The California Department of Education (CDE), in partnership with WestEd, is excited to share with you a new statewide initiative called Inclusive Access to a Diploma: Reimagining Proficiency for Students with Disabilities. This initiative is funded by the Special Education Division of the CDE and is primarily focused on improving graduation rates for students with disabilities within California. This initiative accomplishes this goal through the development of resources schools and teachers can use to measure proficiency in various courses required for graduation.
To begin gathering public input on the materials developed through this initiative, a temporary website has been launched. This website is dedicated to informing students, families, general education and special education teachers, administrators, counselors, and other California constituents about the latest strategies and resources developed for this initiative. These efforts are focused on providing students with disabilities alternative means of expression when demonstrating their understanding of coursework required for earning a standard diploma based on the state minimum requirements.
The purpose of this website is twofold:
● Information Sharing: To provide comprehensive details about the district’s strategies and resources supporting students with disabilities.
● Feedback Collection: To gather valuable insights and feedback from all stakeholders to ensure our approach is effective and meets the needs of our community.
The initiative team needs your help! Your feedback is crucial in shaping the initiative’s strategy and ensuring the resources provided through this work are practical and beneficial. You are invited to visit the website, explore the content, and share your thoughts and suggestions.
Here’s how you can contribute:
1. Visit the website: www.altmeans.org
2. Explore the resources and project strategy: Familiarize yourself with the strategies and resources created, adopted, or adapted for the project.
3. Provide feedback: Use the feedback-gathering tools embedded within the website to provide your ideas and suggestions regarding how these tools could support increasing the number of students with disabilities graduating with a standard diploma in our state.
Your participation will directly impact the effectiveness of California’s support for students with disabilities, helping them to achieve their full potential. We greatly appreciate your time and effort in contributing to this important work.
Lastly, in addition to contributing to the website, WestEd will also be hosting town hall webinars describing in further detail the goals, strategy, and purpose behind the Inclusive Access to a Diploma: Reimagining Proficiency for Students with Disabilities. The details and registration links to these meetings are below.
● Town Hall 1 - August 22, 2024, from 4:00 to 5:30 PST—Registration Link
● Town Hall 2 - September 24, 2024, from 5:00 to 6:30 PST—Registration Link
● Town Hall 3 - November 21, 2024, from 4:00 to 5:30 PST—Registration Link
● Town Hall 4 - January 7, 2024, from 5:00 to 6:30 PST—Registration Link