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Overview of the LEA Accountability Report Card

Information about the requirements and contents of the Local Educational Agency Accountability Report Card (LARC).

The federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) requires annual districtwide report cards that summarize data of LEAs statewide and disaggregated by student groups.

On December 10, 2015, President Obama signed the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which reauthorized the ESEA of 1965, and required states to have a new multiple measures accountability system in effect by 2017–18.

On September 8, 2016, the State Board of Education adopted a new accountability system and released the California School Dashboard, referred to as the Dashboard, in Spring of 2017.

The Dashboard has since been updated each Fall with the most recent available data and design improvements based on user feedback. The Dashboard shows how districts and schools are performing on test scores, graduation rates, and other measures of student success.

The recent enactment of the ESSA gives states greater discretion to implement academic content standards, administer statewide and local assessments, and set ambitious performance goals to direct evidence-based improvement strategies and interventions to improve student performance. ESSA requires each state to continue to implement the local report card requirements specified under Title I, Part A of the ESEA, as amended by No Child Left Behind.

The Local Educational Agency Accountability Report Card (LARC) contains data for the following categories:

Section I. Accountability
  • California School Dashboard Accountability System
Section II. Graduation Rate (Four-Year Cohort)
  • High School Graduation Rate (Four-Year Cohort) by Student Group
Section III. School Improvement Funds
  • School Improvement Funds by County-District-School (CDS) code
Section IV. Per-Pupil Expenditures
  • Per-Pupil Expenditures (PPE) by School (federal, state, and local funds)
Section V. California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) Test Results
  • CAASPP Test Results – English Language Arts/Literacy (ELA) and Mathematics for All Students, Grades Three through Eight and Grade Eleven
  • CAASPP Test Results – ELA, Two-Year Trend in Student Achievement, Grades Three through Eight and Grade Eleven
  • CAASPP Test Results – Mathematics, Two-Year Trend in Student Achievement, Grades Three through Eight and Grade Eleven
  • CAASPP Test Results – Science, Two-Year Trend in Student Achievement, Grades Five, Eight, and High School
  • CAASPP Test Results – ELA, Disaggregate by Student Group, Grades Three through Eight and Grade Eleven
  • CAASPP Test Results – Mathematics, Disaggregate by Student Group, Grades Three through Eight and Grade Eleven
  • CAASPP Test Results – Science, Disaggregate by Student Group, Grades Five, Eight, and High School
Section VI. Teacher Qualifications
  • Teacher Credentials and Misassignments
  • Teacher Education Levels
Section VII. National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Results
  • NAEP Reading and Mathematics Results for All Students, Grades Four and Eight
  • NAEP Reading and Mathematics Results for Students with Disabilities and/or English Language Learners, Grades Four and Eight
Questions: SARC TEAM | sarc@cde.ca.gov | 916-319-0406 
Last Reviewed: Friday, June 28, 2024
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