State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson, State Board of Education President Michael Kirst Respond to Federal Denial of California’s Science Testing Waiver Request
SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson and State Board of Education President Michael Kirst today released a joint statement in response to the U.S. Department of Education’s denial of a waiver allowing California to suspend an outdated science assessment and instead give a modernized science test:
“We are deeply disappointed by the U.S. Department of Education’s denial of our waiver request. We reject their insistence that we double-test. We believe the denial of this request harms our students, who will be forced to study science based on state standards adopted in 1998 that are outmoded and not designed for the 21st century.
“California plans to move full-speed ahead implementing our new, computer-adaptive science assessment pilot in 2017 based on our new Next Generation Science Standards.
“The standards, our new online test, and our new science curriculum framework, which guides teachers, are all part of an exciting renaissance in science education in California designed to equip our students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the 21st century economy and college.
“Upgrading our science education is especially important in a state that is a global leader in high technology, with companies eager to hire educated and qualified workers.
“Virtually all the major education groups in California, including the California Science Teachers Association and the PTA, support our waiver request.
“California educators know better than people in Washington, D.C., how best to serve our students. We have no time to waste when it comes to improving science education. California moves forward, not backward.”
Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100
State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces Plan to Better Prepare Professionals Who Work With Young Children
SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today a new statewide plan that includes recommendations for improving the certification, training, and support of professionals who work with young children.
The “Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8” report will help early childhood teachers, child care providers, and other professionals make sure that children can succeed at the earliest stages of learning, Torlakson said.
Current requirements for early childhood professionals in California vary depending on funding, program type, and child age, and they don’t consistently measure what candidates should know or be able to do to perform their jobs.
For example, job turnover is common among child care providers. The report recommends better support and training, such as having mentors and coaches work with care providers to improve their skills and knowledge. Mentoring programs have demonstrated success in improving skills of kindergarten through twelfth grade teachers and could do the same for Early Childhood professionals, Torlakson said.
The California Department of Education (CDE) Early Education and Support Division and First 5 California convened a team of experts that spent nine months preparing the report, available on the First 5 California Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 
Web page.