University of California, BerkeleyDecember 2011       
CPA Report Released by Superintendent Torlakson

On October 25th the California Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson, released a report entitled Profile of the California Partnership Academies, 2009-10 (Full report and Executive Summary). Produced by CASN, with support from the California Department of Education (CDE) and the James Irvine Foundation, the report provides a picture of the California Partnership Academies (CPAs), based on information they submitted to CDE. A similar report was issued in 2007 using data from 2004-05, with similar findings. The positive results in these reports reflect the continuing hard work and dedication of academy teachers, administrators, and community partners.

 

Some of the findings on student performance 

  • 95% of CPA seniors graduated on time, compared with 85% statewide, a substantial difference. Among Hispanic seniors, the on-time graduation rate was 14% higher in CPAs than statewide, and for African American seniors it was 16% higher in CPAs than statewide.
  • 57% of CPA graduates were reported to have met the UC/CSU a-g requirements, compared with 36% statewide. Evidently CPAs are preparing students for college as well as careers.
  • Among graduating seniors, 60% of CPA seniors planned to attend a community college and 28% a four-year college; the majority in both instances planned to work part-time also.
  • Academies reported that 71% of juniors participated in mentorships, and 52% of seniors in internships.

 

Some basic facts about CPAs in 2009-10

  • 467 CPAs operated in 278 of California's 1,264 high schools.
  • CPAs enrolled 48,436 students, or about 3% of those in grades 10-12 statewide.
  • The career fields with the most CPAs were Health Science and Medical Technology (76 academies), Arts/ Media & Entertainment (66), Finance & Business (51), Engineering & Design (47), and Public Services (46). All 15 California CTE fields had some academies.
  • Students in the CPAs were 53% female and 47% male. Most of the academies were well balanced in terms of gender.
  • 59% of CPA students were Hispanic, 16% white, 10% Asian, 9% black, and 6% other. This was higher than the state average for Hispanic and black students, and lower for white students.
  • The majority of high schools receiving CPA grants were below average in their API score.

 

Sources of CPA funding

  • Student at computer-aided design systemOn average, State grants for CPAs provided $547 per student enrolled in CPAs.
  • By law, both the grant-receiving district and partner employers in each CPA must provide matching in-kind support equaling the State grant. In 2009-10, 96% of CPAs met the district match and 93% the employer match. Most exceeded the minimum match.
  • Overall, State grants amounted to $26.5 million (23% of total funding), school district matches $41.3 million (35% of total), and employer matches $48.3 million (42% of total).

 The report concludes that CPAs are indeed preparing high school students for both college and careers. While the report itself does not comment on the future funding of CPAs, state officials note that of the three funding streams for CPAs - Prop. 98, SB 70, and AB 519 - the last two are scheduled to sunset at the end of the 2011-2012 school year. These currently support about 40% of the approximately 500 CPAs operating in California. Efforts are underway in the State Legislature to extend at least some of this support.  

Download the Profile of the California Partnership Academies, 2009-10 or Executive Summary.  

 

Visit CASN's one-stop website

 

Our website offers resources especially for academies:
  • Directories of career academies in California and nationwide
  • Guides and handbooks on how to implement features of an academy
  • Templates and forms you can tailor to your own needs
  • Current and past issues of CASN  News, a free electronic newslette
  • Summaries of what we know about the effectiveness of academies
  • Curriculum abstracts and links for several career fields
  • Brief videos that spotlight key features of successful CPAs
  • Ask-CASN, an online service offering direct access to CASN experts