Statewide System of School Support (S4)

Added to Programs No Longer Administered by the California Department of Education (CDE) on December 5, 2018.

This information is for historical purposes only and it is possible that information contained here may not be current.

Technical assistance for local educational agencies (LEAs) with Title I schools, including those identified as Program Improvement (PI), under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965.

Time Period

• 2002–03 to 2017-18
• Effective 2018–19, the California S4 Program was no longer authorized

Authorizing Legislation

• The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 Section 1117 required each state to establish a statewide system of intensive and sustained support and improvement for local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools receiving Title I funds to increase the opportunity for all students served by those agencies and schools that met the State's academic content standards and student academic achievement standards. This Federal requirement was codified in State law through Assembly Bill 312 (Chapter 1020, Statutes of 2002) , a trailer bill to the 2002 Budget Act for California, which established a Statewide System of School Support (S4) designed to support the requirements of the ESEA.

Applicable Statutes/Regulations

• California Education Code Section 52059

Source of Appropriation/Budget Act Item

• 2002–03: Item 6110-001-0890, Budget Act of 2002
• 2017–18: Item 6100-134-0890, Budget Act of 2017

Program Description

• The purpose of the California's S4 was to build school districts' capacity to support its low-performing schools. This work was carried out through the dissemination of information, technical assistance, and brokering of regional and statewide resources. Three entities worked together to complete the work of S4:
  
  
  1. Regional System of District and School Support (RSDSS)
  2. California Comprehensive Center (CA CC)
  3. California Department of Education (CDE)
     
     
• The RSDSS was organized around the 11 county superintendent regions identified by the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA) . Each region had a RSDSS Director who operates out of one of the county offices of education in each region.
  
  The federally funded CA CC facilitates the dissemination of resources and information through the RSDSS.
  
  The CDE serves in an administrative role convening regular meetings of representatives from these entities and provided state-level information, coordination, and training on various topics related to supporting S4 activities. In administering S4, the CDE ensured that support was provided in the following order of priority to:
  
  
  1. School districts or county offices of education with Title I schools that were subject to corrective action under ESEA.
  2. School districts or county offices of education with Title I schools that were identified as program improvement (PI) schools.
  3. School districts or county offices of education with schools participating in Title I under ESEA that needed support and assistance.
     
     
• Funding was allocated by formula based on the number of LEAs identified as PI in the region, the number of Title I schools in those identified LEAs, and the number of students in each of those Title I schools.

SACS Resource/Revenue Codes

• 3020/8290

Flexibility

• None