2016-09-08

(From Press Release) More than 300 groups across California delivered a letter to Governor Brown today, urging him to sign AB 2548 (Weber) that calls for an effective statewide school accountability system that includes key measures to give a clear and comprehensive understanding of how schools and students are doing. This approach for statewide accountability will help close California’s widening achievement gap and empower parents, community members and educators to improve schools.

The Dolores Huerta Foundation, California Business Roundtable, numerous chambers of commerce, the California Latino School Boards Association, EdVoice and United Ways of California are among the diverse set of business, community and civil rights group that joined together to support AB 2548 and the opportunity it provides to fulfill the promise of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF).

The bill, co-sponsored by Children Now and Ed-Trust West, received unanimous approval from the Assembly (78-0) and Senate (39-0). The bill calls on the State Board of Education (State Board) to:

Create a single coherent local-state-federal accountability system;

Establish one aligned system based on a set of multiple measures, including academic performance, student growth, college and career readiness, school climate and student engagement, ensuring closing achievement gaps is a key element of a new accountability system;

Focus on closing gaps in achievement by setting specific improvement standards that require greater improvement for students that are farthest behind; and

Ensure usable information on school performance is accessible for the public to use and understand.

“The unanimous legislative vote and now the signatures of over 300 diverse organizations demonstrates the overwhelming support for an effective and transparent accountability system,” said Ted Lempert, President of Children Now whose group coordinated the letter through The Children’s Movement of California. “Governor Brown and the State Board of Education need to heed the call and ensure that the state has an aligned, effective system for holding schools accountable.”

The letter was delivered on the eve of Thursday’s State Board meeting (September 8) where they will discuss their current plan for California’s school accountability system, which falls short on many critical elements of school accountability essential to boosting student success. (see attached)

Statewide data shows that California has one of the largest gaps in student achievement, ranking 49th in the nation when compared with other states. While students are improving on state assessments overall, students who have historically been furthest behind — and are the intended focus of increased investments under LCFF — are progressing at a slower rate, widening the achievement gap.

“Closing gaps in achievement should be at the core of the state’s accountability system. We need to make sure there is every incentive to focus on the state’s most vulnerable children,” said Samantha Tran, Senior Managing Director, Education at Children Now.

Children Now is a leading national group, nonpartisan, umbrella research, policy development, and advocacy organization that works with opinion leaders and decisions makers to craft “win-win” approaches that help all children achieve their full potential. The organization also leads The Children’s Movement of California.

(Editor’s note: CTA opposes the bill “because it would impose new accountability restrictions on local schools before the State Board of Education and local districts have had a chance to implement fully the accountability provisions of the new Local Control Funding Formula. “)

Support equity in schools with strong accountability system

September 7, 2016

The Honorable Edmund G. Brown Jr.

Governor of California

Re: AB 2548 (Weber) – SUPPORT

Dear Governor Brown:

The undersigned organizations write to express our support for AB 2548 (Weber).

AB 2548 will empower parents, community members and educators to improve schools by providing the data and information they need to develop school improvement strategies. This legislation focuses on increasing equity in California’s schools by creating a robust information system based on multiple measures and ensuring that closing gaps in achievement is a central focus of the new accountability system.

AB 2548 would ensure transparent and meaningful comparison across schools and districts with respect to a baseline set of measures, including academic performance, student growth, college and career readiness, school climate and student engagement. The State Board of Education would also be able to expand on this set of measures.

In addition, AB 2548 calls on the state to create a single coherent local-state-federal accountability system, while giving the State Board of Education discretion to develop the vision for this alignment. A single, aligned system will preclude the confusing, conflicting messages educators and the broader public experienced previously with the two separate accountability systems used under the No Child Left Behind Act.

California has one of the largest gaps in student achievement, ranking 49th in the nation when compared with other states. While students are improving on state assessments overall, students who have historically been furthest behind — and are the intended focus of increased investments under the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) — are progressing at a slower rate, widening the achievement gap.

AB 2548 represents an opportunity to fulfill the promise of LCFF, support these most vulnerable students and begin to close the growing achievement gap.

We respectfully ask you to join the Legislature, unanimous in their bipartisan support for this bill, and sign AB 2548. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

10,000 Degrees

4C’s of Alameda County

A Place Called Home

Acknowledge Alliance

Act 4 Entertainment

ACT for Women and Girls

Activating Teen Literacy

Active Advisors

Adorable Babies Jump Start Corporation

Aeries Software

Affinity Mentoring

After-School All-Stars, Los Angeles

All Pro Promotions

Alliance for a Better Community

Amah Mutsun Tribal Band

American Lakes After School Program

American Legion High School After School Program

Amethod Public Schools

Animal Rescue of Fresno

Armen Deveejian, Architect

Armory Center for the Arts

Arriba Juntos

Arts Bridging the Gap

Arts Council Santa Cruz County

Asian Americans Advancing Justice – California

Asian Health Services

Avalos Foundation

Bananas

Bay Area Central American Chamber of Commerce

Bay Area Children’s Association

Bay Area Tutoring Association

Bay Area Urban Debate League

Bay East Legacy & Associates

Beat the Streets Inc

Beats Rhymes and Life

Benevolence Health Centers

Bicycle Coffee

Big Bear Chamber of Commerce

Black Parallel School Board

BlueSkies for Children

BOCA

Bohbot & Riles, PC

Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County

Boys & Girls Clubs of La Habra

Boys & Girls Clubs of Merced County

Brea Chamber of Commerce

Breastfeed LA

Bret Hart After School Program

Bret Harte Before School Program

Brighter Beginnings

Bubbaloo Café

Building Blocks for Kids Collaborative

Butte County Child Abuse Prevention Council

CACE Adult Ed

California Alliance for Arts Education

California Alliance of African American Educators (CAAAE)

California Alternative Payment Program Association (CAPPA)

California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE)

California Business Roundtable

California Charter Schools Association

California Child Care Resource & Referral Network

California Democrats for Education Reform

California Latino School Boards Association

California LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens)

California Mathematics Council

California Partnership

California School-Age Consortium

California Teacher Pathway

Californians Together

Camino Nuevo

Campaign for Business and Education Excellence (CBEE)

Capacity Builders, Inc.

Caulder Lamm Alliance for Children, Inc.

Center for Ecoliteracy

Center for Leadership, Equity, and Research (CLEAR)

Central California Asthma Collaborative

Central Valley Children’s Services Network

Cesar Chavez Intermediate After School Program

Child Care Coordinating Council of San Mateo County

Children Now

Children Today

Children’s Defense Fund-California

Children’s Network of Solano County

Citizen Schools

Civicorps

Clovis Unified School District, Parent Academy Jr.

CodeWritingKids.com

Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth

College Board

Community Engagement Initiatives

Community Health Councils

CommUniverCity San Jose

Congregations Building Community

Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (C.O.P.E.)

Continuing Development Inc., Child Development Centers

Contra Costa Young Democrats

Counseling and Support Services for Youth

County of San Mateo

Crescent City Chamber of Commerce

CuriOdyssey

Davis Street Community Center Incorporated

Diana Casanova Photography

Dog Gon’ Clean

Dolores Huerta Foundation

Dorris Dann Kids Campus

Dr. Victor Cattolico, Clinical Psychologist

Early Years

East Bay Community Foundation

Educacy

Educate 78

Education Synergy Alliance

Educational Consulting

Educational Results Partnership

Educators 4 Excellence

EdVoice

Elder Creek After School Program

EMC Research

Engel & Völkers Beverly Hills

Epilepsy California

Escuela de la Raza Unida

Ethel I Baker Elementary After School Program

Ethel I Baker Elementary Before School Program

Extended Child Care Coalition of Sonoma County

Faith in Action Kern County

Faith in Community

Faith Lutheran Church

Families In Schools

Family Connections

Family Paths, Inc.

FASD Network of Southern California

Fathers & Families of San Joaquin

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California

Financial Architects Partners

FIRST 5 Santa Clara

First 5 Yuba County

First Place for Youth

Footsteps Child Care, Inc.

Foster Care Counts

Franklin Elementary After School Program

Fresher Chefs

Fresno Metro Ministries

Friends of the Family

Full Court Press Communications

Funding the Next Generation Napa

Future Is Now

Future Partners

Gallagher-Chapman Insurance

Genesys Works – Bay Area

Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council

Girls Inc. of Orange County

Girls Inc. West Contra Costa County

Girls Leadership Institute

Give For A Smile

GO Public Schools Oakland

GO Public Schools West Contra Costa

Good Samaritan Family Resource Center

Good Seed CDC

Govern For California

GRACE

Great Beginnings for Black Babies

Guatemalan American Chamber of Commerce

Half Moon Bay Brewing Co

Half Moon Bay Coastside Chamber of Commerce

Harbour Consulting

Healing Hearts “one at a time” Inc.

Health Connected

Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA)

Hispanic Chambers of Commerce of San Francisco

Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley

HOMEY (Homies Organizing the Mission to Empower Youth)

ICUC (Inland Congregations United for Change)

iFoster

Inn at Mavericks

Inner-City Arts

InnerCity Struggle

Innovate Public Schools

Innovation Bridge, Inc.

InPlay

Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity

Irene B. West After School Program

John Sloat Elementary After School Program

JUMA Ventures

Kern Community Foundation

Kidango, Inc.

Kids in Common, a program of Planned Parenthood Mar Monte

Kids’ Own Wisdom

KIPP Bay Area Schools

Krause Center for Innovation

La Clinica de La Raza

LA Voice

Law Offices of Barbara Goode

Lemonade Creative Consulting

Los Angeles Education Partnership

Los Angeles Urban League

LPC Consulting Associates, Inc.

Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford

LULAC of Riverside

Lynch Associates, LLC

Mark Twain Elementary After School Program

Men & Women of Purpose

Merced Organizing Project (MOP)

Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF)

Mission: Readiness

Modoc Local Planning Council

Moler Barber College

Montclair Physical Therapy

Morgan Family Foundation

Mothers’ Club Family Learning Center

Mountain View/Los Altos/Los Altos Hills Challenge Team

Mulvaney’s B&L

Mutual Assistance Network

Napa Valley Community Housing

National Academic Youth Corp

National Center for Youth Law

National Compadres Network

Natomas Gateway Middle School After School Program

Natomas Middle School After School Program

Nea Community Learning Center

Nicaraguan American Chamber of Commerce

Nuestra Casa de East Palo Alto

Oak Ridge Elementary After School Program

Oakland Community Organizations

Oakland Natives Give Back

Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce

Omnific Pictures

Optimal Solutions Consulting

Orange County Business Council

Orange County Congregations Community Organization

Our Family Coalition

P.S. ARTS

Pacific Community Solutions, Inc.

Para Los Niños

Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE)

Parent Revolution

PARENT VOICES OAKLAND

Parent Voices, Solano

Partnership for Children & Youth

Partnership for LA Schools

Pathways LA

Peaceful Pets Petsitting

Peninsula Bridge

Peninsula Family Service

People And Congregations Together (Stockton-PICO)

PICO California

Placer People of Faith Together

Positive Discipline Community Resources

PRO Youth and Families

Professional Assn of Childhood Educators, Inc

Project Read

Promesa Boyle Heights

Public Counsel

Public Profit

Puente de la Costa Sur

Raconteur Designs

Radio Bilingue

Raineth Housing, LP

RDP Consulting

Reading and Beyond

ReadyNation

Redwood City-San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce

Resource Development Associates

Restorative Justice League

Richmond Community Foundation

Richmond Police Activities League

RodArte

Rodriguez Strategies

Rollman Properties

Rosa Parks K-8 After School Program

Roy Herburger Elementary After School Program

RYSE Center

Sacramento ACT (Area Congregations Together)

Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Sacramento Region Community Foundation

Saffron Strand

Salud Para La Gente

San Carlos Chamber of Commerce

San Diego Organizing Project

San Mateo Chamber of Commerce

San Mateo County Economic Development Association (SAMCEDA)

San Mateo County Sheriff’s Activities League (SAL)

Sententia Vera, LLC

Shasta Community Health Center

Smallify

Smile In Style DDPP

Sojourner Truth Museum of African American Art

Solano Community Foundation

South Stockton Schools Initiative

SpecialRelativity Education Foundation

Stanislaus Community Foundation

StarVista

Street Level Health Project

Students for Education Reform

Students For Education Reform at UC Davis

Students Matter

Summit Bank

Summit Public Schools

Synergy Moon

T4T.org

Target Excellence

Teach For America

Teach Plus

TechNet

The Alliance for Education Solutions (AES)

The BASIC Fund

The Children’s Movement Fresno

The Education Trust West

The Gabriella Foundation

The GreenHouse

The L.A. Trust for Children’s Health

The Latin American & Caribbean Chambers of Commerce

The Latina Center

The Mountain View Chamber of Commerce

The Philip and Muriel Berman Foundation

The Rhythmic Arts Project

The Unforeseen

The Village Method

The Women’s Foundation of California

Tikun Olam Foundation

Transforming Youth Outdoors

Trauma Camp

United States Entertainment Force Inc

United Ways of California

Valley Wine Connection

Venture Leadership Consulting

Vision to Learn

Walnut Creek Bulldawgs

Warmline Family Resource Center

Way Up Sacramento

West Contra Costa Council of Industries

West Contra Costa Education Foundation (The EdFund)

Wettig Law Firm, A Prof. Corp.

WHH Foundation

Women’s Economic Agenda Project

Women’s Empowerment

XTG Media

Youth Alliance

Youth Enrichment Strategies (YES)

Youth Together

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