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. 

Focusing on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System, including the Smarter Balanced assessments, a major component of CAASPP, and the California Alternate Assessments and science assessments. System Downtimes: February, March, and April Tonight, February 24, at 9 p.m. through Sunday, February 28, at 9 p.m., the Interim Assessment Viewing System as well as the Smarter Balanced practice tests and training tests will be unavailable. NEW, March 18 at 5 p.m. through March 20 at 7 p.m., the Test Operations Management System (TOMS) will be undergoing system maintenance and will not be accessible. April 7 at 4 p.m. through April 10 at 9 p.m., system downtim...

​ February System Downtime Coming Soon During scheduled system downtime this month—9 p.m. Wednesday, February 24, through 9 p.m. Sunday, February 28—the Interim Assessment Viewing System and the Smarter Balanced practice tests and training tests will be unavailable. The interim and summative assessment Test Delivery System will not be affected. Mark your Calendar Now for System Downtime in April System downtown is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 7, and end at 9 p.m. on Sunday, April 10, to load the California Alternate Assessments into the Test Delivery System. Issue 139 contains details on the particular systems that will be impacted. Report Test Security Incidents in STAIRS...

Focusing on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System, including the Smarter Balanced assessmentsa major component of CAASPP and the California Alternate Assessments and science assessments. February Downtime Coming Up The Interim Assessment Viewing System, as well as the Smarter Balanced practice tests and training tests, will be unavailable during scheduled downtime this month: 9 p.m. Wednesday, February 24, through 9 p.m. Sunday, February 28. All other CAASPP online systems will be available, and there will be no interruption to the interim or summative assessment Test Delivery System. The California Alternate Assessment (CAA) training tests will be loa...

CAASPP System Downtime Just a reminder: System downtime starts tonight at 9 p.m. and continues through January 18, 9 p.m., as part of final preparations for the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments. During that time, the Test Administrator Interface and Interim Assessment Viewing System will be unavailable. Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments will not be available to administer or preview. New Reporting Process for Irregularities and Appeals Effective Next Week A new reporting process for test irregularities and appeals—the Security and Test Administration Incident Reporting System (STAIRS)—will go into effect on January 19, which is the same date the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessment...