Request for Reviewers - Letters (CA Dept of Education):

December 2, 2011

Dear County and District Superintendents, Charter School Administrators, and Interested Individuals and Organizations:

REQUEST FOR REVIEWERS TO EVALUATE SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTIONAL
MATERIALS ALIGNED TO THE COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS

I am requesting your assistance in recruiting individuals to participate in the evaluation of supplemental instructional materials aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

In 2010, the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices released the CCSS in mathematics and language arts. The California State Board of Education (SBE) adopted the CCSS on August 2, 2010. California has committed to implementing the CCSS and is currently part of a multistate assessment consortium that plans on having CCSS-based assessments in place by the 2014–15 school year.

It will take a number of years to develop new curriculum frameworks and instructional materials aligned to the CCSS. In the interim, I have invited publishers of state-adopted programs in mathematics and language arts to submit supplemental instructional materials that bridge the gap between their existing programs and the CCSS. Subsequent to the recent passage of Senate Bill 140 (Lowenthal), we are currently expanding the review to include all publishers who wish to participate.

I am seeking both teachers and content experts to review the supplemental materials. The California Department of Education (CDE) will list on its Web site materials that are found to meet the criteria as resources that can help local educational agencies in their transition to the CCSS.

Reviewers will evaluate reading/language arts and mathematics instructional materials for alignment to the CCSS and evaluation criteria developed by the CDE and approved by the SBE. Reviewers will attend a training held at the county review sites in June 2012. They will review supplemental instructional materials independently at home and will then reconvene in panels for deliberations and the preparation of a report of findings in September 2012.

The critical dates and locations for the review are as follows:

Reading/Language Arts Materials

Training: June 21–22, 2012
Deliberations: September 20–22, 2012
San Joaquin County Office of Education
2901 Arch-Airport Road
Stockton, CA 95206

Mathematics Materials

Training: June 28–29, 2012
Deliberations: September 27–29, 2012
Orange County Office of Education
200 Kalmus Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Travel costs for attending the above meetings will be reimbursed. In addition, current classroom teachers will be eligible for reimbursement of substitute costs for the days of meetings in Stockton and Costa Mesa, CA.

The application process uses an online application posted at the CDE Web site. The deadline for submission of applications is January 31, 2012. The online application form and more information about the review are posted on the CDE Supplemental Instructional Materials Review Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/suptsupmatreview.asp. Please forward this information to any and all qualified candidates in your schools or organizations who might be interested in serving on these panels.

I encourage you to help us recruit qualified applicants for this important review. Thank you for your assistance and cooperation in disseminating this information.

If you have any questions regarding this review, please contact Kenneth McDonald, Education Programs Consultant, Curriculum Frameworks Unit, by phone at 916-319-0447 or by e-mail at kmcdonal@cde.ca.gov. You may also contact Cliff Rudnick, Administrator, Instructional Resources Unit, by phone at 916-323-5072 or by e-mail at crudnick@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Tom Torlakson

TT:km

cc: The Honorable Alan Lowenthal, California State Senate
Michael Kirst, President, State Board of Education
Dale Shimasaki, Association of American Publishers
Alice Petrossian, President, Association of California School Administrators

Dear County and District Superintendents, Charter School Administrators, and Interested Individuals and Organizations:

SHAPE California

Shaping Health as Partners in Education (SHAPE) - Information about the network of schools and child care centers that are developing collaborative, positive nutrition policies.

SHAPE California is a network of over 90 school districts working together to improve the health and academic success of California children. Working as a team, child nutrition staff, teachers, school administrators, family, and the community work to provide a consistent nutrition message in child nutrition programs, classrooms, and throughout the school environment.

SHAPE Newsletter

Fall 2011 Partner Newsletter (New Dec-2011)

SHAPE Participation

The SHAPE California Approach
Information about the network of schools and child care centers that are developing collaborative, positive nutrition policies.

2011-12 SHAPE Letter of Commitment (Posted Jul-2011; DOC; 68KB; 5pp.)
SHAPE California Workshops (Updated Sept-2011)
Criteria for Maintaining Participation
Joining SHAPE California

Resources

Improving Children's Health Through a Comprehensive Nutrition Approach: An Evaluation of Nutrition Education in SHAPE California, June 2001

Executive Summary (PDF; 46KB; 7pp.)
Final Report (PDF; 443KB; 88pp.)