In educational contexts where many domains subject to improvement are interdependent and causal evidence is frequently lacking it is difficult, if not impossible, for policymakers and educational practitioners to decide which domain should be invested in. This paper proposes a new method that uses Conditional Mean Independent Correlations (CMIC)…

In 2021, California committed to providing universal prekindergarten (UPK) for all 4-year-olds and expanding access for income-eligible 3-year-olds by 2025-2026. California UPK includes several early learning programs, including transitional kindergarten (TK), the California State Preschool Program (CSPP), Head Start, and locally funded early…

This issue brief discusses opportunities for states under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to redesign systems of assessments to support student-centered learning. In addition, this brief introduces "balanced systems of assessments" and "assessment literacy" as two key concepts required for long-term sustainable systems…

The purpose of the "District Self-Assessment Tool" is to provide school district and community stakeholders with an approach for assessing district capacity to support a college readiness indicator system and track progress over time. The tool draws on lessons from the collective implementation experiences of the four College Readiness…

Federal education policy will soon undergo a major revision, with significant consequences for the state's own policy and practices. This report seeks to help federal and state policymakers consider this restructuring and one of its core questions: How should schools and school districts be held accountable for the academic progress of their…

The education system in California today is unable to meet the needs of the state's economy or the expectations of its citizens. From school finance to ensuring the quality of teaching, from assessment and accountability to preparing students for college and careers, education policy today in California often works against the best interests of…

The California Postsecondary Education Commission's annual review of California public higher education discusses three major topics: program planning; approval of new programs; and the review of existing programs. The section on planning covers planning procedures of the segments, a 1991 list of projected programs, trends in subject areas and…

In compliance with California's Proposition 10 (Children and Families First Act), county commissions are being asked to monitor what differences the family support programs they are funding are making in the lives of the children and families they serve. Each commission has the responsibility of selecting a set of indicators to measure the impact…

As part of an effort to make the system for the evaluation of California community colleges' occupational education programs more relevant and efficient, a project was undertaken to provide the coordination and support services necessary to accomplish this revision. The primary objective of the project was to involve college practitioners,…

Drawing from on-site assessments of the implementation and effectiveness of 30 selected Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) programs operating at California community colleges, this report synthesizes information collected between September 1985 and May 1986 through student and faculty/staff surveys, 1,025 detailed interviews with…

As more public money is spent on educational reform, the issue of school accountability arises more often. California high schools have traditionally participated in an external validation process to gain accreditation from the regional commission, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Schools that receive compensatory funding…

Drawing from on-site evaluations of the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) operating at 22 California community colleges in 1987-88, this report assesses the programs with respect to management, outreach and recruitment, instructional development, counseling, transfer and transition, special activities, financial aid, and staff…

This handbook on evaluating statewide priorities is intended for use by those community colleges undertaking accrediting self-studies during 1986-87. The handbook contains (1) the suggested format for reporting the results of institutional self-evaluations; (2) statewide priorities, adapted from the Board of Governors' December 1983 policy…

One of a series of papers resulting from a Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) project to improve planning and evaluation in community colleges, this working paper is intended for use by 20 community colleges in California undergoing accreditation self-studies during 1982-83, who were asked to evaluate their performance…

This review of effective practices in state-wide systems change was conducted as part of the PEERS (Providing Education for Everyone in Regular Schools) Project, a 5-year collaborative systems change project in California to facilitate the integration of students with severe disabilities previously at special centers into services at regular…