Page 6 - Sanger Herald 12-13-18 E-edition

SANGER HERALD 6A THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2018
School board gains new trustee and loses six year veteran
Dick Sheppard/Sanger Herald
After swearing in, L-R, new board member Jesse Solorio who defeated Gina-Lynn Olson-Cuevas for the board seat vacated by retiring Ken Marcantonio, and incumbents Jesse Vasquez and Pete Filippi who ran unopposed, the board said goodbye to six year veteran board member Marcy Masumoto who resigned to take a seat on the Fresno County Board of Education. Filippi, who was reelected president of the board, presented Masumoto, right, with a plaque of appreciation for her service to the school district. "Mike" Ismael Hernandez was elected vice president and Brandon Vang was named clerk of the board at the Dec. 11 board meeting.
A celebration of district honors and a look at a new way of tracking student, school and district growth
By Dick Sheppard
Sanger Herald
"Bittersweet."
That'showone oftheschooldistrictadministratorsinthe audience described the Nov. 11 school board meeting.
The dictionary definition of "bittersweet" is a combination of both bitter and sweet, or an emotional feeling that is a mix- ture of both happy and sad.
The meeting was mostly devoted to celebrating the ac- complishment of district educators. But there was also the farewell to longtime trustee Marcy Masumoto, who will be taking the seat she won in the November election on the Fresno County Board of Education.
Pete Filippi, one of three board members sworn in at the meeting, called it a victory for Sanger. "We'll have a seat at the table," said Filippi.
Incumbents Filippi and Jesse Vasquez ran unopposed in the November election. Jesse Solorio defeated Gina-Lynn Olson-Cuevas for the board seat vacated by retiring Ken Mar- cantonio.
Among those honored at the meeting were:
• Carmen Garvis, the Fresno County Office of Education's 2018 Educator of the Year; and,
• California League of Schools award finalists Rhonda Taylor, Martina Montano, Tia Weemes, Lisa Hamel, Jenny Schmidt and Clay Manning.
Sanger mayor Frank Gonzalez attended the meeting to say goodbye to Masumoto and praise her for her service. During the public forum portion of the meeting Gonzalez also praised the school district and brought what seemed to be a message of solidarity and support from the City of Sanger to the school district.
The board approved the appointment of Peter Vang to the personnel commission. Vang is currently employed as a finan- cial advisor, and has worked for the Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission managing several programs involvingadultsandyouth. Hehasbachelor'sdegreesin economics and psychology and a master's degree in business administration. Hehasalsostudiedhumanresourcesand industrial relations systems.
Associate superintendent Tim Lopez explained and demon- strated for the board the new version of the California School
WORSHIP IN SANGER
Dashboard, a website that gives parents, students and educa- tors access to school and district data.
New version of the California Department of Education "Dashboard."
The 2018 Dashboard, according to a press release from the California Department of Education, includes two new ways for evaluating school and district performance and a new, user-friendly look that makes complex data easier to under- stand.
The Dashboard is now fully accessible on smart phones and tablets, is easier to navigate and has improved graphics. The new Dashboard also has the most current data available, including 2018 test scores and graduation rates.
“The Dashboard helps schools identify strengths and weaknesses in many different areas that measure success,” said State Superintendent Tom Torlakson. “I urge educators, parents, and communities to turn this data into positive action by using it to target resources where improvement is needed and to share practices where success is demonstrated.”
The Dashboard is a key component of California’s five- year overhaul of the state’s school accountability system.
It displays statewide data based on status (how each school or district performed) and change (how much they have improved or declined over time). School and district perfor- mance levels are indicated by color, with red the lowest and blue the highest. The Dashboard also breaks down informa- tion by student group (low-income, English learner, foster youth, etc.) to help pinpoint and address achievement gaps.
“The Dashboard shows us which students have the great- est needs and which areas of our educational system need the most attention, which is exactly what it was designed to do,” said State Board of Education President Michael W. Kirst.
“Challenges that once may have been hidden, such as how poverty, homelessness and disability affect student learning, are now in sharp focus. Conversely, it also shows us which school districts are succeeding so they can serve as models for others as we build professional sharing networks through- out the state.”
The 2018 Dashboard includes several new additions, in- cluding:
• Two new metrics. Schools, districts and county offices of education that serve K-8 students are being evaluated for the first time on school attendance via the Chronic Absenteeism Indicator. In addition, schools that serve grades 9-12 are being evaluated for the first time on the College/Career Readiness Indicator.
• Grade 11 test scores. Schools, districts and county offices of education that administer the Smarter Balanced Assess- ments in math and English language arts in grade 11 are be- ing evaluated for the first time with a red-through-blue color on the Academic Indicator.
• Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS) Schools. For the first time, the performance of students who attend
alternative schools (such as continuation high schools and programs for incarcerated youth) are now factored into Dashboard indicators. Many of these schools are operated by county offices of education.
• Graduation rate. The four-year cohort graduation rate reflects changes in methodology in compliance with U.S. Department of Education requirements.
The Dashboard has two main purposes: At the local level, the Dashboard helps communities identify strengths and challenges and align resources to support students who are struggling academically. On the state level, the indicators determine which districts are eligible for tailored assistance through the State System of Support, a connected network of agencies throughout California.
Districts with one or more student group in the “red” on two metrics are eligible for state help. Last year, 228 districts were eligible for state assistance. This year, with the Dash- board’s added metrics and other changes, 374 districts qualify for specialized assistance.
The 2018 Budget Act, signed by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr., included an extra $80 million to strengthen the System of Support, which is made up of a teams of experts from the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence and 58 county offices of education.
“Whether rural or urban, low-income or affluent, all school districts have strengths and challenges and all school districts can do more to improve student learning,” said El Dorado County Office of Education Superintendent Ed Manansala, incoming president of the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association. “Our goal with the System of Support is to help districts build the skills and knowledge needed to understand and address student needs. County of- fices of education are well-positioned for this work because we understand the local needs.”
The Dashboard replaces the state’s former accountabil- ity system—the Academic Performance Index (API), which relied exclusively on standardized tests and gave schools a single score. That system was suspended four years ago.
“California continues to provide unprecedented resources through the System of Support to address the complex needs of students under the context of local control. Negative labels, sanctions and top-down mandates of the past don’t help dis- tricts disaggregate data or diagnose problems,” said Execu- tive Director of the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) Tom Armelino. “Collaborating with county offices of education, school districts and charter schools, the CCEE embraces the opportunity to examine the Dashboard data to help districts develop goals, determine gaps and iden- tify resources to support the needs of students at the local level.”
For more information, visit the California Acountability Model&SchoolDashboardWebpageat http://www.cde. ca.gov/ta/ac/cm/index.asp.
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