Foster Youth
Education
LCAP Implementation for
Foster Youth
Riverside County Office of
Education
March 27, 2015
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Tom Torlakson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Foster Care Education
Facts
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
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Are significantly more likely to change schools
Are significantly more likely to be enrolled in the lowest
performing schools
Tested below basic and far below basic at twice the rate of
students statewide
Are significantly more likely to drop out than any other at risk
student group.
Have a 58% high school graduation rate, the lowest among atrisk student groups and as compared to a high school
graduation rate of 84% for students statewide.
Are identified for Special Education services at almost three
times the rate of non-foster students
Source: The Achievement Gap Report 2013: WestEd
Enter Created Date
Foster Youth
Recent Legislation
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• AB 12 Signed into law 2010
– Amends Welf. & Inst. Code §
11400-11405
– Provides for extended eligibility for
foster youth services if requested up
to age 21 if certain conditions exist.
Foster Youth
Recent Legislation
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• AB 167/216
• Amends EC 51225.3 High School
Graduation requirements for foster youth.
• Provides for high schools in CA to grant a
diploma to a foster youth entering a high
school in the 11th or 12th grade if that
student has met the minimum state
requirements for graduation, unless that
student is reasonably able to complete the
schools graduation requirements
Foster Youth
Recent Legislation
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• AB 97 School Finance Reform
Adds EC Section 42238-42251
– EC 42238.01
• Defines Foster Youth for purposes of
serving students with LCFF funding
• Expands the existing definition of foster
youth currently defined under
EC 42920-42925
• Shifts funding, planning and
accountability decision making for foster
youth to school districts.
Proposed Legislation
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• AB 854
– Further refines the definition of foster
youth.
– Shift in service model
– Changes roles of County Offices
Foster Youth Defined
under LCFF
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• A child or youth who is the subject of a
petition filed under Welfare and Institutions
Code (WIC) Section 300 (dependent of the
court due to the presence or risk of abuse
or neglect). This includes both children
who are living at home while a dependent
of the court as well as children who the
court has ordered to be removed into the
care, custody and control of a social
worker for placement outside the home.
Foster Youth Defined
under LCFF (cont’d)
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• A child or youth who is the subject of a
petition filed under WIC Section 602
(meaning a court has taken jurisdiction
over a child and declared the child to be
a ward of the court due to the child’s
violation of certain criminal laws) and
has been ordered by a court to be
removed from home pursuant to WIC
Section 727 and placed in foster care
as defined by WIC Section 727.4(d).
Foster Youth Defined
under LCFF (cont’d)
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• A youth between ages 18 and 21 who is
enrolled in high school, is a non-minor
dependent under the placement
responsibility of child welfare, probation,
or a tribal organization participating in
an agreement pursuant to WIC Section
10553.1, and is participating in a
transitional living case plan.
Who is not defined as
Foster Youth under LCFF?
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
•
A child or youth who is in a “voluntary placement.” Voluntary
placements are not subject to a petition filed under WIC
Section 300.
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A child or youth who is living with relatives or friends and who
is not a dependent of the court (i.e. is not subject to a WIC
Section 300 petition).
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A child or youth who is a ward of the juvenile court pursuant to
a petition filed under WIC Section 602 who is either living at
home or has been ordered to be placed in a corrective or
rehabilitative facility but has not been ordered to be removed
from his or her home into a foster care placement pursuant to
WIC Section 727.4(d).
What Now?
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• LCFF Expands the definition of foster
youth in California
• Numbers of eligible youth in California
may double
• Increased demands on existing
structures and systems
• Schools will now be held accountable
for educational outcomes for foster
youth
What do we know about Foster
Youth?
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• A population served by multiple systems
(often simultaneously):
– California Department of Social Services
– Child Welfare
– Administrative Office of the Courts
– Mental Health
– County Probation
– Community Based Organizations
– Health Care system
– Education Community
What do we know about
Foster Youth? (cont’d)
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• Many have had multiple home and school
placements 24% have had at least two placements
• Some struggle with trust and school engagement
as a result
• Often a skills or academic credit gap
• Behavior issues- by history or observation
• Substance Abuse
• Special Education or special learning needs
• Medical Issues
• Trauma history
How do we serve Foster Youth?
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
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Inter-Disciplinary Approach
Multi-Systems Approach
Team Based
Comprehensive Case
Management
• Progress Monitoring
• Flexible
Inter-disciplinary Approach to
serving Foster Youth
TOM TORLAKSON
• Services approached based on:
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
– Student need
– Inter-agency approach to service delivery
requires interaction cross-systems
– individuals from several disciplines working
toward a common goal
– team members have the additional
responsibility of the group effort
– includes the professionals but also the student,
family and/or significant others
Multi-Systems
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• Services approached based on:
– What do we know about who is already working with
the student?
– What agencies or systems is the student connected
with?
– Who has educational rights?
– Who has information on history?
– What services are already in place?
– How is the student responding to those services?
– Where are the gaps?
Team Based
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
Team approach allows for:
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Facilitates integrated interventions, instead of working on
isolated tasks.
Less overwhelming for the student if information related to
intervention is shared across disciplines, rather than
presented separately
Can result in quicker decision making
Redundancy or fragmentation of service can reduced or
eliminated
Increasing the cost efficiency of service.
Comprehensive Case
Management
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
Comprehensive Case Management in schools includes:
• A single point of contact in schools for the student in the
coordination of services
• Case manager is the liaison between the student, the
school, home, government agencies and service
providers to reduce duplication
• Trust is built with the student, empowering the student
to participate in decision making
• Facilitates good identification of strengths, needs and
goals
• Can be a good source of contracting with the student
and gaining agreement on roles and follow up.
Progress Monitoring
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
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Progress monitoring allows for:
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The use of data to determine goals for learning that will take
place over time.
The student’s school performance including behavior and
attendance is measured on a regular basis (weekly or
monthly).
Based on these measurements, services are adjusted as
needed.
the student’s progression of achievement is monitored and
approaches are adjusted to meet the individual students
needs
Provides for regular, frequent review of progress and
documentation of student progress for accountability purposes
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Flexibility
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
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Process of good case management for foster youth would be
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Process need to be student and family centered.
The monitoring and follow up needs to happen quickly and
easily to help to build trust in the process and to aid in gaining
agreements.
Organizational and institutional barriers need to be removed.
process can accommodate differences in background,
training, and beliefs, as well as differences in the nature and
philosophy of the instructional programs and practices already
in place.
Adjustments can be made easily; if something isn’t working,
communicate and adjust.
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How does this happen?
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
Where does the responsibility belong?
• LCFF does hold schools accountable for
educational outcomes for foster youth.
– Consider all of the partners when
developing the approach to case managing
foster youth in schools
– Assign a single person as a case manager
– Develop your referral process
– Intervention forms
– Train your school on the process
Models to consider
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• MTSS Structure
MTSS is an integrated, comprehensive
framework that focuses on Common
Core State Standards, core instruction,
differentiated learning, student-centered
learning, individualized student needs,
and the alignment of systems
necessary for all students’ academic,
behavioral, and social success.
Models to consider (cont’d)
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• Positive Behavior Intervention
Support (PBIS)
– School-wide PBIS is a systems or
tiered approach to establishing the
social culture and behavioral
supports needed for all children in a
school to achieve both social and
academic success.
Models to consider (cont’d)
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• Interconnected Systems
Framework (ISF)
– ISF within PBIS builds from the established and
effective platforms of PBIS to integrate school
mental health programs and services for students
with a higher level of need, such as individualized
academic or behavior support. Aligns with PBIS and
MTSS and is an approach that includes emphasis
on: (1) effective teams that include community
providers, (2) early identification and access to
service through data based decision making, (3)
ongoing progress monitoring, and (4) rigorous
systems review for effectiveness.
Additional models to
integrate
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• Trauma Informed Practices
– Trauma Informed Practices in schools
integrates the following understandings
include in the following domains in
school: resiliency, relationships, selfregulation, academic competence, and
health and wellness. These
understandings aid school staff in
understanding the needs of foster youth
at a deeper level.
Questions?
TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
• For additional information:
Lisa Guillen, M.S.
Education Programs Consultant
California Department of Education
(916) 327-5930
lguillen@cde.ca.gov