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Assessment and Teacher Leadership in the Transition to the Common Core

Meeting 28
June 18-19, 2014
Whittier, California

The California Collaborative on District Reform convened in Whittier for a two-day meeting, Assessment and Teacher Leadership in the Transition to the Common Core. The Collaborative visited a high school district for the first time, using the context of secondary education as a springboard to explore an evolving area of practice: district-developed common assessments and teacher leadership as vehicles for implementing the Common Core and improving student learning opportunities. The meeting also examined the integration of these efforts with two key state policy developments, the first Smarter Balanced summative assessment administration and the ongoing process of districts’ Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs). Participants received a briefing book of resources and literature on the Whittier Union High School District context, types and purposes of various assessments, and approaches to teacher leadership.

Meeting Summary (PDF 533 KB)

Logistics

Briefing Book

Supplemental Materials

Follow-Up
Policy statement produced as an outcome from Meeting 28.

Collaborative Writes a Letter to SBE and CDE about Smarter Balanced Experiences (PDF, 227 KB)
July 2015


The California Collaborative’s June 2015 meeting in Whittier Union High School District gave district leaders the opportunity to provide feedback on the first official administration of California’s new Smarter Balanced assessments in English language arts and mathematics. Overall, meeting participants expressed support for the new assessment system as a significant advance over previous state tests. At the same time, those present recognized that the state is in the early stages of a learning process and offered several suggestions to improve assessment administration and reporting. Meeting guest Ilene Straus, vice president of the State Board of Education (SBE), encouraged the California Collaborative to compile relevant feedback to share with the SBE and California Department of Education. This letter highlights some of the key points that emerged in the meeting conversation. For more details about the discussion, please view our Meeting Summary.

Full Policy Statement