Image Above: California charter schools gathered in Sacramento to oppose SB 1380 during Wednesday's Senate Education Committee hearing.
On April 24, the Assembly Education Committee will take up AB 2254 by Blanca Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), which aims to remove the sunset on the use of supplemental academic data, also known as "Verified Data.” The bill poses a straightforward question: Should authorizers use student academic growth data to inform high-stakes decisions about school closures?
The CA State Dashboard is the common accountability framework for all public schools in California, but it has flaws that need to be addressed before it becomes the only metric for determining if a charter school should be closed. For example, the CA Dashboard Colors are determined by state standardized tests, proctored once a year, in selected grades. Those point-in-time results are not robust enough to assess the full impact a charter school is having on students, particularly the most vulnerable ones.
How will the Assembly Education Committee vote on AB 2254? Three of the seven committee members are new, including Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Alameda), Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay), and Heath Flora (R-Modesto). The votes on this bill will reveal where they stand on data-driven decision-making for charter school renewals.
CSDC supports AB 2254. The bill is sponsored by the California Charter Schools Association. Learn more and show your support here.
