Dr. Michael Kirst, President California State Board of Education 1430 N Street, Suite #5111 July 8, 2016 Dear President Kirst,

We represent a diverse group of civil rights, education, community-based, and parent organizations

from throughout the state of California. While our specific focuses vary, we write to you with one clear

message. We urge you to do everything in your power to design a new accountability system that helps

close opportunity and achievement gaps with the urgency that our state and our students deserve.

The 2015-16 school year just ended and millions of California’s students are still struggling. More than

1.5 million Black and Latino students are not meeting standards in English or Math. Fewer than half of

our Black and Latino students are proficient in Science. Only a third of California’s low-income high

school graduates have taken the college preparatory courses necessary to be eligible for the University

of California or California State Universities. And while English learners made the greatest progress from

2014 to 2015, they are still the furthest behind – nearly a third of English learner students do not

graduate with their class.

Clearly Focusing on Equity

We know that the hard work of educators is the most important factor in closing these gaps. Strong

accountability systems address the seriousness of gap closure by first publicly and accessibly providing

data that parents and educators alike can use. When education leaders have timely, relevant data, they

can more quickly identify what’s working and what’s not for their students. And when the data shows

that a subgroup of students isn’t progressing, a school or district should be required to take action

quickly to address these gaps. If we allow schools to languish in the purgatory of wide gaps without

requiring action, we fail not only our students and families but our educators as well.

Setting Ambitious Goals

Our accountability system must include ambitious goals for student achievement – coupled with

requiring action and providing supports and interventions when needed – to ensure all students have

the opportunity to graduate college and career ready. The state should not only encourage steady

improvement toward ambitious, long-term goals but also include gap-closing expectations with specific

subgroup goals that make sure we’re not only raising achievement for all students but doing all we can

to eliminate gaps between groups as well.

Prioritizing College and Career Readiness

Without a distinct, robust measure of college and career readiness, we send a message that merely

graduating students, regardless of their knowledge and skills gained, is the goal of our education system.

To ensure every student has the opportunity to learn, go to college, and excel in a career, we must

include a thorough college and career readiness indicator in the accountability system. This

measurement should recognize multiple approaches to college and career readiness, including high-

quality Career Technical Education pathways, and should evolve over time with additional research and

data.

Providing Crucial Supports and Assistance

Our accountability system should ensure we focus on improvement in all schools, not just the bottom

few schools. The system should build on what we know works to close gaps and raise achievement

levels by leveraging the expertise of effective, equity-minded educators. Schools and districts should be

provided data that helps them think about the root causes of disparities and collectively work together

to decide what to do differently. If a school or district continues to struggle after taking these steps, the

state should provide additional supports and interventions. This support system should clearly identify

what prompts additional assistance, and should then rely on information from all 8 state priorities to

tailor that assistance to the local level.

If we truly want to close these gaps, we must throw the entire weight of our collective will, energy, and

resources behind our schools, our educators, and our students. The future of our state depends on the

students in our schools now – the future doctors, teachers, engineers, and leaders that will tackle

challenges for decades to come. We stand ready to do this work with you and ensure that all students

are not only learning but achieving at the highest level possible.

Advancement Project After-School All-Stars Alliance for a Better

Community

Asian Americans Advancing

Justice – Asian Law Caucus

Asian Americans Advancing

Justice –

Los Angeles

Attendance Works

Bay Area Tutoring Association

The BlackBoard of West Contra

Costa

Brown Issues – Sacramento City

College

Brown Issues – Sacramento

State University

Building Blocks for Kids –

Richmond Collaborative

CADRE

California Alliance of African

American Educators

California Charter Schools

Association

California Latino School Boards

Association

California League of United

Latin American Citizens

California Science Teachers

Association

California State Parent Teacher

Association

Camino Nuevo Charter

Academy

Center for Ecoliteracy Center on Race, Poverty, and

the Environment

Central California

Environmental Justice Network

Cesar Chavez Foundation Children Now

Chicano Latino State Employees

Association

Coaching Corps Coalition for Humane

Immigrant Rights of Los

Angeles (CHIRLA)

Coleman Advocates

College Track Communities United for

Restorative Youth Justice

(CURYJ)

DELAC of San

Bernardino City Unified

School District

Community Development

Technologies

Congregations Organized for

Prophetic Engagement (COPE)

District English Language

Advisory Committee of San

Bernardino City Unified School

District

Del Sol Group Dolores Huerta Foundation

Educators for Excellence

EdVoice Faith in Action

GEMAS Consulting

Gender & Sexualities Alliance

Network

GO Public Schools

GO Public Schools

Oakland

GO Public Schools West Contra

Costa

Growing Up in Santa Cruz Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA)

Hmong Innovating Politics Inland Congregations United

for Change (ICUC)

Inland Empire Immigrant Youth

Coalition

LA Voice La Comadre Network Latino and Latina Roundtable of

San Gabriel and Pomona Valley

Lawyers Committee for Civil

Rights of the San Francisco Bay

Area

Los Angeles Education

Partnership

LULAC of the Inland Empire

LULAC of Riverside Mothers’ Club Family Learning

Center

National Center for Youth Law

National Council of La Raza Orange County Congregation

Community Organization

Parent Institute for Quality

Education (PIQE)

Parent Organization Network Parent Revolution Partnership for Los Angeles

Schools

Promesa Boyle Heights Reading and Beyond

Reinvent South Stockton

Roberts Family Development

Center

Sacramento Area Congregations

Together (SacACT)

San Bernardino City Unified

School District African-

American Advisory Council

San Diego Association of

African American Educators

Somos Mayfair South Stockton Schools

Initiative

Student Success

California

Stand Up Student Success California Students Matter

Teach Plus The Avalos Foundation The Black Board of West

Contra Costa

The Campaign for College

Opportunity

The Education Trust–West

The Village Method

Umoja Community

United Way of Greater Los

Angeles

United Ways of California

Urban Strategy Group Western Center on Law and

Poverty

Youth Action Project Inc.

CC: Members, California State Board of Education Karen Stapf Walters, Executive Director, California State Board of Education Judy Cias, Chief Counsel, California State Board of Education Dave Sapp, Deputy Policy Director and Assistant Legal Counsel, California State Board of Education Nancy Brownell, Senior Fellow, Local Control and Accountability Michelle Magyar, Project Manager, Local Control Funding Formula Jeff Bell, Program Budget Manager, Department of Finance Cathy McBride, Deputy Legislative Secretary, Governor’s Office Jannelle Kubinec, Director of National, State and Special Projects, WestEd