Learning Acceleration and Recovery Resources

The California Department of Education (CDE) is committed to supporting LEAs for activities that directly support pupil academic achievement and promote learning acceleration and recovery in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The following is a list of resources for LEAs seeking information about programs with funding that may be used to support learning acceleration and recovery, programs that offer education, training, or professional development pertinent to learning recovery, programs that other LEAs have created or adopted to support learning acceleration and recovery, and relevant legislation, regulations, and policies.

Learning Acceleration and Recovery Programs

Learning Acceleration and Recovery Webinars

• October 11, 2022: Learning Acceleration
• November 10, 2022: Learning Recovery Emergency Block Grant
• December 14, 2022: Learning Acceleration and Recovery: Mathematics (Video; 58:09)
• March 13, 2023: Learning Acceleration and Recovery: CA Multi-Tiered System of Support Framework

Learning Recovery Emergency Block Grant

Funds for county offices of education, school districts, and charter schools for learning recovery initiatives that, at a minimum, support academic learning recovery and staff and pupil social and emotional well-being.

Federal Stimulus Funding

Consists of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA) Act, and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act.

Expanded Learning Opportunities Grant

The Expanded Learning Opportunities Grant (ELO-G) provides funding for extending instructional learning time and accelerating progress to close learning gaps through implementing, expanding, or enhancing of learning supports. Additionally, the program includes providing health, counseling, or mental health services, access to school meal programs, before and afterschool programs, and programs to address pupil trauma and social-emotional learning.

Expanded Learning Opportunities Program

The Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P) provides funding for afterschool and summer school enrichment programs for transitional kindergarten through sixth grade.

Literacy Coaches and Reading Specialists 2022–27

The Literacy Coaches and Reading Specialists program provides funds to develop literacy programs, employ and train literacy coaches and reading specialists, and develop and implement interventions for students needing targeted literacy support.

Early Literacy Support Block Grant

The Early Literacy Support Block Grant Program awards funds to LEAs, with the 75 schools with the highest percentage of students in grade three scoring at the lowest achievement standard level on the State Summative English Language Arts (ELA) assessment.

Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant

This competitive grant advances literacy skills through evidence-based practices, activities, and interventions, including pre-literacy skills, reading, and writing. The grant will serve children from birth through grade twelve, with an emphasis on disadvantaged children, including children living in poverty, English learners, and children with disabilities. The grant also has two priorities: (1) projects that include evidence-based family literacy strategies and (2) projects that increase educational options for groups of students who have traditionally been underserved.

A-G Completion Improvement Grant Program Fiscal Year 2021–22

A-G Completion Improvement Grant Program provides additional supports to LEAs to help increase the number of California high school pupils, particularly unduplicated pupils, who graduate from high school with A-G eligibility requirements completed for admission to the California State University and the University of California.

Education, Training, and Professional Development

Mathematics, Science, and Computer Science Professional Learning Grant

Information regarding the Mathematics, Science, and Computer Science Professional Learning (MSCS PL) Grant.

Educator Effectiveness 2021–26

A program providing funds to county offices of education, school districts, charter schools, and state special schools to provide professional learning and to promote educator equity, quality, and effectiveness.

Reading Instruction and Intervention Grant

The Reading Instruction and Intervention (RII) Grant Program will generate and disseminate professional learning opportunities for kindergarten through grade twelve (K–12) educators in evidence-based literacy, intensive literacy interventions, and support of pupils’ executive functioning skills.

Common Core State Standards Literacy Resources

Resources to support teaching the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects.

LEA-Adopted Programs

The following are examples of programs and activities some LEAs have implemented to support learning acceleration and recovery.

Investing in Extended Instructional Time and Creating a Restorative Restart Grant Program

Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) expended $10.6 million of $24 million in state and federal stimulus funds to support learning recovery by extending instructional time, supporting an afterschool program, providing additional academic support, and more. This included significant spending for extended instructional time and its afterschool program, as well as $1.4 million for Restorative Restart grants that allow each school to determine how it would spend $150 per student and an additional $150 for each high-needs student. BUSD also earmarked nearly $2 million for mental health supports, small pod instruction, universal meals, and classroom library books to support students returning to in-person instruction. BUSD also invested significantly in creating the African American Success Framework, creating a data dashboard, and running multiple programs for Black students, such as STEM STEPS, which provides science, math, and engineering enrichment and resources for African American families. BUSD also expanded its Office of Family Engagement and Equity.

Developing Outdoor Learning Spaces and Connecting Students with Wraparound Services

Calexico Unified School District (CUSD) expanded outdoor areas to allow students to actively play and improve their physical and social-emotional well-being, while also creating outdoor learning spaces to facilitate social distancing during learning. In addition, CUSD hired an additional Foster/Homeless Liaison to provide case management and connect students to wraparound services. Similarly, the LEA hired additional school psychologists to decrease caseloads and enable the district to provide interventions for students on a one-on-one or small group basis.

Building a Primary Promise Program and Providing Social-Emotional Well-Being

Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) created a “Primary Promise” program of intensive support for elementary school students to ensure students’ strong foundation in literacy, critical thinking, number sense/fluency, and math achievement. The program includes the pairing of teachers and instructional aides, targeted instruction and guided reinforcement of lessons, training, and monthly learning anchored to the science of teaching, reading, monthly professional development, and training. The program aligned to the district’s math Theory of Action to support high-leverage instructional practices, and supplemental “Building Fact Fluency” kits used for intervention. LAUSD also dedicated staff to support students’ social-emotional well-being at school sites and Student and Family Wellness Centers. LAUSD also offered a wide array of virtual and on-campus summer school options to increase students’ readiness for returning to school by providing expanded learning time in academics and embedded enrichment. These included full-day programs for students to be immersed in learning from morning to evening, coupling academic programs with additional extended-day learning programs to further increase the time students are learning or experiencing enrichment. Similarly, LAUSD worked to provide students with equitable access to standards-based instructional supports (e.g. intervention, credit recovery, course extension, etc.) with a focus on earning grades of “C” or better in A-G required courses. Finally, LAUSD implemented a Black Student Achievement Plan, consisting of investments to better and more holistically support and address Black student needs, and work to create a safer and more positive school culture and climate for all students, staff, and community members, including community-based safety pilots, student advocate coaches, increased counselors, community partnerships, and culturally and linguistically responsive curriculum.

Creating a Literacy Acceleration Plan

San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) created a Literacy Acceleration Plan to meet the varied needs of their learners, educators, and community as students returned to in-person learning. The plan aims to ensure that all educators and leaders have the knowledge and skills to provide research-based literacy instruction to accelerate the literacy development of Universal Transitional Kindergarten (UTK) through Grade 2 students, with all UTK–2 students reading at grade level by June 2022. The plan focuses on accelerating learning, making more than one year’s growth in reading by providing additional focused small group instruction and supporting students at their point of need to meet or exceed grade-level standards. For more information, please see the SDUSD Literacy Acceleration Plan (PDF).

Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools®

The Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools® program provides summer and afterschool enrichment through a research-based and multicultural program model that supports K–12 scholars and their families through five essential components: high-quality academic and character-building enrichment; parent and family involvement; civic engagement, and social action; intergenerational servant leadership development; and nutrition, health, and mental health. More information is available at Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools® .

Legislation, Regulations, and Policies

Federal

CARES Act (Signed March 27, 2020) was the first federal relief package with significant funding for LEAs. Specially, it provided California with $1,647,306,127 in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) I and $355,227,235 in Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) I funding.

CRRSA Act (Signed December 27, 2020) was the second federal relief package. It provided California with $6,709,633,866 in ESSER II and $341,468,793 in GEER II funding.

ARP Act (Signed March 11, 2021) is the most recent federal relief package. It provides California with $15,079,696,097 in ESSER III funding.

State

Assembly Bill (AB) 86 COVID-19 Relief Package (Signed March 5, 2021) includes $2 billion for In-Person Instruction (IPI) Grants and $4.6 billion for ELO-G.

The Budget Act of 2022–23 includes $7.9 billion for the Learning Recovery Emergency Block Grant, $3.6 billion for the Arts, Music, and Instructional Materials Discretionary Block Grant, $1.1 billion for California Community Schools Partnership Program, and $250 million for literacy coaches and reading specialists.