Masking the Focus on English Learners: The Consequences of California’s Accountability System Dashboard Results on Year 4 Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs)

Authors

Magaly Lavadenz Ph.D., Professor, Department of Educational Leadership Director, Center for Equity for English Learners Loyola Marymount UniversityFollow
Elvira G. Armas Ed.D., Associate Director, Center for Equity for English Learners Loyola Marymount UniversityFollow
Sylvia Jáuregui Hodge M.Ed., Doctoral Fellow, Center for Equity for English Learners

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Abstract

California’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), signed into law in 2013, centers equity as a key to increased and improved services for three targeted student subgroups, including English Learners (ELs), low-income students, and foster youth. As a component of LCFF, districts develop Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs) to specify their goals and strategies for using LCFF funds for equity and continuous improvement purposes. The California Model Five by Five Grid Placement Report (Spring 2017 Dashboard) included the Five by Five Placement Grid, a key function of which is to identify the needs of diverse ELs. The Dashboard and the LCAPs are two policy mechanisms with great promise in combining school finance and accountability reform to promote equity and coherent state-wide. In this report, Lavadenz and colleagues review the EL policy context and examine the connection between the two contemporary policy mechanisms in California, namely the Year 4 LCAP and the California Department of Education’s Accountability Model (Spring 2017 Dashboard). The authors use a sample of 26 California school districts with high numbers/percentages of ELs and conclude that California’s current accountability system diminishes the urgency to respond to educational needs of the English Learner subgroup and undermines the equity intent of the LCFF. Few promising practices and assets-based approaches were identified in the LCAPs, and there is minimal mention of metrics focused on EL outcomes. The authors provide recommendations at state, county office of education and district levels.

Publication Date

2018

Disciplines

Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | Educational Administration and Supervision | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Educational Leadership

Recommended Citation for Full Report

Lavadenz, M., Armas, E., & Hodge, S. J. (2018). Masking the focus on English Learners: The consequences of California’s accountability system dashboard results on year 4 Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs). Californians Together. 10.15365/ceel.LCAP2018.1