2019-20 Year in Review

Highlights of What We Accomplished for Solano Students, Families and Educators

This issue of SCOE Spoltlight summaries some of SCOE’s highlights of 2019-20 related to our priority areas of focus including high quality teaching and learning environments, job readiness and skill development, education advocacy and leadership, equity and enrichment for all students, and student safety and wellness. This annual review also touches on SCOE’s governance, and Solano County school demographics, budgets and data.

High Quality Teaching and Learning

Evergreen Academy Receives Accreditation Renewal

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) granted a six-year accreditation to Evergreen Academy serving students in the Solano County Juvenile Detention Facility. This accreditation ensures that high-quality and meaningful education is being provided to our students. Students in Evergreen Academy can complete high school and earn a high school diploma. Approximately 20 students graduated with accredited diplomas in 2019, and we look forward to future accomplishments for our students.

Growing Educator Capacity Using Communication Tools

The Picture Exchange Communication System, or PECS, allows children with little or no communication abilities to communicate using pictures. The primary goal of PECS is to teach functional communication. In 2019, SCOE led several trainings on various stages and uses of PECS, empowering educators to better understand and support the learning of non-verbal students.

Connecting Students to Coding Applications

Coding is everywhere in the modern world, and students at Golden Hills Education Centers in Fairfield and Vacaville are getting glimpses at the power behind coding. In 2019-20, the community school programs attended weekly robotics courses provided through the Lego organization, Bricks4Kidz. Students were taught how to build and code different levels of robots each week, culminating with testing out their creation at the end of every presentation. Positive collaboration, teamwork and perseverance were just some of the qualities students were exposed to during these lessons.

Assessments

Our assessment and research team is excited to continue supporting Solano County districts and schools with assessment implementation and data analysis. SCOE assists districts with utilization of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium resources including tools for teachers, as well as the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments that are useful in measuring and monitoring learning in the distance learning format.

English Learner Roadmap

Solano County Office of Education is proud to partner with 19 county offices of education and Californians Together to support districts and charter schools in implementing the California English Learner Roadmap. The initiative, EL RISE! (English Learner Roadmap Implementation for System Excellence) is designed to foster systemic change to improve education for the 1.2 million English learners who attend California schools.

Early Childhood Education Conference

Solano County Office of Education is active in advocating for highquality preschool instruction, as well as early intervention and prevention for Solano County children 0-5 years of age.

To that end, SCOE organized a region-wide Early Childhood Education (ECE) Conference held at Solano Community College. Almost 200 early learning professionals attended, including teachers and administrators from preschools, child care centers, transitional kindergarten programs, and family child care homes.

The conference featured relevant topics like the importance of play, language and literacy, personnel and business practices for directors, mindfulness and resilience, inclusion, and quality early learning environments.

Thank you to SCOE’s early learning partners including First 5 Solano, Solano Family & Children’s Services, Child Start Inc., and Solano Community College. Partnerships matter and are making a positive difference for Solano County kids!