Red Book for Leaders
Here is the final draft of the Red Book for Leaders Fall 2024. An updated version will be sent out every semester. Please make sure to bookmark this link and refer to it as student safety concerns arise.
CDE’s Clarified Guidance on the Reclassification of Dually Identified Students
Q: MAY IEP TEAMS MODIFY THE STANDARD FOR RECLASSIFICATION FOR CRITERIA 1?
A: No. To meet the Criteria 1 requirements for reclassification, an EL student must achieve the State Board of Education (SBE)-adopted overall performance level score on either the Summative ELPAC or the Summative Alternative ELPAC:
- Overall Performance Level 4 on the Summative ELPAC, or
- Overall Performance Level 3 on the Summative Alternate ELPAC.
- There are no other pathways to satisfy reclassification Criterion 1. Explanation: The California Practitioners’ Guide for Educating English Learners with Disabilities (CA Practitioners’ Guide) was made public in 2019. At that time, the Alternate ELPAC was still under development. Therefore, the guidance stated: Once the Alternate ELPAC is operational, there will be criteria established for reclassification based on a student’s performance. (CA Practitioners’ Guide Page 377.)
Q: WHO MAKES RECLASSIFICATION DECISIONS FOR DUALLY IDENTIFIED STUDENTS?A: The CA Practitioners’ Guide states the following: School-site and district educators determine the process for making reclassification decisions for all students, including English learners with disabilities. The Individualized Education Program (IEP) team may be designated, in accordance with local policy, to make reclassification decisions as long as team members utilize state reclassification criteria and apply those criteria to students with disabilities according to state guidelines. An English learner specialist with specialized knowledge on second language acquisition is an important member of this team. While it is not required that the IEP team make reclassification decisions, best practice suggests the following collaborative and integrative approaches. (CA Practitioners’ Guide, Page 377)
IEP teams must utilize the state reclassification criteria as stated in question 1 above to make reclassification decisions with respect to Criterion 1. This is, of course, in addition to meeting the requirements for Criterion 2 (teacher evaluation), 3 (consultation with parents), and 4 (other assessments) in order to be reclassified.
Q: DOES A STUDENT’S IEP OR SECTION 504 PLAN TAKE PRECIDENCE OVER PROVISIONS FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS IN THE CALIFORNIA EDUCATION CODE?
A: No. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) require that an LEA provide to English learners with disabilities both the language assistance and disability-related services to which they are entitled under federal law. The LEA must inform parents of English learner students with IEPs how the language instruction education program meets the objectives of the child’s IEP. Even if the parent declines disability-related services under IDEA or Section 504, that student with a disability remains entitled to all English learner rights and services.
Testing Student Score ReportsCAASPP and ELPAC scores are available now in the parent portal in School Pathways for any student enrolled who has had a signed ISMA for at least a week. I've attached a letter below that was posted to ParentSquare to inform parents about this information on 9/11. Staff may also send to parents if they would like. So that you know, staff may access individual student scores for parents by following the directions also attached below. Questions about student score reports can be directed to testingquestions@caliva.org.
Automated NC Letters
Each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the Attendance Advocates send out automated NC letters based on attendance. Progress automation happens each Monday. The Advocates use the Progress and Attendance Report (PAR) to act on your student data. The PAR looks at progress from the week prior. Middle and High School students would receive a letter if they earned 0 points the week prior. A tab on the PAR titled “MS HS Course Activity” will give you more details on how many points your student earned in the last two weeks. Elementary students will receive a progress automation letter based on lessons completed the week prior. Elementary teachers can check their students' lesson completion by looking at the online school. This document will also detail the minimum requirements for an Elementary student based on the student’s grade. Starting Monday, 9/9, students will be exempt from the progress automation during their first two weeks of enrollment to allow them time to receive their materials and get acquainted with online schooling. Before 9/9, some students may have received an incorrect NC letter for progress automation, but the advocates have been working directly with the teacher and LC on any discrepancies. The Advocates use the Progress and Attendance Report for their reporting and notify teachers and administrators when the letters go out. Teachers and administrators can troubleshoot the reason for the letter by looking at the PAR. Please do not tell an LC that you are unaware of why the letter was sent and to ignore the notification emails and letters. This will discredit the hard work that our Attendance Advocates do to support you and your students with attendance and lesson completion.
More information about Attendance Support can be found on Sharepoint: https://k12inc.sharepoint.com/sites/WR/CMS/Central_Office/Attendance/SitePages/Daily%20Attendance%20Support%20-%20Attendance%20Advocates.aspx
