Ventura County parents and educators have a new opportunity to learn about the performance of local schools and districts that goes far beyond what has previously been available. The California School Dashboard is a new website that uses multiple indicators to give a more complete picture of how schools are serving our diverse student population. A public preview of the Dashboard is now available at caschooldashboard.org, with full implementation slated for the 2017-18 school year.
The new system gives a snapshot of several indicators, including high school graduation rates, career and college readiness, English learner progress and suspension rates, while still looking at test scores. It replaces the Academic Performance Index (API), which relied on test scores to produce a single number that offered a limited view of school performance.
The Dashboard is the next step in a series of major shifts in public education in California that have raised the bar for student learning, transformed testing and placed the focus on equity for all students. It is part of the state’s new school accountability system based on 2013’s Local Control Funding Formula. It supports the educational goals that all school districts set in their annually updated Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs).
The Dashboard also reflects California’s commitment to transparency and continuous improvement. The new system places greater emphasis on changes in performance from year to year. This will highlight programs that are making positive change and allow schools and districts to learn from each other’s success. It will also make it easier to identify areas where schools need assistance to improve performance.
“While the old system emphasized punishing underperforming schools, the Dashboard shifts the focus to helping them improve,” said Stan Mantooth, Ventura County Superintendent of Schools. “This is a step in the right direction as schools continue to address the achievement gap and work to give all students the opportunity to succeed.”
Key Advantages of the California School Dashboard
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More than a
Single Number
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Focus on Equity
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Supports Local
Decision-Making
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A quality education is defined by more than a single test score
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Increased focus on addressing disparities among student groups
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More information to support the local strategic planning process
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State and Local Performance Indicators
The Dashboard will feature easy-to-read reports on school and district performance. It provides information on several indicators of school success based on data collected at the state and local levels. Some of the data is from the 2014-15 and 2016-17 school years and may not reflect current performance. Data for some state indicators and all local indicators may not be available until the 2017-18 school year.
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State Indicators
- Academic Indicator - based on CAASPP test scores for English language arts and math (grades 3-8)
- English Learner Progress (K-12)
- Graduation Rate (9-12)
- Suspension Rate (K-12)
- Chronic Absenteeism* (K-12)
- College/Career Readiness* (9-12)
* Data for these indicators will not be available at launch
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Local Indicators
- Basic Services
- Implementation of State Academic Standards
- Parent Engagement
- School Climate
- Coordination of Services for Expelled Youth*
- Coordination of Services for Foster Youth*
* These indicators apply only to County Offices of Education
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Performance Levels for State Indicators
Performance on state indicators for individual schools and districts will be represented in the Dashboard by easy-to-understand color-coded pie pieces. The five performance levels are: blue (highest), green, yellow, orange, and red (lowest). The levels reflect both current performance and changes in performance over time.
Dashboard Reports
The Dashboard provides four types of reports with detailed performance information:
- Equity Report – performance level of all students
- Status and Change Report – current performance and change over time
- Detailed Reports – year-by-year data for the state and local indicators
- Student Group Report – performance of various demographic groups
What’s next?
Ventura County school districts had advance access to the Dashboard and are already putting it to good use. They are holding stakeholder meetings to discuss the results and using the information to update their Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs), which set goals and funding priorities for the next school year.
The Dashboard is designed to be a work in progress. As new metrics and reports are added, educators will use the information to adapt priorities and processes to improve educational outcomes for all students.
Resources
The Dashboard does not provide detailed test results for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). That information will continue to be available at caaspp.cde.ca.gov and individual student CAASPP score reports will continue to be mailed home annually.