In a month when students took the first summer administration of the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE), I reported that nearly 91 percent of the class of 2006 had passed the exam as of May, and urged an appeals court to uphold the test as a condition of graduation.
Results from the May administration of CAHSEE show the achievement gap is narrowing as the percentage of students passing the exam who are Hispanic, African American, or English learners increases dramatically in the senior year. I credit the exam with focusing needed resources on ensuring these students gain critical skills in English and math, and I credit educators for rising to the challenge of providing all students with the tools necessary to succeed. An additional 1,759 students met the CAHSEE requirement in May.
Within a few weeks, the California Court of Appeal is expected to decide whether the exam will be upheld as a condition for graduation. During the July 25 hearing in the court's First Appellate District in San Francisco, justices asked insightful questions and followed up on many of the issues that were raised in the briefs submitted to the court by my attorneys. I remain cautiously optimistic that the constitutionality of the exam will be upheld
Also in July I was pleased to announce that as a result of the long-awaited Microsoft antitrust settlement, as much as $600 million will soon be available for California schools to purchase technology, including computer hardware and software. The technology funds will be distributed to schools through CDE's Education Technology K-12 Voucher Program.
Because funds will be directed to schools serving socio-economically disadvantaged students, this settlement agreement provides a wonderful opportunity to close the digital divide in many of our schools. I encourage all local education agencies to apply for funding when Requests for Applications (RFA) are posted on CDE's Web site in mid-September. Districts must have state-approved technology plans to apply. In recognition of district staffing and time constraints, my department has streamlined the application process to maximize participation in these benefits. As a result, the RFA is very simple and designed to take only about 15 minutes to complete. For more information, please visit the Education Technology K-12 Voucher Program - State Technology Programs Web page.
I was also pleased to announce this month the award of $9.98 million in Tobacco-Use Prevention Education (TUPE) funds to 42 local education agencies serving grades nine through twelve. The agencies receiving these grants have proposed anti-tobacco-use programs that are exemplary and well planned. The applicants formed good partnerships with community groups and parents to boost their program's effectiveness in helping students stay healthy and fit in a safe and tobacco-free school environment.
Funding for TUPE comes from Proposition 99, the initiative approved by voters in 1988 to increase the cigarette tax to pay for health programs including tobacco-use prevention in schools
For more information about TUPE, please visit the Funding Results: Tobacco-Use Prevention: Grades Nine Through Twelve Web page.
Congratulations also go to the five adult education programs selected this month as recipients of the 2006 Programs of Excellence Award.
Receiving this honor are: Hacienda La Puente Adult Education in City of Industry, Stockton School for Adults, Eureka Adult School, Charles A. Jones Skill Center in Sacramento, and Metropolitan Education District in San Jose. These outstanding schools have provided exemplary, innovative programs and services to adult learners seeking to improve the quality of their lives through education. I hope other agencies have the opportunity to review their proven practices and are able to incorporate some of these successful ideas into programs of their own.
In a few days, school principals will be receiving a letter about a joint effort I am undertaking with Secretary of State Bruce McPherson aimed at increasing student awareness of the Constitution, the electoral process, and civic engagement. We will also be providing resources for observance of Constitution Day on September 19. I hope you'll support these efforts in your schools to prepare students for active, engaged citizenship.
In August, as school districts on traditional calendars gear up for a new school year, I'll be announcing the 2006 STAR results (Aug. 15), CAHSEE results (Aug. 22) and Academic Performance Index/Adequate Yearly Progress results (Aug. 31). I know we all hope for results that reflect the hard work you've done to improve student achievement.
I wish you all a safe and enjoyable late summer, and look forward to working with you to make the 2006-07 school year a great success.
Draft Health Standards Available for Review
The Health Education Standards Advisory Panel has been meeting since March to develop standards as required by Education Code 51210.8. Draft standards were released for field review on July 14. They can be downloaded from the California Healthy Kids - Site Map Web site (Outside Source).
That same Web site also allows on-line submission of comments, which are due by August 4. Public hearings will be conducted in Sacramento on August 1 and Los Angeles on August 3. More information about the hearings and the work of the panel is available on the Health Education Standards Public Meetings - Health Education Web page.
Message to Local Education Agency Medi-Cal Providers
At the request of our colleagues at the California Department of Health Services, CDE is passing along this message for LEA Medi-Cal Providers:
As of July 1, 2006, the LEA Medi-Cal Billing Option Program Implementation training on new program requirements have been completed in six regions throughout California. The training provided an overview of the new billing codes and benefits layout, and existing program requirements that will continue to be effective after July 1. If you or your billing vendor did not have the opportunity to attend one of these training sessions, please contact Navigant Consulting at lea@navigantconsulting.com to schedule training. Please include your school district/county office of education name, contact name, and phone number in the message to Navigant.
Charter Schools Grants
The third cycle of grant funding available through California's 2004-07 Federal Public Charter Schools Program began on June 1, 2006. Approximately $30 million in funding is available to support the development of new charter schools and/or disseminate best practices.
More than 400 charter developers expressed intent to submit an application; however, 205 applications were received.
Approximately 90 grants will be awarded in November 2006 by the State Board of Education. The two previous cycles, under this grant award 2004-07, have resulted in 164 grants awarded. For more information, call Carol Barkley, Education Programs Consultant in the Charter Schools Division, at 916-322-1755.
Honoring Teachers
This month Highlights honors San Bernardino County Teacher of the Year Sharon Marie Noble, dedicated teacher of students with autism at Yucca Mesa Elementary School, Morongo Unified School District.
Noble's teaching career began when her own daughter's Attention Deficit Disorder led her to the literature about learning problems. "From the frustration of parenting a child with a different brain came the joy of teaching children in a different way," she writes. "I concluded that if one cannot make the square peg fit in the round hole, a better use of time and energy would be to create a square hole. This perspective helped design the blueprint for my teaching practice."
At Yucca Valley Elementary, Noble's 16 students range in age from five to twelve, they range in ability from non-verbal to verbal, in cognitive function from mentally impaired to average cognition.
"Mine is the extreme version of a 'differentiated classroom'," she says. "Fortunately, the idea of differentiated instruction is my favorite thing about teaching. Assessing a student's baseline of performance and designing a program to move them to a level of mastery is a challenge I readily enjoy.
Although her students attend special day class for select children, Noble believes it important to be part of the whole life of a school. "I want to be an encouragement and a resource to other teachers who may not have experience dealing with brains that are different," she says. "One of the contributions I make at my school site is helping other adults see the possibilities in children who exist on the left side of the bell curve
"While I have high expectations for myself, my students, and my staff, I also enjoy the process of learning through imperfection. The result is a building that I hope is a haven for those I have the privilege to teach and train."
New Contact for Class Size Reduction Program
Through the end of November, Lynn Piccoli, Consultant for the K-3 Class Size Reduction (CSR) program, is working as a "Loaned Executive" to the California State Employees Charitable Campaign, chaired this year by Superintendent Jack O'Connell. She will not be available during the 2006-07 CSR application cycle (due October 1, 2006 and available on the Forms and Instructions - CSR K-3 Web page). In her absence, you may contact Shannon Farrell-Hart, Education Fiscal Services Consultant, School Facilities Planning Division, at 916-323-3926 or by e-mail at sfarrell@cde.ca.gov.
Five Year School Safety Training Program Begins
The Safe and Healthy Kids Program Office, working in partnership with the Office of the Attorney General via the School/Law Enforcement Partnership, has released a Request for Applications for the School Safety and Violence Prevention Training (SSVPT) grant. The grant will provide a single five-year grant of up to $1,750,000 to one county office of education to administer regional training on safe schools planning, crisis response, and bullying prevention. This training program is the centerpiece of CDE's safe school efforts, providing about 50 training per year around the state and assisting schools to make the best use of the $110,000,000 per year in school safety funding which is available to them.
Legislation for Propositions on the November Ballot
Assembly Bill 127 (Núñez and Perata) places Proposition 1D on the November 7, 2006 ballot. If approved by the voters, $7.3 billion will be provided for the construction and modernization of kindergarten-twelfth grade school facilities. The measure also expands or creates several programs:
Career and Technical Education - This new program allocates $500 million for Career Technical Education facilities and equipment. A key feature of this program is that a district does not need to document "unhoused" students to access the funds. Funds are also available for the modernization and equipping of existing career technical education facilities.
Small High School Program - The bond allocates $200 million for the continuation of this pilot program that provides incentives for the construction of high schools of fewer than 500 students.
Charter Schools - The bond allocates $500 million for the continuation of this program. The charter facility program will also be changed to increase the amount of funding available for each project and to increase the ability of charter schools to be eligible for the funds.
Severely Overcrowded Schools - This new program targets $1 billion for the removal of portables on school sites that have a student density greater than 175 percent of that recommended by the CDE.
Seismic Upgrades - The bond provides $199.5 million to assist districts in repairing school buildings that pose an unacceptable risk of injury to its occupants in the event of an earthquake.
CDE staff is working with the Office of Public School Construction, the Division of the State Architect, and the State Allocation Board Implementation Committee in developing the regulations to implement these programs. The State Allocation Board is scheduled to adopt regulations by September 25, 2006 so that these important programs can fund eligible projects soon after the November 7 election. Please contact the School Facility Planning Division Consultant assigned to your county for more information. For a listing of consultants, please see the Field Staff - School Facility Web page. If you have any further questions regarding these programs, please contact Fred Yeager, Assistant Director, School Facilities Planning Division, at 916-327-7148.
