FYI
– Wesley Smith Executive Director
Recycling becomes an issue between schools and state
ACSA has been working with the California School Boards Association , Coalition for Adequate School Housing , Small School Districts Association and the California School Nutritionists Association , to educate the CalEPA about the impact of their recycling regulations on school districts .
Assembly Bill 341 ( Chesbro ) became law in January 2012 , establishing a state policy goal that 75 percent of solid waste generated be diverted from landfill disposal by 2020 . The bill further required local governments to implement commercial solid waste recycling programs designed to direct solid waste from businesses and requires a commercial waste generator to arrange for recycling services .
ACSA , along with the other education associations , looked into this measure as it was moving through the Legislature at the time . The consensus among groups was that AB 341 did not apply to local education agencies , since LEAs do not oversee recycling disposal services nor are they considered a business .
“ The problems came in when CalRecycle unexpectedly decided to interpret the provisions of AB 341 to apply to LEAs without soliciting input from anyone in the education community ,” said ACSA Legislative Advocate Laura Preston .
In 2015 , another bill , AB 1826 ( Chesbro ) became law , expanding the provisions of AB 341 to include organic waste ( grass , food , etc .) CalRecycle simply expanded the solid waste recycling regulations to include organic waste , which means that LEAs are included .
“ CalEPA reached out to ACSA to work together to educate LEAs about their
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interest in authentic demonstrations of administrative ability has increased among administrative credentialing programs , California is one of a small number of states that has taken action to incorporate a capstone performance assessment as a licensure requirement .
The primary impetus behind this initiative rests on the theory that the ability of a candidate to demonstrate administrative competencies is a better predictor of future success than merely relying on traditional assessments of administrative content knowledge . This concept was a key principle described in the report “ Greatness by Design ,” released by the state superintendent of public instruction in 2012 .
Over the past year , a 15-member design team of practitioners and administrative educators , including representatives from ACSA , the California Association of Professors of Educational Administration , California Teachers Association , California Department of Education , and assessment development experts from the CTC and Evaluation Systems group of Pearson , has been engaged in designing an assessment instrument called the California Administrative Performance Assessment . The CalAPA has been purposefully designed to address key elements of the California Administrator Performance Expectations ( CAPE ). The recently revised professional standards provide the conceptual and practical basis for the three leadership cycles , or tasks , that comprise the CalAPA and assess organizational development , change management and instructional leadership .
• Leadership Cycle 1 , Analyzing Data to Inform School Improvement and Equity , focuses on analyzing multiple sources of school site / district data for the purpose of identifying equity gaps to inform an initial draft plan for equitable improvement in line with the school ’ s vision and mission .
• Leadership Cycle 2 , Facilitating Communities of Practice , focuses on facilitating collaborative professional learning within a community of practice for the responsibility to comply with AB 341 and AB 1826 and wanted to facilitate the dissemination of the appropriate guidance ,” Preston said . “ It was at that time that ACSA , along with the other educationbased interested parties , began lengthy discussions with CalRecycle as to whether the regulations actually apply to LEAs or not .”
The issue of recycling is not the concern , since many LEAs throughout the state already participate in a variety of recycling efforts . Among the provisions of AB 1826 is the requirement of cities or counties to provide outreach and monitoring of recycling for businesses and notify them of noncompliance . In addition , CalRecycle is to post a number of resources on its website to provide compliance assistance . Among the concerns ACSA has raised are :
• Cities and counties do not have jurisdiction over LEAs to force compliance ;
• If an LEA participates in the federal school nutrition program , it may find itself out of compliance of either state or federal regulations ;
• CalRecycle has placed an unfunded mandate on LEAs ;
• The superintendent of public instruction is the constitutional officer that oversees LEAs compliance with various mandates , not CalRecycle ;
• The CDE was never notified of the regulations and their potential impact on several departments within CDE .
“ Because of the numerous issues raised by the education community , CalRecycle has asked for our assistance in developing new regulations to comply with SB 1383 ( Lara ) to address methane emissions and organic waste ,” Preston said . “ SB 1383 will apply to everyone in the state and phases in
purpose of improving teaching practice and student learning .
• Leadership Cycle 3 , Supporting Teacher Growth , focuses on coaching an individual teacher to improve teaching and learning .
Each leadership cycle reflects four steps commonly used to engage in rational inquiry : Investigate , Plan , Act and Reflect . This “ IPAR ” model provides an overarching conceptual framework to help guide and refine the candidate ’ s thinking as he or she moves though each cycle . The intent of IPAR is to facilitate effective decision making through a series of progressively interrelated cognitive tasks , each building off of the preceding step . Perhaps most importantly , the IPAR can serve as a useful decision-making tool or logic process throughout an administrator ’ s career .
The three cycles may be completed in any order deemed appropriate by an administrator preparation program . However , programs may also find it useful to implement them consecutively , starting with the analysis of data to inform school improvement and equity , followed by the facilitation of communities of practice , which may extend upon or build off of the first cycle , and culminating in administrative support for teacher growth .
The CalAPA is intended to provide both a summative assessment of candidate administrative ability and a formative framework to guide and develop candidate competence as the candidate engages in the process of completing the three cycles .
It is also important to note that the design features and requirements of the CalAPA necessitate that the state , credential programs and public schools work closely together to provide candidates with appropriate learning activities , resources and support needed to successfully engage in and complete each of the three cycles . As such , the CalAPA is designed to be embedded within the program and clinical practice .
This cooperative alignment is also intended to provide the kind of performance-based feedback to candidates that will be the foundation for their continued professional development on-the-job and , the disposal of organic waste by 50 percent by 2020 and 75 percent by 2025 from the 2014 level . In addition , SB 1383 places a requirement that not less than 20 percent of edible food that is currently disposed of will be recovered for human consumption . The percentage reduction is achieved statewide and not by individuals , cities , counties or school districts .”
Finally , it has come to ACSA ’ s attention that some cities have threatened school districts in their community to force compliance with AB 1826 , including filing a misdemeanor charge . Cities and counties do not have the authority to do this . If districts have been contacted by their local jurisdiction , including a local waste hauler , beyond informational resources and their assistance for compliance , please let ACSA know . There are school districts that thought this simply an issue to be resolved locally when in fact , it is the local government entity that is out of compliance . ACSA would also like to share any member concerns with CalRecycle .
Should you have any information you would like to share or have questions , please contact Laura Preston at lpreston @ acsa . org .
FYI
Keep California Beautiful administers an annual K-12 Schools Recycling Challenge . The challenge is to generate enthusiasm for recycling and to promote a healthy competition between schools and recycling coordinators . Find out more at https :// greencaschools . org .
in particular , as they engage in the induction requirements of the clear administrative credential .
The CalAPA is still under development . A pilot test of the assessment first was conducted with a group of 25 programs and more than 300 candidates during the winter and spring of 2017 . The pilot test results have informed refinements to both the required evidence gathered during the cycle of tasks and analytic scoring rubrics for each cycle .
Beginning this fall , 500 preliminary candidates and approximately 25 program providers will participate in a field test of the CalAPA system , during which participating candidates will complete and submit evidence of practice for all three cycles of the assessment instrument .
The field test results will be analyzed in spring 2018 and will be used to inform any further refinements needed before the final rendition of the CalAPA is offered to programs in a non-consequential administration during the 2018-19 academic year . The official statewide launch and first consequential year of the CalAPA is planned for the 2019-20 academic year .
The CTC , in collaboration with Evaluation Systems , will be providing a series of communications and support activities throughout the 2017-18 academic year . Two workshops , funded by the Wallace Foundation , for teams of two to six program representatives are scheduled for Nov . 14-15 at the Hilton Hotel in Mission Valley , San Diego , and for Jan . 30-31 at the William S . Hart Union High School District Annex in Santa Clarita .
These workshops are specifically designed to assist teams of program faculty and district partners in planning for the implementation of the CalAPA . Topics relating to course design , fieldwork , and clinical practice will be discussed . CalAPA field test materials , including cycles and rubrics , will be introduced and reviewed .
For additional information regarding the CalAPA , contact Amy Reising at areising @ ctc . ca . gov or Gay Roby at groby @ ctc . ca . gov . For information specifically about becoming an assessor for the field test , please go to www . ctcpa . nesinc . com .
August 21 , 2017 EDCAL 3
FROM THE
Executive
Director
In October , the U . S . Senate will move to pass the president ’ s fiscal year 2018 budget proposal . In doing so , education faces nearly $ 10 billion in cuts .
These cuts include the elimination of Title 2 funding , which would have a $ 250 million impact in California . Cuts also include $ 4 billion in schoolbased Medicaid services for low income and disabled students , as well as the elimination of preschool development funding . The cuts go beyond those programs and will prove devastating for students nationwide .
The Trump administration has brought a new set of roadblocks for public education in this country . What can we do about it ? We can voice our opposition at the state and federal levels . We can amplify our voices on behalf of our students by combining our advocacy with leaders in other states .
The National Association of School Superintendents is empowering educators and student activists nationwide to gather on Capitol Hill , Oct . 3 , for the NASS National Advocacy Day . The day includes face-to-face meetings with our elected leaders to talk specifically about these issues .
The NASS National Advocacy Day will follow the same model that we have set up for the ACSA Legislative Action Day , which is our most successful advocacy event . Last year , more than 400 members went to the California State Capitol for faceto-face meetings with state lawmakers . It was their chance to bring real stories about the localized impact of decisions made on state issues .
What did ACSA ’ s Legislative Action Day achieve ? Our leadership on Assembly Bill 1220 , the proposed legislation to extend the teacher probationary period , moved from the Assembly floor for the first time . Our advocacy that day also led to more flexibility for our members in confronting the Employee Orientation Bill , as well as implementation of one-time discretionary funding .
I believe we can have a similar impact on Capitol Hill .
Our work with NASS focuses on an important goal : increase our federal advocacy . The NASS National Advocacy Day serves as that first opportunity to impact federal advocacy . Additionally , it comes at a crucial time when our voice matters on the education budget .
I want to encourage all of you to participate . ACSA has 19 regions and I urge region leadership to send at least one and possibly two members to the NASS National Advocacy Day . Strength in numbers means a more powerful and substantive event . It ’ s an opportunity to join participants from other states in delivering the message that public education programs matter to students .
Students need your voice . Your localized stories on how these cuts will impact students can be the deciding factor in what happens in Washington , D . C .
– Wesley Smith Executive Director