August 3, 2011
Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:
2010–11 SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT CARD UPDATE
I am pleased to announce that the California Department of Education (CDE), in collaboration with the Ed-Data Partnership, will provide local educational agencies (LEAs) with 2010–11 School Accountability Report Card (SARC) templates that can be downloaded with data. The 2010–11 SARC template was approved by the State Board of Education (SBE) at its July 2011 meeting and is posted on the CDE SARC Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/sa/.
Last year, due to significant budget cuts, the SARC template with data was not provided. I heard from LEAs throughout the state and saw first-hand, through the hundreds of LEAs that submitted waivers to the SBE requesting an extension of the SARC publication deadline, the burden not providing the SARC template with data placed on already overloaded LEA staff. Despite the budget constraints that we are all facing, I challenged my staff to evaluate all possibilities for providing LEAs a SARC template with data for the 2010-11 school year.
Through the CDE’s work with the Ed-Data Partnership, a three-member partnership that includes the CDE, EdSource, and the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, the Ed-Data Web site was identified as a vehicle for providing the SARC template as the Ed-Data Web site already reported much of the data required in the SARC. I am excited about the expansion of the Ed-Data Web site and believe that it is a step in the right direction because it capitalizes on an existing resource, uses taxpayer resources efficiently, reduces duplicative reporting and data analysis, and most importantly provides a valuable and much needed service to LEAs.
Additional information regarding how to access the Ed-Data Web site will be provided to your SARC Coordinator. If you have any questions regarding the SARC, please contact Dana Kertel, Research Analyst, Technology and Reporting Unit, by phone at 916-319-0406 or by e-mail at dkertel@cde.ca.gov.
Sincerely,
Tom Torlakson
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Dear Select County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:
2012 SCHOOL HEALTH POLICIES AND PROGRAMS STUDY
Your school district has been randomly selected to participate in the next School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS). State and district interviews will begin in October 2011. Data collection from the selected schools will occur from February through May 2012. Each school principal will identify a convenient timeframe for school interviews. The purpose of this letter is to express my support for this study and to urge your participation.
The SHPPS is sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is the largest, most comprehensive assessment of school health policies and programs. The study, conducted once every six years, provides information to help improve school health programs and practices. Information will be collected from state, district, school, and classroom personnel who are responsible for school health policies and programs. A nationally recognized survey
research firm will conduct telephone interviews with district staff as well as face-to-face interviews with school staff. Students and families will not be contacted for any purpose. District, school, and classroom information will be reported only in aggregate form. No districts, schools, or school staff will be named in any study reports.
The SHPPS results will be used to support school health programs; monitor progress toward achieving health and education goals and objectives; develop educational programs, demonstration efforts, and professional education/training; and initiate other relevant research to contribute to the reduction of health risk behaviors among our nation’s youth. Participation in the study is voluntary; however, no substitution can be made if a district or school declines to participate. Therefore, I urge the selected districts and schools to assist this important effort by participating in the 2012 SHPPS.
If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact Mary Marks, School Health Education Consultant, Coordinated School Health and Safety Office, by phone at 916-319-0277 or by e-mail at mmarks@cde.ca.gov.
Sincerely,
Tom Torlakson
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