Investigating Differentiated Assistance in California
California’s accountability system, anchored in the Local Control Funding Formula and the California School Dashboard, identifies districts for differentiated assistance when student groups consistently underperform across multiple state priority areas. Differentiated assistance helps schools and districts identify and address the underlying causes that led to becoming eligible for assistance.
In 2024–25, nearly 589 districts—about 59% of all districts—qualified for differentiated assistance, signaling widespread challenges in meeting performance targets. The current system faces strain: the number of eligible districts exceeds state capacity, prompting discussions about revising eligibility criteria and improving the quality and timeliness of assistance.
The California State Board of Education (CASBE) has asked the West Comprehensive Center to examine alignment between California and federal accountability and systems of support.
West CC will support CASBE by:
- Conducting national scans on best practices for providing differentiated assistance; and
- Sharing other state accountability and system of support models for local education agencies (LEAs) to improve student outcomes.
Through this collaboration, CASBE will be better able to align state-level policies and statewide systems of support to effectively serve LEAs with the highest needs and to advance state educational priorities.
Briefs
How States Hold Districts Accountable—and What California Can Learn
State approaches to district accountability vary widely across the nation, with key differences in how underperforming districts are identified, whether and why the state assigns district performance designations, and what types of supports and consequences the state provides to designated districts.
This brief describes which states hold districts accountable, the mechanisms for identifying underperforming districts, and the range of districts impacted, based on a national policy scan.
