Comprehensive Review Executive Summary

Compton Unified School District Serna v Eastin Consent Decree Six-month Progress Report February 2002 Submitted by Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team SERNA v EASTIN CONSENT DECREE This report provides a six-month progress report of the efforts made by the Compton Unified School District in meeting the stipulations of the Serna v Eastin Consent Decree. In July 1997, the ACLU and the attorneys for the Plaintiffs filed a class action lawsuit against the State Depart- ment of Education in the Los Angeles Superior Court. This lawsuit (Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282) claimed that the children attending public schools in the Compton Unified School District were deprived of basic educational opportunities, which are available to children else- where in California. The judgement approving the Consent Decree in the above-entitled action was entered on Febru- ary 7, 2000. The Consent Decree requires continued improvement in school facilities/sites and the classroom environment. Some of the specific areas of concern that require attention under the Consent Decree include such areas as the availability of certificated teachers in every classroom, the availability of appropriate textbooks and instructional materials for students to take home, the conditions of student restrooms, the timely removal of litter and graffiti, and the repair/replace- ment of any faulty electrical wiring. FCMAT was appointed by the parties to oversee compliance with the stipulations of the Consent Decree. As the parties were aware that FCMAT was engaged in monitoring the progress of the Compton Unified School District in the implementation of five recovery plans in the areas of Pupil Achievement, Financial Management, Personnel Management, Facilities Management and Community Relations as part of the requirements of AB52, the parties agreed to make parts of the CUSD recovery plans developed by FCMAT a part of the Consent Decree and subject to the compliance requirements of the Consent Decree. The Consent Decree identified specific standards among the legal and professional standards developed by FCMAT in the operational areas of Pupil Achievement and Facilities Management that require additional attention by the district. These identified standards must meet a rating of 8 or better (on a scale of 1 to 10) in order for the standard to be determined as implemented and sustained. These specific standards have been reviewed and their implementation progress reported during each of FCMAT’s monitoring visits and six-month progress reports since August 2000. The court’s action placed FCMAT in a monitoring role and required FCMAT to prepare semiannual reports on the defendants’ progress in complying with the requirements of the decree. FCMAT’s third, fourth and fifth six-month progress reports in August 2000, February 2001, and August 2001, responded to the monitoring requirements of both AB52 and the Consent Decree. In the August 2001 progress report, the Compton Unified School District met the requirements for return of governing authority to the CUSD governing board under AB52. The State Superin- tendent of Public Instruction formally returned governing authority to the CUSD board in an executive order dated September 11, 2001, and effective December 11, 2001. This report, there- fore, provides FCMAT’s review of those standards and stipulations identified in the Consent Decree. FCMAT meets with the counsel for the plaintiffs and defendants every 60 days. Three meetings were held prior to the third six-month progress report in August, 2000 to discuss process, respon- Executive Summary 1 sibilities, and progress relative to the Consent Decree. The August 2000 progress report repre- sented the first FCMAT document addressing the stipulations of the Consent Decree. Two meet- ings and two random school site visitations were conducted between September and February, prior to the fourth six-month progress report in February 2001. Four meetings and a random school site visitation were conducted between March and August, prior to the fifth six-month progress report. Three meetings and a random school site visitation were conducted between September and February, prior to this six-month progress report. The Compton Unified School District continues to show progress under the Consent Decree. Meeting Compliance Requirements The Consent Decree delineates 19 sections of stipulations (Sections 7-25) that the district must address to reach compliance. In addition, Section 25 of the Consent Decree identifies 30 stan- dards of the 104 FCMAT legal and professional standards for Facilities Management, and 14 standards of the 38 FCMAT legal and professional standards for Pupil Achievement that must reach a rating of 8, on a scale of 1-10, to reach compliance. Also, all Facilities Management and all Pupil Achievement standards must reach an average rating of 7.5. The Consent Decree reads in part as follows: Section 25.b.: The standards of the Pupil Achievement recovery plan and Facilities recovery plan are made a part of this Consent Decree and shall be subject to the compliance requirements of this Consent Decree. 25.b.i.: A list of standards for the Pupil Achievement recovery plan and Facilities recovery plan, including the current scaled scores is set forth in Exhibit “A” attached hereto and incorpo- rated by reference. Any standard that has a scaled score of 8, 9, or 10 shall be deemed to have been implemented. Any standard that has a scaled score of less than 8 shall be addressed and improved by defendants. Compliance with a recovery plan’s standards shall be deemed satisfied when FCMAT certifies that defendants have achieved an average scaled score for all such standards of 7.5 and no standard has received a scaled score of less than 4. In addition, compli- ance shall not be deemed achieved unless the following standards have received a score of at least 8: 1) Pupil Achievement: 1.2; 1.4; 1.5; 1.10; 1.11; 1.16; 1.20; 1.21; 1.23; 1.25; 2.3; 2.6; 2.9; 2.10 2) Facilities: 1.3; 1.6; 1.7; 1.8; 1.9; 1.12; 1.14; 1.17; 2.1; 2.3; 2.4; 2.5; 2.6; 3.4; 3.8; 3.10; 6.2; 6.3; 8.5; 8.6; 8.8; 8.9; 8.10; 8.12; 9.3; 9.4; 9.7; 9.8; 9.10; 9.11. The district is fully meeting the required stipulations of 17 of the 19 sections (Sections 7-25) of the Consent Decree and is partially meeting 2 of the 19 sections of the Consent Decree. In Facilities Management, the current average rating of all Facilities Management standards at this six-month reporting period is 8.16, exceeding the 7.5 required average rating stipulated by the Consent Decree. Nineteen of the thirty identified Facilities Management standards have reached a rating of 8 or better as required. The remaining eleven standards must reach a rating of 8 or better to achieve complete compliance in the operational area of Facilities Management. 2 Executive Summary In Pupil Achievement, the current average rating of all Pupil Achievement standards at this six- month reporting period is 6.97, and two of the 14 identified Pupil Achievement standards have reached a rating of 8 or better as required. The remaining twelve standards must reach a rating of 8 or better, and the average rating of all Pupil Achievement standards must reach 7.5, to achieve complete compliance in the operational area of Pupil Achievement. Executive Summary 3 Summary of Findings and Recommendations Related to the Consent Decree FCMAT was appointed by the parties to oversee compliance with the Consent Decree. This section provides the reader with FCMAT’s summary of findings and recommendations. A more detailed response to the standards can be found in the Pupil Achievement and Facilities Manage- ment sections of this report. Consent Decree Stipulations Related to Pupil Achievement There are several stipulations within the Consent Decree that relate to and affect pupil achieve- ment. These stipulations include: Availability of Textbooks, Presence of Certificated Teachers, Employee Absenteeism, Established Homework Policy, Retention and Promotion Policy, Passing of CBEST, and Race Relations. Several FCMAT standards in the Pupil Achievement operational area are also affected by an additional compliance requirement of needing to reach a rating of 8 (on a scale of 1-10) to be deemed compliant. These specific standards are listed in the chart of Pupil Achievement standards in the Pupil Achievement section of this report. Consent Decree Section 8 (Textbooks) The requirements of Section 8 are being met by the district. The district has purchased class sets of texts in English and mathematics, as well as sufficient texts in English, mathematics and History/Social Science to assign a text to each student for use at home. Although the purchase of class sets is not a requirement, the class sets allow students not to have to carry their assigned text to and from school. The purchase of the newly adopted science texts will be delayed until sufficient quantities of texts in English, History/Social Science and mathematics have been acquired. Science texts from a prior adoption are currently available for student use. The district has prepared an inventory of all existing textbooks. (See related Pupil Achievement Standard 1.25 – Current Rating: 6. An additional stipulation requires that Standard 1.25 reach an 8.) Consent Decree Section 11 (Presence of Certificated Teachers) The requirements of Section 11 are being met by the district. Certificated teachers are present in each classroom each day. Efforts have been made by the district to increase the substitute list. The district has been unable to maintain a list of certificated substitutes in sufficient numbers to meet absences. The principal has assumed responsibility for ensuring that children without certificated teachers receive appropriate instruction. Other certificated site staff must substitute if qualified substitutes are not available at the site. (See related Personnel Management Standard 8.2 – Current Rating: 8. Standard 8.2 is not required to reach an 8.) Consent Decree Section 12 (Absenteeism) The requirements of Section 12 are being met by the district. The district assigns non-instruc- tional certificated staff to substitute when regular substitutes are not available for teacher ab- sences. The district requires each site to address ways to reduce employee absenteeism in their school site plans. Staff absentee reports are provided to the sites for administrators to review. (See related Personnel Management Standard 8.2 – Current Rating: 8. Standard 8.2 is not required to reach an 8.) 4 Executive Summary Consent Decree Section 13 (Homework) The requirements of Section 13 are being met. The district has developed and implemented a district wide homework policy. A monthly certification by the site principals that a homework policy is being implemented is submitted to the district office. District administrators visit school sites regularly to check for continued compliance. Parent notifications regarding the homework policy are sent home at the beginning of each semester. The parent handbook, Guidelines for Parents, contains the district’s homework policy. The handbook is updated annually and distrib- uted to parents. Schools should keep the signed acknowledgement of receipt forms from parents. (See related Pupil Achievement Standards 1.2 – Current Rating: 7, and 1.11 – Current Rating: 6. An additional stipulation requires that Standards 1.2 and 1.11 reach an 8.) Consent Decree Section 19 (Student Promotion) The requirements of Section 19 are met. The district has developed a promotion/acceleration/ retention policy, Policy No. 5123. The board adopted this policy on April 11, 2000. Information on the policy was distributed to parents through the Parent Handbook, Guidelines for Parents. Plaintiffs’ counsel was invited to provide written comments on the draft policy. A copy of the policy was sent to Plaintiff’s counsel for written comment. No response was received. (See related Pupil Achievement Standards 1.5 – Current Rating: 5, and 1.16 – Current Rating: 6. An additional stipulation requires that Standards 1.5 and 1.16 reach an 8.) Consent Decree Section 20 (CBEST) The requirements of Section 20 are being met. The district identifies teachers without clear credentials and their length of employment. The district limits the number of teachers on CBEST waivers and monitors teachers who have not passed the CBEST. To minimize the disruption of student instruction, the parties to the Consent Decree have agreed that teachers may be released at the end of the school year, rather than at their hire date. The district continues to provide CBEST training several times each year for teachers who have not yet passed CBEST. An annual report of the number of non-credentialed teachers and those who do not have a clear credential and the length of their employment is provided to the board. (See related Personnel Management Standard 3.10 – Current Rating: 10. Standard 3.10 is not required to reach an 8.) Consent Decree Section 24 (Race Relations) The requirements of Section 24 are partially met by the district. The district parent advisory council works to promote positive race relations among the various ethnic groups in the commu- nity. The district has purchased instructional materials on the Hispanic cultural experience and the African-American cultural experience. Curriculum staff will be working to incorporate these materials into the Social Science curriculum. An ethnic studies course is scheduled to be offered during the summer session. The course may be offered as an elective during the regular school year if successful. The district is celebrating Cesar Chavez’s birthday this year for the first time. (See related Pupil Achievement Standard 1.10 – Current Rating: 6. An additional stipulation requires that Standard 1.10 reach an 8.) Executive Summary 5 Consent Decree Stipulations Related to Facilities Management There are several stipulations within the Consent Decree that relate to and affect school facilities. These stipulations include: Condition of Bathrooms, Broken Windows, Electrical, Security Plan, Emergency Drills, Litter, Drinking Water, Site Committees, Food Service, Parent Volunteer Strategies, and Central Telephone Number for Facilities Complaints. Several FCMAT standards in the Facilities Management operational area are also affected by an additional compliance requirement of needing to reach a rating of 8 (on a scale of 1-10) to be deemed compliant. These specific standards are listed in the chart of Facilities Management standards in the Facilities Management section of this report. Consent Decree Section 7 (Bathrooms) The requirements of Section 7 are being met by the district. All site bathrooms continue to be inspected a minimum of three times daily by the principal and/or other staff. Records of this monitoring process are maintained at the site for inspection. The bathrooms are monitored during periodic, unannounced site visits to school campuses. A FCMAT representative uses a checklist to monitor compliance with Consent Decree stipulations. All written documents and logs are reviewed and any needed follow-up discussed with the site administrator. Generally, bathrooms are safe, supplied and operable. The district has budgeted funds for 21 restroom renovations for this year. Four bathroom monitors have been hired at each high school. (See related Facilities Management Standard 9.4 – Current Rating: 8. An additional stipulation required that Standard 9.4 reach an 8.) Consent Decree Section 9 (Broken Windows) The requirements of Section 9 are being met by the district. Identified boarded windows are replaced with clear glass, or other clear permanent material. Certain windows are allowed to be boarded for safety and property protection. Broken windows are replaced as soon as possible. Materials used to temporarily secure broken windows require that a date and time of the repair be affixed on the material. Sites are monitored regularly to ensure compliance. (See related Facili- ties Management Standard 1.12 – Current Rating: 9. An additional stipulation required that Standard 1.12 reach an 8.) Consent Decree Section 10 (Electrical) The requirements of Section 10 are being met by the district. Plant managers have been directed to conduct a monthly electrical site inspection and report their findings to the Facilities Division. These monthly reports have been documented. A FCMAT representative visits all school sites on a regular basis to check for any hazardous conditions, including broken or loose wiring. Reports of conditions needing attention are reported to the Facilities Division. The district has established an emergency hot line for use, and has designated any electrical hazard as an emergency condi- tion. The district’s timeline for responding to emergencies is 15 minutes. The district and plaintiff’s counsel selected a licensed electrician to conduct site inspections of specific identified sites in the 2000-2001 school year. Inspection of two high school sites by the licensed electrician occurred in Fall 2000, and inspection of the third high school occurred in spring 2001. (See related Facilities Management Standard 9.8 – Current Rating: 7. An additional stipulation requires that Standard 9.8 reach an 8.) 6 Executive Summary Consent Decree Section 14 (Security Plan) The requirements of Section 14 are being met by the district. There is a districtwide security plan. School sites have established school site safety committees to continually determine safety concerns and recommend remedial action to the district office. The district security committee referenced in the Consent Decree has been established. The committee has input into updates of the district wide security plan. Parents have been encouraged to participate in school security patrols. Monitored intrusion alarm systems have been installed in the district’s schools. The district’s police force continues to work with site safety committees. (See related Facilities Management Standard 1.3 – Current Rating: 9. An additional stipulation required that Standard 1.3 reach an 8.) Consent Decree Section 15 (Emergency Drills) The requirements of Section 15 are being met by the district. Written emergency plans are avail- able at the school sites. The stipulation requiring that every school site have a fire warning system required by Education Code Section 32001 has been met by the district. Several schools are awaiting an upgrade from a bell system to a strobe fire alarm system. The required fire and earthquake drills are practiced and recorded according to the pertinent education code sections. These records are reviewed by district personnel and by a FCMAT representative. (See related Facilities Management Standard 1.9 – Current Rating: 8. An additional stipulation required that Standard 1.9 reach an 8.) Consent Decree Section 16 (Litter) The requirements of Section 16 are being met by the district. The district has a graffiti abatement program in place, which is one of immediate removal. School campuses are inspected regularly and graffiti is removed immediately. Daily inspections by site principals have improved campus cleanliness. Playground equipment has been repaired or removed. The community service pro- gram in which all children are encouraged to perform five hours of community service per semester for litter removal is implemented at a few schools and will be considered at other district schools in the 2001-2002 school year. (See related Facilities Management Standard 1.8 – Current Rating: 9, and 1.14 – Current Rating: 8. Additional stipulations required that Standards 1.8 and 1.14 reach an 8.) Consent Decree Section 17 (Drinking Water) The requirement of Section 17 is being met by the district. Drinking water is readily available to all children at all school sites. (See related Facilities Management Standard 8.10 – Current Rating: 8. An additional stipulation required that Standard 8.10 reach an 8.) Consent Decree Section 18 (Site Committees) The requirements of Section 18 are being met by the district. The district established a represen- tative community committee to assist in the development of the district’s Facilities Master Plan. As part of the district’s modernization construction applications, a facilities inventory was con- ducted. The school site safety committees and/or site advisory councils established at all school sites, continue to conduct site inspections and monitor safety needs at the school. The newly elected board has established a facilities sub-committee and conducts periodic site visits to review the facilities. (See related Facilities Management Standards 1.12 – Current Rating: 9, 1.14 – Current Rating: 8, and 9.11 – Current Rating: 7. Additional stipulations required that Standards 1.12, 1.14 and 9.11 reach an 8.) Executive Summary 7 Consent Decree Section 21 (Food Service) The requirement of Section 21 is being met by the district. The inspections conducted by the Los Angeles County Health Department of the site cafeterias for the 2000-2001 school year were shared with the school site committees. (See related Facilities Management Standard 9.3 – Current Rating: 6. An additional stipulation requires that standard 9.3 reach an 8.) Consent Decree Section 22 (Central Telephone Number for Facilities Complaints) The requirements of Section 22 are partially met by the district. Communication with the com- munity about facilities issues is ongoing and continual. The district has established a facilities emergency hot line for school sites to utilize. The types of emergencies reported are being tabu- lated. The Facilities Division can be reached by the public through the district’s central voice messaging system. However, these numbers should be widely publicized for the community to use to voice their complaints about facilities issues. Tabulation of the number and nature of the calls received and the disposition of the complaints need to be provided in a quarterly report that is available to counsel for the plaintiffs and the public. (See related Facilities Management Standard 11.2 – Current Rating: 8. Standard 11.2 was not required to reach an 8.) Consent Decree Section 23 (Volunteerism) The requirements of Section 23 are being met. The district continues to work to ensure parents and community members feel welcome in the schools. The “Volunteers in Public Schools” (VIPS) handbook was developed and approved by the board in the 1999-2000 school year. This document provides direction to volunteers about becoming involved in their schools. Parents are actively recruited to volunteer and the district does an excellent job providing monthly recogni- tion programs. A year-end recognition dinner was held in spring, 2001 to recognize two outstand- ing volunteers from each school in the district. Approximately 250 people attended. The number of volunteer hours at each school site are recorded and tabulated. Parents and community mem- bers were involved in the recent superintendent search process, and in decisions such as chang- ing to a full-day kindergarten program. (See related Facilities Management Standard 10.1 – Current Rating: 10. Standard 10.1 was not required to reach an 8.) Consent Decree Section 25 (Additional Compliance Requirements) The requirements of Section 25 are being met by the district. A comprehensive Facilities Master Plan was developed by the district and was approved by the Advisory Board in August 2000. A Facilities Implementation Plan, providing a timeline for implementing the recommendations within the Facilities Master Plan, and identifying possible sources of state and district funds to support the implementation was approved by FCMAT on August 10, 2001, and adopted by the Advisory Board in August 2001. The district continues to make progress in meeting a score of 8 in the standards identified in the consent decree. (See related Facilities Management Standards 2.1 – Current Rating: 10, and 3.10 – Current Rating: 8. Additional stipulations required Stan- dards 2.1 and 3.10 to reach an 8.) 8 Executive Summary HISTORICAL BACKGROUND - LEGISLATION AND STATE RECEIVERSHIP OF COMPTON UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT In July 1993, Assembly Bill 657/Murray (Statutes of 1993, Chapter 78) appropriated $10.5 million in the form of an emergency loan for the Compton Unified School District. This loan required the appointment of a state administrator who would exercise the powers and responsi- bilities of the governing board. In October 1993, Assembly Bill 1708/Murray (Statutes of 1993, Chapter 924) provided a second emergency loan of $9.45 million. This loan required the district to comply with Education Code Section 41325, which continued the assignment of the state administrator. In September 1993, Assembly Bill 33/Murray (Statutes of 1993, Chapter 455) provided further clarification and conditions regarding the emergency apportionment. This bill stipulated that the state administrator retain authority for the operation of the district until such time as the Superintendent of Public Instruction determined the district had met the fiscal re- quirements and has made demonstrated academic progress. The above mentioned legislation required the loan to be repaid and the academic performance of the district to improve prior to the board being restored its legal rights, duties, and powers. The district made the 6th and final loan payment in June 2001. In the six years since 1996, the district repaid a total of $23,458,061 in loans and interest. Through Assembly Bill 52/Washington (Statutes of 1997, Chapter 767), the legislature stated its intent to return the designated legal rights, duties, and powers of governance to the Compton Unified School District Board of Trustees. In addition to the above bills, AB 52 required the assessment of five major operational areas of school district operation: Community Relations, Personnel Management, Pupil Achievement, Financial Management, and Facilities Management. AB 52 required FCMAT and the state administrator, in consultation with other specified entities, to conduct comprehensive assessments and to develop specified recovery plans in the five desig- nated areas. In addition to a systemic, districtwide assessment and the development of a recovery plan, FCMAT was required to determine whether the school district made substantial and sustained progress in the five designated areas. Where there was substantial and sustained progress, FCMAT recommended to the Superintendent of Public Instruction the operational areas of school operation that should be returned to the governing board of the CUSD. As a result of this require- ment, an incremental return of the legal rights, duties, and powers to the governing board oc- curred over time. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction formally returned full governing authority of all operational areas to the CUSD board in an executive order dated September 11, 2001, and effective December 11, 2001. Executive Summary 9 Incremental Return of Legal Rights, Duties and Powers in Designated Operational Areas to CUSD FCMAT’s third six-month progress report, in August 2000, recommended to the Superintendent of Public Instruction that the designated operational areas of Community Relations and Facilities Management be returned to the Governing Board of the Compton Unified School District. The Superintendent acted to return the two operational areas to the Governing Board in January 2001. The SPI also authorized the governing board to select and hire a district superintendent. The fourth six-month report in February 2001, recommended that the operational area of Pupil Achievement be returned to the Governing Board of the Compton Unified School District. Although academic performance remained below average, academic performance scores contin- ued to increase. The district had focused efforts on improving student performance and had procedures in place to identify and address student deficiencies. However, the Superintendent of Public Instruction did not return governance of Pupil Achievement to the governing board as recommended by FCMAT in its fourth six-month progress report. The SPI indicated, in a letter to the district dated March 26, 2001, that the district would benefit from additional time to deter- mine how well the academic processes being implemented perform. The SPI also indicated that it would be prudent to evaluate the district’s spring testing results to determine the effectiveness of the steps taken by the district in the last year. In the fifth six-month progress report in August 2001, FCMAT recommended that the operational areas of Personnel Management and Financial Management be returned to the governing board of the Compton Unified School District. Additionally, it was recommended that the operational area of Pupil Achievement be returned to the governing board as recommended in the fourth six- month progress report. The district had also selected and hired a district superintendent who assumed the position in August 2001. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction formally returned governing authority for all operational areas to the CUSD board in an executive order dated September 11, 2001, and effective December 11, 2001. The SPI further assigned the State Administrator to serve as the State Trustee in an oversight capacity for two years. Executive Action on Return of Legal Rights, Duties and Powers in Designated Operational Areas to CUSD Executive Order, January 2001, Response to Third Six-Month Progress Report: The Superintendent of Public Instruction, on January 30, 2001, formally notified the Compton USD Governing Board of executive action taken to restore the Board’s rights, duties, and obliga- tions in the operational areas of Community Relations and Facilities Management. The Superintendent of Public Instruction, in negotiations with the Compton Governing Board over the process of incremental return of rights, duties and powers, agreed to remove the term “advisory” from the Compton Governing Board’s title, provide the reinstatement of stipends and benefits upon the recommended return of another operational area of governance, and authorize 10 Executive Summary the Board to begin the search process for a permanent superintendent. Upon completion of the search process, the governing board shall have final authority to select a permanent superinten- dent from amongst the candidates. The Superintendent of Public Instruction indicated that the State Administrator would serve as the district’s interim superintendent for the areas over which the Compton Board has authority, and would serve as the State Administrator for the areas over which the Compton Board does not have authority. The SPI recognized the Board’s desire to hire an interim superintendent for the two areas returned, Community Relations and Facilities Management. However, the Superinten- dent of Public Instruction determined that “waiting a few months until the permanent superinten- dent is in place will provide for a smoother transition.” The board, with the assistance of CSBA, has since completed a superintendent search process, and has unanimously selected and appointed a superintendent to begin work in the district August 20, 2001. Executive Order No. 2, March 2001, Response to Fourth Six-Month Progress Report: The Superintendent of Public Instruction, on March 26, 2001, formally notified the Compton USD Governing Board of executive action to establish the board “stipend authorized under Education Code section 35120, and such health benefits as are authorized under District policy and law. In all other respects, the Superintendent’s January 30, 2001 Executive Order remains in effect.” The Superintendent of Public Instruction indicated that the District would benefit by having the management of the operational area of Pupil Achievement remain for additional time under the direct administration of the State Administrator. The SPI indicated that should appropriate progress be demonstrated in the area of Pupil Achievement, the return of local control in this operational area could be returned to the district in the fall. The SPI also commented on the concerns raised by FCMAT as to whether the Board was em- bracing the proper exercise of its governing authority. She indicated her concern as to the readi- ness of the Board to effectively fulfill its policymaking role. Executive Order No. 3, September 2001, Response to Fifth Six-Month Progress Report: The State Superintendent of Public Instruction issued Executive Order No. 3 which restored full control to the governing board effective December 11, 2001. The executive order recognized that the Compton Unified School District showed “substantial and sustained improvement in all remaining areas not presently under local control.” The order further indicated that “the state administrator shall assume the powers of the State Trustee … governing the oversight of the Compton Unified School District.” “Effective September 11, 2001, personnel commission members shall be entitled to the maximum stipend authorized under EC 45250.” Executive Summary 11 Standards Based Assessment Process For schools and school districts to be successful in program improvement, the evaluation, design and implementation of the recovery plans must be standards driven. When standards are clearly defined, reachable, and communicated, there is a greater likelihood they will be measured and met. The Compton Unified School District was measured on a consistent rating format, and every standard was given a scaled score from zero to 10 as to its relative status of completeness. The following represents a definition of terms and scaled scores applied to this process. The single purpose of the scaled score was to establish a baseline of information by which the district’s gains and achievement in each of the standard areas could be measured. • Not Implemented (Scaled Score of 0) There is no significant evidence that the standard is implemented. • Partially Implemented (Scaled Score of 1 through 7) A partially implemented standard lacks completeness, and it is met in a limited degree. The degree of completeness varies as defined: 1. Some design or research regarding the standard is in place that supports prelimi- nary development. (Scaled Score of 1) 2. Implementation of the standard is well into the development stage. Appropriate staff is engaged and there is a plan for implementation. (Scaled Score of 2) 3. A plan to address the standard is fully developed, and the standard is in the begin- ning phase of implementation. (Scaled Score of 3) 4. Staff is engaged in the implementation of most elements of the standard. (Scaled Score of 4) 5. Staff is engaged in the implementation of the standard. All standard elements are developed and are in the implementation phase. (Scaled Score of 5) 6. Elements of the standard are implemented, monitored and becoming systematic. (Scaled Score of 6) 7. All elements of the standard are fully implemented, are being monitored, and appropriate adjustments are taking place. (Scaled Score of 7) • Fully Implemented (Scaled Score of 8 through 10) A fully implemented standard is complete relative to the following criteria. 8. All elements of the standard are fully and substantially implemented and are sustainable. (Scaled Score of 8) 9. All elements of the standard are fully and substantially implemented and have been sustained for a full school year. (Scaled Score of 9) 10.All elements of the standard are fully implemented, are being sustained with high quality, are being refined, and have a process for ongoing evaluation. (Scaled Score of 10) 12 Executive Summary By utilizing a standards based approach, FCMAT was able to incorporate a scaled score to measure progress and to establish an acceptable level for the return of the Board’s legal rights, duties and powers. AB 52 expressed the legislative intent that the Board be returned its desig- nated legal rights, duties and powers through an incremental process. To implement this intent, FCMAT established a standard for the return of the legal rights, duties and powers. This standard was based upon the scaled score system. When the average rating in an operational area reached a level of 6.00 and no individual standard was below 4.00, FCMAT recommended to the Super- intendent of Public Instruction the incremental return of that operational area to the school district. Executive Summary 13