Hot Topics: Streamlining Assessment Systems for Better Educational Outcomes

As the Executive Director of the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE), I am excited to continue sharing our strategic priorities for the 2024-2025 school year, including our focus on utilizing data to maximize impacts for students statewide. Our goal is to refine data collection processes, develop clear measurable objectives tied to all initiatives, and leverage advanced analytics to identify trends and areas for improvement. This ensures every initiative has clarity on and access to data that drives meaningful outcomes. Through focused data-driven insights, we can support LEAs in addressing their unique challenges, fostering a culture of continuous improvement across the state. One crucial area in this effort is the streamlining of assessment systems to improve educational decision-making and outcomes.

Overview:

Assessment systems play a pivotal role in shaping the quality of education, yet they can often become cluttered and inefficient. Over-assessment, duplicative evaluations, and misaligned approaches can burden educators and students alike, leading to a loss of valuable instructional time. To address these challenges, it is essential to adopt a balanced assessment system—one that delivers diverse, meaningful data to inform educational decisions while freeing up time for teaching and learning.

Solution:

The Assessment System Review online learning path, developed in collaboration with the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment, offers educators a structured approach to evaluate and refine their assessment practices. This learning path provides the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to conduct a thorough review of all assessments students complete throughout the year.

The learning path is broken into six modules:

  • Module 0: Introduction to the Learning Pathway
  • Module 1: Prepare to Launch
    Module 2: Clarify the Instructional Vision
  • Module 3: Reflect on Assessment System Needs
    Module 4: Conduct the Inventory
  • Module 5: Evaluate the Inventory of Assessments & Write Recommendations
  • Module 6: Create an Action Plan

These modules guide teams through a detailed process, helping educators identify areas of over-assessment, ensure assessments serve the right purpose, and optimize instructional time. The flexible format allows teams to move at their own pace and adapt the learning path to meet their specific needs.

Call to Action:

Empower your school or district by embarking on the Assessment System Review Learning Path. Begin your journey today and start making informed, data-driven decisions that enhance student learning experiences. Visit the learning path for more details.

Stay tuned for more updates on how CCEE is supporting educators statewide in leveraging data for improved educational outcomes.

Development and Delivery of Resources and Services to Support CCEE Communication Activities

DESCRIPTION

The California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) and the Marin County Office of Education (MCOE) are issuing this Request for Proposals (RFP) to seek qualified organizations to develop and deliver communication resources and services. These resources will support CCEE’s strategic communication goals, focusing on increasing awareness of CCEE’s offerings, elevating its value as a partner to local educational agencies (LEAs), and building deeper relationships within the California TK-12 education community.

This RFP invites proposals that address the following areas:

  1. Digital Presence and Content: Creation and management of web and social media content, search engine optimization, and the development of microsites to enhance CCEE’s digital footprint.
  2. Outreach and Engagement: Strategies to engage LEAs, educational partners, and other stakeholders through newsletters, email campaigns, and direct outreach.
  3. Events and Workshops: Planning and coordinating events such as webinars, workshops, and open-door sessions that facilitate stakeholder collaboration and knowledge sharing.
  4. Reporting and Analysis: Development of reports, impact statements, and analysis of communication efforts to measure their effectiveness and alignment with CCEE’s goals.
  5. Support and Feedback: Tools and methods to gather feedback, assess stakeholder needs, and improve communication strategies based on that feedback.

The selected Respondent will collaborate with CCEE staff to design, implement, and evaluate communication strategies that align with CCEE’s Theory of Action and strategic objectives.

Proposals Accepted Through: Monday, January 13, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. PST

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

QUESTIONS FROM RESPONDENTS (Post Date: Friday, August 16, 2024)

NOTIFICATION TO THE PUBLIC (Post Date: August 2, 2024 )


Point of Contact: Sehrish Anjum ([email protected])

Last Updated: Friday, August 2, 2024

Hot Topics: Addressing Chronic Absenteeism in California Schools

Chronic Absenteeism poses a significant challenges in California. This Hot Topic highlights successful strategies from the CCEE Bright Spots Fact Sheet and Attendance Works to address this issue effectively.

Key Highlights from CCEE Bright Spots:

  1. Supportive Leadership: Principals lead cross-departmental teams to tackle attendance barriers.
  2. Strategic Data Use: Real-time attendance data drives proactive support for students and families.
  3. Building Trust: Developing trusting relationships between schools and families fosters a supportive environment.
  4. Clear Guidance: Clear health and attendance guidelines help reduce health-related absences.

Key Strategies from Attendance Works:

  1. Identify Barriers: Use data to identify and address systemic barriers affecting attendance.
  2. Understand Root Causes: Analyze factors contributing to absenteeism using qualitative and quantitative data.
  3. Targeted Interventions:
    • Safe Routes: Ensure safe routes to school to mitigate neighborhood dangers.
    • Classroom Breakfast: Implement breakfast programs to improve attendance.
    • Afterschool Programs: Provide access to quality afterschool programs.
    • Recess Programs: Utilize recess interventions to reduce behavioral issues

Call to Action: Review the findings from the Bright Spots Fact Sheet and Attendance Works resources. Implement these strategies to foster an environment that supports regular attendance and academic success.


For more information, refer to the Bright Spots Fact Sheet and Attendance Works Guide.

If you have any questions about CCEE and how to engage with our resources and professional learning opportunities, please visit our website. Stay Ahead in Education! 📚 Check out our Podcast Rising from the Margins, Statewide System of Support Directory, and Friday 5! Join CCEE’s ListServ & Calendar Updates to Never Miss an Event. Sign Up Now for Limitless Learning Opportunities. 🌟 #CCEEConnections”

Hot Topic: Transforming California’s Educational Landscape: A Call to Action for UDL

In recent months, the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) has been at the forefront of a groundbreaking initiative, leading a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Advisory Group. Comprised of both internal and external partners, this group embarked on a mission to explore and evaluate California’s infrastructure in supporting UDL in education. The resultant memo synthesizes their findings and recommendations, underlining the need for a strategic, systemic approach to UDL’s expansion in California. This blog will delve into the key insights from the memo, outlining the path towards a more inclusive and effective educational system in the state.

Understanding the UDL Landscape

The UDL Advisory Group’s work was informed by collaborative efforts between CCEE and pivotal organizations like the California Coalition for Inclusive Learning (CCIL), Open Access, and Supporting Inclusive Practices (SIP). In addition, empathy interviews with frontline educators and practitioners were conducted, offering a comprehensive view of the UDL landscape in California’s education system.

Four Critical Areas of Discussion

The data collection and analysis led to the identification of four critical areas that require attention and action to drive UDL forward in California:

  • Awareness: The first area of concern centers around educators’ awareness of UDL and its significance within the existing instructional systems in California. Do educators understand the “why” behind UDL and how it fits into the broader educational framework?
  • Alignment: Is there a coherent alignment between the state’s support system and the foundational concepts of UDL? Are California educators equipped with the knowledge and tools necessary to effectively implement UDL principles in their classrooms?
  • Application: Are educators provided with statewide systems that motivate, prepare, and consistently support the incremental application of UDL in their classrooms? Do existing educational systems facilitate or inhibit the adoption of UDL-style instruction?
  • Assessment: How can educators measure the effectiveness of UDL implementation at various levels, from the classroom to the district? To what extent are existing assessment measures universally designed to accommodate diverse learners?

The Call for Action
The memo concludes with a resounding call to action for policymakers, educators, and stakeholders in California’s education system. The recommendations are as follows:

  • Develop a Coherent Vision: Policymakers are urged to prioritize a strategic, systemic approach to UDL’s expansion. This includes crafting a compelling vision for implementing UDL in California, emphasizing its coherence with best instructional practices and tiered levels of support.
  • Support Flexible Resources: Promote, encourage, and fund the development of curriculum and resources that align with UDL principles. These resources should be flexible and supportive, catering to diverse learning needs.
  • Align Timelines and Evaluations: Align timelines and evaluations of existing state funding initiatives with a focus on UDL. Facilitate collaboration and integration between these initiatives to ensure a cohesive approach to UDL implementation.
  • Enhance Best First Instruction: Shift the focus of future initiatives towards enhancing best first instruction and supporting the whole child. Avoid relying solely on special education as the primary application of UDL.

The release of the UDL memo by the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence is a pivotal moment in the state’s educational landscape. It highlights the urgent need for a systemic transformation that embraces Universal Design for Learning as a core principle. By addressing the areas of awareness, alignment, application, and assessment, California can create a more inclusive, equitable, and effective education system that empowers all learners to thrive. The call to action provides a clear roadmap for policymakers and educators to follow as they work towards this important goal. It’s time for California to lead the way in reimagining education for the 21st century.

Direct Technical Assistance Support

Posting Date: 9/22/23

DESCRIPTION

Established by the Legislature in 2013 with the enactment of the Local Control Funding Formula (“LCFF”), the CCEE became operational in 2015 to “advise and assist” local educational agencies (“LEAs”) with achieving the goals set forth in their Local Control and Accountability Plans (“LCAPs”). (Ed. Code § 52074.) CCEE is an integral part of the Statewide System of Support, which is designed to build the capacity of LEAs to support LCFF, through the continuous improvement of pupil performance, address the achievement gaps between student groups, and improve outreach and collaboration with partners to ensure that LCAPs reflect the needs of pupils and the community, especially for historically underrepresented or low-achieving populations (Ed. Code § 52059).

The purpose of CCEE’s Direct Technical Assistance (“DTA”) is to “advise and assist” county offices of education (“COEs”) and local educational agencies (“LEAs”) in need of targeted assistance in achieving their Local Control and Accountability Plan (“LCAP”) goals by effectively meeting the needs of students historically underserved. The DTA process utilizes school/district turnaround principles and quality improvement practices to effectively build the capacity of LEAs to support all students’ academic and social-emotional well-being. When CCEE provides this assistance to an LEA, their teams collaborate with external partners and professional content experts to create a culture of continuous improvement that addresses systemic barriers to teaching and learning.

In 2019, the statute outlining the CCEE’s mission (Ed. Code § 52074) was updated to designate school districts that receive emergency apportionments pursuant to specified provisions as being referred to CCEE, after which CCEE may conduct a systemic review of the district. CCEE may further coordinate and facilitate assistance to the district provided by governmental agencies in order to facilitate and provide coherent support.

CCEE also provides technical assistance to school districts that meet specified student performance criteria over a period of three out of four consecutive school years.

CCEE is looking for respondents who can support the partner LEAs in implementing State priorities. Further Information is included in the Request for proposal.

Proposals due: Friday, March 29, 2024 at 4:00pm PST Thursday, May 1, 2025 at 4:00 pm PST

Point of Contact: [email protected]

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

QUESTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS