In the last hours of the California legislative session, AB 2329 passed unanimously in both the Senate and Assembly and is now headed to the Governor! If you are so inclined, you can call or write letters to the Governor urging his signature on this important effort to develop a strategic plan for equity in computer science education in California.  Here is a sample letter from the bill’s sponsor, Assemblywoman Bonilla, urging the Governor to sign AB2329. TechNet, along with a wide array of education and industry supporters applaud the California state legislature for approving AB 2329, legislation which would develop a comprehensive plan for computer science education across the state. Sponsored by Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, Assembly Bill 2329 would establish a diverse advisory panel to develop a statewide computer science strategic plan, ensuring there is engagement from multiple stakeholders, including parents, teachers, students, advocates, policymakers, and leaders from state and local government. AB 2329This legislation ensures that California will have a statewide strategic plan that considers the following issues: Who can teach computer science and with what credentials;How to increase the pool of teachers;What computer science standards drive instruction; andHow to encourage students to take computer science classes.  TechNet’s California Executive Director Andrea Deveau co-authored an op-ed in the Sacramento Beeon the importance of passing this legislation with Julie Flapan, executive director of the Alliance for California Computing Education for Students and Schools. 

Viktor Mayer-Schonberger and Kenneth Cukier’s Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work and Think unveils the future possibilities of building on the analysis of vast amounts of data. Hypothetical correlation goes out the window, and the new methodology behind datafication opens new possibilities for companies and governments (and schools) in the 21st century. The authors explain the importance of this data-driven approach, how messiness trumps exactitude, and the unlimited potential for many of data completeness. They also illustrate how searches on Google open new possibilities, but caution of the dark future of shattered privacy that could prevail as depicted in movies like Minority Report. Each of the 10 chapters makes a main point about “Big Data” and its implications. The authors discuss the significance of sampling vast amounts of data, the prominence of datafication, the value of data, the risks of data, and the tools needed to control a data-driven society that is able to intrude on everyone’s privacy. They suggest that Farecast, a company that tells online buyers if prices are more likely to rise or fall before their scheduled trips “is the epitome of a big-data company and an example of where the world is headed” (p. 5). If all goes well, data companies will generate greater growth and affluence globally. Very much worth a read . . .

In my role as Director of Data & Assessment for Westchester Secondary Charter school I had the pleasure of supporting a research evaluation of the CAASPP/SBAC efforts underway in California.  The Independent Evaluation Report was  posted to CDE’s website today.  You can find it at: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ca/caaspprptstudies.asp As an advocate for effective software systems and a participant in the study, I added my voice to the notion that the CDE should be looking much closer at existing 3rd party assessment systems.  More than half of California's school districts have a 3rd party assessment system in place already, in ADDITION to the formative/summative resources available through CAASPP.  The report explains in very understandable language the need to understand these 3rd party systems and the need to provide more integration resources to get data moving back and forth between systems.   I also provided the investigative team with a list of known California assessment system providers.  They incorporated that information into a survey (pictured above) which was distributed to school-site CAASPP coordinators (orange) and District CAASPP coordinators (blue).  Though not a representative sample for state-wide assessment system adoption, it was interesting to see the results.   Is the somewhat large discrepancies between what the schools are doing and what the districts are doing have any significance?     Table source:  http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ca/caaspprptstudies.asp (Pages 45/46). A Note from Sunny Becker, one of the authors:  This report includes results of our two 2016 studies: the CAASPP Smarter Balanced Interim Assessment Administration Study and the Access to Designated Supports and Accommodations Study.  Many thanks to the representatives of Corona-Norco Unified, Fresno County Office of Education, Greenfield Union, Learning for Life Charter, Los Angeles Unified, Oakland Unified, Poway Unified, Salinas Union High, San Diego Unified, Tulare City, Victor Valley Union High, and Westchester Secondary Charter, who participated in one or both of these studies!  Hooray Westchester Charter for helping to advance the assessment system conversation.  Woot-woot! 

March 20, 2017  Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:  LAUNCH OF THE PILOT TESTS FOR SCIENCE  The California Department of Education (CDE) is pleased to announce the launch of two new assessments for pilot testing, the California Science Test (CAST) and the California Alternate Assessment (CAA) for Science. These assessments will be available once your local educational agency (LEA) testing windows opens. Please note that students and schools will not receive results from the CAST and CAA for Science pilot tests. I encourage you to use this opportunity to begin the transition to the California Next Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS).&n...

FALL 2 COLLECTION WINDOW: DEADLINE REMINDER The final Fall 2 amendment window closes on March 31, 2017. It is important for local educational agencies (LEAs) to certify the Fall 2 submission on or before March 31, 2017 in order to report their official staff full-time equivalent (FTE), English learner (EL) services, and student courseenrollment data.    CHANGES TO THE CALPADS DIRECT CERTIFICATION EXTRACT On March 7, 2017, CALPADS will stop using status code “Other” (represented by “O” in the CALPADS interface) for students eligible for free meals. The CALPADS user interface (UI) for the Direct Certification extract will display additional status codes as noted in the table below. CALPADS will replace the “O” sta tus with the appropriate status: “M” for Free MediCal , “R” for Reduced MediCal, or “T” for TANF. The “ S ” status code for SNAP will not change. “Other” (“O”) is the only status being replaced.  LEAs should be aware there will be four codes that indicate whether a student is flagged for Direct Certification: Codes S, M, R, and T. The CALPADS UI will be changed to show the new Direct Certification Status codes. The status code selection is a multi-selection drop-down menu that can be controlled as follows: With a mouse click plus the Shift key (to select an entire group of continuous options) or with a mouse click plus the CTRL key (to select various status code options in a random order). As of March 7, 2017, the Direct Certification extract will reflect the following values noted in the table. Note that if you request the Direct Certification extract prior to March 7, 2017, the system will use status codes of “ S, ” “ O, ” and “ N ” (and as mentioned above, “O” will be replaced accordingly as of March 7). (Note: The table below continues on the following page.)   Code Definition SSNAP – The student is directly certified for free meals because the student is receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits (also known as CalFresh). M Free MediCal – The student is directly certified for free meals because the student has met the income eligibility criteria through the MediCal program. R Reduced MediCal – The student is directly certified for reduced-price meals because the student has met the income eligibility criteria through the MediCal program. T TANF – The student is directly certified for free meals through TANF, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (CalWORKS). N Not Certified – The student is not directly certified for free meals.  For more information, please contact the Direct Certification team ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) in the Nutrition Services Division within the California Department of Education (CDE). For CALPADS-related questions, contact the CALPADS Service Desk at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.       UPCOMING CHANGES TO LEA ADMINISTRATOR AUTHORIZATION PROCESS  The CDE is updating the LEA Administrator authorization process to meet current security best practices. A more secure and comprehensive process will be implemented in late summer 2017. Additional information in this regard will...

Dear Accountability Coordinators:  March 13, 2017  INFORMATION REGARDING THE UPDATED DATA FILES FOR THE DASHBOARD AND 5-BY-5 GRID PLACEMENT REPORTS  On Wednesday, March 8, 2017, an e-mail was sent notifying that updates were made to: (1) the data files for the Suspension, Graduation, and English Learner Progress Indicators, (2) the California School Dashboard, and (3) the Five-by-Five Placement Reports. This is a follow-up to that communication to inform you of the specific revisions made and to notify you that the Academic Indicator will be updated by the end of the day. The specific updates are as follows:    Suspension Rate Indicator: The local educational agency (LEA)-level data now exclude charter and alternative schools’ data. Prior to the update, the LEA-level data included these schools’ data. This update impacted most LEAs’ suspension rate data. Graduation Rate Indicator: The LEA-level data now exclude all alternative schools’ data. Prior to the update, only Alternative Schools Accountability Model (ASAM) schools’ data were excluded. The revisions now exclude both ASAM schools’ data and schools that meet the alternative school definition in the California Education Code (EC) (i.e., continuation, community day, opportunity, juvenile court, county community, etc.). This update impacted a limited number of LEAs only. English Learner Progress Indicator: Prior to the update, LEAs and schools received an automatic assignment of an Orange performance level if they did not test at least 50 percent of their annual California English Language Development Test (CELDT) test takers. The calculation of the 50 percent has been revised to include all CELDT test takers, not just annual test takers. This update reduced the number of schools that were assigned the Orange performance level. (There are no LEAs that received an assignment of an Orange performance level.) Academic Indicator:Determining the N size of “30 or more” for the Students with Disabilities (SWD) student group has been revised to be based only on students who have a valid primary disability code in the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS). Therefore, the SWD student group will receive a performance level (color) if the group has 30 or more students with a valid primary disability code in both the current and prior years of data. However, this student group also includes students who exited special education and have not received special education services for up to two years. These students are not used to determine the “30 or more” N size. But, both current and exited SWDs are included in the calculation for Status and Change. For example, a school that has 28 students with a valid primary disability code and two students who exited special education within the past two years would not receive a performance level because students with a valid primary disability code is less than 30. Because the N size is above ten, Status and Change will be reported based on all 30 students.  This update reduced the number of SWD student groups that receive a performance level.  If you have any questions regarding this e-mail, please contact the Academic...

An Educator’s Guide to Student Privacy.

To:  Local Educational Agency Representatives
 From: California Department of Education - CALPADS Team
 Date:  March 14, 2017 
Subject: CALPADS Update FLASH #125 FALL 2 SUBMISSION DEADLINE The final Fall 2 amendment window closes on March 31, 2017. It is important for local educational agencies (LEAs) to certify the Fall 2 submission on or before March 31, 2017 in order to report their official staff full-time equivalent (FTE), English learner (EL) services, and student course enrollment data. CALPADS INFORMATION MEETING (CIM) IS APRIL 18 The spring CALPADS Information Meeting (CIM) is coming up on Tuesday, April 18, 2017. Registration for the CIM is open on the FCMAT/CSIS Events Web page at http://csis.fcmat.org/Pages/Events.aspx. Please register before Monday, April 17 at 11:00 am in order to receive logon information and meeting materials. If more than one person will be viewing the meeting together, please register only once and enter the name(s) of the other attendees where indicated on the registration form. SENR FILE TYPE CHANGES ON MAY 9 The collection of two new data elements, Golden State Seal Merit Diploma and State Seal of Biliteracy, will be added to the Student Enrollment (SENR) file type on May 9, 2017. All SENR batch jobs in the queue that have not been fully posted will be abandoned. LEAs will need to work with the student information system (SIS) vendor to make sure they have the ability to generate the new SENR extract that includes the two new fields. COLLECTION OF ATTENDANCE DATA FOR CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM (STAS) The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires states to report chronic absenteeism rates for schools (Section 1111(h)(1)(C)(viii) of the ESSA). To meet this requirement, LEAs will be required to submit attendance data to CALPADS through a new file type, Student Absence Summary (STAS), in order for the state to calculate chronic absenteeism rates on a student-level basis. The State Board of Education is also considering chronic absenteeism as one of the indicators for state and federal accountability. The STAS data will be required for the first time as part of the 2016–17 End-of-Year (EOY) 3 - Student Discipline data submission. As part of EOY 3, LEAs will also be required to certify a cumulative enrollment count that is automatically calculated from the enrollment records posted in CALPADS. Please note that the absenteeism data collected through CALPADS will NOT replace the average daily attendance (ADA) data submitted to the California Department of Education (CDE) for purposes of funding the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), or other programs funded based on ADA, although to the extent possible, the same definitions will be used so that LEAs may utilize the data that they already collect. GUIDELINES FOR REPORTING LIBRARIANS As a result of the change related to Teacher Librarian reporting in 2015–16, the count of certificated librarians reported dropped drastically. One potential reason for the reduction is that LEAs may be reporting these staff incorrectly. Note: You can no longer use the Staff Assignment (SASS) record to report the Teacher Librarian as a...

Commitments for Funding Year 2016 Funding Year 2016. USAC is scheduled to release Funding Year (FY) 2016 Wave 39 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) on March 23. This wave includes commitments for approved applications for all service types and at all discount levels. As of March 17, FY2016 commitments total over $2.36 billion. On the date the FCDLs are issued, you can access your FCDL notification from the Notifications section of your landing page in the E-rate Productivity Center (EPC). How to Copy an FRN When completing the FCC Form 471, you can often save time by copying a Funding Request Number (FRN) from the same or another FCC Form 471. The form must exist in EPC – so the FRN to be copied must have been created for FY2016 or FY2017 – but the form does not have to be certified, as long as all of the information for the FRN you want to copy has been completed. To copy an FRN from the same or another FCC Form 471, follow these steps: Start your new FCC Form 471 in EPC. Provide the required data in the Basic Information and Entity Information sections of the form.When you reach the Funding Requests section, click the green Add FRN button.Create a nickname and answer the question, "Is this Funding Request a continuation of an FRN from a previous funding year?"Click the green Copy FRN button.To locate the FRN, you must search for either your FCC Form 471 application number or the FRN. If you do not have your form number or FRN, you can right-click the FCC Forms link on the left-hand menu, choose "Open Link in New Tab," and then perform a search to locate your form.After you identify the form or the FRN, you will then see a list of the FRN(s) you can copy. Check the box next to the FRN you want to copy and click the green Continue button.The system will then copy the FRN you chose. You must click the Refresh button to view the copied FRN in your current form.Review the copied FRN and make any necessary updates. Note that some information cannot be edited. Fields you can edit include:NicknameService type, but only if you delete all associated FRN line itemsContract, if you associated a contract with the original FRNCompetitive bidding information, if you identified the original FRN as tariffed or month-to-month (e.g., number of bids received, establishing FCC Form 470 number, service provider, pricing confidentiality). Keep in mind that the Copy FRN function is probably most useful for those applicants with a large number of FRN line items that are the same or very similar to those from another FCC Form 471. For applicants with only a few FRNs or FRN line items, it is probably easier to enter them manually. QDRs To Be Issued for Fourth Quarter 2016 At the end of each quarter, USAC issues a Quarterly Disbursement Report (QDR) to each billed entity if any invoicing activity occurred during that quarter. The QDR includes every FCC Form 472 (BEAR Form) and FCC Form 474 (SPI Form) for all funding years that were submitted to USAC and processed...

Note:  This email was originally distributed on March 1st, 2017 to the Calfiornia Dashboard Coordinator's listserv: Dear Dashboard Coordinators:  March 1, 2017  UPDATE ON PUBLIC RELEASE AND NEW FUNCTIONALITY  The California School Dashboard local educational agency (LEA) preview period continues through early March. This correspondence provides an update on the public launch, new system functionality, and future system features expected to rollout prior to the public launch.  Public Launch  The public launch is tentatively scheduled for the week of March 13, 2017. We encourage LEAs to continue to use this period to share their performance data with local stakeholders. A communications toolkit (see Resources section below) is available to assist in that effort. As the specific date of public launch nears, we will notify Dashboard Coordinators and Public Information Officers about the communications rollout for state, regional, and local media outlets.  New Web site Features  Since the LEA preview began on February 10, 2017, several new Dashboard features are now available. Most notably, users can now select Single Student Group Reports to see how a particular student group is performing with respect to any of the state indicators. This feature can be accessed by selecting a state indicator from any of the report tabs and then selecting a student group within the Single Indicator Report. In response to user feedback, updates are now available to assist with navigating throughout the site, including ensuring that report navigation tabs are present on all pages.  Functionality Under Development  The following features are under development and are expected to rollout prior to the public launch in March 2017.    Student Group Report Availability: The Student Group Report provides the performance of all students and each student group on the state indicators. Users can choose to highlight only the student groups in the Blue and Green performance levels, the Yellow performance level, or the Orange and Red performance levels. Local Performance Indicators-New Performance Categories: Based on stakeholder feedback, the three performance levels for the local indicators, Met, Not Met, and Not Met for Two or More Years are being changed to Data Reported, Data Not Reported, Data Not Reported for Two or More Years. This change is designed to clarify that meeting the standard is based on whether the LEA collected and reported the local performance data for each of the local indicators. Grade 11 Smarter Balanced Assessment Results: The Grade 11 Smarter Balanced Assessment results will be available on the College/Career Single Indicator Report. This data is a component of the College/Career Indicator that will be made available in fall 2017. Additional Data on English Learners: English learner (EL) only and ELs who have not been reclassified as fluent English proficient (RFEP) will be available on the English Language Arts and Mathematics assessments Single Indicator Reports. Optional Narrative Box: The Optional Narrative Box functionality will be operational prior to the public release to provide LEAs the opportunity to explain their local context or identify any circumstances that may have impacted their performance.  Resources In conjunction...

Still don't have a revised date for the Fall 1 CALPADS cert.  Hang in there everybody!  

The following API's that we are tracking have been updated (note: external link to ProgrammableWeb) SchoolTimeOpen AssessmentsHeartland Payment SystemsWhipplehillStudyStackDigitalChalkIlluminate EducationChalkableEdmodoEdX Course StructureDIYStudy Island DictionaryKhan AcademyClever DataDiglibCodeLessonSchoologyInstructure CanvasSkill SearchSycamore SchoolBlackboard CollaborateData.ed.govHaiku Learning Management SystemOffice 365 SchoolsClever IdentityASPECT Vocabulary Bank for EducationDonorsChooseTurnItin iThenticateCode.org Local School Database

EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT – Update #5 The purpose of this letter is to update you on California’s transition to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The new federal law provides states with more flexibility to design accountability and systems of support that will align with current California reforms, such as the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs). In this letter, we will provide information about ESSA regulations, the California ESSA State Plan, and ESSA guidance from the U.S. Department of Education (ED). ESSA Regulations ESSA regulations are developed by ED to provide clarity to state educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) for implementing the statute. ED has released and collected public comment on three sets of ESSA regulations: Accountability, Data Reporting, and Submission of State PlansAssessment and Innovative Assessment PilotsSupplement Not Supplant I have submitted responses to each set of regulations in joint letters with State Board of Education (SBE) President Michael Kirst detailing concerns about the proposed regulations and making recommendations to address those concerns. You may review those letters and the proposed regulations on the California Department of Education (CDE) ESSA Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/essa. ED has indicated that it plans to address public comment and finalize the regulations by the end of this year. Once the regulations are finalized, the CDE will inform LEAs of the potential impact on California’s implementation of ESSA programs. We are also tracking the transition to a new federal administration and will notify LEAs if this will have an effect on ESSA implementation. California ESSA Consolidated State Plan As part of California’s transition to ESSA, California must submit an ESSA State Plan to ED. The State Plan will describe the State’s implementation of standards, assessment, accountability, and assistance programs and will move us toward California’s goal of having a single, coherent local, state, and federal education system. California has elected to submit a consolidated State Plan, which will address several ESSA programs in a coherent and integrated way. California will not be able to finalize its State Plan until final regulations are available. However, there are many State Plan components that are not contingent upon regulations. Therefore, the CDE is moving forward with the development of the State Plan to ensure stakeholders have sufficient time and opportunity to inform the State Plan, regardless of the status of regulations. The CDE intends to steadily develop, and make available for public comment, three successive drafts of the plan over the next several months with new plan sections added to the document as new information becomes available. The first draft of the ESSA Consolidated State Plan was presented to the SBE at its November meeting and is now available for public comment on the CDE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/es/toolkit2.asp. To help facilitate local conversations regarding the plan, the CDE has developed the ESSA Stakeholder Engagement Toolkit available on the CDE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/es/toolkit.asp. On this Web site you will find the State Plan Development Timeline, overview...

Golden State vs. the Feds! - Or, How Best to Reconcile the LCFF/LCAP Stuff with the New Federal Regulations. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SSPI) and the State Board of Education (SBE) President Michael Kirst jointly signed a letter in response to the proposed regulations for ESSA accountability, data reporting, and submission of state plans, detailing concerns about the proposed regulations and making recommendations to address those concerns. The letter was submitted through the Federal Register on August 1 and may be viewed on the CDE Response to ESSA Proposed Regulations Web page. The new ESSA regulations are chalk full of new requirements for state data report...

Dear LEA Representative, CALPADS Fall 1 training sessions are now open for registration. Please be sure to select the appropriate class that aligns best with your CALPADS experience. Classes will be added to the schedule as needed to accommodate the demand. To obtain detailed information about class descriptions and the target audiences for each class offered, please see the CALPADS Course Catalog on the FCMAT/CSIS Web site at http://csis.fcmat.org/Pages/Course-Catalog.aspx. All of the training sessions will be held via Microsoft Lync Internet conferencing. The training material, along with instructions regarding how to access the Web conference, will be sent one day prior to each training date. You may enroll in a training session via the FCMAT/CSIS Training Web site (see below). When you enroll, please be sure to note the training date on your calendar. Once you have enrolled in a training session, you will no longer see the "Enroll" button for that particular training session. (There will be a "Dis-enroll" button, should you no longer wish to be enrolled.) Please share this information with others in your agency where appropriate. COURSE TITLES: The following table lists available Fall 1 courses for CALPADS 2016 and the recommended target audience for each: Training SessionsRecommended Target AudienceFall 1 - Reporting and CertificationNew staff and experienced staff needing a refresher;Fall 1 - Advanced Reporting and CertificationExperienced staff who successfully completed Fall 1 last year   TRAINING REGISTRATION: You must have an account for the FCMAT/CSIS Web site in order to register for training. The training registration process will require logging in to the FCMAT/CSIS Web site. If you do not have an account for the FCMAT/CSIS Web site, you will need to register for one: See the FCMAT/CSIS document entitled How to R= egister for an Account on the FCMAT-CSIS Web site at http://csis.fcmat.org/Documents/Documentation/How-To-Register-For-A-FCMAT-CSIS-Website-Account.pdf. Once you have an account, you can register for training sessions. To register for the Fall 2016 CALPADS training sessions, visit the FCMAT/CSIS training Web page at http://csis.fcmat.org/Pages/Trainings.aspx. Should you have any questions, please contact the CALPADS Service Desk via either of these methods:   1.  Submitting a service request ticket via the CALPADS Service Request form at http://www2.cde.ca.gov/calpadshelp/default.aspx   2.  E-mailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.<;mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.> Thank you, CALPADS Team

(Note: Original Source:  CALPADS Email from August 5, 2016 ) It’s time to begin preparations for the 2016 Fall 1 CALPADS data collection! This communication serves to announce the initial 2016–17 CALPADS training schedule and remind LEAs of the importance of training and the appropriate class sequence.  The 2016–17 schedule starts off with offering the Essential 2 and Essential 3 courses, along with a new course regarding CALPADS documentation. The first Fall 1 training session will occur the week of September 12. Registration availability for the Fall 1 sessions will be posted in the beginning of September. NEW COURSE  The Guide to CALPADS Documentationtraining sessionwill familiarize users with CALPADS documentation and support tools. In this session, we will review the purpose of the CALPADS documents, how they are used, how they link together, and where you can find them. This is not a required course for the Training Recognition award, but this course is highly recommended if you want to better understand how to get the most out of the documentation.  NEW STAFF  If you are new to CALPADS, you are expected to take the CALPADS Essential classes (course numbers 2–4) to become familiar with the CALPADS functionality. These Essential classes provide the foundation necessary to prepare for the specific data collections (Fall 1, Fall 2, etc.) as well as to prepare for the steps in Statewide Student Identifier (SSID) requests and Anomaly resolution. Once the Essential 2–3 classes are completed, you should attend the Fall 1 Reporting & Certification class. After the Fall 1 submission is well under way, you should attend the Essential 4 and Fall 2 classes. Additionally, the Q&A sessions listed in the schedule complement your learning experience and allow an opportunity to talk with support staff. The Q&A sessions require registration and are available to anyone, regardless of your training level.  EXPERIENCED STAFF  CALPADS users who completed the Fall 1 data submission last year do not need to take the Essential classes unless they feel that a repeat will be beneficial. The Fall 1 Advanced class was created for staff who have a strong understanding of the data submission process and want to learn about changes in the current year.  SELF-PACED TRAINING  Self-Paced modules for all the training sessions are available for everyone. The Self-Paced modules are a good alternative to the presenter-led sessions when you want to learn on your own, need a refresher on a particular topic, or can’t find time to attend the live sessions. We request that users register for the Self-Paced modules, so that we can update our records to reflect who has attended training. Self-Paced Registration can be found here: http://csis.fcmat.org/Pages/Self-Paced-Training.aspx. The Self-Paced content for Fall 1 will be updated by the end of November.  CLASS ENROLLMENT  To obtain detailed information about class descriptions and the target audiences for each class offered, please visit the FCMAT/CSIS Class Descriptions Web page at: http://csis.fcmat.org/Pages/Course-Catalog.aspx. All of the sessions will be held via Microsoft Skype Internet conferencing. The training material, along with instructions...

Using Federal Funds to Improve Student Outcomes in Humanities  To help state educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and their partners identify potential ways to use Federal formula grant funds to support humanities education during the 2016–17 school year, the U.S. Department of Education released a letter to provide examples of how funds from Titles I, II, III, IV, and V of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins) can support efforts to improve Pre-K–12 and postsecondary instru...

CAASPP Update # 161 - July 6, 2016 Focusing on the CAASPP System, including the Smarter Balanced assessments—a major component of CAASPP—and the California Alternate Assessments and science assessments. Updated Usability, Accessibility, and Accommodations Guidelines The Usability, Accessibility, and Accommodations Guidelines document has been updated for the 2016–17 CAASPP administration. Among the changes are two new resources: - Simplified Test Directions (non-embedded designated support) - 100s Number Table (non-embedded accommodation) In addition, the recommendations on the use of scratch paper (non-embedded universal tool) now include the use of a whiteboard and marker as well as low-te...