Grantee Resources

Tag: Performance Assessment/Portfolios/Project Based Learning

Tool / Toolkit

Meaningful Local Engagement Under ESSA Issue 2

The Opportunity Institute

A handbook for state and local school leaders on engagement in school improvement efforts, including how to engage on needs assessments and priority-building, school improvement strategies, and resource alignment.

Story / Case Study / Commentary

Disappointing But Not Surprising — California’s ESSA Plan Gets Some of The Harshest Feedback Yet From Washington

Children Now

An article describing the criticism from the federal Department of Education regarding California's plan to improve schools under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and highlighting the concerns of parents and advocates about the lack of details and accountability in the plan.

Story / Case Study / Commentary

Gov. Brown Proposes Ambitious Education Agenda In His Final State Budget

Children Now

A discussion of California Governor Jerry Brown's proposed education spending in his 2018-19 budget, which included funding to address shortages in special education teachers, connecting career pathways programs with community colleges, and allocating more resources to the state's school accountability system.

Story / Case Study / Commentary

When It Comes To Education Policy, It’s ‘The California Way’ vs. Betsy Devos

Children Now

An article highlighting California's revised plan to satisfy the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which was met with criticism from the federal Department of Education, leading to a potential standoff between the state and federal government over education policies and accountability.

Story / Case Study / Commentary

California Revises How State’s ‘School Dashboard’ Is Calculated, Moves Several Districts Out Of Lowest-Performing Category

Children Now

An article about the changes made by the California Board of Education to the California School Dashboard's rating system's decision to move dozens of schools and districts out of the red category (lowest-performing) to the orange category due to concerns about the number of low-performing schools.

Story / Case Study / Commentary

Stagnant California Test Scores Pose Problem; State Board May Rejigger How To Rate Districts

Children Now

An article describing the challenge faced by the California State Board of Education as stagnant test results could require hundreds of school districts to seek county assistance due to their failure to raise English language arts and math scores, prompting consideration of changes to the criteria for rating schools and districts to reduce the number of poorly performing districts.

Story / Case Study / Commentary

What A ‘Technical’ Tweak To The California School Dashboard Means

Children Now

An article highlighting concerns raised by education advocates about the California School Dashboard's decision to "tweak" the numbers, moving dozens of schools and districts out of the red (lowest-performing) category to orange, which may give the impression of lower standards and make it harder for parents to understand the actual performance of schools.

Policy Brief/Proposal

California’s Golden Opportunity: Taking Stock, Leadership from the Middle

Michael Fullan Enterprises Inc.

An information feedback report on the evolution of California's education reform enacted in 2013-2014, which radically redefined the policy direction in education based on the principle of decentralization of resources to local levels, expressed in the new Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF).

Tool / Toolkit

Meaningful Local Engagement Under ESSA

The Opportunity Institute

A handbook for state and local education leaders that includes information about why engagement is essential to planning, strategies for making engagement more effective, and tools for building an engagement strategy.

Story / Case Study / Commentary

State Board Rethinking How To Measure Performance Of Alternative Schools

Children Now

An article discussing the challenge of developing a comprehensive accountability system for alternative schools in California and exploring potential metrics that could be used to assess their performance while integrating them into the larger system of accountability and school improvement.

Story / Case Study / Commentary

State Releases Another Data Tool Potentially More Useful Than New Dashboard

Children Now

An article describing the California Five-by-Five Placement Reports & Data Model, an online resource offering a one-stop school comparison tool that shows a breakdown of how every school in a district performed on each performance indicator, providing valuable information for parents, teachers, and district administrators.

Story / Case Study / Commentary

California’s Golden Opportunity: Corona Norco Unified School District Executive Summary

Michael Fullan Enterprises Inc.

A case study about the concept of Professional Capital in action at Corona Norco Unified School District in California, describing the district's core strategies to create system coherence and cultivate professional capital.

Story / Case Study / Commentary

California’s Golden Opportunity: Long Beach Unified School District Executive Summary

Michael Fullan Enterprises Inc.

A case study about the concept of Professional Capital in action at Long Beach Unified School District in California, describing the district's core strategies to create system coherence and cultivate professional capital.

Story / Case Study / Commentary

Editorial: California Common Core Assessment Plan Incomprehensible

Children Now

An op-ed arguing for the adoption of Assemblywoman Shirley Weber's AB 2548, which calls for a clear and comprehensible accountability system conforming with federal law that better assesses schools' performance and progress in helping struggling students, in contrast to the state's current confusing and multicolored matrix system.

Story / Case Study / Commentary

Gov. Jerry Brown Just Got In The Way Of School Reform

Children Now

An editorial criticizing Governor Jerry Brown's veto of Assemblywoman Shirley Weber's bill, AB 2548, aimed at ensuring California complies with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, arguing that the state's current vague and confusing system to gauge school performance lacks credibility and is hindering accountability and progress in education reform.