CA Educ Code Section 52055.59

(a)

Subject to an appropriation in the annual Budget Act or other statute, the Superintendent shall contract with an independent evaluator to complete a comprehensive three-year evaluation of the program established pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 52055.57. It is the intent of the Legislature that a total of one million dollars ($1,000,000) be provided for the independent evaluation, with three hundred thirty-four thousand dollars ($334,000) provided for the 2008–09 fiscal year, three hundred thirty-three thousand dollars ($333,000) provided for the 2009–10 fiscal year, and three hundred thirty-three thousand dollars ($333,000) provided for the 2010–11 fiscal year. The evaluation shall focus on local educational agencies that are identified for corrective action beginning with the 2007–08 fiscal year, and in the 2008–09, 2009–10, and 2010–11 fiscal years, and shall include data compiled for those local educational agencies for those years.

(b)

The evaluation shall examine the implementation, impact, costs, and effectiveness of the corrective actions and reform strategies undertaken by local educational agencies that are identified for corrective action, as specified in subdivision (a). The evaluation also shall determine the effectiveness of the technical assistance provided by the district assistance and intervention teams and other technical assistance providers pursuant to Section 52059.

(c)

The Superintendent shall ensure that the evaluation includes, at a minimum, all of the following factors:

(1)

Program implementation data, including, but not limited to, a review of startup activities, the quality of the academic program, local governance and leadership, the allocation of fiscal resources, the allocation of personnel, management practices, community support, parental participation, the use of pupil data to inform instructional practice, and staff development.

(2)

Pupil performance data, including, but not limited to, results of assessments used to determine whether local educational agencies have made significant progress towards meeting their state and federal academic growth targets and data for each of the following subgroups:

(A)

English learners.

(B)

Pupils with exceptional needs.

(C)

Pupils who are eligible for funds under Title I of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 6301 et seq.).

(3)

Data on the percentage of fully credentialed teachers, the percentage of teachers who hold emergency credentials, the percentage of teachers assigned outside their subject area of competence, the accreditation status of the school if appropriate, average class size per grade level, and the number of pupils in multitrack, year-round schools. These data shall be compiled for the 2008–09, 2009–10, and 2010–11 school years.

(d)

The evaluation shall include a rigorous qualitative and quantitative assessment of how program implementation affected pupil achievement and teacher quality using the information required pursuant to subdivision (c).

(e)

The Superintendent shall submit two interim reports and a final report to the Governor, the Department of Finance, the Legislature, and the Legislative Analyst’s Office. The reports shall be submitted to these agencies no later than November 1, 2009, November 1, 2010, and November 1, 2011, respectively.