Differentiated Assistance
Through California’s System of Support, the Alameda County Office of Education offers Differentiated Assistance (DA) to help school districts and charter schools improve student outcomes and address equity gaps. Using Improvement Science and Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) frameworks, our support includes tailored coaching, in-person training, and networking. Together with each local education agency, we build sustainable practices that close opportunity gaps and foster lasting, equitable outcomes for all students.
Per California Ed Code 52071(c), if student groups in a district receive the lowest performance level on State or local indicators on the California School Dashboard (such indicators include measures of chronic absenteeism, suspensions, graduation rate, college/career readiness, English Learner progress, and academics), the county superintendent provides targeted support to identify and address areas for improvement.
This level of support is provided if any student group receives the lowest performance level for two or more state priority areas. This assistance focuses on identifying areas for improvement, reviewing data, and offering support to address issues impacting student performance.
This level of support is provided if a school district does not meet goals for three or more student groups in three out of four consecutive years. This support includes a third party systemic review (described below), coaching, and embedded district-level support.
During the 2023-24 school year, Alameda County of Education (ACOE) partnered with WestEd and the Hayward Unified and San Lorenzo Unified School Districts to conduct Systemic Instructional Reviews (SIRs). The SIRs mark the launch of the Intensive Level of Differentiated Assistance and are intended to inform ACOE’s ongoing support to Hayward and San Lorenzo Unified School Districts in the coming years with guiding the districts’ efforts to improve student outcomes and school experiences.
The purpose of the SIR is to provide findings and prioritized recommendations to the county office of education and the district about high-leverage areas of improvement—and potential strategies to address those areas—based on data collected through the review. This report conveys the SIR’s findings and recommendations.
Data collection activities include analyzing administrative and student outcome data; reviewing the school district’s documents; and conducting interviews, focus groups, and in-person observations at school sites. As part of this process, input is collected from central office administrators, school administrators, teachers, classified staff, parents, and students.
In addition to identifying areas for improvement, the report’s findings highlight the district’s key strengths. The recommendations outlined in the report build upon strengths, assets, and areas for improvement identified through the review process.
Juwen Lam
Chief of Accountability Partnerships
(510) 670-4147
juwenl@acoe.org
Abbey Kerins
Director, Intensive District and School Support
(510) 670-4548
akerins@acoe.org
Anika Hardy
Director, Strategic District and School Support
(510) 670-4171
ahardy@acoe.org
Scott Figgins, M.Ed.
Director of Research and Analytics
(510) 670-4245
sfiggins@acoe.org