be posted before the end of June. 3. Guidebook for the Facility Inspection Tool (FIT) Published County office representatives worked with the Coalition for Adequate School Housing (CASH) to develop a guidebook for the Facility Inspection Tool (FIT). The guidebook was unveiled at the February 2008 Annual CASH conference. The guidebook contains great information on the use of the FIT along with hints for improving school maintenance. A link to this document is now available on the CCSESA website or can be accessed directly at http://www.cashnet.org/resource-material/FITGuidebook.pdf. 4. Valenzula Settlement Compliance Added to Williams Visits for 2008-09 On June 5, 2008, CCSESA provided training on the Valenzuela items that will be added to the 2008-09 school year Williams visits. County Superintendents will determine the following: The extent to which students who have not passed the high school exit examination by the end of grade 12 are informed that they are entitled to receive intensive instruction and services for up to two consecutive academic years after completion of grade 12, and The extent to which students who have elected to receive intensive instruction and services are being served.
Only schools qualifying for Williams visits and serving grades 10-12 in districts participating in the CAHSEE Intensive Instruction and Services Program will have the added items for compliance with the Valenzuela settlement reviewed. All training materials, templates and forms are posted on the CCSESA website. An archived copy of the videoconference will be posted by the end of this week. 5. ACLU and Public Advocates Remind School Districts About Legal Requirements under the Williams Settlement In May 2008, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Public Advocates issued the attached sample letter to all public school district superintendents, including those without schools ranked in deciles 1-3, emphasizing the requirements by which all schools must abide under the terms of the Williams lawsuit
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settlement and implementing legislation. The letter was accompanied by a copy of their August 2007 report, shared previously with county superintendents. All updated Williams information posted to the CCSESA website is available under the Special Projects>Williams Settlement Oversight tab and web link to training materials. For Valenzuela information, see Special Projects>Valenzuela/CAHSEE Settlement tab and web link to training materials. If you have questions or need additional information, please call (916) 446-3095 or e-mail gsmoot@ccsesa.org. Attachment: May 9, 2008 ACLU/Public Advocates letter to District Superintendents
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