Action Alerts

An Important Survey We Must Act On Now!

October 22, 2019 by Claudia Vizcarra

Our Voices are Urgently Needed NOW!

We need 10-15 minutes of your time to send a message to the State. There is a very important survey that can have a tremendous effect on the education of English Learners.

If we don’t respond, others will decide what should be included in the new design of the Local Control Accountability Plan Template for the next 3 years. The survey will take about 10 minutes, and we have some suggestions for your responses but you are welcome to respond how you best see the work moving forward.

Local Control Accountability Plan Template Redesign for 2020-2022 LCAPs:

This year, districts will be writing and submitting a new three-year LCAP using a redesigned LCAP template. This is our opportunity to urge the California Department of Education (CDE) and the State Board of Education (SBE) to include language that will require districts to comprehensively address English Learners. This survey must be completed by November 1, 2019.

The CDE has developed a survey to solicit feedback from stakeholders regarding both the draft Local Control and Accountability Plan Template (LCAP) and draft LCAP Template instructions. The survey may be accessed here: https://www.lcapredesign.org/

Based on feedback from the State Board of Education (SBE) at its September 2019 meeting, and in an effort to ensure the template and instructions support local educational agencies (LEAs) in the development of the LCAP beyond the minimum requirements, it has been decided that the CDE will present the finalized draft LCAP Template (including instructions) to the SBE at its January 2020 meeting for adoption.

Important points to address in the survey: Read the form and the directions and add short comments on the right-hand side of the survey under “Feedback about this section”.

· Stakeholder Engagement: We suggest you choose Option A. The form and directions include language to indicate how input was received and where any of the suggestions from the important stakeholders are included in the LCAP. This validates the input from parents, students and community members and affirms that their input was heard and some suggestions were accepted.

· Goal and Activities: In the directions under Measuring and Reporting Results for both options (which will be available to the districts to choose) there is language that says, “LEAs may identify metrics for specific subgroup”. In order to live up the equity principle of LCFF and to have districts commit to closing any achievement and performance gaps, the language should require that metrics are specific for subgroups and are differentiated from what is expected of all students so as to set an expectation of closing gaps. It is also important for the districts to include metrics specific for current English Learners and RFEPs.

Don’t let others decide what is needed for the LCAP Template for the next three years.

We need to be heard and you can make it happen.

STOP A BAD BILL FROM BECOMING LAW!! AB 751 (O’DONNELL) SAT/ACT INSTEAD OF THE SBAC

September 20, 2019 by Claudia Vizcarra

STOP A BAD BILL FROM BECOMING LAW!!

AB 751 (O’DONNELL) SAT/ACT INSTEAD OF THE SBAC

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 19, 2019

AB-751(O’Donnell) passed off the Senate Floor and is now on its way to Governor Newsom. The bill would allow LEAs to administer the SAT/ACT in lieu of the grade eleven Smarter Balanced Assessment Summative Assessment (SBAC). Last year a similar bill was vetoed by Governor Brown due to significant concerns expressed by advocates, other stakeholders and the California Department of Education (CDE).

Please send letters NOW to Gov. Newsom and his legislative team requesting his veto on the bill! Letters need to be forwarded by September 22, 2019!

Click on the link below to send your letter to the Governor. Please personalize as much as possible and do not forget to sign the letter! Thank you so much for your support on this important action!!

Let’s Support Our Migrant Students: AB 1319

September 20, 2019 by Claudia Vizcarra

AB 1319 (Arambula and Bonta) Migrant Education: Pupil Residency

Amended August 26, 2019

AB 1319 (Arambula and Bonta) Migrant Education: Pupil Residency amended August 26, 2019 is now on Governor Newsom’s desk. This bill allows migrant students the option to remain in their same school despite moving multiple times. The last day for Governor Newsom to sign or veto bills passed by the Legislature is October 13, 2019.

Update on AB 614 (Rubio) Eliminate the RICA

July 8, 2019 by Claudia Vizcarra

Thank you to everyone who responded so quickly to our Action Alert on AB 614 (Rubio). Unfortunately, SB 614 (Rubio) has been made into a 2 year bill! This means the bill will not be heard in the Assembly Education Committee next week, Wednesday, July 10, 2019. This decision was not made lightly. In light of the strong opposition organized against the bill and concerns identified by the Chairperson of the Assembly Education Committee and committee staff, it was decided to make SB 614 a 2 year bill. Senator Rubio, author of the bill, also was pushing to make her bill a 2 year bill.

In light of this decision, this bill will not be heard in committee next week Wednesday, July 10th and the bill will not proceed through the legislative process this year. Letters are not needed. We will continue to work with the author on amendments to hopefully move the bill in the next legislative session. Again we appreciate your quick response to signing letters supporting the AB 614. Stay tuned.

Act Now: Help Repeal the Reading Instruction Competence Assessment (RICA)

July 3, 2019 by Claudia Vizcarra

On July 1, 2019, Senator Rubio amended SB 614, proposing the elimination of the RICA (Reading Instruction Competency Assessment) The RICA is neither aligned to the current English Language Arts standards, the current curriculum framework nor the current teacher performance expectations. Developed in 1996, the RICA also does not reflect current research and instructional practices in literacy.

The bill shifts the evaluation of teachers’ reading and literacy knowledge from the RICA to university coursework, teacher performance expectations and assessment of literacy competency through the accreditation program. This is good for our teacher candidates, schools and students because teacher candidates will still be required to learn how to teach reading and literacy. SB 614 (Rubio) does not remove this requirement!.

Please sign the letter requesting Assembly Member O’Donnell and members of the committee to vote “yes” on SB 614 (Rubio) and to move the bill out of the Assembly Education Committee so it can proceed through the legislative process. Letters must be signed by Monday, July 8, 2019 by 10:00 AM.

The members of the Assembly Education Committee need to see that there is tremendous support for SB 614 (Rubio)! Please SIGN NOW!!

Oppose HUD “Mixed-Status” Family Rule Change

July 2, 2019 by Claudia Vizcarra

Dear Allies,

We urge you to submit a comment to oppose the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proposal to prohibit “mixed-status” families from public and subsidized housing. This most recent attack on immigrant families will have a devastating impact on one of our most vulnerable populations. Under the proposed rule change, almost 10,000 households in California would be at risk of losing their affordable housing, and a majority of individuals affected would be children!

From our partners at keep-families-together.org:

On May 10, 2019, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published a proposed rule that would prohibit “mixed-status” families from living in public housing and Section 8 programs. Mixed-status families are households that include both members who are eligible and ineligible for housing assistance based on their immigration status. HUD’s proposed rule would force families of mixed immigration status to break up to receive housing assistance, to forego the assistance altogether, or face termination from the programs.

Tell the Department of Housing and Urban Development to oppose this harmful and cruel rule that could lead to the eviction of over 100,000 people from HUD-assisted housing. Comments are due by July 9, 2019.

Please take the time to submit a comment today to oppose this attack on our families. Sample comments are available and can also be submitted in Spanish here.

Sincerely,

Shelly Spiegel-Coleman
Executive Director, Californians Together