4 EDCAL February 12,2018
Proposal could bring testing changes for 11th graders
A bill has been proposed in the Legislature that would give districts the option to replace the SBAC test in the 11th grade with alternative assessments , such as the SAT or ACT , given during the school day , at no cost to students .
Assembly Bill 1951 , O ’ Donnell , would require the superintendent of public instruction to approve a nationally recognized high school test – such as the SAT or ACT – that districts can opt to administer to 11th grade students in place of the Smarter Balanced Assessment . The test options would be required to be rigorous and aligned to the state academic standards .
“ AB 1951 provides school districts the option of giving 11th grade students a college entrance exam during the school day instead of the state-required assessment . This will remove obstacles for many students to attend college ,” Assembly member Patrick O ’ Donnell said . “ As a teacher for more than 20 years and as chair of the Assembly Education Committee , I know this will reduce testing time and provide teachers and students more time to bridge the gap in learning .”
At a press conference announcing the bill , O ’ Donnell was joined by several superintendents from large districts : Jorge Aguilar of Sacramento City USD , Christopher Steinhauser of Long Beach USD and Nancy Albarrán of San Jose USD . ACSA has announced support for the bill .
“ Our schools need relief from duplicative testing ,” Steinhauser said . “ The SAT is more meaningful and relevant to students and parents because it ’ s the main test affecting college admission nationally . The PSAT and SAT also allow our students to take advantage of free , customized support including online tutorials through Khan Academy .”
In a press release , O ’ Donnell noted that the Pathways to College Act ( AB 1951 ) addresses the college diploma gap and works to open doors to higher education for parents and students by offering college admissions tests like the SAT or ACT .
This bill also gives local school districts more control over how students are tested in grade 11 by allowing districts to choose the test that provides the most benefits to their students . The Pathways to College Act provides opportunities to offer free , personalized test practice and other resources to students of all means , no matter where they are from or how much their parents make .
ACSA will keep members apprised as developments occur .
Cold Spring SD is still digging out from devastating mudslides and hopes for help from the state .
MUDSLIDES
Continued from page 1
tion of the district ’ s spending plan . As of this moment , Cold Spring is looking at a 3-8 percent decline in revenue .
“ We ’ re at the mercy of others right now and the financial impact of what comes next is potentially devastating ,” Alzina said . “ We ’ re going to need to cut almost $ 400,000 from the budget .”
Alzina says the district has been in deficit spending for some time and budget reserves will only keep the school doors open for two weeks . She says the only bailout for her district and others experiencing a similar issue is to get support from the state Capitol .
“ We need legislation in Sacramento where the state can backfill the funding for community districts that have been hurt by natural disasters ,” she said .
“ We need a mechanism to be in place to keep community-funding districts solvent .”
At least one year of funding is needed , Alzina says , to make a real impact on the day-to-day operations of these types of districts .
ACSA ’ s Governmental Relations team is currently working to secure legislation that would mitigate the financial impact on districts facing hardship due to natural disasters . Those disasters would include fires and mudslides .
In the meantime , Alzina is leveraging the community aspect of her new role to keep the Cold Spring engine running .
“ I ’ ve never worked so hard in my life ,” she said . “ But these students and these families mean so much to me , and we as education leaders owe it to our communities to be strong through the good times and rough times .”
New drinking water testing in schools
The California Department of Education has announced that public schools built before 2010 must be tested for lead in the available drinking water .
Last year , Gov . Brown signed Assembly Bill 746 , which requires local community water systems statewide to complete lead testing in these older schools by July 1 , 2019 .
The most prevalent sources of lead in drinking water are from pipes , fixtures and associated hardware from which lead can leach . California generally has newer water
GAP
Continued from page 3
have work to do , and this research is very encouraging .”
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson agreed .
“ These results show clear progress for the ‘ California Way ,’ our ambitious plan for improving education ,” he said . “ This includes increasing investment , expanding local control , giving greater resources to those with the greatest needs , raising academic standards , and providing parents and the public with high-quality information on measures of student progress .”
A new state poll shows growing support infrastructure than other parts of the nation and lead problems are rare , but recent events in schools led to the new requirement .
Folsom Cordova USD started testing water last year at schools built before 1960 that have galvanized steel pipes . The testing was prompted by elevated levels of lead in water coming from a classroom tap in 2015 .
Information is available on the California Water Boards Lead Sampling of Drinking Water in California Schools webpage , accessible at https :// goo . gl / sXCgmi .
for the state ’ s recently launched school report card , the California School Dashboard .
A survey of state voters shows “ enthusiastic ” support for the California School Dashboard , an online tool that gives parents unprecedented access to important data about schools and districts . The survey was conducted for the University of Southern California ’ s Rossier School of Education and Policy Analysis for California Education .
Almost two-thirds of Californians surveyed agreed that the information on the Dashboard is “ an effective way to communicate outcomes ” for students . More than half – 59 percent – agreed that the Dashboard is easy to use , and 57 percent said the Dashboard captures “ important measures of districts and school quality .”
The Classified Educational Leaders Institute is designed for leaders in business / fiscal services , human resources / personnel , maintenance / operations , custodial , technology , facilities , student services / instructional , including confidential and administrative assistants . The institute is an opportunity to get together , share information , and learn about issues that affect education . Presenters from various fields of expertise will share strategies and useful techniques to assist in providing students in California with a first class education .
REGISTER TODAY : www . acsa . org / celinstitute