10/17/2018 -
New role recognizes SCOE’s leadership in Continuous Improvement; strengthens ability to serve Sonoma County students
Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) has been selected for a statewide leadership role, tasked with supporting other county offices of education in their new responsibility to help school districts improve student outcomes using data and improvement science.
SCOE will join six other county offices named as Geographic Lead Agencies in forming a statewide support network to help county offices meet their new responsibilities under the state’s continuous improvement system. This position will also strengthen SCOE’s ability to serve Sonoma County’s 40 school districts as it develops the expertise and connections needed for this leadership role.
Under the changes recently made to California’s educational system, school districts are expected to show student improvement each year on a range of measures, including standardized test scores and graduation rates. They are encouraged to achieve this progress through an approach called continuous improvement, where data is used to reveal gaps in student performance as well as underlying causes. Based on the data, schools and districts adjust course to change what isn’t working and amplify what is.
Under this system, county offices of education have a new role in working alongside districts to support them in identifying gaps in student performance, analyzing the causes, and developing and testing strategies to decrease those gaps. They also provide more intensive support, called differentiated assistance, to school districts meeting certain criteria.
SCOE will receive a base grant of $250,000 a year for the next five years to support this work. Additional funds will be provided based on how many school districts qualify for differentiated assistance in the area SCOE is serving.
With these funds, SCOE will hire a director to serve as a liaison to Mendocino, Lake, Napa, and Marin county offices, connecting them with resources and support throughout the state on issues including equity, special education, community engagement, and support for English Learners. Jennie Snyder, deputy superintendent of instruction, will oversee the work.
“SCOE is proud to take on this new role of supporting county offices in their work to in turn serve school districts,” said Steve Herrington, Sonoma County superintendent of schools. “SCOE’s selection speaks to the hard work our team has undertaken to change the way we do things to better serve Sonoma County’s schools and students.”
Learn more at the CDE website.
