Materials

You can watch the recording of a webinar with Dr. David Plank of PACE on the 5th PACE/USC Rossier Poll of Californians on Public Education. Click here to read the toplines and cross tabs, as well as the results of previous polls.

Daniel Thigpen, CalSPRA President and Folsom Cordova Unified’s Public Information Officer, developed materials for his district’s release of the CAASPP scores. 

          • A website, www.fcusd.org/testing, where we have video, FAQ, user-submitted questions

          • Ongoing news stories for the web, social media and our newsletter  

          • Communication toolkits for their school sites, which include:

                ♦ Back to school night powerpoints for elementary, middle and secondary

                ♦ Automated phone call scripts

                ♦ Talking points for principals to review with their staff

          • Letter from superintendent included in the score report mailings

          • Local media outreach (some examples here, here)

They have also given presentations, using Frameworks messaging, to their Board of Education, parent coordinators, DELAC participants, and the Folsom Chamber of Commerce leadership group.

In Case You Missed It: News

U.S. News and World Report published an article that highlights how California, through Common Core, is tackling the “$3 billion problem” of students having to take remedial courses in college and then not being likely to graduate. Because CSUs and some California Community Colleges accept the CAASPP scores for course placement, and the scores highlight for students early in their senior year what they need to improve on to avoid remedial classes, California students are more likely to enter college without needing to take remedial classes.

This article from the Sage Journal reflects on a speech California State Board President Mike Kirst gave in D.C. and highlights how California has avoided a lot of the controversy around Common Core because of a strong coalition that includes teachers, higher education, and local stakeholders. The article also talks about California’s focus on local control and multiple measures of school performance. 

In Case You Missed It: Materials

The Higher Ed flyer to help explain to students how CAASPP scores are now used for college course placement at CSUs and some CCCs is complete and available! It can be found here in our Back-to-School toolkit.  

Reminder: Please Share!

In October, the CDE, through its contract with ETS, will provide eight workshops for teachers on the hand scoring of interim assessments. These half-day workshops will be conducted throughout the state and will focus on hand scoring constructed response-items. The workshops are divided into English Language Arts/Literacy and mathematics sessions, and attendees must choose which content area they wish to attend. Each workshop will begin at 1 p.m. and conclude at 4:15 p.m. Register here.