The SAT gap + Who’s in Biden’s camp? + A GOP mayor enters crowded Senate race

Top of the Tuesday morning to you, California. A reminder that we are taking Thanksgiving off for the alert.

(NOT-SO) PREPPED

California still struggles with supporting certain groups of students with preparation for college and careers after high school graduation.

The silver lining? District leaders throughout the state say they are trying to up the numbers by reducing costs associated with necessary college entrance exams and by supporting a culture that underscores the importance of post-grad preparation.

The Policy Analysis of California Education interviewed 20 education leaders in eight school districts and one county office of education throughout the state for a report on post-grad support released on Monday. The leaders work in coastal and Central Valley areas, in the north and south of the state, and are working to determine how they can advance California’s public high school students’ academic and employment opportunities.

“Today, significant state and local efforts are aiming to address college preparation and to smooth the transition from high school into college, especially for underrepresented and first-generation college students,” the authors noted. “The adoption of college and career readiness standards and assessments, increased access to the SAT, and a richer set of college preparatory curricula are all critical components of these efforts.”

Some statistics:

• Less than half of public high school graduates in the 2017 to 2018 cohort were college or career ready, with 42 percent of the students completing “at least” one college and career indicator standard. Another 17 percent were deemed “approaching prepared.”
• Only 40 percent of the graduates had completed coursework that meets University of California and California State University admission requirements.
• Forty-five percent of the graduates had taken the SAT exam before college.
• About 60 percent of public high school students enrolled in college after graduation. Less than half of those students earn a two-year or four-year degree.
• Not surprisingly, those least likely to be ready for college or careers are also more likely to be students of color, socioeconomically disadvantaged students and English learners. Less than 20 percent of English learners take the SAT. Onl 38 percent of socioeconomically challenged students take the test as well.

Takeaways:

• School districts across the state are now providing waivers and are administering exams during the school day in an effort to increase participation in exams necessary for college acceptance, like the PSAT and SAT. District leaders offered their support in also reducing AP exam costs.
• Some districts are “cultivating a ‘college for all’ ethos” that makes college prep curriculum “the norm for all high school students” that exposes students to “the demands of college through college-level coursework.”

• Several of the education leaders also reported that the “true measure” of college preparation is students’ “actual enrollment and persistence” in their education.

• College prep goes hand-in-hand with career readiness, the leaders noted, meaning that students who don’t plan on post-secondary education still need the same level of academic rigor in preparing for work immediately after high school graduation.

“ There is not a job with a livable wage in our current economy that does not require some sort of post-secondary training,” said one Southern California district leader in the report.

You can read the full analysis here.

Bryan Anderson writes...

BIDEN NABS SUPPORT FROM SEVERAL STATE LAWMAKERS

Former Vice President Joe Biden has secured the support of eight state lawmakers, according to his California campaign. Biden also received formal support on Tuesday from 13 other elected officials across the state.

Here’s who’s endorsed him from the Capitol community:

• Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Sanger
• Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Garden Grove
• Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda
• Assemblyman Jim Cooper, D-Elk Grove
• Assemblyman Tom Daly, D-Anaheim
• Assemblyman Tim Grayson, D-Concord
• Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell, D-Long Beach
• Assemblyman Freddie Rodriguez, D-Pomona

Biden’s California state director, Jessica Mejía, called the latest string of endorsements “essential to the campaign’s mission of building a broad coalition.” The announcement builds on Biden’s existing support from California Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Congressman Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana.

A few other candidates have received support from state lawmakers. Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, announced her support for Elizabeth Warren, while Assemblymen Kansen Chu and Ash Kalra of San Jose backed Bernie Sanders.

The support within the California Legislature largely belongs to hometown Sen. Kamala Harris, who has the backing of dozens of state lawmakers, including Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Senate leader Toni Atkins.

WATER, WEALTH, CONTENTMENT, HEALTH FOR SENATE

Via Ken Carlson of The Modest Bee

Former Modesto Mayor Jim Ridenour will run for state Senate in the 5th District, adding his name to a growing candidates’ list for the seat held for seven years by Sen. Cathleen Galgiani, D-Stockton, who is terming out.

Ridenour, 79, was Modesto’s mayor from late 2003 to early 2012. With the March primary a little more than three months away, the Republican joins a field also including Modesto Councilman Mani Grewal and state Assembly member Susan Eggman, two Democrats who have sparred over issues, and Stockton school board member Kathleen Garcia.

The 5th Senate District encompasses most of Modesto, the seven cities in San Joaquin County and Galt in southern Sacramento County. The area with nearly a million residents has strong agricultural ties, higher-than-normal unemployment and a growing commuter population.

“I want the people to have a voice,” Ridenour said on Friday.

Ridenour stressed he’s not happy with “what is going on with our state,” noting that conditions in some cities resemble Third World countries. Crime is particularly a problem in the region, said Ridenour, who has strong family ties in law enforcement and emergency services.

“I can’t sit still, so I am going to run, win or lose,” Ridenour said. “We need more people who want to see our state grow and not die.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“As County Supervisor, Herb won’t give up on anyone. Like a dad who loves his son.”

- In an ad supporting his run for L.A. County Supervisor, former Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson’s wife narrates her husband’s accomplishments as video footage follows him through the city in search of his homeless step son. The ad is titled “Searching for Doug.”

Best of The Bee:

• California prison guard let 30 inmates throw a party to mourn a gangster, report says, by Wes Venteicher

• President Donald Trump has said it’s time to consider another tax cut — as evidence mounts that wealthier taxpayers in Sacramento and around the nation benefited a lot more than others from his first one, by David Lightman

• Lina Fat, the woman widely credited with building the Fat Family Restaurant Group empire beyond its L Street roots, died Monday, leaving a legacy behind in Sacramento, by Benjy Egel

• The state agency that handles unemployment checks said that a system upgrade over the weekend disrupted unemployment payments to Californians expecting their money, by Hannah Wiley

This story was originally published November 26, 2019 at 4:55 AM.