Students will take computerized field tests aligned to Common Core standards in math and English in the spring. Credit: EdSource file photo
California school districts would receive another year of Common Core implementation funds under a bill introduced Wednesday by Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, D-Concord.
Last year, as chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance, Bonilla pushed for the $1.25 billion that schools are using this academic year to support teacher training, textbooks and other instructional materials and technology upgrades needed to carry out the transition to Common Core State Standards. California and 44 other states have adopted the standards, which outline the skills students need in English and math. The new standards move away from lecture-focused instruction and what some have criticized is a heavy reliance on memorization and focus more on critical thinking and analytical skills and hands-on, interactive instruction.
Assembly Bill 2319 seeks $1.5 billion for a second round of implementation funds. Bonilla had requested the same amount last year – which the governor reduced to $1.25 billion – for a two-year total of $3 billion. She said that’s how much the California Department of Education said districts would need for ongoing Common Core implementation.
“What I’ve heard from many superintendents, principals and teachers is that the $1.25 billion absolutely has made all the difference this year in the transition into Common Core,” Bonilla said. “But we’re not done yet. We need more.”
Roland Maier is one of those voices. The superintendent of rural Cuyama Joint Unified School District in Santa Barbara County said he spent about 60 percent of his district’s $48,000 in implementation funds to buy new computers for the high school and upgrade its Internet bandwidth in preparation for this spring’s Smarter Balanced field test, the computerized assessment aligned to the new standards. That’s just for starters.
“Most of our computers are from six to eight years old,” Maier said. “My plan next year is to try to