CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONJack O’Connell, State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Politics, Policy, and Improving Assessments

Geno Flores, Deputy Supt.California Dept of Education

2004 CRESST Conference

JACK O’CONNELLState Superintendent of Public Instruction

Rocky 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

• Cultural icon, ideal hero• Dedicated heart• Commitment to success• “Do or die,” “win or lose”• Constant struggle to succeed

JACK O’CONNELLState Superintendent of Public Instruction

Rambo 1, 2, 3

• Commando, finely tuned• Highly specialized• Fights to win, at all costs• Destroys things in his way to get

want he wants

JACK O’CONNELLState Superintendent of Public Instruction

CA Public Schools Accountability Act 1999

• School based index

• Combines state test data into single score

• Annual school and subgroup targets

• Growth model

JACK O’CONNELLState Superintendent of Public Instruction

CA School Growth

• 2002 = 70% all schools met targets

• 2003 = 90% all schools met targets

• 2004 = 64% all schools met targets

• Reduction in students scoring at state’s lowest level (FBB)

• More students participated than ever before

JACK O’CONNELLState Superintendent of Public Instruction

CA NCLB - AYP

• Must meet benchmarks

• Fallen short in one or many

• 2003 = 54 % all schools met AYP

• 2004 = 65% all schools met AYP

• In 2004, 317 schools grew 30 API points or more, yet failed AYP

• Exemplary districts fail AYP

JACK O’CONNELLState Superintendent of Public Instruction

CA Accountability Workbook

• Submitted January 2003• Conditionally approved June 2003• Continually amended since to

meet federal acceptability• Examples: Schools with less than

100 students• Reporting all AYP elements prior

to start of “school year”

JACK O’CONNELLState Superintendent of Public Instruction

Amendments

• Graduation rates for schools not intended to graduate students

• LEP flexibility but must count first in US schools….poor data element

• Parent “opt-outs”• LEA subgroup size - 100 or 15%

and 50; to 200 or 15% and 100• IASA Timeline Waiver

JACK O’CONNELLState Superintendent of Public Instruction

Recent Assessment Changes

• Reduced length of CA Exit Exam

• Changed item types (not standards) to more instructionally sensitive ones

• Released state content standards items - 25% each year, each grade

• “Hiatus” for writing in 2005