Category: Newsletter

News & Announcements

Interested in Joining the community engagement initiative (CEI)?

Applications to join the Cohort V of the Community Engagement Initiative are due March 15, 2024. This peer-led initiative brings together LEAs from every corner of the state to learn together about community engagement strategies and practices that strengthen relationships that affect student outcomes. Interested LEAs can find more information and apply here.

In Case You Missed It

project arise free professional development opportunity

Project ARISE partners have developed a series of self-paced online courses that offer a whole-child approach to literacy instruction. Engage in content addressing executive functions, research informed best practices for reading instruction, and a process for intensive intervention. This professional learning opportunity is free to all California educators. Project ARISE is led by Contra Costa County Office of Education and supported by California Department of Education. Enroll for courses here.

Equity leadership now! a new podcast by the 21Csla state center

Tune in to Equity Leadership Now!, hosted by 21CSLA, where we engage in conversations with leaders committed to equity in education, spanning from PreK to university settings. We explore their innovative ideas and compelling work to realize individual, social, and environmental justice at the intersection of research, policy, and practice — because our democracy depends on it. 

Listen today to “Orchestrating a Community of Diverse Educational Equity Leaders” featuring Rebecca Cheung, Assistant Dean of the Berkeley School of Education and Director of 21CSLA State Center. In this episode, Dr. Cheung delves into her leadership journey and discusses the crucial intersection of equity, leadership, and public education with Professor and 21CSLA Chair Jabari Mahiri. Listen to ELN! now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and more.

CCEE “OPEN DOOR” sessions

Join our “open door” sessions where educational practitioners share innovative ideas and best practices from the Whole Child Design Framework. Connect with peers across the state, and explore opportunities for further engagement. Visit our site to watch recordings of past sessions or click the events calendar button in the navigation for upcoming sessions.

Looking AHEAD

UPCOMING CCEE OPEN DOOR SESSIONS

3/14: Increasing Intervention Efficacy Using Data Dashboards

A data dashboard can be a powerful tool when considering how to track the effectiveness of program implementation and efficacy. There are a myriad of factors to consider when deciding what dashboarding can provide your LEA. In this Open Door session, San Ramon Valley USD will share how to link data dashboarding with progress monitoring to increase intervention efficacy. Click here to register.

3/26: Balanced Assessment Systems in Action: Fostering Formative Assessment Practices With Mathematical Learning Progressions

This Open Door session explores the implementation of Balanced Assessment Systems, particularly Formative Assessments in mathematics, through Rincon Valley Union School District’s journey leveraging mathematical learning progressions from the Ongoing Assessment Project (OGAP) and utilizing progress monitoring tools such as teacher and student surveys and classroom walk-throughs to foster inclusive mathematical instruction. Click here to register.

register for the ’24-’25 Leadership institute

Register for the ‘24-’25 Leadership Institute. The Leadership Institute will kick off in person July 21, 2024 in Newport Beach, CA. 

The ultimate goal of the Leadership Institute is to create networks and support systems for small school district leaders so they can gain the skill set and confidence needed to effectively lead their districts.

Project arise spring workshop series

Project ARISE, led by Contra Costa County Office of Education, invites California educators to our Spring Workshop series.  These virtual professional learning sessions will include:

• For Executive Functions, Context Matters from the Center for Whole-Child Education
• Effective Foundational Skills Instruction from TNTP
• Intensifying Interventions for Students from the National Center on Intensive Intervention

See Workshop Flier.

See Workshop Registration.

March Resources

• Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month
• Women’s History Month
• National Good Samaritan Day

About the CCEE

The California Collaborative for Educational Excellence is a statewide leader delivering on California’s promise of a quality, equitable education for every student.

About the Transformative Systems for Equitable educational outcomes center (tSEE)

The Center for Transformative Systems facilitates a common integrated vision for the Statewide System of Support for the development of coordinated, equitable, educational student outcomes.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S CORNER

New Beginnings: What can happen when we imagine something new?

By Matt J. Navo, Executive Director, CCEE

Our state has invested millions of dollars into our schools and statewide systems over the last 4 years. The investments were pursued in hopes of building innovative approaches to improving educational outcomes for our students.

In addition to all the investments that create new ideas, sometimes doing something new involves simply a new approach or even reducing ideas to focus on a few key opportunities.

The Center for Transformative Systems for Equitable Educational Outcomes (TSEE) did just that on February 20, 2024.  For the first time in California’s history, every state-funded initiative with statewide impact was brought together in hopes of establishing a new way of coordinating, collaborating, and integrating services and supports across the state.

This newsletter takes advantage of the opportunity to highlight new beginnings in state transformation.

Statewide System of Support (SSOS) is beginning to build the Interagency Collaboration envisioned by the State

By Chris Hartley, Ed.D., Deputy Executive Director, CCEE

As we celebrate and embrace new beginnings and the energy the Spring season brings all our educators throughout the state of California, the Center for Transformative Systems for Equitable Educational Outcomes (TSEE) is excited to bring you this newsletter. Together, we can harness the symbolism of Spring to cultivate a brighter, more interconnected future for all students.

This narrative directly aligns with our most recent event involving all lead agencies in the SSOS. For the first time, all state-funded initiatives that have a statewide impact were assembled in the collective pursuit of building interagency collaboration and integration of services and support statewide.

The Statewide System of Support Collaboration Convening, with over 110 participants making up over 25 state initiatives, was an opportunity to learn, grow, and share unique expertise and resources. 

State agency partners pulled together to organize and facilitate the event. Big thanks to CCEE Board President, Dr. Cynthia Glover-Woods and CCEE Executive Director, Matt Navo for the excellent opening day remarks and to all the presenters who made this an outstanding event.

Just as Spring encapsulates the possibility of transformation, so do the efforts and dedication of educators throughout the state.

Embracing New Opportunities to Learn and Grow: Ensuring Equity in Access with the Statewide System of Support (SSOS) Online Tools

By Mindy Fattig, Senior Advisor, Statewide System of Support, CCEE

How do we ensure equity in access to all of the state funded resources, supports, and services across the state so educators know where to go and how to access resources without solely relying on who they may know in the system? This is a question that CCEE has been working on with our educational partners in the field over the past few years. As a result, goals with very specific strategic actions were identified to create tools that provide ease of access to all of the SSOS state funded resources available to educators that are designed to support improving outcomes for students.

These are just two of the many tools created which you can access with the links or QR codes below.

Levers for System Change

The Levers for System Change tool is designed for LEAs to assess the quality of their educational infrastructure in order to improve outcomes for ALL students, inclusive of serving students with disabilities. LEA teams evaluate, document, and progress monitor the status of implementation of the six fundamental components necessary for a successful LEA. 

CCEE Statewide System of Support Resource Hub

Discover a wealth of universal resources aimed at enhancing student outcomes and supporting educators! With over 30 statewide projects, grants, and initiatives, there is a new one-stop website designed to provide equity in access to valuable tools for educators. There are 130+ universal resources aimed at supporting districts, county offices, and charter schools, and this number will continue to grow! From webinars, to toolkits, to self-assessment frameworks, all resources are aimed to help educational partners improve outcomes for students. 

To learn more about the various online tools the System of Support has to offer, see the document below, or click here. We hope these tools will help educators across the state, to learn and grow together.

About the System of Support Online ToolsDownload

Revised CSTP Provides CEI with New Opportunities to Develop Teacher Capacity

Brittany Mabe, Ed.D., District Advisor, Community Engagement, San Diego County Office of Education

Take a moment to think about the last fifteen years and all that has transpired in the world of education and beyond. From technology advances to global pandemics to AI, the classrooms of today look vastly different from those of fifteen years ago. Knowing this, it is exciting that revised and updated California Standards for the Teaching Profession, CSTP, were approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) in February. The prior version of the CSTP, used by public school teachers K-12 statewide, were approved in 2009 and have been used to guide professional development, evaluation, and teacher induction programs for the last fifteen years. The goal of these revised standards, as outlined in the Information/Action Item presented to the CTC (2024), is to “enable teachers to meet the needs of all learners (collective), each learner (individual), and every learner, including but not limited to specifically historically and persistently underserved students.”

These new standards bring about many new opportunities. While the overarching six domains of the standards remain the same, included among the changes to the standards themselves is a stronger focus on family and community engagement and developing “positive and reciprocal family and community connections” (CTC Information/Action Item 4B, 2024). The new standards address the goals of the family and the community and ask teachers to implement evidence-based principles of engaging families to best meet the needs of all learners. One way that districts and charters across the state of California can deepen their community engagement practices and their understanding of these principles is through participation in the Community Engagement Initiative (CEI), a component of the Statewide System of Support charged with building peer-to-peer partnerships and deepening an understanding of authentic engagement. The revised standards provide the CEI an opportunity to collaboratively support educators in the classroom, ultimately strengthening community engagement and improving student outcomes.

News & Announcements

Project CLEAR (California Literacy Elevation by Accelerating Reading)

Project CLEAR builds capacity in implementing and accelerating literacy development in districts across the state. Educators can participate in one of two levels of professional learning offered through Project CLEAR – Teacher Leaders and Teachers. Participation is fully funded through Project CLEAR! For more information, see Project CLEAR’s webpage on our Learning Acceleration System Grant Website.

Project CLEAR’s Two-Unit Graduate Assessment Course

Project CLEAR now offers a two-unit graduate assessment course for interested teachers and administrators! The grant-funded coursework provides an overview of early literacy assessments in phonics, reading, and writing. The course is also designed to assist district and school leaders to develop, or redesign, a literacy acceleration plan to incorporate into their Local Control and Accountability Plan. For more information about this opportunity, please see Project CLEAR’s webpage.

Interested in Joining CEI?Applications to join the Cohort V of the Community Engagement Initiative opened in mid-January. This peer-led initiative brings together LEAs from every corner of the state to learn together about community engagement strategies and practices that strengthen relationships that affect student outcomes. Interested LEAs can find more information and apply at www.californiaengage.org/joining-cei

In Case You Missed It

Direct Technical Assistance Request for Proposal

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

Looking AHEAD

California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration – 2024 Summit

Registration is open for the 2024 California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration (CCLA) Summit! The CCLA Summit is an inclusive hybrid space for educators to gain knowledge and deepen understanding of learning acceleration to reinvigorate classroom instruction to improve student outcomes. Both in-person and virtual participation options are offered.

Please join us on Saturday, March 16, 2024 from 8:30 am – 2:30 pm by registering here.

February Resources

• Direct Technical Assistance handout
• New CEI Learning Modules
• UDL for Educator Empowerment
• Microlearning Modules
• Statewide System of Support Resource Hub

About the Teaching, Learning, and Leading Center (TLLC)

Our team works in alliance with educators to improve teaching, learning, and leadership so every student is inspired and prepared to thrive as their best self.

About the CCEE

The California Collaborative for Educational Excellence is a statewide leader delivering on California’s promise of a quality, equitable education for every student.

Executive Director’s Corner

Inspiring Change through Direct Technical Assistance

By Matt J. Navo, Executive Director, CCEE

CCEE’s Just Cause to “inspire change” is central to our established purpose as an organization. Our collaborative approach emphasizes the power of partnerships and the collective strength that comes from working together. We leverage improvement science and equity-centered practices such as the Seven Circle Model to build initial and ongoing relationships that will sustain the work moving forward. Through our collaborative efforts in Direct Technical Assistance (DTA), the Teaching, Learning, and Leading Center (TLLC) leverages these practices to inspire change as they work alongside Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) in their collaborative improvement journeys. One of the objectives of DTA is to: 

Advise and assist County Offices of Education (COEs) & Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) in need of targeted assistance in achieving their LCAP goals by effectively meeting the needs of students historically underserved. 

TLLC, led by Dr. Stephanie Gregson, Deputy Executive Director, is dedicated to addressing the specific needs of LEAs under the umbrella of DTA. Below you will read more about DTA and the various levels of support TLLC provides in efforts to inspire change within the educational system.

What is Direct Technical Assistance?

By Stephanie Gregson, Ed.D., Deputy Executive Director, CCEE

Direct Technical Assistance sounds very formal and what you would expect from Education Code. Yet, Direct Technical Assistance, as our team at CCEE views it, is anything but technical – it is very much about learning and understanding together what type of support will lift the efforts in each district eligible for Direct Technical Assistance. The CCEE team approaches Direct Technical Assistance honoring the human work that is part of systems change. Our Direct Technical Assistance handout provides a brief overview of the different types of supports that can be accessed through Direct Technical Assistance but let me provide an example.  

One of the districts we support asked us to review their strategic plan and collaborate on how we can amplify their actions within the strategic plan. One of the first steps after reviewing the district’s strategic plan was to conduct a crosswalk analysis with all the other plans the district was required to develop, including their LCAP. Our team worked with the County Office of Education team and district team to conduct this crosswalk analysis and help identify areas of alignment and detractors. The goal of this collaboration is to ensure focus and intentionality of all district and support actions align with the LCAP and Strategic Plan goals. Once this work is completed, all have a shared understanding of the goals, strengths, and areas of support. This approach provided the opportunity for all to learn and grow together and move forward with coherent intentions.

This is just one example of support provided through Direct Technical Assistance and there will be a few more examples throughout this newsletter. As our Executive Director mentioned, we are here to lift up and inspire change within our educational system. We are here for you.

Bolstering Supports in Partnership 

By Rocio Gonzalez-Frausto, Assistant Director of the Teaching, Learning & Leading Center, CCEE

The CCEE DTA team may engage in a DTA partnership with districts, the County Office of Education, and GEO leads through various modes, as seen in Figure 1. As the modes progress, CCEE’s DTA support is intensified. Regardless of the mode, quality improvement practices are leveraged. In a Cooperative Facilitation partnership, the CCEE works with the district and COE leadership team from design to implementation of a targeted project or to serve as a launch to a District goal with the support of the COE as part of Differentiated Assistance (DA) it provides to the district. 

For example, a district office could be working to implement its goals and initiatives with little consistent success. The CCEE, in this partnership, will leverage the COE Differentiated Assistance to identify the root cause. CCEE will co-facilitate Continuous improvement-driven sessions with the COE and District to support the district leadership in identifying the LCAP and instructional plan(s) alignment and immediate next steps. As part of the identified support, CCEE can provide leadership quality improvement coaching to targeted individuals on the team and serve as a connector to other supports found in the CA Statewide System of Support. The duration of the Cooperative Facilitation partnership will vary but will generally be a year at most. This example is one way a Cooperative Facilitation partnership may manifest between agencies. 

Figure 1: DTA’s Spectrum of Support

Establishing Systemic Coherence through the SIR

By Erik Swanson, Senior Advisor of the Teaching, Learning & Leading Center, CCEE

The Systemic Instructional Review (SIR) is the most intensive level of support provided by CCEE’s Direct Technical Assistance (DTA) to local educational agencies. It involves an in-depth analysis of the district’s instructional systems, aiming to support district leadership in enhancing academic progress and social-emotional growth for every student.

Grounded in Fullan & Quinn’s Coherence Framework and quality improvement principles, the SIR process focuses on providing clear direction, fostering collaborative cultures, deepening learning, and securing accountability. During “Phase 1,” the CCEE collaborates with the LEA and COE teams to understand their specific needs and goals for achieving student success.

For “Phase 2,” various data gathering methods, such as school visits, focus groups, empathy interviews, and instructional crosswalks are employed during the process. This inclusive approach involves educational partners at multiple levels, including students, families, teachers, school site staff, administration, governance members, and district office leadership.

Following thorough data collection and analysis, in “Phase 3,” the CCEE continues to work closely with the LEA and COE to develop and support the implementation and sustainability of improvement strategies. The ultimate goal is to create a comprehensive Pre-K through 12 analysis of the LEA’s instructional systems, encompassing academic and social-emotional aspects, and ensuring the effective implementation of teaching, learning, and leading practices. This collaborative effort is designed to prepare every student to thrive as their best selves.

For more information on the SIR and the Coherence framework, visit the Teaching, Learning, and Leading Center’s SIR webpage.

Intensive Assistance Model

Rising from the Margins

Rising From The Margins is a compelling podcast series that explores the transformative journey of California’s economically challenged schools through the lens of the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence’s Intensive Assistance Model (IAM) pilot project. You can listen to the podcast now.

Reimagining Education: Insights from the Frontlines of School Transformation

CCEE, in collaboration with LEAs and partner organizations, will be hosting “open door” sessions to share best practices, tools/resources, and strategies to support student learning. These sessions will provide opportunities for county office and/or district staff to listen and learn from other LEAs across the state, and connect further, if interested. Those who express interest in connecting further will be invited to join a smaller, more intimate “Special Interest Group” session, in which the presenting LEA will be available to listen, share, and help participants with their questions or concerns related to the topic. 

Join three exceptional school principals and teacher leaders for an inside look at how they are reimagining education at their schools. Through the IAM pilot, these educators have implemented powerful new strategies – centered on teacher collaboration and meeting individual student needs – that are delivering remarkable results.

Please join us on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 from 3-4 PM for an Open Door Session with Madera Unified School District.

Click here to register for this session.

News & Announcements

Community Engagement Initiative Releases In-Depth Online Training Series

The Community Engagement Initiative has developed a comprehensive online curriculum designed to enhance community engagement in educational settings. These modules cover crucial topics, including:

• Site Leadership: Strategies for leading with vision and inclusivity.
• Partnering with Members of the Community: Building effective collaborations for mutual benefit.
• Parents as Equal Partners: Engaging parents in the educational process, acknowledging their invaluable role.
• Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP): Understanding and implementing LCAP for better school outcomes.

These asynchronous web modules are available through the CEI’s website at www.californiaengage.org/modules 

FROM THE 21ST CENTURY CALIFORNIA SCHOOL LEADERSHIP ACADEMY (21CSLA) CENTER:

The 21CSLA Center has produced 3 new research briefs. Click on the links below to learn more.

• Professional Learning Brief: Equity Centered Leadership Coaching
• Webinar Highlights Brief: Educating for a Diverse Democracy
• Policy Brief: Preparing CA Principals for the Implementation of UTK: Lessons from other states

Recruitment for 21CSLA Spring UTK Leadership Certificate courses has started.

Click here to learn more.

Are you currently serving as a principal during the 23’-24’ school year?

Help 21CSLA and the UC Berkeley Leadership Programs learn about your resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here.

CCEE Statewide system of support directory

We are pleased to announce the launch of the CCEE Statewide System of Support searchable directory. This directory provides contact information for educational partners at the state, regional, county, and local LEA levels for statewide initiatives as well as provides hyperlinks to individual initiative websites for further information and resources. This is the first time all the information will be available in one location ensuring equity and access to the Statewide System of Support in improving outcomes for students throughout California. 

For initiatives that have identified geographic support regions (Geographic Leads, Regional English Learners, EWIG:ELPA) once you click on a certain region/zone/lead, you will find the counties served by that lead at the bottom of the directory. If any information needs to be updated, please utilize the feedback link at the bottom of the directory and we will get the information updated as soon as possible.

Please share the directory throughout your educational networks as together we can leverage the incredible work happening throughout the Statewide System of Support.  We are hopeful that this tool will impact student achievement by providing greater access to the incredible supports and services offered in the SSOS.

In Case You Missed It

“Rising from the Margins” Podcast:

Embark on an auditory journey with our inaugural podcast episode, “Rising from the Margins.” This series kicks off by showcasing the remarkable strides taken by Washington Elementary. Episode 1 takes a behind-the-scenes look at Washington Elementary in Madera and the incredible work the school is doing in partnership with CCEE through the Intensive Assistance Model. In Madera, this work is being led by principal Alberto Hernandez and Madera superintendent Todd Lyle. This series is brought to you by the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, with additional support from Parsec Education, and produced by Windsong Productions.

Looking AHEAD

California statewide system of support convening

The California Statewide System of Support lead initiatives and grant funded projects will be meeting in person in February in Monterey. This meeting is an opportunity to coordinate, collaborate, and integrate our respective work throughout CA focusing on increasing student outcomes for all our students.For more information about the Statewide System of Support, please visit the CCEE website at https://ccee-ca.org/about-the-system/

Community engagement initiative – APPLICATIONS FOR COHORT V

Applications for CEI’s next cohort of CEI partners opens soon. We invite you to apply to come together, learn, and contribute to the betterment of education through active community engagement. Come join your peers who are transforming relationships in education. Sign up today to be notified when applications open on January 18.

21CSLA RESEARCH-PRACTICE WEBINAR ON SIDELINING BIAS IN SCHOOLS FEBRUARY 1, 2023.

Learn more and register here.

December Resources

Reasons to Celebrate in the month of December:

• International Day for Abolition of Slavery
• Panama Mother’s Day
• Christmas

About the CCEE

The California Collaborative for Educational Excellence is a statewide leader delivering on California’s promise of a quality, equitable education for every student.

Executive Director’s Corner

Celebrating and Highlighting Best Practices from the Field

By Matt J. Navo, Executive Director, CCEE

We all aspire to enhance education by seeking innovation, simplicity, and value. However, the tendency to admire problems and dilemmas sometimes obscures the opportunities that lie before us. This newsletter serves as an avenue for seizing those opportunities, celebrating innovation, complexity, and value. The Center for Transforming Systems for Equitable Education (TSEE) is dedicated to showcasing exemplary practices from the realm of education, to empower educators to envision transformative possibilities. Our mission is to deliver on California’s promise of a quality, equitable education for every student.

Celebrating and Learning Together

By Chris Hartley, Deputy Executive Director, CCEE

As we head toward the end of the 2023 year, it is important to take time to reflect and honor our collective work to improve outcomes for children and youth in our state.  Celebrating and learning of the successful endeavors from our partners is critical in supporting our integration of supports and services across districts in the state.  The process of honoring and learning from one another is validating, relevant, and truly supports our goal of being learning organizations and networks. 

On behalf of the Center for Transformative Systems for Equitable Education (TSEE), please accept our tremendous gratitude and appreciation for the people that design, deliver and transform practices that positively impact students.  The efforts and successes in the field demonstrate the Statewide System of Support in action and shed light on strategies that lead to more coherent support from the state level to school sites.

Esparto Unified School District’s Journey to Create a Culture of Excellence: (Building a Graduate Profile with Community and Staff Collaboration as part of a Strategic Design Process)

By Christina Goennier, Superintendent, Esparto Unified School District

Resources to improve student outcomes developed by the capital central foothill area consortium (CCFAC)

By Gabrielle Marchini, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, Accountability, El Dorado County Office of Education and Graciela García-Torres, Region 3 English Learner Specialist, Sacramento County Office of Education

The Sacramento-Placer Geo Lead Area, also known as the Capital Central Foothill Area Consortium (CCFAC), serves fourteen county offices of education that include Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Sierra, Sutter, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba. The CCFAC has established a huddle structure that provides an opportunity for leaders from across the region to collaborate, share promising practices, and develop resources based on areas of focus. Two of these huddles include the Data Huddle, led by Gabrielle Marchini, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, Accountability at the El Dorado County Office of Education, and the English Learner (EL) Huddle, led by Graciela García-Torres, Region 3 English Learner Specialist at the Sacramento County Office of Education. The resources developed by these huddles have been shared extensively at the regional and state level to support county offices of education and local educational agencies.

Data Huddle

The Data Huddle team developed the Data Use Self-Assessment tool and has conducted regional and statewide sessions on the use of this tool. Designed by educators for educators, the Data Use Self-Assessment is a valuable tool to help assess and improve data quality and strengthen data culture in a school or school district. Completion of the Data Use Self-Assessment will help teams identify areas of strength and areas that need attention. Through the use of companion documents, teams will be urged to prioritize next steps and create an action plan for improvement.

The Data Use Self-Assessment (DUSA) focuses on four components:

1. Systems
2. Knowledge
3. Practices
4. Leadership

Key features of the DUSA include: 

• It’s a user-friendly tool.
• The use of a 4-point scale that simplifies completion and avoids the complexity that sometimes occurs with more complicated rubrics.
• The assessment is flexible and can be used in ways that are more likely to support the purpose of the team.  For example, the team might decide to focus on only one of the four components.
• The DUSA is offered in both paper-pencil and online formats.
• The DUSA produces actionable results that are developed as a team identifies areas of strength and areas in need of attention.  A user-friendly plan is provided in the DUSA Toolkit to assist a team with planning out next steps. 
• The DUSA is free!

A sample of a portion of the component on Practices: The Data Use Self-Assessment Toolkit can be found at http://www.dusatoolkit.org. In addition to a complete set of tools and resources around the toolkit, two online training sessions can be accessed on the website: 1) An Introductory Webinar with basic information about the tool and a 2) Train the Facilitators Session to support implementation of the toolkit.

Feedback from users:

“I wasn’t even aware that we should have goals around data.” (From a District Leader)

“The DUSA is a platform that will create a throughline for all DA processes.” (From Imperial County Leadership)

For more information, please contact Gabrielle Marchini at the El Dorado County Office of Education at [email protected]. 

English Learner (EL) Huddle

The English Learner (EL) Huddle is a team of regional leaders focused on supporting programs and services for English learners. The EL Huddle works to identify the needs of English learners, multilingual students, and staff, and implement research-based strategies to meet the needs of EL students. In addition, the EL Huddle participates in activities and discussions to further refine practices and procedures that guide teams in improving outcomes for Multilingual-English learners. The EL Huddle identified supporting English learners with disabilities as an area of improvement.

In the CCFAC, 96,771 students are identified as English learners. Of those represented, 15,435 students are also identified with a specific learning disability. In four of the fourteen counties in the CCFAC, the percentage of dually identified students is above 20 percent.  Members of the EL Huddle embarked on a journey to utilize Improvement Science tools to identify a specific problem of practice and develop a change idea. Through careful analysis of data, empathy interviews, and a continuous improvement mindset, the team developed a process map which allows users to follow the steps to reclassify dually identified students with mild and moderate disabilities. The team consulted with several divisions from the California Department of Education (CDE) expert groups from the System of Support, such as the Regional English Learner Specialists (RELS) and Imperial County SELPA, to review the process map before launching. The empathy interviews with local education agencies were conducted to finalize the process. The process map includes tools that offer the careful analysis and guidance needed to exit students from English learner classification.

The process map creates a pathway that allows for timely reclassification and complements what the Imperial County SELPA currently offers. The team developed a graphic representation of the developmental process and process map. Since the initial launching of the Reclassification Process for Dually Identified Students with a Mild or Moderate Disability, more than 1,500 educators have accessed the process map virtually. CCFAC has conducted three in-person sessions and one virtual statewide level offering, with more than 400 in attendance. The Huddle’s next steps include recording a workshop and developing a professional learning module that demonstrates the collaboration between English learner and Special Education experts, as they utilize the process map. In the next few months, huddle members will work with local districts, who elected to use the process map, to continue to improve reclassification rates of dually identified students. For more information, please contact Graciela García-Torres at the Sacramento County Office of Education at [email protected].

News & Announcements

Project CLEAR (California Literacy Elevation by Accelerating Reading)

Project CLEAR builds capacity in implementing and accelerating literacy development in districts across the state. Educators can participate in one of two levels of professional learning offered through Project CLEAR – Teacher Leaders and Teachers. Participation is fully funded through Project CLEAR! For more information, see Project CLEAR’s webpage on our Learning Acceleration System Grant Website.

Project CLEAR’s Two-Unit Graduate Assessment Course

The two-unit graduate assessment course provides an overview of early literacy assessments in phonics, reading, and writing. For those who are considering the Teacher Leader or Teacher pathways, this course would offer an introduction to the opportunities sponsored by Project CLEAR, along with allowing time for district and school leaders to develop, or redesign, a literacy acceleration plan to incorporate into their Local Control and Accountability Plan.

California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration – Math and Literacy Communities of Practice (CoPs)

The California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration (CCLA) in partnership with the CCEE and six County Offices of Education (COE) will be creating an inclusive space for collaboration and learning for educators across the state through a Community of Practice (CoP). 

You can find more information using the flyers below: 

Literacy

Mathematics

In Case You Missed It

Direct Technical Assistance Request for Proposal

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

Universal PreK Resources

• UPK Key Information Flyer
• UPK Resources & Materials
• Great StartCalifornia: Advancing the California Department of Education’s P-3 Vision

Looking AHEAD

Winter/Spring 2024 Courses Toward the  21CSLA UTK Leadership Certificate 

The next no-cost, university credit-bearing course toward the UTK Leadership Certificate will be Equity Centered Leadership Practices to Support, Integrate, and Align Transitional Kindergarten (TK).

This course will investigate and understand the instructional leadership practices related to preschool through third grade (P–3) education, including how to develop and enact a PK–3 vision, align and integrate Universal Transitional Kindergarten into the CA educational system, and implement strategies to build professional capacity through a culture of continuous improvement. With a focus on issues of educational inequality, course content and assignments will focus on ameliorating and improving public education with a P–3 focus.

For more information or to enroll, visit: https://21cslacenter.berkeley.edu/utk-leadership-certificate Questions? Email us at [email protected]

California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration Summit

Save the Date for the CCLA 2023-2024 Summit! This year’s theme is Students First: Every Moment Matters and will feature virtual and in-person options.

Tuesdays @ 2 Webinar Series

Following the adoption of the 2024–25 LCAP template and instructions the CDE will be providing a series of training webinars. For information, please visit the Tuesdays @ 2 Webinar Series web page.

November Resources

• National Native-American Heritage Month
• American Education Week (Nov 13-17)
• World Children’s Day (Nov 20)

About the Teaching, Learning, and Leading Center (TLLC)

Our team works in alliance with educators to improve teaching, learning, and leadership so every student is inspired and prepared to thrive as their best self.

About the CCEE

The California Collaborative for Educational Excellence is a statewide leader delivering on California’s promise of a quality, equitable education for every student.

Executive Director’s Corner

How Do We Fix Schools?

By Matt J. Navo, Executive Director, CCEE

This is a question that has plagued educational practitioners and policymakers alike for years. The answer in short…we don’t! We don’t fix schools, we don’t fix people, and we don’t fix students. There’s not a compliance document, accountability document, or strategic plan that I have met that can fix schools. Rather, I would argue we help schools learn to improve, we help people to learn to improve, and we help students learn to improve. The only thing that can address the issues public schools are facing is the people in the buildings coming together for deep collaboration and problem-solving.  

In this newsletter, you will read about how our Teaching, Learning, and Leading Center (TLLC) is working with County Offices and state lead partners to support LEAs in learning to improve.

It’s Fall! A Time for Reflection and Planning

By Stephanie Gregson, Ed.D., Deputy Executive Director, CCEE

The fall is a time for us to cozy up in our sweaters and have our hands wrapped around warm beverages. I would also say the fall is a time to reflect, especially for district and school site teams.  The school year is well underway and spring is just around the corner. How can your school team come together in an authentic way to reflect on all they have accomplished and where they want to continue to improve?  As Executive Director, Matt Navo, shared we don’t fix schools, we don’t fix people, we don’t fix students. We do, however, help school teams learn to improve, we help people learn to improve, and we help students learn to improve. How do you want to improve? 

This fall is a time to reflect and start planning for the next Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) cycle. The new three-year LCAP cycle planning begins this year, and it is the time to bring your school community together to reflect and identify where you want to improve together. This is the time to have open conversations about what’s working and what isn’t. Reflection and planning are the cornerstones of a successful Local Control Accountability Plan. They enable schools to learn from the past and strategically navigate the future. Through these practices, schools and districts can create a comprehensive LCAP that meets the unique needs of all students fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.

Our team is here to support and you’ll find this newsletter includes various resources and support on reflection and the upcoming changes expected for the LCAP.

The Power of Reflection, Together

By Jennie Wright, Ed.D., Assistant Director of the Teaching, Learning & Leading Center, CCEE

A reflection on applying system improvement levers to the LCAP

By Matthew Roberts, Ed.D., Senior Advisor, CCEE & Joshua Strong, Administrator of the System of Support Office, CDE, Instruction & Measurement Branch

“Every system is perfectly designed to achieve exactly the results that it gets” is a phrase commonly used in system(s) improvement language. The words imply that design has more to do with system outcomes than simple intentions for system outcomes. Designing transformation in a district requires leaders to consistently think, reflect, and act in ways that drive continuous improvement across the entire organization. Getting to that point though takes reflection on current district priorities. How many priorities does your district have? Are priorities designed to solve problems rooted in the local data or do we stay flat in the data and act like it somehow moved? Do they fit an overall design for success in student outcomes? Do priorities capture the voice of those closest to students?

As districts measure the impact of current LCAP goals and begin engagement for the new LCAP cycle, consider applying the Carnegie Foundation’s Four Levers of Transformation (2020) to help inform the development of goals for the new LCAP cycle beginning 2024-25. The Four Levers include: 1) promote radical alignment across goals and plans to create a coherent, holistic design that places student success at the center, 2) build an improvement culture that opens voice and agency while holding everyone to high expectations, 3) develop everyone’s improvement capabilities to build the collective muscle that it takes to urgently do the hard work, and this means investing in people and building collaborative time, and 4) invest in improvement infrastructure that promotes collective learning, increases analytic capacity, and empowers decision-making.

In November 2023, the State Board of Education will consider revisions to the 2024-25 LCAP template including the following:

• Streamlining of the Plan Summary and Engaging Educational Partners sections of the LCAP
• Inclusion of tables in the Engaging Educational Partners and Increased or Improved Services for Foster Youth, English Learners, and Low-Income Students sections of the LCAP
• Addition of a requirement for school districts, county offices of education and charter schools that receive Local Control Funding Formula Equity Multiplier funding to include one or more goals within the LCAP
• Addition of a requirement for school districts, county offices of education and charter schools that are eligible for technical assistance and/or that have received the lowest performance rating on one or more state indicators on the California School Dashboard for (1) a school within the LEA, (2) a student group within the LEA, and/or (3) a student group within any school within the LEA to include specific actions in the LCAP

References

Berwick, Don. (March 3, 2015). [Keynote Speaker Presentation]. Carnegie Foundation Summit on Improvement in Education. San Francisco, CA, USA. https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/2015_Summit_Program.pdf

Dixon, C.J., & Palmer, S.N. (2020). Transforming Educational Systems Toward Continuous Improvement: A Reflection Guide for K–12 Leaders. Stanford, CA: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Intensive Assistance Model

We invite you to hear the reflections of the Federal Terrace Elementary team in Vallejo City Unified School District and their journey with the Intensive Assistance Model. They are deepening their understanding and practices of authentic collaboration focused on student results.

News & Announcements

Earn a berkeley UTK Leadership Certificate!

Open to candidates currently in a Preliminary ASC or Clear ASC program, or who hold a Certificate of Eligibility

New opportunity for future school leaders: As California rolls out its Universal Transitional Kindergarten (UTK) program, 21CSLA is offering future school leaders a new opportunity to develop their skills and leadership capacity. 

The UTK Leadership Certificate is a 4-unit online and synchronous program offered through UC Berkeley Extension (UNEX) and developed by the UC Berkeley-based 21CSLA, in partnership with the California Department of Education, State Board of Education, and California Collaborative for Educational Excellence. Those who complete the two 10-session courses will receive a UC Berkeley UTK Leadership Certificate. Due to funding from the California Department of Education, this program is available at no cost to eligible participants through June 2026.

• Enroll in no-cost, university credit-bearing courses
• Learn about UTK policy and instructional leadership in California
• Network and collaborate with other leaders to advance equity
• Cultivate skills and knowledge to prepare for job searches and interviews

Access more information via this website

In Case You Missed It

Leadership Institute

New participants and mentors gathered in Newport Beach to kick-off the 23’-24’ Leadership Institute (LI). The LI is a collaborative effort between CCEE and the Small School Districts Association (SSDA) to support networking and learning opportunities for new and aspiring small school district leaders. This experience was enhanced by the participation of Dr. David Arencibia from Jimmy Casas and Associates who guided us through identifying our leadership strengths. This year-long institute will pair participants with mentors who will walk alongside them through their leadership journeys.

Looking AHEAD

Open Door Sessions

CCEE, in collaboration with LEAs and partner organizations, is hosting “open door” sessions to share best practices, tools/resources, and strategies to support student learning. These sessions will provide opportunities for county office and/or district staff to listen and learn from other LEAs across the state, and connect further, if interested. Those who express interest in connecting further will be invited to join a smaller, more intimate “Special Interest Group” session, in which the presenting LEA will be available to listen, share, and help participants with more specific questions.

Register for upcoming Open Door sessions by clicking on the links below:

• Empowering Success: The Path of Transparency, Data-Driven Decisions, & Student Ownership (9/13/23)
• Graduate Profiles: Redefining Student Success (9/27/23)

To view archived materials from past Open Door sessions, please visit our Open Door Sessions Google Site. You can also check our Events Calendar or follow CCEE on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on upcoming Open Door sessions.

Equity Corner

Reasons to Celebrate in the month of September:

• National Hispanic Heritage Month
• Māori Language Week (September 11-18th)
• Saint Teresa Canonization Day in Albania (September 5th)

About the CCEE

The California Collaborative for Educational Excellence is a statewide leader delivering on California’s promise of a quality, equitable education for every student.

Executive Director’s Corner

Inspiring Change for One System:

By Matt J. Navo, Executive Director, CCEE

The use of the term “Statewide System of Support” (SSOS) to describe California’s state educational system that supports Local Educational Agencies, has been difficult to  understand for educational practitioners. The SSOS has been one that has been largely mis-understood, highly debated, largely confusing and in many cases mis-represented. The idea that California, as complex as it is, can organize ALL organizations, associations and legislative educational initiatives into ONE coherent system is a daunting task.  However, there is hope! We aren’t a system yet, but we are moving closer to that vision as all statewide partners, including County Offices, Geographic Leads, CCEE, State Board and the California Department of Education work to integrate and create a sense of interdependence in a system that has largely been independent. This newsletter highlights inspiring work to move our SSOS into ONE Coherent System that works for ALL students.

“One System for All Students”

By Dr. Chris Hartley, Deputy Executive Director, CCEE

Starting a new school year is  filled with excitement, promise,  sense of renewed energy,  and an unwavering commitment to provide the absolute best care and support for the children and youth we collectively serve.  In order to give our best for all students, it is important to also commit to the level of transformational change necessary to implement whole child initiatives, while staying focused and committed to continuous improvement processes and local implementation.  The Statewide System of Support (SSOS) has a myriad of resources and services that range from universal, targeted, and intensive that are available to support all Local Educational Agencies (LEA’s).  

The SSOS is rich with incredibly talented, resourceful, and experienced educators who provide relevant and meaningful services and support for LEA’s.  While tremendous support exists, the SSOS still lacks full coherence and clarity around services available and how districts can directly access the assistance that meets their unique needs.  SSOS lead agencies, statewide partners, educational and community partners have made tremendous progress in building coherence and setting the stage for the 2023-24 year as being pivotal in continuing our focused effort to collectively operate as “one system.” 

Being committed to a “one system” approach means remaining intentional around collaboration, while staying focused on making systemic connections between  programs, services and people.   A one system design is simply what is best for students and CCEE is a committed and excited partner and looks forward to an outstanding year!

A Different Way to Lead: System Improvement Leads Networked Improvement Community

By Sandra Park, Co-Founder, Improvement Collective

Implementing UPK in your ELO-P Program

By Julie Boesch, Assistant Director, CCEE

Districts are seeking support on how to implement Universal Pre-Kindergarten and integrate this age level into Expanded Learning Programs, presenting new opportunities and challenges for districts to continue to learn and grow. 

CCEE in collaboration with numerous partners including CDE, Department of Social Services, multiple County Offices of Education, non-profit organizations, and community partners, came together with a shared vision and specific tasks to create tools to communicate to the field in a cohesive, impactful, and practical way. This work included three teams:

Physical Spaces:

Objective: Identify existing resources to support the design and development of early learning spaces in expanded learning programs. This team has created a video as well as an environment checklist to support districts and those who support them. (These items will be released soon.)

Staff Capacity:

Objective:  Provide a curated and manageable set of training opportunities and resources for Expanded Learning Opportunities Program staff and the System of Support for Expanded Learning to build their capacity to serve TK-K students and families.

This group has created a slide deck which can be used for informational meetings, staff training, and communication. It will also support an improved understanding of play-based learning among ELO, some background on UPK and ELO-P, the science of learning, foundational elements of learning through play, and connections between the ELO Quality Standards and the key elements of play-based learning. They have also created an infographic which specifically highlights the importance of play-based learning and all of the learning that is going on that may not be evident to the casual observer. 

Education Code:

Objective: This group was tasked with Providing clear and concise information and guidance to the field interpreting Education Code related to health, safety, and licensing requirements.

This group has taken the Ed Code which has been emerging and created user friendly language and will be producing short videos as well as infographics and additional professional learning opportunities to both highlight and disseminate this information.

News & Announcements

Project CLEAR (California Literacy Elevation by Accelerating Reading)

Project CLEAR builds capacity in implementing and accelerating literacy development in districts across the state. Educators can participate in one of two levels of professional learning offered through Project CLEAR – Teacher Leaders and Teachers. Participation is fully funded through Project CLEAR! For more information, see Project CLEAR’s webpage on our Learning Acceleration System Grant Website.

California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration – Math and Literacy Communities of Practice (CoPs)

The California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration (CCLA) in partnership with the CCEE and six County Offices of Education (COE) will be creating an inclusive space for collaboration and learning for educators across the state through a Community of Practice (CoP). 

You can find more information using the flyers below: 

Literacy

Mathematics

California Mathematics Framework 

The California State Board of Education approved the 2023 Mathematics Framework for California Public Schools at their July 12th meeting. You can read more about the new Framework by visiting the California Department of Education’s Mathematics Framework web page.

In Case You Missed It

UPK Key Information Flyer

UPK Resources & Materials

UPK Toolkit 

2022-2023 CCEE Annual Report 

Looking AHEAD

Open Door Sessions

CCEE, in collaboration with LEAs and partner organizations, is hosting “open door” sessions to share best practices, tools/resources, and strategies to support student learning. These sessions will provide opportunities for county office and/or district staff to listen and learn from other LEAs across the state, and connect further, if interested. Those who express interest in connecting further will be invited to join a smaller, more intimate “Special Interest Group” session, in which the presenting LEA will be available to listen, share, and help participants with more specific questions.

Register for upcoming Open Door sessions by clicking on the links below:

• Fresno CSS’s Tools for Navigating the Plan-demic (8/22/23)
• Graduate Profiles: Redefining Student Success (9/27/23)

To view archived materials from past Open Door sessions, please visit our Open Door Sessions Google Site. You can also check our Events Calendar or follow CCEE on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on upcoming Open Door sessions.

August Resources

• 21CSLA Regional Academies (Coaching)
• Women’s Equity Day
• International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
• National Vision & Learning Month

About the Teaching, Learning, and Leading Center (TLLC)

Our team works in alliance with educators to improve teaching, learning, and leadership so every student is inspired and prepared to thrive as their best self.

About the CCEE

The California Collaborative for Educational Excellence is a statewide leader delivering on California’s promise of a quality, equitable education for every student.

Executive Director’s Corner

Why is Coaching So Important?

By Matt J. Navo, Executive Director, CCEE

Why is coaching in education so important? Coaching provides opportunities for educational organizations and professionals to focus on the right work. Too often educational professionals are focused on the wrong indicators. For example, when schools and leaders focus only on test scores, we risk failing to comprehend the actual causes of those results. Coaching helps to uncover what we can control and/or influence that may be causing or have caused a potential result. Doug Reeves and Michael Fullan say it this way, “The number of priorities is inversely proportional to gains in student achievement” (Reeves, 2013). They go on to say, “while leaders and policymakers are often seduced by the promises of vendors that programs will solve educational challenges, the evidence is clear that it is practices, not programs that have the greatest impact” (Reeves 2023). 

Only through coaching can we focus on the practices that achieve better outcomes.

Effective Coaching Benefits Everyone

By Stephanie Gregson, Ed.D., Deputy Executive Director, CCEE

Being an educator today, and even before today, is extremely hard. We are in the midst of the highest rate of educator burnout and fatigue causing many veteran and new educators to leave the profession. For this reason and many others, it is important we engage in practices that create spaces of community, belonging, vulnerability, and learning allowing educators to fill their buckets, rejuvenate, and reinvigorate their passion for education.

Effective coaching is one of those practices we should all be engaging in as individuals, as teams, and as an education community. Effective coaching isn’t just about achieving organizational goals, student achievement, and collaborative learning cultures, it is also about higher levels of emotional and physical well-being. We are in an era of initiative fatigue that can cause burnout and increased turnover in staff. Effective coaching can help peel back layers of initiatives as individuals and teams ask themselves, why?

There are more than 40,000 books on coaching showing the profound amount of research on effective coaching. Yet has it become common practice in our education community? When individuals and teams participate in effective coaching practices, they see an increase in psychological well-being, self-regulation, and self-insight. The teams benefit from gains in goal attainment and solution-focused thinking (Grant & Atad, 2021).

This month’s newsletter highlights some of the coaching embedded in the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence work with districts and county offices of education. We invite you to learn more and to consider how you can engage in effective coaching practices to find rejuvenation in your work.

Internal Coaching Cycles for Quality Improvement

By Rocio Gonzalez-Frausto, Assistant Director, CCEE

The Role of Coaching in Accelerating Learning

By Stacey Wedin, Assistant Director, CCEE

Learning acceleration doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Supporting the rapid progress of students toward mastery of content requires a comprehensive, systemic approach to rethink the way we teach and learn. The CCEE’s Playbook for Accelerating Learning underscores this point by outlining the necessary conditions to accelerate learning, which includes having a system aligned to the tenets of learning acceleration in both mindset and practice. Professional learning and coaching for educators to deepen understanding of learning acceleration and embed evidence-based strategies into practice is paramount to a sustainable system.

With this knowledge, Learning Acceleration System Grant partners have designed their professional learning offerings centered on systems of coaching and mentoring. This affords educators valuable opportunities to collaborate, share, learn, and provide feedback while incorporating new strategies into their practice. Coaching is one of four prongs of support offered by the Rural Math Collaborative (RMC) where participating counties receive targeted assistance around using TOSAs and instructional coaches to improve math instruction. Working with the California Math Project and drawing from the work of Jim Knight, the RMC is working to build sustainable networks of effective coaching teams throughout the region. As another example, Project CLEAR offers job-embedded individualized coaching while participating educators complete the training offered through the program. Once certified, Teacher Leaders coach educators in their respective school/district on early literacy intervention strategies to accelerate reading.

Coaching is integral to a robust system of professional learning and plays a critical role in accelerating learning. As the Learning Acceleration System grant grows in future years, the use of effective coaching to support teachers will continue to grow with it.

21st Century California School Leadership Academy

Are you a current or aspiring California school or district leader looking for

free professional development and coaching?  

Find your 21CSLA Academy HERE. 

All Academies include:

Communities of Practice

A space for leaders in similar roles to come together and work on equity-centered problems of practice using continuous improvement while championing transformational leadership.

Localized Professional Learning

Leaders participate in a process of practitioner inquiry that advances educational equity for a specific context around leadership, equity, and continuous improvement. Problems of practice are situated in and arise from the regional communities and are determined through an extensive needs-assessment process.

Leadership Coaching

Coaches provide job-embedded coaching built on relational trust and focused on equity-centered problems of practice using continuous improvement. They also support leaders with system transformation to ensure all children fulfill their potential to thrive socially, emotionally, and academically.

21CSLA UTK

The 21CSLA Alameda Regional Academy, in partnership with 21CSLA UTK and the Solano County Office of Education, is launching Envisioning Equitable TK Classrooms on August 24–25. 

New UTK Leadership Certificate and Courses

Starting this fall, 21CSLA is offering UTK Leadership Certificate courses to any current Preliminary or Clear Administrative Services Credential candidate. These are free, online, synchronous courses offered through UC Berkeley Extension. Receive 4 units credit along with a certificate upon completion of the two-course series. To learn more, download the UTK Certificate flyer or visit 21CSLA’s website.

News & Announcements

Request for Proposals

Development and Delivery of Resources and Services to Support Professional Learning Activities for Local Educational Agencies

• Proposals Accepted Through: October 30, 2023 at 4:00pm PST

Open Door Sessions

CCEE, in collaboration with LEAs and partner organizations, is hosting “open door” sessions to share best practices, tools/resources, and strategies to support student learning. These sessions will provide opportunities for county office and/or district staff to listen and learn from other LEAs across the state, and connect further, if interested. Those who express interest in connecting further will be invited to join a smaller, more intimate “Special Interest Group” session, in which the presenting LEA will be available to listen, share, and help participants with more specific questions.

Register for upcoming Open Door sessions by clicking on the links below:

• Fresno CSS’s Tools for Navigating the Plan-demic (8/8/23)
• Graduate Profiles: Redefining Student Success (9/27/23)

To view archived materials from past Open Door sessions, please visit our Open Door Sessions Google Site. You can also check our Events Calendar or follow CCEE on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on upcoming Open Door sessions.

LEA Spotlights

The Spotlights Project aims to celebrate some of the innovative, inclusive, and shareable practices that LEA teams have implemented to improve outcomes for students across our state. Each Spotlight organizes the successes, challenges, and lessons learned in a way that calls attention to emerging practices, reproducible strategies, and applicable resources, in hopes of introducing accessible points of conversation for other LEAs looking to resolve similar issues.

Below are three recently published Spotlights. Click on the links below to learn more about the innovative practices taking place in these LEAs.

Cajon Valley USD embraced its multicultural and multiethnic district composition, leveraging its diversity to serve all community members and improve its community outreach and engagement with “families in need.”

Salinas City ESD uses data to drive collaboration, critical reflection, and action to improve attendance practices at all of their school sites.

Da Vinci Schools cultivates an inclusive learning environment that promotes real-world learning to prepare students for college, career, and life. However, it is their ability to gather and effectively use data that maximizes their impact on teaching and learning — ensuring students thrive as lifelong learners.

Project clear

Project CLEAR (California Literacy Elevation by Accelerating Reading) builds capacity in implementing and accelerating literacy development in districts across the state. Educators can participate in one of two levels of professional learning offered through Project CLEAR – Teacher Leaders and Teachers. Participation is fully funded through Project CLEAR! For more information, please visit Project CLEAR’s webpage on the Learning Acceleration System Grant website.

July Resources

Supporting Better Attendance Practices: The Evolving Role of COEs (5/31/23)

System of Support Updates (June/July 2023)

Microlearning Modules – CCEE has partnered with content experts and experienced educators to develop short videos sharing and explaining concepts, tools, and resources for a wide range of topics to support substitute teachers, paraeducators, and other instructional staff in the classroom. All microlearning modules are accompanied by easy-to-follow instructions, downloadable handouts, and additional resources to support immediate implementation. New videos are added periodically, covering various topics, tips, and strategies.

About the I3 Center

The Innovation, Instruction, and Impact (I3) Center implements a statewide approach to improving LEA capacity by collaboratively developing, delivering, sharing, and spotlighting practices that have demonstrated the power to improve outcomes for students.

About the CCEE

The California Collaborative for Educational Excellence is a statewide leader delivering on California’s promise of a quality, equitable education for every student.

Executive Director’s Corner

By Matt J. Navo, Executive Director

“Every road will get you there if you don’t know where you are going” is a quote I heard from a school leader talking about the absence of data in their instructional teams. So often, school teams avoid the use of data to avoid the harsh realities around student, school, or district performance.

We (educators) sometimes find it easier to play “poker” with data. Meaning, I show you my two aces, hoping you think I have a three- or four-of-a-kind when in reality I have nothing more. Playing poker with data is a sure-fire way to avoid the tough conversations and reality of our efforts. IF we (educators) are going to move our networking, collaboration, convenings, and gatherings of expertise to the next level, we have to show all our cards—no poker, just raw data.

This newsletter by the Innovation, Instruction, and Impact (I3) Center describes examples of networks using data to improve student outcomes and address ineffective practices.

What Do We Learn When We Learn Together?

By Sujie Shin, Deputy Executive Director

For any of you who have had the privilege of attending workshops with Peter Senge, you know that a core tenet of his philosophy of learning is that “[S]haring knowledge is not about giving people something or getting something from them…Sharing knowledge occurs when people are genuinely interested in helping one another develop new capacities for action; it is about creating learning processes.”

We know that to be a learning organization, it’s not enough just to acquire knowledge, but to share in that space with others, and find the opportunities to learn from each others’ successes and challenges. This is the philosophy behind our learning networks—creating safe spaces for local educational agency (LEA) teams to come together around similar problems of practice and share lessons learned as they try approaches to improving school and district systems to support student achievement.

One of our networks has been focused on academic outcomes for African American students, a group that has been disproportionately negatively affected by the pandemic and related challenges. Black students have experienced higher increases in chronic absenteeism and other measures of disengagement, and greater drops in English Language Arts (ELA) and math scores. Over the past year, this network of five LEA teams have each identified a key area of improvement to focus on for improving student outcomes. One team is testing the impact of regular check-ins with a school counselor on student attendance and course completion. Another is focusing on improving their implementation of their multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) to reduce the overidentification of Black students in special education in particular categories. Still another looked at the impact of personal learning plans to reduce the overrepresentation of African American male students receiving non-passing grades in core classes. The problems of practice are as diverse as the student bodies these LEAs support.

What is not varied is our approach in collecting data to examine change over time and progress towards our goals on a regular basis. This gets to another key principle of our work, which is, to again quote Dr. Senge, that “Learning cannot be disassociated from action.” And how we learn is to measure the progress from our action, through interim metrics such as attendance, test results, check-in data as well as direct input and feedback from the students and families we serve.

This framework of action research means that we can investigate problems of practice that LEAs are facing while supporting them in immediately addressing the issues they are facing.

Learn more about the work of our partner LEAs by clicking on the buttons below.

Lessons Learned from the Planning Phase of the Data Research Learning Network

By Ingrid Roberson, Assistant Director of Research Learning and Dorcas Kong, Senior Specialist of Executive Projects

In January 2023, the I3 Center launched the Data Research Learning Network (DRLN) as a three-phase initiative to support local educational agencies (LEAs) in transforming their data and assessment practices to accelerate student learning. As we close out the Planning Phase, CCEE is pleased to share the first DRLN Research Brief summarizing the lessons learned that came out of this learning community. The DRLN recently concluded the Planning Phase with the DRLN Showcase highlighting each LEA’s Action Plan for the 2023-24 school year. Over the past six months, DRLN participants conducted data dives to better define their problems of practice and develop their action plans, identifying goals and strategies that would move the needle on aligned progress measures. But what truly elevated their innovation ideas was the way they tapped into the wealth of collective knowledge and expertise within this learning network. LEAs were able to harness the power of collaboration in this shared learning space to exchange innovative ideas, explore different avenues of addressing their problems of practice, and ultimately, build their data capacity to support student outcomes.

In preparation for the Implementation Phase, CCEE will be hosting two summer workshops to guide DRLN participants in the progress monitoring and evaluating the impact of their Innovation Projects. The DRLN team decided to tailor these workshops to LEAs’ Action Plans, with a focus on designing effective surveys, collecting feedback/attendance data for trainings and professional development sessions, and measuring user statistics (e.g. website/dashboard analytics). By building the capacity of DRLN participants to develop and implement effective progress monitoring processes with tools, they will be prepared to embark on their Innovation journeys come August, with an understanding of how they will be engaging in continuous improvement cycles to enhance their data practices, programs, and systems.

Interested in learning more about each LEA’s innovation idea and action plan? Take a look at our DRLN Overview Handout or check out CCEE’s Learning Networks Google Site to explore the problems of practice identified by LEAs in not only the DRLN, but across all of I3’s learning networks. As our networks progress, the I3 Center will be updating the Google Site with measures of impact, as well as shareable resources that come out of our work. Aligned to I3’s goal of improving LEA capacity by collaboratively developing, delivering, sharing, and spotlighting research-based practices, we hope this Google Site can serve as a learning hub for California’s broader educational community.

Supporting Educators Through the Development of the California Educators Together Repository for High-Quality Online Instructional Materials

By Allan Taing, Senior Manager of Research & Impact Analysis

The CCEE, working with our partners at the California Department of Education (CDE) and the State Board of Education (SBE), are supporting Kern County Superintendent of Schools (KCSOS) as they serve as the project lead for the High Quality Online Instructional Materials project (HQOIM), as defined in Section 144 of AB 130 (Chapter 44, Statutes of 2021) and revised in Section 41 of AB 167 (Chapter 252, Statutes of 2021). This three-year $15 million dollar project is designed to enhance the educator professional learning infrastructure within the Statewide System of Support. The goals of this initiative are to develop and curate easy-to-use resources for local educational agencies (LEAs) and educators, establish a transparent process for vetting materials to ensure quality and alignment with state academic standards, and provide guidance and resources regarding the implementation and use of open educational resources.

During this first year of the project, KCSOS developed the California Educators Together High-Quality Lesson Design Rubric (CaET Rubric) to evaluate high quality materials and hosted two virtual Lesson Design Institutes in February and March, and one in-person Lesson Design Institute in May to train more than 100 educators to design rubric-aligned lesson plans. To further develop and promote the California Educators Together repository (CaET), KCSOS presented at 12 conferences and implemented a vetting collaborative to train evaluators to vet resources on the CaET repository using the CaET Rubric, resulting in 307 new rubric-aligned lessons, 304 new standards-based lessons, 779 new resources, and 2,938 existing lessons vetted. As a result of KCSOS efforts, the California Educators Together portal now has more than 25,000 users, including 6,832 new users over the past year. During the second year of the project, KCSOS will continue to offer virtual and in-person Lesson Design Institutes, continue efforts to disseminate high-quality rubric-aligned lessons and resources, and vet existing materials. KCSOS will also focus on potential partnerships to increase visibility of the CaET repository and new users.

WestEd is leading the external program evaluation of the HQOIM project. Key findings from the formative evaluation of the first year indicate that Kern County has built a team that is focused on educators, learns and adapts, listens to feedback, and is focused on key issues of sustainability, partnerships, and scaling up. Feedback from teachers attending the Lesson Design Institutes are overwhelmingly positive; in focus groups and interviews, educators are excited for the CaET Rubric and praised the quality of the institutes. In addition, the California Educators Together repository contains a wide variety of high-quality resources and capabilities, and the program team and educators are excited about the potential of new and different capabilities for this platform to further support effective teaching and learning.

To learn more about this evaluation, as well as evaluations for other statewide professional learning initiatives launched in 2021, please visit the CCEE Statewide Program Evaluation website.