CCSESA Newsletter2020

Legislature Enters the Last Week of the 2019-20 Session

In the last week of what has been a very unpredictable legislative session, the administration and the legislature have agreed on language that has been amended into SB 820. SB 820 is a legislative clean- up proposal that includes technical revisions and updated education proposals since the Governor signed the 2020-21 budget package in June. Below are some of the highlights from the SB 820 proposal:

Williams Settlement Site Visits

SB 820 provides the following relief from the on-site visitation requirements of the Williams settlement.

1. The existing authorization for the Los Angeles County Office of Education to use a combination of visits and written surveys of teachers for the purpose of determining sufficiency of textbooks and instructional materials is extended to every county superintendent of schools.
2. For purposes of the annual report, a county superintendent of schools may rely on information obtained only through means other than a physical visit to the schoolsite, including school administrator or teacher surveys. However, the report shall include a justification indicating why a schoolsite visit was not conducted and an outline of plans to conduct a schoolsite visit as soon as possible, and the county superintendent of schools shall provide an updated report before July 1, 2021.
3. The requirement that the county superintendent of schools annually conduct a visit of schools is waived for any school that does not offer in-person instruction from March 2020 to June 2021, inclusive. This waiver applies only for the time during which the school does not provide in-person instruction, and the county superintendent of schools shall make a plan to visit all necessary schoolsites as soon as possible, which must be noted in the outline required pursuant to paragraph (2). If, following the resumption of in-person instruction, a county superintendent of schools is unable to visit a schoolsite in sufficient time to include the observations in the report required under Williams, any schoolsite not visited shall be prioritized for a visit as soon as possible during the following school year.
4. The requirement that 25 percent of the visits be unannounced is waived. However, an unannounced visit may be undertaken at the discretion of the county superintendent of schools in compliance with any orders or guidance issued by any local or state public health official.

ADA and Enrollment Growth

1. SB 98 provided a hold-harmless is provided for the purpose of calculating apportionment in the 2020-21 fiscal year; the Department of Education shall use the average daily attendance in the 2019-20 fiscal year reported from July 1, 2019, to February 29, 2020. SB 820 provides for ADA and enrollment growth funding under certain circumstances.
2. For small school districts and districts under a reorganization their apportionments shall be adjusted for changes identified during the 2020-21 school year. For charter schools that have ceased operations and does not provide any instruction in the 2020-21school year the State Superintendent shall increase the average daily attendance of the sponsoring local education agency.
3. Regarding state special advance apportionments for the 2020–21 fiscal year, for newly operational charter schools (excluding non-classroom based charters), local education agencies with student enrollment growth between 2019-20 and 2020-21, or a school district that has gained enrollment through reorganization, will be based upon estimated enrollment as of information day October 7, 2020 adjusted for the 2019-20 statewide absence rate lieu of average daily attendance.
4. LEAs that choose to be funded for growth shall provide specified information to the Department of Education by November 6, 2020 and attest that the required documentation is true and correct and is the most recent adopted budget on or before June 30, 2020 or is the 2019-20 second interim report adopted by the governing board
5. Adds language that for charter schools, distance learning may be provided by a certificated employee.

Learning Loss Mitigation Revised Expenditure Deadlines

SB 820 extends the deadlines for certain COVID-19 related funds.

1. Revises the expenditure deadline for funding the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Funds from March 13, 2020 to September 30, 2022. The deadline for the use of state general funds appropriated for Learning Loss Mitigation has been extended from March1, 2020 to June 30, 2021.
2. Expands the eligible uses to include personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleaning supplies

Teacher Credentialing

SB 820 extends the credentialing flexibilities afforded under EO N-66 to Aug. 31, 2021. (The current EO expires this Aug. 31). If a candidate is affected by testing closures and/or COVID-related school site closures, they could be eligible for the following flexibilities:

1. Credentialing exams such as CBEST and CSET were previously required before entering a credentialing program but would now be required before receiving a preliminary credential.
2. The RICA, TPA and the administrative performance assessments were previously required to receive a preliminary credential but are now required before receiving a clear credential. (This means the candidate has 5 years to complete the requirement.

For more information on SB 820 is available here.

State Board of Education Adopts New Guidance for Arts Education and World Languages Instruction in California

On July 8, 2020, the State Board of Education (SBE) adopted new K–12 guidance for educators to provide high-quality instruction in the arts disciplines of dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts and for educators to provide high-quality world languages instruction and make classrooms more inclusive. These guidance documents, which are called frameworks, are the result of an exhaustive public vetting process overseen by the SBE and the California Department of Education (CDE).

“With these adoptions today, California is reinforcing for educators a truth we all know: That students thrive in an educational landscape that allows them to create and express themselves and encourages them to become members of our global society through language and culture,” said Linda Darling-Hammond, president of the California SBE and of the Learning Policy Institute.

Educators can use this Arts Framework as a guide to curriculum and instruction to inform both the what and how of teaching in and through the arts.

This includes the following:

• High quality, standards-based sequential instruction in each of the arts disciplines;
• Teaching the arts disciplines through the authentic processes that artists engage in, such as creating, performing, and responding;
• Culturally and linguistically responsive teaching to maximize inclusivity and build relationships in the arts classroom; and
• Planning instruction using the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to remove barriers and foster inclusion in arts learning.

Read the entire press release here.

For more information on the CCSESA Arts Initiative and other work happening across the state, click here for the August CCSESA Arts newsletter.