Report 2016-114 Recommendation 5 Responses

Report 2016-114: College Readiness of California's High School Students: The State Can Better Prepare Students for College by Adopting New Strategies and Increasing Oversight (Release Date: February 2017)

Recommendation #5 To: Coachella Valley Unified School District

To increase students' access to and completion rates of college preparatory coursework, districts should create a robust and stable network of credit recovery options that reflect the needs of their student populations. These options—which the districts should monitor for effectiveness—should include summer school courses and evening courses.

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2019

Credit recovery is offered during the school day, after school, and summer to all students at our three comprehensive high schools, a continuation school, and Adult Education Center. We do not offer night classes because 90% of our students are transported to school by bus.

We offer three different online credit recovery programs such as; APEX, Cyber High, and Acellus. Offering the three different online programs allows schools to individualize a student's credit recovery plan. We are currently working with APEX to implement an online tutorial that will allow students to make up a unit versus failing a class. Our College and Career Coordinator supervises the CVUSD credit recovery options that are implemented district-wide and works with site administration and counselor to ensure regular student monitoring with parent periodic check-ins and a system of supports including parent involvement.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Fully Implemented

We reviewed documents that show Coachella is now offering three different credit recovery options for a variety of classes, including summer school options.

1-Year Agency Response

Auditee has not responded to our recommendation.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Pending

6-Month Agency Response

CVUSD currently offers credit recovery at high schools that students access during the school day, after school, and during the summer. The one exception is West Shores High School who is in the process of developing a plan that will include transportation for its students who attend this very geographically remote site; the lack of transportation, based on school bus fleet limitations, has been an impediment in offering after school credit recovery. Students additionally recover credits through the district's continuation school, Adult Education program, online programs APEX, Cyber High, and Acellus, and in summer school. The district continues to partner with the RCOE to receive guidance in development of a robust plan to offer an array of credit recovery options to be implemented district-wide. The Educational Services Division is proposing the creation of a district-level counseling position devoted to college and career readiness; an individual intended to implement and supervise the plan and work with site administration and counselors to ensure regular student monitoring with periodic check-ins and a system of supports including parent involvement and arrays of credit recovery. The district's continuation school is developing an innovative plan to reconfigure the delivery of services to students to allow for a blended learning environment with the potential to double the amount of students served. Additionally, the district is developing a counseling resource guide for students and parents to help them understand and refer to as a planning tool to be used in conjunction with site counselors' guidance, to develop and understand the four-year pathway to college and career, complete with monthly and yearly milestones and timelines.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

In 2015, 55% of all offered courses in CVUSD are college preparatory.In 2016 this figure rose to 69%. In 2017 that figure increased to 75%. Report 2016-114 determined that CVUSD met or exceeded the A-G access requirement. Although the state has no prerequisite for access to A-G course, CVUSD continues to ensure A-G access because it is a district priority. Since 2015 more AP and other college preparatory courses have been added and graduation requirement changes were established to support a college preparatory approach for students. Summer school was restored in summer of 2015 and additional credit recovery options added during the school day for credit recovery options, including A-G recovery. Evening courses are not implemented but online credit recovery options have been available since 2015.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: No Action Taken

The district has not taken any additional steps since the release of our audit in February, 2017.

All Recommendations in 2016-114

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.