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New TV series: Spotlight on the SCCOE focuses on education 

This month, the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) launched a new monthly television series, hosted by Jon R. Gundry, County Superintendent of Schools, to help inform the local community about the latest happenings in K-12 education. 

Spotlight on the SCCOE features Superintendent Gundry and different guests each month discussing important issues affecting education. The first episode, "The Teacher Pipeline," features Mr. Gundry, Dr. Kip T�llez, an education professor at University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), and Philip Gordillo, Chief Human Resources Officer at the SCCOE, discussing the rising teacher shortage in California, particularly Santa Clara County. 

Spotlight on the SCCOE targets community members, parents, and educators alike, with important and timely K-12 topics. 

In addition to being available on the SCCOE YouTube page, Spotlight on the SCCOE will air at 6:30 p.m. on Sundays on CreaTV Classrooms, Cable Channel 28 in San Jose and Campbell, and at 6:30 p.m. on Mondays on Bay Voice TV, starting Monday, May 23. Bay Voice TV airs on Cable Channel 27 in Atherton, Campbell, Cupertino, East Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Gatos, Menlo Park, Milpitas, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga, Stanford University, and Sunnyvale. 

New episodes will air each month.

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Strong Start delegation advocates for early learning at State Capitol

A delegation of 16 Silicon Valley community and education leaders representing the Strong Start Initiative, including County Superintendent of Schools Jon Gundry, County Board of Education members Grace Mah and Joseph Di Salvo, Evergreen School District Superintendent Kathy Gomez, and school district trustees Ellen Wheeler and Bonnie Mace, visited California legislators on May 25 to advocate for increased support of early learning programs in the upcoming state budget. The delegation met with legislators from Santa Clara County, the Chair of the Legislative Women's Caucus, staff from the legislative leadership, the Governor's office and the State Board of Education, and with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to discuss Gov. Brown's May revisions to the state's proposed 2016-17 budget.

"The decisions made regarding early childhood education should be made as part of the legislative process, not determined as an item in the annual budget process," said Superintendent Gundry.

Legislators and their staffs were largely receptive to the Strong Start delegation's support for restoring funding to early learning programs, particularly the proposal from the Legislative Women's Caucus to increase funding by $800 million, and to reject any proposal that eliminates Transitional Kindergarten or moves it away from its current funding model based upon attendance.

For more information, read the full News Release.

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Alternative Education Department receives WASC accreditation

The Santa Clara County Office of Education's Alternative Education Department received six-year accreditation status by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) this month. 

"Six years is the best that you can get," said Yvette Irving, Director of Alternative Education. "This is not only validation but a compliment to the program that we provide at the County Office of Education." 

She added what is especially "unique" is that both the high school and middle school programs will carry the WASC accreditation seal. 

Because of the accreditation, students from the county's AED schools are now eligible to apply directly to the California State University and University of California systems for admission. WASC accreditation also allows those students who participate in AED for a limited amount of time to return to their home districts with credits that can be applied to local graduation requirements.

WASC accreditation is bestowed upon schools that demonstrate the capacity, commitment, and competence to support high-quality student learning and ongoing school improvement. The granted accreditation was based on testimony and supporting data in its application, and a visit from the WASC committee in March. 

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Long-term trends show incremental increase in county graduation rates

The graduation rate for students in Santa Clara County (SCC) has incrementally increased over the past six years, as has the percent of graduates completing the A-G requirements. Between 2009-10 and 2014-15, the graduation rate increased by 3.1 percentage points to 83.6 percent while the percent of overall SCC grade 12 graduates completing the A-G requirements increased by 4.7 points to 53.6 percent, according to statistics released May 17 by the California Department of Education. 

In the same time frame, the dropout rate for students in Santa Clara County has declined by 2.8 percentage points. However, there was no change from last year and, for the first time, the dropout rate for California (10.7 percent) inched lower than the county's (11.1 percent). 

"Any improvement is positive, but we know there are still many needs," said County Superintendent of Schools Jon R. Gundry. "One of the ways we are addressing student needs in this area is through programs like our new Opportunity Youth Academy that affords 16- to 24-year-olds an opportunity to earn their high school diploma through an individualized program." 

Begun this academic year, there are now four Opportunity Youth Academy (OYA) sites throughout the county. More than just a credit recovery program, OYA pairs students with staff who build positive, on-on-one relationships with them and work to map out a path for each student's individual academic and career goals. 


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STEAM Engine rolls into the SCCOE

What do you get when you combine science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM)? A train. Well, for the time being. 

The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) is showcased a STEAM Engine in the Learning Multimedia Center at its Ridder Park office through the end of May. The train is a fully integrated, creative sculpture demonstrating science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics, and their interconnectivity. Originally designed for the Curriculum & Instruction Steering Committee of the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association Conference in Monterey back in February, and later displayed at the 2016 Inaugural STEAM Symposium at the SCCOE last month, the STEAM Engine is a traveling display. 

Both a whimsical train and an interactive musical sculpture, the STEAM Engine is part xylophone and part oscilloscope. When you strike the xylophone's bars with a mallet, a computer program converts the sound waves into light frequencies creating a colorful projected light display. The engine's cab shows sine waves of the music, transforming the music's art, into its math and science components. The STEAM Engine teaches students about perspective, measurement, and audio frequencies. 

After being displayed at Ridder Park, the STEAM Engine's creators - SCCOE Science Coordinator Sandi Yellenberg and Harry Dill, a former NASA scientist and teacher on special assignment at Saratoga Union School District - hope to roll it out to different school sites. 

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Updates from the County Board of Education
Here's a summary of actions taken by the Board at its recent meetings.

May 18:
  • Pablo Diaz was recognized as the Student of the Year for Migrant Education;
  • Stacey McCabe (Substitute Alternative Education Teacher) and Eugenio Rillera (Substitute Special Education Assistant) were honored as the Santa Clara County Office of Education Substitutes of the Year; and 
  • Each year at the request of the California Department of Education, the County Superintendent invites submissions from county districts for the state "Classified School Employee of the Year" program. A Santa Clara County Office of Education committee reviewed all submissions and selected one employee from each job classification.

    The following nominees were honoredKeli DaSilva of Gilroy Unified School District for Child Nutrition; Adan Barajas of Oak Grove Elementary School District for Maintenance, Operations and Facilities; Omar Gutierrez of East Side Union School District for Office and Technical; Victoria Santiago of Morgan Hill Unified School District for Paraeducator and Instructional Assistance; Eva Chesnut of Moreland School District for Services and Security; and Jesus Contreras of Campbell Union School District for Transportation.
May 4:
The Board of Education is the elected governing body of the SCCOE. Its seven members serve four-year terms and are elected by different regions of the county. Learn more about the members, and view their meeting schedule, agendas, and minutes.
In This Issue
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Young Artists' Showcase celebrates 20th anniversary

During the 20th annual Young Artists' Showcase celebration on May 24 at the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE), a picture was painted of how the arts are a critical component of a well-rounded education. The event was held to honor 38 students whose art was chosen from more than 1,000 submissions to the annual competition, open to public school students, grades kindergarten through 12th grade, in Santa Clara County.

The entry was one of 38 selected art pieces chosen from more than 900 submissions to the Santa Clara County Office of Education's (SCCOE) 20th annual Young Artists' Showcase. It won first place in the Digital Painting category for the high school division. The SCCOE honored the award winners during a celebration on May 24 at the Ridder Park office. 

"We are thrilled to celebrate the creativity, talent, passion, and ideas of our students whose work will be entered into the county's permanent collection," said Esther Tokihiro, Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator with the SCCOE. 

County Superintendent of Schools Jon R. Gundry talked about his support of the arts during a keynote address. 

"I just love being surrounded by the creative genius of students in our midst," Superintendent Gundry said. "So I would like to start by saying thank you to all the young artists here today." 

In particular, Mr. Gundry shared his gratitude for Cindy Nguyen, a seventh-grader at Sylvandale Middle School in the Franklin-McKinley School District, because he recently chose a copy of Cindy's piece "Koi Fish Pond" to display proudly in his office. "So I'll be reminded every day when I come to the office of the talent we have here in this county," he said. 

Cindy was among the winners whose art was framed and put on display for attendees to view at the event. It will be added to the more than 1,000 framed art pieces in the permanent, ever growing collection that began wrapping the hallways and three floors of the Ridder Park building when the contest began in 1996.

For more information, read the full News Release.

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Ceremony honors students with special needs, retiring director

Holden Pence was one of 11 students honored as the Class Worker of the Year during the Workability I Awards Ceremony on May 17 at the Ridder Park office. 

Through a grant from the California Department of Education, the SCCOE Special Education Workability I program assists students aged 16 to 22 with the transition from school to work by providing comprehensive vocational training and work experience. The celebration is held annually to honor students in Special Education who participate in WorkAbility. 

"This year, 80 students participated in day training," said Nancy Guerrero, retiring Director of Special Education Projects. "The students are trained by their classroom staff, then job training specialists, and then eventually to other employees in a place of business. ... Over 200 students participated in work-related activities, such as a job club, career fair, or transition fair. 

After the students were acknowledged for their hard work and persistence, Cynthia Valadez, Special Education Program Coordinator, surprised Guerrero with recognition as the Worker of the Year. Valadez reflected on the last 25 years she has spent working with Guerrero.

null "It's been truly my pleasure to work with WorkAbility all these years; see all these students get jobs," she said. "I started to be a WorkAbility teacher because I was concerned about where our students went after they left our wonderful programs. ... So I worked with the program for all these years to help develop options for students to move on and lead that productive adult life." 

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SCCOE marks National Teacher Appreciation Day with PSA series

The Santa Clara County Office of Education marked National Teacher Appreciation Day 2016 (May 3) by launching a series of Teacher PSAs, titled "Why I Teach." 

Each video highlights three 2015-16 teachers of the year from around the county, who share just a few thoughts about why they find teaching so rewarding. All the teachers honored during the SCCOE's 2015 Teacher Recognition Ceremony last fall in Campbell will be featured in the series.  

The PSAs, which will be rolled out every week until the end of June, are part of a wider countywide initiative to address the teacher shortage. A few months into last school year, there were still almost 4,000 teaching positions open in the state of California. 

The SCCOE is working on recruiting and developing the next generation of excellent teachers through many means, including its upcoming Instructional Assistant Job Fair on June 11 and Step into Teaching: Opportunities in Silicon Valley Public Schools Event on June 18. This inaugural event will help candidates who may have never considered teaching see themselves in the position by helping them learn and prepare for the joys of a teaching career.

Check out the entire series on the SCCOE YouTube playlist or watch them by clicking on the individual videos below: 
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Upcoming Events

Below are some of the many upcoming events supported by the Santa Clara County Office of Education. Check the "Events" column of our website for regular updates: 
Instructional Assistant Job Fair [June 11]The job fair is designed for candidates interested in employment as instructional assistants with the Santa Clara County Office of Education. On June 11, registered candidates will be tested and/or interviewed for Instructional Assistant positions. Please register for the job fair by submitting an online application by June 3 and submitting copies of your qualifying documents. 
 
Step into Teaching [June 18]: Step into Teaching: Opportunities in Silicon Valley Public Schools will help attendees learn about and prepare for a teaching career. The day will begin with a keynote speaker who is an expert in the education field. Participants will also hear about how to navigate the credentialing process, opportunities with potential employers, compensation and retirement. Registration is required, and is currently open.

2016 Inclusion Collaborative State Conference [October 27-28]: The SCCOE will host the Inclusion Collaborative State Conference, sponsored by the California Department of Education-Special Education Division and First 5 Santa Clara County, from October 27-28. Meet with other education professionals and learn, create, and enhance inclusive practices for from birth to 12th grade with and without disabilities. Participants can obtain two CEUs through the University of the Pacific and received a certificate of completion. Registration for the conference closes October 7, or when filled. Don't delay! Register here.

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Since 1852, the Santa Clara County Office of Education has provided vital services and resources to the county's 31 K-12 public school districts and more than 250,000 students. The SCCOE strives to provide advocacy and leadership on education issues, student programs that are models of excellence and indispensable services to schools and community partners. The SCCOE is committed to serving, inspiring and promoting student and public school success.

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Santa Clara County Office of Education | 1290 Ridder Park Drive | San Jose | CA | 95131-2304