Update on ACSA’s Accountability and Continuous Improvement Task Force and State’s System of Support
August 16, 2017
ACSA’s Accountability and Continuous Improvement Task Force, chaired by Ralph Porras, met on August 2 in Sacramento to continue discussions with the State Board of Education, California Department of Education and California Collaborative for Educational Excellence staff on various topics. The majority of the conversation centered around the state’s system of support, and what are the skills, knowledge and expertise administrators need help to acquire. Our members gave a lot of specific feedback on the types of supports administrators need, and all three state agencies expressed interest in coming back to speak with the Task Force and other ACSA Committees and Councils at future meetings.
The Task Force has two meetings left in September and October, and our staff and members are exploring whether to continue the Task Force’s efforts through 2018. The initial feedback indicated there is desire to do so, as the accountability system and the system of support will continue to evolve and take shape over the next 12 months. We also want to get a sub-set of our members to help out with suggestions to make to CDE on consolidating the various state plans and reporting requirements.
These agencies, including county offices of education, are responsible for providing assistance to LEAs under LCFF and have been meeting since this spring to discuss coordination and alignment of assistance activities. Their meetings have not delved into the “what” of assistance, but have instead focused on the “how” of coordination and communication across agencies. A critical part of that is connecting with the key statewide partners (ACSA, CTA, CSBA, CASBO, SSDA, etc.) so the agencies providing assistance have a regular feedback loop with the end users/”experiencers” of assistance to refine and improve approaches over time. They also have a short-term focus on this fall, when the updated Dashboard will be used to determine whether county offices must offer assistance to districts under LCFF. ACSA staff is exploring whether a discussion on the system of support could be a potential input session with our members at the October Leadership Assembly meeting. If you have questions or concerns on the new accountability system, or comments on the system of support, please contact ACSA Legislative Advocate Martha Alvarez.