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Sacramenta, California — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell today announced his Top 10 accomplishments from the California Department of Education (CDE) for 2006.

"This has been a great year of achievement on many fronts for education in California," said O’Connell.  "Not only are test scores improving, but more than 90 percent of the Class of 2006 passed the High School Exit Exam; we’re using technology more as an education tool; and California continues to get high marks for its rigorous  academic standards."

Here is O’Connell’s list of the Top 10 accomplishments in education in 2006:

1) "CAHSEE" at the bat, scores several hits.

"The California High School Exit Exam has encountered several challenges this year, and each time, the courts, an independent evaluator, and the students tell us this test is the right thing to do," said O’Connell.

* The California Court of Appeal upholds the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) against two legal challenges; both regarding the constitutionality of the test.

* 91.4 percent of the students in the Class of 2006 passed the Exit Exam, demonstrating that they have mastered critical skills that will help them  compete in the global economy. 

* The seventh year evaluation by the Human Resources Research Organization finds CAHSEE is working as intended, students are working hard, and fewer are dropping out of school.

* More students in the Class of 2007 have passed so far this year compared to the Class of 2006 at this time.

* CAHSEE was offered for the first time on the weekend to accommodate students with work or family responsibilities.

2) Voters support schools.

"California voters have told us time and again they want our students to learn in an environment that is clean, safe, and up-to-date," said O’Connell.  "In the two elections held this year, voters have clearly shown they support public education."

* Voters approved Proposition 1D in the November general election to provide funding to build career technical education facilities, relieve overcrowding, and modernize obsolete classrooms.

* In the June primary election, voters in 35 communities approved more than $3.6 billion in local school construction and modernization bonds that required at least a 55 percent approval rate.  O’Connell authored the initiative that lowered the approval threshold to 55 percent, down from a minimum of two thirds, allowing more communities to raise funds for local school construction projects.

3) Lawmakers support education.

"Education is the key to student success, and accountability is a major component of that," said O’Connell.  "I want to thank the lawmakers and the Governor for their support of measures that I sponsored, as well as key education bills sponsored by other lawmakers."

* AB 2181, by Assemblymember Simon Salinas (D-Salinas), extends the authority of a court to order parents or guardians of truant students to immediately enroll or re-enroll students in school or an educational program and provide proof of enrollment to the court.

* AB 2254, by Assemblymember Jackie Goldberg (D-Los Angeles), defines eligibility, time lines, and sanctions exit criteria for future cohorts of schools in the High Priority Program.

* SB 1383, by state Senator Deborah Ortiz (D-Sacramento), extends the Cal Grant application deadline for students who pass the CAHSEE administered in July and in the fall.

* SB 472, by Senator Elaine Alquist (D-Santa Clara), reauthorizes the law that provides incentive funding to local education agencies to offer high-quality teacher professional development programs, commonly called AB 466 training.

* AB 2448, by Assemblymember Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley), increases accountability and monitoring of Regional Occupational Centers and Programs.

* SB 1209 and SB 1655, by Senator Jack Scott (D-Altadena), streamline the teacher credential processes.

* SB 638, by Senator Tom Torlakson (D-Antioch), helps schools expand and improve the quality of before and after school programs.

* AB 172, by Assemblymember Wilma Chan (D-Oakland), expands preschool opportunities for children at California’s lowest-performing schools.

4) Great teachers = great students.

"The most important factor in student success other than parental involvement is a well-trained teacher," said O’Connell.  "There are a lot of great educators in California, and we will continue to offer professional development so all teachers can excel."

* Dawna Countryman, Rick LeVan, Charles Reynes, Helen Papadopoulous, and Alan Sitomer were named California Teachers of the Year 2007.

* Caleb Cheung and Margaret Cagle were named by President Bush as California’s winners of the prestigious Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

* By 2006, 85 percent of California teachers were Highly Qualified Teachers as defined under No Child Left Behind (NCLB).  By 2007, that number is expected to reach well into the 90 percent range. The U.S. Department of Education approved California’s plan to meet the NCLB goal for all students to be taught by highly qualified teachers.

5) New tech tools for education.

"The California Department of Education is using technology more and more as a tool not only to help students, but also the public, teachers, and local education agencies," said O’Connell.  "This is the best and fastest way to share vital information about education."

* CDE unveiled a new, interactive charter school map to help the public more easily locate and obtain vital information on charter schools in their communities.

* O’Connell helped the University of California launch of the Calisphere Web site that offers educators, students, and the general public access to more than 150,000 digitized primary sources from the libraries and museums of the UC campuses and cultural heritage organizations across California.

* O’Connell urged schools to apply for more than $400 million in technology funds made available as a result of a recent settlement of a lawsuit between California consumers and Microsoft Corporation, called the Education Technology K-12 Voucher Program.

* Information about more than 200 documents that have been translated into other languages is now stored in CDE’s Clearinghouse for Multilingual Documents that is available for use by local education agencies.  The Clearinghouse is one of the tools created under O’Connell’s Paperwork Reduction Initiative to help schools cut down on unnecessary paperwork so teachers can concentrate on teaching.

* CDE launched two new education resources designed to teach students career self-management skills. "California CareerZone" and "The Real Game California" are hands-on programs that give students opportunities to assess their own skills and determine the type of jobs they want in the future.

* The Ed-Data Partnership unveiled enhancements to the interactive Ed-Data Web site linked through the CDE Web site that allows people to easily tap into full financial information about local educational agencies, compare test scores, and other data among school districts.

6) Collaborating for student success.

"Just as ‘No man is an island,’ similarly, no state agency can accomplish great things alone," said O’Connell.  "I am proud of the partnerships we have developed with other organizations to help students succeed."

* CDE received 2006 Partnership State Award from the National Network of Partnership Schools for the third year in a row.  CDE is cited for excellent leadership in developing family, school, and community partnership programs designed to help students succeed in school.

* O’Connell’s P-16 Council urges the creation of the Alliance for Regional Collaboration to Heighten Educational Success (ARCHES) that held its inaugural conference this year. ARCHES will strive to eliminate the achievement gap and prepare all California students to succeed in the rapidly changing global economy.

7) Schools of excellence recognized.

* 31 public schools and four private schools in California were identified by the U.S. Department of Education as 2006 NCLB—Blue Ribbon Schools.

* A record 377 California public elementary schools were selected as 2006 California Distinguished Schools.

* O’Connell named 310 California schools as the 2005-06 Title I Academic Achievement Award winners.

* O’Connell designated 18 California schools as 2006 Model Continuation High Schools.

* O’Connell named four middle schools designated as California’s 2006 Schools To Watch—Taking Center Stage model middle schools.

8) Students make steady progress on academic achievement.

* The 2005-06 Academic Performance Index results show the state’s average score grew to 720, an 11-point gain from the 2004-05 school year, moving closer to the state goal of 800. The median score for all schools also increased, growing from 714 in 2003 to 745 in 2006.

* The 2006 Standardized Testing and Reporting Program shows California students remain on a steady trajectory of improved student achievement.  Forty-two percent of students statewide scored at the proficient or advanced level in English-language arts, an increase of 2 percentage points over last year, and 40 percent of students scored at the proficient or advanced level in mathematics, an increase of 2 percentage points over last year.

* California public high school students scored exceptionally well in the Advanced Placement Exams, achieving an 8.6 percent increase over the year prior in the number of students earning a grade of 3 (the grade predictive of college success) or higher.

9) California continues to get the highest marks for its academic standards.

* The Fordham Foundation gave California an "A" for its English, mathematics, science, U.S. history, and world history science standards.

10) CDE continues to lead the fight to help students be healthy and successful.

* The report, School Nutrition … BY DESIGN!, is the culmination of work by O’Connell’s Advisory Committee on Nutrition Implementation Strategies, that offers straightforward and realistic suggestions to schools on how to best improve student nutrition.

* The California Middle Grants Alliance, of which CDE is a member, released 12 recommendations to launch a new-century vision for middle grades education in California.