blog post What Ohio’s COVID-19 Outbreaks Can Teach California Prisons By Heather Harris Jun 30, 2020 With an outbreak at San Quentin highlighting the threat posed by COVID-19, the experiences of Ohio prisons could provide lessons for California.
event Are California’s Schools Ready for Online Testing and Learning? Apr 8, 2015 About the ProgramCalifornia is rolling out online tests that are aligned with the Common Core standards. How prepared are school districts around the state? In the longer term, will California schools be ready to benefit fully from digital learning? PPIC researcher Niu Gao will outline her findings on district readiness for online testing and learning. This research was supported with funding from the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund.
blog post Why Students Found New Tests Tough By Paul Warren, Rebecca London Sep 29, 2015 There are a variety of explanations for why California students did not do as well on the new standardized tests.
Report California’s Changing K-12 Accountability Program By Paul Warren Jan 17, 2013 California recently joined a number of other states in adopting the Common Core State Standards, which establish new criteria for what students should learn in school. It also joined a consortium of states to develop new tests based on those standards. The new standards are ambitious, and some teachers are concerned they are not prepared to convey the higher-level skills and concepts they contain. The new tests will allow the state to measure gains in each student’s achievement, creating new options for how the state ranks schools. The change will also prompt the state to reassess the value of state tests in high school and its options for holding secondary schools accountable. More changes to the state’s accountability program are likely when Congress reauthorizes the federal education law, and the way the state addresses these current issues will influence the shape of its future accountability program.
Report Implementing the Common Core State Standards in California By Patrick Murphy, Paul Warren Apr 16, 2014 The Common Core State Standards (CCSS)—adopted in 2010—are similar to California’s current K–12 standards, but their emphasis on conceptual understanding and problem solving will require changes in classroom instruction. California’s transition to the CCSS has gotten off to a slow start. Survey data suggest that many teachers will deliver the new standards for the first time in 2014–15—the first year of CCSS-based testing. Like other states, California will probably see a drop in test scores under the new standards. But as the transition continues beyond 2014–15, the hope is that the new standards and tests will create incentives that lead to higher student achievement.
blog post The High School Exit Exam: What’s Next? By Paul Warren Sep 24, 2014 The California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) is likely to be a topic of discussion in the next legislative session. The question is whether to update it so that it aligns better with Common Core, find an alternative measure, or eliminate the requirement altogether.
blog post Helping California Schools Open Safely By Laura Hill, Mary Severance Aug 25, 2021 We spoke with Dr. Naomi Bardach, head of California’s Safe Schools for All initiative, about how this cross-agency effort is helping K–12 schools to safely return to in-person instruction.
