A redesigned and expanded California School Dashboard is now available to the public at www.caschooldashboard.org. The Dashboard, which debuted in 2017, has a new look that makes it easier to see how individual schools and districts are performing in six statewide measures of student success. For the first time, the Dashboard is providing data on chronic absenteeism and college and career readiness along with the four other state measures that were reported previously. The six measures are:
- Academic Performance
- Chronic Absenteeism (new for 2018)
- College/Career Readiness (new for 2018)
- English Learner Progress
- High School Graduation Rate
- Suspension Rate
The Dashboard also shows how particular student groups are performing in each of the six measures. In addition to racial and ethnic categories, the Dashboard reports results for these groups:
- English Learners
- Foster Youth
- Homeless
- Socioeconomically Disadvantaged
- Students with Disabilities
“The Dashboard is part of a larger state effort to continuously improve public education and is a visual representation of student performance across multiple indicators. As a County Office of Education, we benefit from data being presented in a manner that assists us in understanding strengths and areas for growth among our districts and schools,” says Dr. Antonio Castro, Associate Superintendent for Educational Services at the Ventura County Office of Education. Districts and the County Office of Education work as collaborative partners to address areas of need identified through the Dashboard. “As a tool that informs decision making, the Dashboard, along with district Local Control Accountability Plans, assists leaders in focusing resources where they’re most needed,” Castro says.
The Dashboard’s New Look
The visual appearance of Dashboard has been redesigned to make it easier to understand the results. An old system of pie charts has been replaced with gauges that show performance by pointing to one of five levels represented by the colors blue, green, yellow, orange and red. With the new Dashboard, it’s now possible to compare particular schools and districts with the state as a whole. In addition, the Dashboard website will be professionally translated into Spanish and is now even easier to use on mobile phones than it was in the past.
Alternative Schools Get More Meaningful Measurements
One other improvement to the Dashboard will provide a better gauge of performance for alternative schools that serve students who have been expelled or referred by their school of residence. Since students typically stay at alternative schools for a short period of time, standard measurements often don’t apply. The new Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS) provides a system of measurement that reflects this reality, says Dr. Roger Rice, Deputy Superintendent for Student Services at the Ventura County Office of Education. “Although DASS remains a work in progress, it is encouraging that the unique nature of alternative schools is being honored in the overall accountability system,” he says.
Helpful Resources on Using the Dashboard
The 2018 California School Dashboard is now available at www.caschooldashboard.org. The following links provide information on how to use the Dashboard: