2020 COVID-19 Accountability FAQs
Frequently asked questions related to COVID-19 and accountability.2020 Accountability FAQs
Did the California Department of Education (CDE) receive a federal waiver from the Every Student Succeed Act (ESSA) assessment and accountability requirements for the 2019–2020 school year?
Yes, on March 27, 2020, the CDE received final approval from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to waive the following ESSA requirements for the 2019–2020 school year:
- Assessment requirements in section 1111(b)(2)
- Accountability and school identification requirements in sections 1111(c)(4) and 1111(d)(2)(C)-(D); and
- Reporting requirements related to assessments and accountability in section 1111(h) as enumerated in the template
A copy of the waiver submitted can be found on the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) web page at Every Student Succeeds Act.
Was there a public comment period for California's waiver request?
Yes, the public comment period concluded on April 15, 2020. These comments were summarized in Item 3 at the May 2020 State Board of Education meeting.
What impact will the waiver have on the 2020 Dashboard?
The federal waiver releases the requirement for California to produce state indicators for the 2020 Dashboard. However, state law (Education Code Sections 52064.5 (f) and 52064.5 (e)(2) requires the CDE to produce a Dashboard. Additionally, EC sections 52071 and 47606.3(a) require the identification of districts and charter schools for differentiate assistance under the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). However, in June 2020, the Governor signed Senate Bill (SB) 98 which removed the requirement to determine local educational agencies (LEAs) that are eligible for differentiated assistance in the 2020–21 school year.
Did California waive the state requirement for the CDE to produce a 2020 Dashboard?
In June 2020, the Governor signed Senate Bill (SB) 98.
Section 104 of SB 98 states the CDE:
- Shall not publish state and local indicators in the 2020 Dashboard.
- Shall not identify LEAs, which includes charter schools, during the 2020–21 school year for differentiated assistance. As a result, local educational agencies (LEAs) identified for support in 2019–20 will continue to receive differentiated assistance in 2020–21.
- Shall identify LEAs for differentiated in December 2021, by using performance data on the state and local indicators from the December 2019 Dashboard and the December 2021 Dashboard.
Based on SB 98, how will the CDE calculate the 2021 Dashboard?
SB 98 directs the CDE to calculate the 2021 as follows:
Status: Based on 2021 data
Change: Based on 2019 Dashboard data:
2021 Statusminus2019 Status = Change
Will the CDE identify new districts and charter schools for differentiated assistance?
No. In June 2020, the Governor signed SB 98 which removed the requirement to determine local educational agencies (LEAs) that are eligible for differentiated assistance in the 2020–21 school year. In addition, LEAs that are currently eligible for differentiated assistance will remain in place for the 2020–21 school year.
Will the CDE identify new schools for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) and Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI)?
No. The federal waiver removes the requirement to determine schools that are eligible for CSI or ATSI in the 2020–21 school year. In addition, schools that are currently eligible for CSI and ATSI will remain in place for the 2020–21 school year.
Will districts be required to submit California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) end-of-year data?
Yes, all local educational agencies are required to complete CALPADS end-of-year data submissions.
Are there any state indicators that will be impacted on the 2021 Dashboard due to the suspension of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) in spring of 2020?
Prepared, Approaching Prepared, Not Prepared) for several College/Career Indicator (CCI) measures. The CDE is reviewing how to address this issue for the 2021 Dashboard. Any changes to the CCI criteria will need to be approved by the SBE.
International Baccalaureate (IB) testing is also canceled. How will this impact the College/Career Indicator (CCI) placement determinations in the 2021 Dashboard?
CDE staff will explore using other measures in addition to IB test results to determine if students are prepared on the CCI. For example, the CDE is exploring whether an IB diploma could be used to demonstrate that students are prepared. Any changes to the CCI criteria would have to be approved by the State Board of Education (SBE).