The California Department of Education (CDE) and the State Board of Education (SBE) have released the California School Dashboard, a website that gives parents, students and educators access to valuable school and district data.

To find your school within the Hart School District, go to www.caschooldashboard.org and type your school name in the landing page. There is also a video on that page to help explain the Dashboard.

“The California School Dashboard is a data-driven approach to provide the ‘whole picture’ of a school for educators and parents,” said State Superintendent Tony Thurmond. “The Dashboard empowers local communities to identify opportunities and resources to better serve their students, and provides parents and educators with meaningful information on school and district progress so they can participate in plans to improve student learning.”

The Dashboard makes complex school and student performance data easier to understand and is accessible on smart phones and tablets. District, school and student performance levels are indicated on a gauge with an arrow pointing to a range of colors, with red the lowest and blue the highest. The new Dashboard has the most current school and student data available to the state, including student performance on the 2019 state assessments (with the exception of science) and graduation rates.

“In the Hart School District, the goal is not to prepare students for the annual state assessments,” said Dave LeBarron, director of Curriculum and Assessment for the Hart School District. “The goal is to take the time and invest the resources to ensure our students get an outstanding education. The outcome of achieving our goal is that our students do well on the state assessments.”

The Dashboard is a key component of California’s five-year overhaul of the state’s school accountability system. It displays statewide data based on status (how each school or district performed) and change (how much they have improved or declined over time). The Dashboard also breaks down information by student group (low-income, English learner, foster youth, etc.) to help pinpoint and address achievement gaps.