The Assembly Education Committee took rare steps to amend a bill in committee in the battle over how to measure success for charter schools. Assemblymember Blanca Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) was a fierce champion for fair evaluations with AB 2254, backed by the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA). It proposes using additional data beyond the flawed California School Dashboard (CA Dashboard) for crucial charter renewal decisions.
Opponents – including the Alameda County Office of Education, California School Boards Association (CSBA), and the California Teachers Association (CTA) – ignore the unique challenges faced by schools serving disadvantaged students.
Imagine a child entering school far behind, making huge strides, but still testing low. The CA Dashboard punishes such schools despite their positive impact on these students, and shouldn’t be the only source of data to inform high-stakes charter renewal decisions.
The hearing itself turned into a political showdown...
