Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:
RECRUITING FOCUS GROUP MEMBERS FOR UPDATING THE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE ARTS/ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK FOR
CALIFORNIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS, KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE TWELVE
The California Department of Education (CDE) is pleased to announce that it is recruiting members for four focus groups to provide input on the upcoming English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework for California Public
Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (ELA/ELD Framework). The ELA/ELD Framework will incorporate and support the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects, adopted by the California State Board of Education (SBE) in August 2010, and reflect current research on English language arts instruction. It will also incorporate new English Language Development Standards, which are due to be adopted by the SBE in late summer of 2012. Curriculum frameworks provide guidance to teachers, administrators, and parents on how a standards-based curriculum is implemented in the classroom.
Pursuant to the California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Section 9511(c), the CDE will convene four focus groups across California. Each focus group will include between 10 and 15 invitees, who will be selected to ensure balanced representation of regions, types of schools, and grade-level experience. Members of the focus group must be educators at the time of appointment. California Education Code, Section 44013(a) defines an educator:
“Educator” means a certificated person holding a valid California teaching credential or a valid California services credential issued by the commission who is employed by a local education agency or by a special education local planning area and who is not employed as an independent contractor or consultant.
Interested individuals are encouraged to apply. County and district superintendents and charter school administrators are invited to nominate individuals for appointment to a focus group and distribute the attached application to potential applicants. Please note that there is no stipend for service on a focus group, and no reimbursements for travel costs or substitute replacements can be provided by the CDE.
The focus group meetings will be open to the public and comments made by both focus group members and members of the public at each meeting will be forwarded to the Instructional Quality Commission and the SBE for consideration.
Focus group meetings are currently planned for the following dates and locations:
Dates | Locations |
|---|---|
May 22, 2012 | Orange County Office of Education |
May 31, 2012 | California Department of Education, Sacramento |
June 4, 2012 | Monterey County Office of Education |
June 5, 2012 | Contra Costa County Office of Education |
Each focus group meeting will be held in the late afternoon. A more detailed agenda will be sent to participants and posted on the CDE Curriculum Frameworks Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/rl/cf/ prior to each event.
To apply to be a member of a focus group, please use the online application form. The form can be downloaded from the CDE’s Curriculum Frameworks Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/rl/cf/. For your convenience, the application form is attached. Applications must be e-mailed to elaframework@cde.ca.gov and received no later than 3 p.m. on Thursday,
April 5, 2012.
If you have any questions regarding focus groups, please contact Cynthia Gunderson, Education Programs Consultant, Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division, by phone at 916-319-0451 or by e-mail atcgunderson@cde.ca.gov.
Sincerely,
Tom Torlakson
TT:cg
Attachment - http://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/el/le/documents/yr12ltr0214att.doc (DOC; 52KB; 3pp.)
cc: Michael Kirst, President, State Board of Education
Sue Burr, Executive Director, State Board of Education
State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Unveils Career Readiness
Initiative to Lower Dropout Rate and Prepare Students for Careers
Effort Showcases Career Technical Education to Help Economy
SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today unveiled his Career Readiness Initiative, designed to help lower dropout rates and provide graduates with the career readiness skills needed to pursue further education and training, be prepared to enter the workforce, and help the state rebound from its economic recession.
The multi-faceted Initiative is aimed at integrating career technical education (CTE) into today's high school curriculum and helping link students with California business and industry. Torlakson outlined the Initiative at the Educating for Careers/California Partnership Academies conference, "Pathways to Success," at the Sacramento Convention Center Tuesday as part of CTE Month.
"The ongoing budget crisis and an 18 percent dropout rate mean we have to take action to help our students—and our state's economy," Torlakson said. "Career technical education is a proven way to ensure more of our students, especially those who are deemed 'at risk,' succeed after high school."
The Initiative puts into action recommendations contained in Torlakson's A Blueprint for Great Schools, released last year. TheBlueprint described the need to increase the personalization of instruction and engagement of students through career-themed Linked Learning pathways. Linked Learning blends rigorous academic instruction, high quality CTE courses, work-based learning experiences, and support services to help students succeed. The Initiative includes strategies for increasing the number of career academies within high schools, re-crafting high school curriculum to include career readiness components, and showcasing best practices that meld CTE and academic course work.
A recent report Profile of the California Partnership Academies 2009-2010 ] (Outside Source) found that 95 percent of seniors participating in California Partnership Academies (CPA)—career academies supported by local business-education partnerships—go on to graduate, compared with 85 percent of their peers. The report also found that African American and Hispanic students graduated at significantly higher rates from CPAs than from the general high school population. Among Latino seniors, the CPA graduation rate was 94 percent, the statewide rate 80 percent; among African American seniors the CPA graduation rate was 92 percent, compared with the statewide rate of 76 percent.
These statistics are even more impressive considering that state law requires each academy to enroll no less than 50 percent at-risk students. About 57 percent of these students graduate completing the University of California a-g college preparatory course work required for admittance to our state's four-year universities, compared with 35 percent of graduates statewide. About 88 percent plan to attend two- and four-year college after graduation.
"Our CTE programs are tried and proven, and it just makes sense to build on these successes," said Torlakson, who plans to showcase successful schools and support policies to expand these approaches. "We need to do everything we can to help our students achieve career and college success, and help us return California to its rightful place as an economic powerhouse and global leader."
To learn more about the Career Readiness Initiative, please visit Career Readiness Campaign - Initiatives & Programs. For more information on Torlakson's A Blueprint for Great Schools, please visit A Blueprint For Great Schools - Initiatives & Programs.
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Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100