CaliforniaCollegeReadinessBlockGrants- Implications
andOpportunitiesforGrantRecipients
Lora Ballard, Tom Chorneau, & David DeSchryver
Moderated by Tim Waldron, Director, Hobsons
September 20, 2016

Lora Ballard has 24 years of experience
in education. In her current position as
Secondary Program Specialist, she
enjoys supporting teachers using
different programs, including Naviance,
at ABC Unified's 10 secondary schools.
Lora has her bachelor's and master's
degrees from Loyola Marymount
University in Los Angeles, California.
Lora Ballard
Secondary Program
Specialist
ABC Unified School District
4
About thePresenters
David DeSchryver
Senior Vice President, Co-
Director of Research
Whiteboard Advisors
Tom Chorneau
Managing Editor
The Cabinet Report
David has been part of a wide range of
cutting-edge education issues over his 20-
year career. He helped state policymakers
understand and craft their own charter
school laws in the 1990s. He helped to
build the K-12 learning management
systems market in the early 2000s. As an
attorney at the law firm of Brustein &
Manasevit, he represented state
educational agencies and local
educational agencies during the heydays
of No Child Left Behind and the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Chorneau has been managing editor of
Cabinet Report since 2008. Prior to that
he was senior capitol correspondent for
the San Francisco Chronicle. He has spent
more than twenty years as a political and
government reporter for a number of
news organizations including the
Associated Press and the Los Angeles
Daily News. His awards over the years
include first prizes from the California
Newspaper Publishers Association and
the Best of the West regional journalism
competition.

In this presentation, you will learn about California’s new College Readiness
Block Grants (CRBG) and how one district is supporting college and career
readiness as part of their Local Accountability and Control Plan (LCAP).
Presentation Objectives

TheLaw|CollegeReadiness BlockGrant
program(CRBG)
“With this measure, we are hoping to strengthen the
pipeline for underserved communities to our public
institutions of higher learning to give all students –
regardless of their economic status – a chance to
succeed,” Kevin de León (D- Los Angeles)

TheLaw|CollegeReadiness BlockGrant
program(CRBG)
Purpose: The CRBG program provides California’s high school pupils,
particularly unduplicated pupils, additional supports to increase the number
who enroll at institutions of higher education and complete an
undergraduate degree within 4 years.
Base funding: No school district, COE, or charter school serving at least one
unduplicated pupil in grades 9- 12 during the 2015–16 fiscal year shall
receive a total allocation of less than $75,000. Allocations are based on the
number of HS students in the three subgroups targeted by LCFF: low-
income, EL, & foster youth.
Availability: These funds are available for expenditure or encumbrance

CRBG|USES
The funds must be used for activities that directly
support pupil access and successful matriculation to
institutions of higher education. That may include:
(1) Providing teachers, administrators, and
counselors with professional development
opportunities to improve pupil A–G course
completion rates, pupil college-going rates, and
college readiness of pupils;
(2) Beginning or increasing counseling services
to pupils and their families regarding college
admission requirements and financial aid
programs.
(3) Developing or purchasing materials that
support college readiness;
(4) Developing comprehensive advising plans to support
pupil completion of A–G course requirements.
(5) Implementing collaborative partnerships between
high schools and postsecondary educational institutions;
(6) Providing subsidies to pay fees for taking advanced
placement exams.
(7) Expanding access to coursework or other
opportunities to satisfy A–G course requirements to all
pupils [...].These opportunities may include, but shall not
be limited to, new or expanded partnerships with other
secondary or postsecondary educational institutions.

CRBG|Planning
Plan to ensure college readiness: As a condition for receiving funds under
this article, a school district, county office of education, or charter school
shall develop a plan describing how the funds will increase or improve
services to ensure college readiness.
Align with LCAP: The plan shall include information regarding how it aligns
with the school district’s local control and accountability plan.
Ensure community and stakeholder input. The plan shall be discussed at
a regularly scheduled meeting by the governing board of the school district,
county board of education, or governing body of the charter school and
adopted at a subsequent regularly scheduled meeting.

CRBG|Aligning withLCAP
The state’s LCAP priorities include programs that
focus on:
Entry in the UC system. Share of pupils that meet the requirements for
entrance to the University of California and the California State University or
complete career technical education sequences or programs.
Course access. Provide students with an online program to complete a
career inventory that connects students’ interests to career and college
options allowing for appropriate selection of career pathways

CRBG|Reporting
Grantees shall report to the Superintendent by
January 1, 2017, on how they will measure the impact
of the funds received on their unduplicated pupils’
access and successful matriculation to institutions of
higher education, as identified within their plan.

CRBG|Alignment withCCRIndicators
Broad Challenges persist:
New plan. California State Board of Education is set to
finalize the new school performance rubrics in November
and adopt the ESSA State Plan early in 2017.
Local wisdom. The difficulty of addressing complicated
college and career ready indicators may benefit from local
plans and programs. What are the “Money Ball” indicators
that may emerge to inform state policy making?

CRBG|Alignment withNationalActivites
The grant connect to the new federal law,
the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
Districts must submit plans describing:
‘‘(1) how the LEA will monitor students’ progress in meeting
the challenging State academic standards by
‘‘(A) developing and implementing a well-rounded program of instruction;
‘‘(B) identifying students who may be at risk for academic failure;
‘‘(C) providing additional educational assistance to individual students who need
help in meeting the challenging State academic standards; and
‘‘(D) identifying and implementing strategies to strengthen academic programs and
improve school conditions for student learning;

CRBG|Alignment withNationalActivities
(10) how the LEA will implement strategies
to facilitate effective transitions for
students from ... high school to
postsecondary education
‘‘(A) through coordination with institutions of higher
education, employers, and other local partners; and
‘‘(B) through increased student access to early college
high school or dual or concurrent enrollment
opportunities, or career counseling to identify student
interests and skills;

LCAP|ACaseStudyinCollegeandCareer
Readiness
ABC Unified School District
• Serves over 21,000 K-12 ethnically diverse students
• 19 elementary schools
• 10 secondary schools
• In Los Angeles county, 11 miles from Disneyland
Office of
Curriculum and
Professional
Learning,
Secondary Division

LCAP|ACaseStudyinCollegeandCareer
Readiness
LCAP State Priority 7: Course Access
Provide students with an online program to complete a
career inventory that connects students’ interests to career
and college options allowing for appropriate selection of
career pathways (e.g. Naviance). Provide parent education
nights to increase parent awareness. District Coach will
coordinate program with ongoing support for counselors,
AVID teachers, and site administrators.
Office of
Curriculum and
Professional
Learning,
Secondary Division

LCAP|ACaseStudyinCollegeandCareer
Readiness

LCAP|ACaseStudyinCollegeandCareer
Readiness
LCAP State Priority 7: Course Access
Grade 11:
College SuperMatch & Scholarship Search
Grade 12:
Apply for collegeOffice of
Curriculum and
Professional
Learning,
Secondary Division

LCAP|ACaseStudyinCollegeandCareer
Readiness

LCAP|ACaseStudyinCollegeandCareer
Readiness
LCAP State Priority 7: Course Access
Family Connection:
Increase parent awareness and involvement at all grade
levels.
Office of
Curriculum and
Professional
Learning,
Secondary Division

LCAP|ACaseStudyinCollegeandCareer
Readiness

Q&A