Bill Text: CA AB2820 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Amended
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: School accountability: school conditions and climate surveys: technical design group.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2018-06-21 - In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author. [AB2820 Detail]
Download: California-2017-AB2820-Amended.html
NOYES
____ the Superintendent of Public Instruction for the administration of the Community Engagement and School Climate for Continuous Improvement Block Grant established pursuant to Section 52053 52053.2 of the Education Code.
Bill Title: School accountability: school conditions and climate surveys: technical design group.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2018-06-21 - In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author. [AB2820 Detail]
Download: California-2017-AB2820-Amended.html
|
Amended
IN
Assembly
April 04, 2018 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION
| Assembly Bill | No. 2820 |
| Introduced by Assembly Member McCarty |
February 16, 2018 |
An act to add Article 3 (commencing with Section 52053) to Chapter 6.1 of Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, relating to school accountability, and making an appropriation therefor.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2820, as amended, McCarty.
School accountability: Community Engagement and School Climate for Continuous Improvement Block Grant.
Existing law requires, on or before July 1, 2014, the governing boards of school districts and county boards of education to adopt a local control and accountability plan plans using a state template adopted by the State Board of Education. Existing law requires the local control and accountability plan to include, among other things, a description of annual goals for all pupils and specified subgroups of pupils to be achieved for each state priority, as specified, including, among others,
other state priorities, parental involvement and, as a measure of pupil achievement, school climate, and climate. Existing law requires the plan to include a description of the specific actions the school district or county superintendent of schools will take to achieve those goals.
This bill would establish the Community Engagement and School Climate for Continuous Improvement Block Grant to (1) ensure that the development of the local control and accountability plan and the system of support include provides that practices, resources, and expertise in
meaningful community engagement are included throughout the continuous improvement process, and (2) support local educational agencies in measuring and analyzing school conditions and climate data on an annual basis with valid tools, including, including surveys of pupils, parents, and staff staff, and resources, free of charge, to support school conditions and climate improvements in schools at the local level. The bill would appropriate an unspecified sum to an unspecified entity
the Superintendent of Public Instruction for the administration of the block grant.
The bill would provide that, of that unspecified sum, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in collaboration with the State Board of Education, shall award an unspecified amount as grants to county offices of education to, with local educational agencies, develop expertise in, and build capacity for, engaging parents, students, administrators, staff, and other community members in continuous improvement processes. The bill would require a local educational agency, as a condition of receiving these grant funds from a county office of education, to annually survey parents, students, teachers, classified staff, and administrators using state-vetted school conditions and climate survey tools, as specified. The bill would provide that remaining block grant funds shall
be used to carry out the other provisions of the bill.
The bill would require the Department of Education, the State Board of Education, and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, to convene a work group. The bill would require the work group to develop a Student and Family Engagement Roadmap, to be shared statewide, that includes a common definition and standards framework for assessing quality community engagement, as provided. The bill would require the department, the state board, and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence to encourage local educational agencies to annually assess the environment for meaningful engagement of students and families. The bill would provide that, in addition, block grant funds shall also be made available to the department, the state board, and county offices of education to develop various
programs and incentives to encourage and improve community engagement.
The bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction, on or before July 1, 2019, to convene a School Conditions and Climate Validity and Reliability Technical Design Group that includes representatives of state agencies, local educational agencies, and other organizations, as specified. The bill would require the design group to develop criteria for the approval of school conditions and climate survey tools, as specified, and to review and approve survey tools based on those criteria. The bill would require the superintendent, not later than January 1, 2021, to compile and publish, on the Department of Education’s Internet Web site, a selection of state-vetted and approved school conditions and climate survey tools that includes tools for surveying specified categories of
stakeholders, as defined, and for measuring specified domains of school conditions and climate. The bill would require the department to make these survey tools, and basic analysis of survey results, available to local educational agencies participating in the grant program, and, upon appropriation for that purpose, to make these survey tools, and basic analysis of survey results, available to nonparticipating local educational agencies. By requiring participation of local educational agencies in the above-described design group, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill
would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Funds appropriated by this bill would be applied toward the minimum funding requirements for school districts and community college districts imposed by Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: YES Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program:Bill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) When the local control funding formula was established established, new requirements were imposed, including, as part of the multiple measures school accountability system, that local educational agencies adopt local control and accountability plans describing goals, actions, and expenditures to address specified state priorities, including, among others, parental involvement and, as a measure of pupil achievement,
pupil engagement and school climate, and that they consult with community stakeholders in developing local control and accountability plans. These new priorities and consultation requirements were required a significant shift for local educational agencies, many of which where were not prepared with the skills and practices necessary for meaningful community engagement and school climate assessment and improvement.
(b) Researchers, community members, and equity advocates agree that when it comes to
family and pupil engagement in the development of local control and accountability plans, family and pupil engagement plans remains a work in progress.
(c) The School Conditions and Climate Work Group, convened by the State Department of Education, found that forward progress on its recommendations to integrate school climate into state accountability, the system of support, and local continuous improvement requires more resources and that local educational agencies currently lack the skills and capacity for this task.
(d) School climate includes the values, expectations, interpersonal relationships, materials and resources, supports,
physical environment, and practices that foster a welcoming, inclusive, and academically challenging environment. Positive school conditions and climate ensure people in the school community (pupils, staff, family, and community) feel socially, emotionally, and physically safe, supported, connected to the school, and engaged in learning and teaching.
(e) Meaningful community engagement is the linchpin to effective implementation of the local control funding formula. Practices, resources, and capacities for meaningful local community engagement and school climate must be developed and strengthened as these state priorities are central to the other state priorities and critical for ensuring equity for pupils and families.
SEC. 2.
Article 3 (commencing with Section 52053) is added to Chapter 6.1 of Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to read:Article 3. Community Engagement and School Climate for Continuous Improvement Block Grant
52053.
(a) The Legislature finds and declares that it is the responsibility of the department, county offices of education, and the California Collaborative for Education Excellence to provide local educational agencies assistance and support for continuous improvement.(b) The Community Engagement and School Climate for Continuous Improvement Block Grant is hereby established for both of the following purposes: purposes of this article are as follows:
(1) To ensure that the development of the local control and accountability plan and the system of support include provides that practices, resources, and expertise in meaningful community engagement are included throughout the continuous improvement process.
(2) To support local educational agencies in measuring and analyzing school conditions and climate data on an annual basis with valid tools, including, including
surveys of pupils, parents, and staff staff, and resources, free of charge, to support school conditions and climate improvements in schools at the local level.
52053.1.
For purposes of this article, the following terms have the following meanings:(a) “Administrators and staff” mean the administrators and staff of a local educational agency, including teachers, principals, and other school personnel.
(b) “Block grant” means the Community Engagement and School Climate for Continuous Improvement Block Grant established in Section 52053.2.
(c) “Local educational agencies” means school districts.
(d) “Stakeholders” includes parents, students, administrators, staff, and other community members.
52053.2.
(a) The Community Engagement and School Climate for Continuous Improvement Block Grant is hereby established to carry out the purposes of this article.(b) Block grant funds shall be used as follows:
(1) Not less than ____ dollars ($____) shall be awarded as grants pursuant to Section 52053.3.
(2) The remaining funds shall be available to carry out the other provisions of this chapter.
52053.3.
(a) The superintendent, in collaboration with the executive director of the state board, shall award grants to county offices of education to, with local educational agencies, develop expertise in, and build capacity for, engaging parents, students, administrators, staff, and other community members in the continuous improvement processes of local educational agencies.(b) To be eligible for a grant under this section, a county office of education shall submit to the department, in the form, manner, and by the date specified by the department, a detailed proposal that describes all of the following:
(1) How the county offices of education will use grant funds, including how
much funding will be allocated to local educational agencies.
(2) What activities will be supported by grant funds, and how they will promote the purposes of this section, as determined using the common definition and standards framework developed pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 52053.4. Activities may include, but are not limited to, the following activities that address, respectively, each of the four cornerstones of community engagement referred to in that subdivision:
(A) Conducting active outreach to traditionally underrepresented parents, students, and communities through a variety of activities, such as the use of surveys and the conduct of town hall meetings and focus groups where interpretation services, translation services, child care services, and food are provided.
(B) Providing parents, students,
administrators, and staff with training, resources, and other support to facilitate informed and meaningful participation in community engagement activities and decisionmaking, such as training on examining, using, and acting on data, and racial and cultural awareness training.
(C) Providing staff and administrators involved in decisionmaking, and in the local control and accountability plan and school site planning processes, with training, professional learning networks, and other support for professional development in areas such as best practices for outreach, relationship-building, shared leadership, meeting facilitation, and racial and cultural awareness.
(D) Ensuring the transparency and accessibility of communications identifying decisionmakers, timelines for local educational agency activities, opportunities for community engagement and input, and the outcomes of
community input.
(3) (A) How the county office of education will use climate surveys and other data to annually assess the environment for meaningful engagement of students and families.
(B) Beginning in the 2020–21 school year, as a condition of receiving funding pursuant to this section, local educational agencies shall agree to survey parents, students, teachers, classified staff, and administrators at least annually using the state-vetted school conditions and climate survey tools described in Section 52053.5. Local educational agencies may add additional dimensions or constructs to the survey tools for the purpose of better understanding local needs.
(4) How the county office of education will pilot new models of community engagement, such as participatory budgeting, human-centered design,
and governing for racial equity cohorts.
52053.4.
(a) The department, the state board, and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence shall convene, within the statewide system of support planning group, a work group that includes representatives of the department, the state board, the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, school system associations, and community and advocacy groups. The work group shall develop a Student and Family Engagement Roadmap, to be shared statewide, that includes the following:(1) A common definition and standards framework for assessing quality community engagement that addresses the following four cornerstones of community engagement:
(A) Equitable stakeholder
engagement.
(B) Leadership development.
(C) Shared decisionmaking.
(D) Accountability and transparency.
(2) Best practices for community engagement.
(3) Community-friendly tools for engagement.
(b) The department, the state board, and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, through means including, but not limited to, the grant program established pursuant to Section 52053.3, shall encourage local educational agencies to use climate surveys and other data to annually assess the environment for meaningful engagement of students and families, barriers to that engagement, and solutions for the improvement of
engagement.
(c) In addition, block grant funds shall be made available to the department, the state board, and county offices of education to do the following:
(1) Develop, share, and implement a new in-depth training series to build the knowledge, skill sets, and commitment of key school system leaders to improve student and parent engagement.
(2) Develop, share, and implement a new baseline training to build school system leader knowledge and the commitment of all school system leaders to improving student and parent engagement.
(3) Incentivize local educational agencies and schools to create, and support the creation of, staff positions and engagement structures that will endure beyond a one-time allocation of state funding.
(4) Launch professional learning networks focused on building school system leaders’ capacity for meaningful engagement that adheres to the common definition and standards framework established pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a).
(5) Support the piloting or adoption by local educational agencies of new or innovative models for engagement.
52053.5.
(a) (1) On or before July 1, 2019, the superintendent shall convene a School Conditions and Climate Validity and Reliability Technical Design Group. Membership of the design group shall include, but is not limited to, representatives of local educational agencies, county offices of education, the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, and educational organizations, service providers, and advocacy groups.(2) The design group shall do both of the following:
(A) Based on the recommendations of the School Conditions and Climate Work Group convened by the department in August 2016, develop criteria for the approval of survey tools considered
for selection pursuant to subdivision (b).
(B) Review and approve survey tools for purposes of subdivision (b) based on the criteria developed pursuant to subparagraph (A).
(b) (1) Not later than January 1, 2021, the superintendent shall compile, and publish on the department’s Internet Web site, a selection of state-vetted and approved school conditions and climate survey tools.
(2) The selection of survey tools compiled pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include survey tools for surveying parents, students, teachers, staff, and administrators, and for measuring the following four domains of school conditions and climate:
(A) Safety.
(B) Relationships among all
stakeholders.
(C) Conditions for teaching and learning.
(D) Empowerment and engagement.
(c) (1) The department shall provide survey tools approved pursuant to this section, and basic analysis of survey results, to local educational agencies participating in the grant program established pursuant to Section 52053.3 at no additional cost. Upon appropriation for this purpose, the department shall provide the survey tools, and basic analysis of survey results, at no additional cost to nonparticipating local educational agencies.
(2) In lieu of a survey tool approved pursuant to this section, a nonparticipating local educational agency may, at the agency’s discretion, use an existing survey tool employed by the agency pursuant to
subparagraph (C) of paragraph (6) of subdivision (d) of Section 52060 and guidelines adopted by the state board.
(d) Results from a survey described in this section shall not be used for employee evaluation or high stakes accountability, such as identification of schools for Level 2 (Differentiated Assistance) or Level 3 (Intensive Support) by the statewide system of support.
