State Board of Education Passes O'Connell Initiative Encouraging Local Innovation to Close Achievement Gap

Published on May 9, 2008 - 10:27:29 AM

By: California Department of Education

SACRAMENTO, May 8, 2008 -- State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell applauded the California State Board of Education for today unanimously approving his call for new flexibility to assist two districts embarking on a new pilot project to improve student achievement.

The proposal, introduced by O'Connell in his 2008 State of Education address, gives Fresno Unified School District and Long Beach Unified School District, the third and fourth largest districts in the state, new flexibility that will allow them to be more innovative in designing programs to close the achievement gap.

"There is no silver bullet to closing the achievement gap that is leaving too many of our poor, Latino, and African American students behind their peers who are white or Asian," O'Connell said. "But some districts have implemented effective practices that we should study and try to replicate. I am pleased that Long Beach and Fresno Unified school districts are willing to work together toward closing the gap and improving student achievement. I hope that all districts in our state will benefit from the best practices borne by this partnership."

The purpose of the Fresno-Long Beach Partnership is to share knowledge and resources to accomplish the common goals of increasing graduation rates and preparing all students to be successful in higher education and/or a career with significant growth potential. Combined, the districts serve more than 150,000 students, most of whom are low-income, students of color, and/or English learners. The districts have committed to capitalize on the knowledge they both have gained from their systemic continuous improvement efforts as well as from Long Beach's participation in the Broad program, Fresno's work with the Center for Reform of School Systems, and the best practices knowledge of other external partners, including Springboard Schools and the American Institutes of Research.

The Partnership has three major goals: (1.) achieving a 100 percent graduation rate, (2.) preparing all graduates for success in higher education or a career with significant economic growth potential, and (3.) helping all students meet California's academic standards at the proficient level or better with a special focus on raising achievement of our large numbers of English learners. The districts are in the process of developing appropriate indicators (to be shared by both districts) and interim targets (specific to each district) to measure progress toward these common goals.

Central to the Partnership is a joint agreement to implement four key strategies to achieve these goals: (1.) increase the rigor of the various curriculum pathways that engage students in learning activities that will give them the knowledge, skills, and values they need to have meaningful choices about their future; (2.) build the capacity of staff to make high-quality instructional practice the focus of everyone's work; (3.) align all systems, including Human Resources and Business Services, to facilitate achievement of the goals; and (4.) secure the support and counsel of external partners to serve as critical friends, share knowledge of best practices, and document their work.

The waivers approved by the State Board of Education will maintain all state and national accountability requirements but give both districts more flexibility in how they spend categorical funds.

To view the waivers approved by the State Board of Education, please follow the links: Links to Board Waivers

Waiver 1 http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/ag/ag/yr08/documents/may08w1.doc

Waiver 2 http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/ag/ag/yr08/documents/may08w2.doc

Waiver 3 http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/ag/ag/yr08/documents/may08w3.doc

Waiver 4 http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/ag/ag/yr08/documents/may08w4.doc

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