Antelope Valley Adult School creates personalized blended learning
2 EDCAL February 27 , 2017
LAO
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nificantly higher than assumed in January , with a potential increase in the minimum guarantee .
“ If revenue were to increase in 2017-18 by $ 2 billion above the governor ’ s January level , the minimum guarantee would increase by roughly $ 500 million . If revenue were to increase by $ 4 billion , the minimum guarantee would increase by about $ 1.5 billion ,” the report states .
The governor proposes three significant actions relating to LCFF : ( 1 ) deferring an $ 859 million LCFF payment from June to July 2017 ; ( 2 ) eliminating the deferral for the next payment cycle , thereby returning payments to the regular statutory schedule ; and ( 3 ) augmenting LCFF funding by $ 744 million in 2017‐18 .
“ Before deferring an LCFF payment , we recommend the Legislature exhaust all other one-time options , including capturing any current-year program savings . Were the Legislature to include a deferral in its budget package , we recommend it retire the deferral as soon as possible , as the Governor proposes . We also recommend the Legislature take the Governor ’ s same approach of dedicating most new ongoing Proposition 98 funding to LCFF , thereby giving districts flexibility to meet local priorities and cost pressures ,” the report states .
The LAO makes specific recommendations regarding the governor ’ s proposals in the areas of special education , preschool and Transitional Kindergarten , payment on the K-12 mandates block grant , and facilities bond funding through the recently passed Prop . 51 .
Special ed funding In his budget proposal , the governor indicated interest in engaging stakeholders
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• News : e-mail lroberts @ acsa . org in conversations on reforming special education funding . While not explicitly stated , there is some thought along the lines of rolling special education into the LCFF , and directing special education funding directly to districts instead of Special Education Local Planning Areas .
LAO recommendation : “ While we agree the current special education system has shortcomings , including unnecessary complexity and unjustified funding inequities , we believe the Legislature has many options to consider in redesigning the system . Moreover , redesigning the system could have significant implications for many stakeholders . For these reasons , we recommend the Legislature take time to explore its redesign options .”
Early childhood education
The governor also proposed several flexibility changes to State Preschool and Transitional Kindergarten programs , with the goal of aligning these programs more closely . These include exempting LEAs from Title 22 facility requirements , adultto-child ratios , and allowing children with exceptional needs to be served even if they fall outside the income eligibility threshold . The LAO recommends rejecting most of such proposals as they would bring more complexity to the system .
LAO recommendation : “ We recommend the Legislature take a more holistic approach . Under such an approach , the Legislature would consider how best to serve four-year-olds , particularly those from low-income families , including what eligibility criteria , program standards , and funding levels it desired for these children . Making all these decisions in tandem would provide for better alignment and coherence .”
Mandate payment On the governor ’ s proposal of a payment
Assembly bill seeks to close loophole in California ’ s Gun Free School Zones law
Assembly member Kevin McCarty , D-Sacramento , has introduced Assembly Bill 424 , which will close a loophole in California ’ s Gun Free School Zones law .
While civilian possession of a gun on a school campus is prohibited , a school district can currently authorize an armed civilian with a Concealed Carry Weapon permit to enter a school campus . A number of California school districts including Folsom Cordova USD , Kingsburg Joint Union , Anderson Union , and Kern school districts have begun to issue these authorizations , increasing the number of guns on K-12 school campuses and the risk of an on-campus shooting .
AB 424 would eliminate this loophole , reducing the number of guns on school campuses , making school campuses safer , and fulfilling the original intent of California ’ s Gun Free School Zones law .
Since 2013 , over 200 school shootings have taken place in America – an average of nearly one a week .
“ A safe learning environment is essential for our children to be successful in the classroom ,” McCarty said . “ That ’ s not possible if a school district allows armed civilians to roam California school campuses . I ’ m proud to author AB 424 and will continue to lead California ’ s efforts to keep guns out of our schools .”
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LAO recommendation : “ Regarding the K‐12 mandates block grant , we recommend the Legislature adopt the Governor ’ s proposal to add the new school employee training mandate but increase the associated block grant augmentation from $ 8.5 million to $ 41.9 million to more accurately reflect costs . Though the governor does not yet have a proposal for another new mandate related to online standardized testing , we recommend adding the mandate and $ 37.8 million to the block grant ($ 25 million to reflect higher costs and $ 12.8 million to reflect an accounting shift of existing related assessment funds ).”
Prop . 51 funding Finally , regarding Prop . 51 bonds for
At Antelope Valley Adult School , students enroll for a variety of reasons , including court or family mandates ; they dropped out of high school ; they need diplomas to apply for jobs or financial aid at local community colleges ; or , their diplomas or credits from other countries are not recognized in the U . S . To provide students with a flexible yet rigorous educational program , AVAS partnered with Fuel Education . The students use FuelEd Online Courses as part of a blended program that combines learning in a classroom as well as online .
“ We have around 700 students enrolled in the program at any given time , but we serve about 2,400 students total over the course of a year ,” said Evelyn Lenton , adult secondary education coordinator at AVAS in Antelope Valley Union HSD . “ We don ’ t have a ‘ typical ’ student , so we rely on creating connections with each student and using adaptive online learning tools to support them through their adult education .”
When a student enrolls at AVAS , the school counselor evaluates their transcript to determine how many credits they need to graduate and assigns them two FuelEd Online Courses to start . Courses cover a multitude of subjects , including English , math , science , history / social sciences and electives . Students are able to complete the online courses at their own pace , which is a necessity for adult education . Students then attend class at one of two sites , multiple times a week . school facilities , the LAO notes the governor ’ s proposal only covers a small part of the $ 2.4 billion backlog .
LAO recommendation : “ Given a large backlog of projects would persist under the governor ’ s proposal , we recommend the Legislature use its budget hearings to gather more information from the administration on how to address the backlog as expeditiously as possible . We also recommend the Legislature adopt a related proposal by the governor to shift auditing of state‐funded school facility projects from the state to the local level , thereby making auditing of facility expenditures similar to other program expenditures .”
The LAO report can be accessed at www . lao . ca . gov . For questions or information on the state budget , please contact ACSA Legislative Advocate Martha Alvarez at malvarez @ acsa . org .
Antelope Valley Adult School creates personalized blended learning
DIVERSITY
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“ Most people who don ’ t have their high school diplomas were unable to continue their education because of circumstances out of their control ,” Lenton said . “ The combination of the FuelEd Online Courses , one-on-one relationships with AVAS staff , and the overall flexibility of the program helps students overcome their obstacles .”
During class , students get instruction and support from teachers , instructional aids and the school counselor ; they also take all end-of-unit and course exams . AVAS has split each FuelEd Online Course into five one-credit units so students can earn partial credit if they should have to discontinue their AVAS enrollment mid-course . This also ensures students do not have to repeat parts of a course if they have already earned partial credit from another school . Once a student completes a course , he or she sits down with their teacher and discusses which course they will take next to keep moving them toward completion of their high school requirements .
“ Fuel Education offers a powerful learning solution that addresses the unique needs of adult students ,” said Gregg Levin , Fuel Education ’ s general manager . “ Using the flexibility and personalization available with online curriculum , combined with onsite support and mentoring , Antelope Valley Adult School has created the ideal environment to motivate adult learners and spark their success .” still racially isolated . About 15 percent of African American and Latino students attend schools that are less than one percent white .
• Low-income African American and Latino students are far more likely to attend schools of concentrated poverty than lowincome white students .
• Due to demographic patterns and legal precedents , efforts to integrate schools are often limited within district boundaries .
“ Segregation mostly occurs because of demographic differences between states and between school districts within states , which can limit the options for diversifying locally ,” said CPE Director Patte Barth . “ Yet there are communities that have found solutions .”
Although efforts to diversify schools confront significant obstacles , NSBA noted that school leaders operating within school district boundaries have tools at their disposal . Even if school leaders want to integrate their schools , their policy levers are often limited to their own district boundaries due to demographic patterns and legal precedents . Nonetheless , the positive effects on individual students and society as a whole should not be overlooked , and so the effort is worth it .
• Consider race and socioeconomic status in setting diversity goals , not just one or the other . While the two are correlated , they are not the same .
• Be prepared to articulate and document the educational benefits of adopting a student assignment plan that makes diversity a centerpiece .
• Community input and buy-in are essential to the success of any large-scale policy change , especially one that addresses students ’ school assignments .
• Families should have some level of choice in a new school assignment plan , but choice should also be limited to reduce the possibility of increasing segregation .
• For districts that are somewhat homogenous in racial make-up , it may be necessary for district leaders to work with other districts in their metropolitan area in order to achieve diversity .
Certainly , addressing any remedies requires serious community input , the study emphasizes . “ Any policy that addresses students ’ school assignments can be controversial , as the school busing plans of the 1970s and 1980s made clear . Providing families with some level of choice may also aid in the success of new school assignment plans ,” NSBA noted .
“ Our message is that local , state , and federal policymakers , as well as local community members , cannot accept that segregated schools are inevitable or the norm ,” Gentzel said . “ It ’ s true that , for some communities , the obstacles to integration can seem daunting . But , for the vast majority , if a community has the determination to improve the diversity of its schools , progress can be made . Given the potential impact on students and our nation , they need to act .”
The CPE study can be accessed at www . centerforpubliceducation . org / segregation .