Aligning California's Education Reforms: Progress Made and the Work That Remains

January 2001
This report looks at the progress California has made toward aligning state policies with goals for standards-based education reform.

A brief review of major reforms illuminates the tumult California’s public schools have experienced since the mid-1990s:

• To date, developing, adopting, and integrating the state’s academic content standards into its curriculum and professional development programs has taken seven years. And that work continues. Prior to completion of the standards, California created a new student assessment system, and it is gradually being aligned with the standards. Plans call for this work to continue until at least 2003.
• Meanwhile, moving at a much more rapid pace, state leaders in 1999 voted to quickly implement a new accountability program that provided financial rewards for school performance in the 2000–01 school year. They also moved forward with a new High School Exit Exam.
• Throughout this time, the state’s process for allocating resources and governing its K–12 schools has changed little. An examination of those issues is now underway as part of a K–16 Master Plan for Education that is due to be completed in 2002.

The report also outlines the work that remains for California, including the completion of its assessment system, changes to the Academic Performance Index (API) at the heart of the accountability program, and the full integration of standards-based instruction into local schools and classrooms.

A special detailed timeline visually tracks the emergence and growth of the state's standards-based reforms. Click here to see the timeline.

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