School Wise Press SARC Services

SARC BITE 13 | MAY 26, 2003

New SARC Template Released

The CDE has released a new set of guidelines and revised data definitions for school accountability report cards (SARCs) for next year. In addition, the newly revised SARC template features 16 pages of technical tables designed to integrate the federal requirements in NCLB with the California requirements. For a preview, go to the link below. You'll find over 50 pages of documentation.

Major changes worth noting ? There will now be two ways of reporting progress: the California way, based on the API, and the federal way, based on Adequate Yearly Progress. Without explanations for your public, this will be undecipherable. With explanations, it will still be a complex communications challenge.

There are additional details reported for student test scores, including ethnicity disaggs. This is unlikely to be controversial. The API cohort scores already reveal the elements of what is termed the achievement gap. But it is adding to the density and length of the SARC report, which makes it less accessible to the citizen-reader.

Still missing in action: graduation rates, out-of-field teaching, definitions of highly qualified teachers, and identification of what the federal folks call persistently dangerous schools.

CALIFORNIA'S NCLB PLAN AWAITS THE OKAY FROM THE DEPT. OF EDUCATION

The much anticipated May 1 decision by federal DoE officials on Californias plan for implementing NCLB (called the Consolidated Application) is now overdue, and expected the first week in June. The federal review will include our states accountability reports: data definitions, how progress is measured, readability and ease-of-use. Although the federal department of education requires a District Accountability Report (DARC), California has not included this report in its NCLB plan. View the list of approved state applications.

UCLA GROUP PROPOSES SARC ALTERNATIVE

The UCLA Institute for Democracy, Access, and Education is taking a serious look at the quality of accountability reports issued by districts in southern California. Each of the four issues of their online journal "Teaching to Change L.A." covers different aspects of SARCS: the flaws in self-reported data; the quality and accessibility of libraries and textbooks; and the value of evaluations by parents, students, and teachers. One issue includes an interview with Sen. Richard Alarcon (D-San Fernando Valley) on the importance of SARCs. This is a must-read for any accountability professional who wants to understand the publics view of SARCs.

FREE ACCOUNTABILITY GUIDE

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) has produced a guidebook on the art and craft of accountability reporting. It details the elements of good practices and will provide an impetus for a critical review of accountability work both at the state and district level.

The Council's full list of accountability resources can be found at: http://www.ccsso.org/accountability1.html

MORE ACCOUNTABILITY RESOURCES

You can find abstracts of articles on NCLB and accountability on our School Wise Press website.

The Education Commission of the States has created a rich body of materials about NCLB.

They continue with additional information about school report cards.

Their survey of information includes a grid of compliance elements and a map that shows, item by item, how each state is doing in meeting NCLB requirements.