Both state and federal laws require the California Department of Education (CDE) to monitor categorical programs operated by LEAs. This state oversight is accomplished in part by annually monitoring one quarter of all LEAs. Using the eleven county service regions, LEAs are placed in cycles A, B, C, or D. Due to its size, Los Angeles Unified School District is monitored annually. The CPM monitoring cycles are available at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/cr/cc. CDE monitors LEAs for compliance with requirements of each categorical program, including fiscal requirements. Although all LEAs in a cycle are monitored, only a representative group of LEAs are selected for a monitoring visit.
The selection criteria used for determining CPM visits is objective and grounded in law.
California Education Code Section 64001(b) requires that the “…Superintendent of Public Instruction shall establish the…criteria for differentiating these reviews based on the achievement of pupils, as demonstrated by the Academic Performance Index…and evidence of district compliance with state and federal law.”
The following steps describe how sites are selected for a CPM visit:
Step I
- Districts and county offices of education designated as Program Improvement will be automatically scheduled for a monitoring visit.
- LEAs having unresolved noncompliance with state and federal categorical program requirements (except special education) will be scheduled for a monitoring visit.
- All public schools within the LEAs of a given cycle will be screened.
- The following data screen for all schools and all significant subgroups will be used:
- API scores of 800 or higher for two consecutive years, or
- API growth over a three-year period equal to or greater than the sum of the schools’ API growth targets for the same three-year period.
- Since API subgroup data for English learners is for only one year, the following will be used as a proxy:
- LEAs with all schools meeting English learners participation rate for English language arts and mathematics as indicated in the 2006 Annual Performance Report.
- LEAs with all schools meeting targets for percent of English learners attaining proficiency or better for English language arts and mathematics as indicated in the 2005 Annual Performance Report.
- LEAs that failed AMAOs 1 or 2 for two years.
- For LEAs or schools who do not have English learners as a significant subgroup, a random selection of at least one LEA per small, medium, and large district per region, when numerically possible, and at least one elementary, middle, and high school in those districts for each level that exists within the LEA will be selected.
- A random sample of LEAs and schools in the LEAs meeting these criteria will also be selected for monitoring visits. The sample is 10% per small, medium, and large districts per region.
- LEAs/schools that do not meet the criteria listed in 4) and 5) are eligible for a monitoring visit. Schools meeting criteria will not be visited.
- Local ongoing monitoring continues.
Step II
- The number of schools to visit within an LEA is 10% or the smallest representative sample of eligible schools per elementary, middle, high, K-12, and alternative school configuration.
- Schools are prioritized for a monitoring visit in the following order:
- Unresolved noncompliance
- Program Improvement Status
- API scores
- Greatest numbers of significant subgroups that did not meet criteria
- Number of operating categorical programs
- Criteria for specific categorical programs
- Random selection
- SDAD management will review and approve recommended selections and resolve any disputes.
- Schools selected for monitoring visits are calendared.
- CDE monitoring team schedules a planning meeting to review documents available at CDE or sent to CDE by LEA.
- LEA CPM coordinator is notified of visits, including sites and programs being monitored.
- LEA sends documents to CDE. We encourage electronic submittals or URLs if information is posted on the Web.
- Schools not selected for a visit continue ongoing monitoring.
Once sites are selected for a CPM visit, the following steps are taken:
Step III
- CPM teams prepare for monitoring visits by:
- Reviewing data and documents for specific programs and subgroups as identified in Steps 1 and 2
- Determine for specific programs if data and documents are sufficient for monitoring purposes
- If a program determines not to conduct a visit, then the CPM database will indicate that the LEA/school were monitored for that program with no findings of noncompliance
- Provide LEA CPM coordinator with feedback from review of data and documents
- LEA/schools continue ongoing monitoring of programs not scheduled for the onsite visit
Step IV
- CPM teams conduct on-site visits:
- Review additional evidence of compliance for specific programs using CPM instruments
- Emphasis on significant subgroups not meeting performance standards
- Review additional data and documents for categorical programs
- Interview staff, students, parents, and community members associated with categorical programs
- Observe categorical programs activities
- Confer on Cross-Program issues
- Inform school and district CPM contacts of monitoring issues as they arise
- Prepare Notification of Findings of Noncompliance
- Present and discuss findings with LEA representatives
- Notification of Findings of Noncompliance edited if necessary
- CPM team members and LEA representative sign Notification of Findings of Noncompliance
- Notification of Findings of Noncompliance are made available to the public upon request
- Review additional evidence of compliance for specific programs using CPM instruments
Step V
- LEA sends to CDE a Proposed Resolution of Noncompliance (PRN) within 45 days of receiving the Notification of Findings of Noncompliance.
- For Cross-Program items:
- If finding is for a single program, the CPM Unit distributes the PRN and documents to the Regional Team Leader and CDE program staff. Program staff reviews and approves or denies proposal.
- If finding is for more than one program, the CPM Unit distributes the PRN and documents to the Regional Team Leader and appropriate CDE program staff. Regional Team Leader facilities a discussion to review and approve or deny proposal.
- At the LEA’s request, CDE program staff assists LEA staff in resolving noncompliance.
- Regional Team Leader monthly monitors and reports to SDAD and program managers the compliance status of LEAs.
- Convenes meetings with program staff to address unresolved items
- Reminds LEA CPM coordinators of unresolved findings of noncompliance.
- CDE takes actions to effect compliance as necessary if findings of noncompliance are unresolved. (5 CCR 4670 – 4671; 34 CFR 76.401)
