LCFF Priority 8 Statement of Model Practices

Desired Results: Local educational agencies (LEA) and schools measure student achievement in all courses that comprise a broad course of study. Assessment data provides information to educators, students, and families regarding the academic progress that students are making, which in turn informs decision-making related to instruction. Each student graduates from high school well prepared for the future, whether it is to transition into post-secondary education (including industry certification and apprenticeship) or directly into a career.

Local measures of progress are of high quality and provide families, students, educators, staff and the community with the information they need to make decisions to support student achievement. By systematically examining locally identified data, early warning systems assist LEAs and schools to (1) identify struggling students early in their school career; (2) provide students with appropriate support, services, and interventions; and (3) examine and regularly address patterns and gaps among individual students and student groups.

Model Practices: Model practices may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Teachers use a variety of formative, interim, and summative assessments to assess student progress and factor in the individual needs of students during instructional decision-making.
• LEAs implement early warning systems that use individual student data to generate indicators of “on-track” status and enable staff to identify and monitor progress of students falling below an identified threshold. LEAs then consider additional actions and services designed to help each student improve his or her performance.
• LEAs use formal data analysis strategies to guide operational, policy, and fiscal decisions aimed at improving student learning in a broad course of study and to ensure alignment of the LEA’s goals with the actions taken related to budget, curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
• LEAs develop goals for students who have a disability and have qualified for special education and related services based on the individual student’s need within the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) to support higher education access and employment opportunities.
• LEAs develop and implement standards-based grading practices and report cards that provide focused feedback on student achievement of outcomes and learning goals, in addition to other factors such as attendance, citizenship, and homework.
• LEAs provide training to parents regarding various topics including, but not limited to, interpreting assessment results, supporting student instruction at home, and determining individual student needs.
• LEAs utilize a process for identifying English learners for special education that includes assessing students in their primary language. Per Title III of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), LEAs implement established standardized entrance and exit procedures for English learners, including English learners with disabilities.

Return to LCFF/Whole Child Resource Map