The California School Dashboard is getting a new look . As ACSA members know , it is the public access to district and school information on multiple measures , including test scores , suspension and graduation rates and other important areas that indicate the progress students are making in their progression towards college and career readiness .
The Dashboard was unveiled in November 2017 to a tepid response at best . The problem centered around parents and others finding it difficult to understand and navigate given the various data points available on the landing page . Educators understand how complex the world of education has become since the age of “ the three R ’ s .” Trying to put all that complexity into a form easy for the average lay person to read has been challenging .
One of the first changes that will be noticed is an icon of a simple gauge , replacing the “ slices of pie ” icon to show the five different performance levels ranging from red to blue . The website will also be designed to be more user friendly by reducing the number of webpages and instead redirecting those who want to do a deep dive on the data to places like the website of the California Department of Education . The website will also be designed with mobile devices in mind , so that parents
and other stakeholders can easily access the information on their mobile devices , something the old website was not designed to do . Language will also be simplified to make it easier for parents to understand , and there will be better translations for parents who speak languages other than English .
In an effort to improve resources available to the field in communicating the Dashboard to their local communities , the California Department of Education will launch a private preview to local educational agencies ’ Dashboard Coordinators starting in November 2018 . As a reminder , LEAs have until November 16 to submit their local indicator information so that it can be
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California School Dashboard look gets updated
reflected on the revised Dashboard website .
The new site won ’ t be officially available to the public until early December , when the most current data is available on all of the state and local indicators reflected on the Dashboard . During this public release , the college / career indicator and the chronic absenteeism indicator will also be incorporated for the first time with a color performance level .
The data from the Dashboard will be used by state officials to identify districts in December 2018 who need differentiated support on key metrics or for specific student groups .
Attendance Awareness is month of September
In recognition of September being Attendance Awareness Month , Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said school districts , public agencies , community groups , students and their families must work together to combat chronic absenteeism .
A student is considered chronically absent when he or she misses 10 percent or more of the days he or she is enrolled . Chronic absenteeism rates are especially high for certain student groups , such as Native Americans , African Americans , foster youth , and students with disabilities .
“ Students aren ’ t learning if they are not in class ,” Torlakson said . “ Cohesive partnerships , intervention strategies , and solid support services create attendance teams that are armed with the necessary tools to identify and help students struggling with attendance problems By combining resources and working together , school attendance administrators , parents , and community organizations can build systems to reduce chronic absenteeism rates that are positive and effective , not negative and punitive .”
A recent report by Attendance Works , Children Now and the UC Davis Center for Regional Change noted that high levels of chronic absence in a school are a sign that additional support from the district , other public agencies , and nonprofits is needed .
In 2017 , for the first time , the California Department of Education began collecting chronic absenteeism rates in the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System . That data is now available in CDE ’ s DataQuest system and shows which schools and districts have had high rates of chronic absenteeism and which student groups are likely to require the most resources and interventions .
The data is also included in the California School Dashboard by student groups as one of the multiple measures of progress that parents , teachers , administrators , and community members can use to evaluate their schools and districts .
To provide additional support to combat chronic absenteeism , the CDE administers California Learning Communities for School Success grants . The program awards funds to eligible districts and county offices of education to help with excessive truancy , reduce chronic absenteeism rates , and keep children in school . For information about sample policies to address high chronic absenteeism rates and California ’ s school attendance review board process , visit the CDE School Attendance Review Boards web page at https :// www . cde . ca . gov / ls / ai / sb /.
Gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom poses for a photo with ACSA President Holly Edds .
Gavin Newsom chats with Past President Lisa Gonzales after being interviewed by ACSA .
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constitutional officer endorsement recommendations were submitted to the board for approval by the subset of volunteers from the Board of Directors . All ACSA endorsements are approved by the ACSA Board of Directors .
Attorney General candidate Xavier Becerra poses with the ACSA candidate interview panel . L-R , front row : Board member Charles Hoffman , COO Scarlett Vanyi , Vice President for Legislative Action Terri Rufert , Past President Lisa Gonzales . Back row : Board member Sue Kaiser , President Holly Edds , Becerra , Executive Director Wes Smith , Governmental Relations Senior Director Edgar Zazueta .
Similarly , all ACSA California Assembly and Senate endorsement recommendations were submitted to the board for approval by regional vice presidents of legislative action with support from the ACSA Governmental Relations staff .
To learn more about ACSA ' s work to put students first , visit www . acsa . org / advocacy .
Preschoolers show fitness enthusiasm at Wellness Center
Chula Vista Elementary School District ’ s youngest learners demonstrated bear crawls , jumping jacks and pushups . They squirmed in place a little , too . After all , they ’ re preschoolers . So , some skipped the pushups altogether and joyfully danced to music as their preschool teachers led them in a “ workout .”
The brief exercise session concluded with each child receiving a Gold Medal presented by Board Member Laurie K . Humphrey .
The fitness-related fun was part of the Grand Opening Dedication and Open House for the district ’ s new Wellness Center on Aug . 28 . The First Five-funded program improves the quality of preschool programs , supports Early Education initiatives involving staff , and educates a network of adults in nutrition , physical fitness and overall well-being . An objective is for teachers to show the youngest learners the importance of leading a healthy and active lifestyle .
“ They are better learners when they feel good about themselves ,” Humphrey said . “ I ’ m a former teacher in the district . I know the importance of physical fitness in the classroom and teaching good nutritional habits . Those two start in the home .
Now , our teachers can improve their own health while learning new activities for their classes . Your little ones are on their way to a healthier life .”
Preschool teachers Albert Decima of Myrtle S . Finney Elementary and Maria “ Mila ” Valadez of Otay Elementary each said that they participate in district fitness classes , modeling and adopting healthy behaviors and learning activities that they can adapt to their respective classrooms .
And that ’ s exactly the point , said Superintendent Francisco Escobedo . He noted that student obesity rates have dropped 17 percent districtwide since 2010 . School gardens , healthy meal choices , and physical fitness instruction all contribute to a healthier student body . The Wellness Center will assist staff and teachers in achieving positive fitness goals .
“ Children model adult behaviors from a very early age ,” Escobedo said . “ We want to empower our teachers to confidently and authentically demonstrate the positive effects of healthy choices for our youngest learners .”
The Wellness Center is adorned with “ Live Well Chula Vista ” banners . Fitness classes are offered at no cost to employees .
Rita Palet , director of Early Childhood Education , explained that the center is housed in a refurbished trailer and cost about $ 50,000 . District fitness classes were previously offered in a preschool meeting room . The center opens up possibilities .
“ It ’ s extremely exciting ,” Palet said . “ We have one building dedicated to wellness . Now , not only do we have a better facility for the 12 classes we offer per week , we can look at expanding and extending what we do to reach more people .”
Preschool students get some fresh air , fun and exercise at Chula Vista ESD ' s new Wellness Center .
ACSA ' s Resource Hub offers a plethora of useful information for school leaders on such issues as student safety , credentialing , increasing community engagement , deepening student learning , dealing with crises and much more .
Access resources on these and other topics at http :// content . acsa . org .