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News Briefs | FYI
May 25, 2026
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State Board adopts Portrait of a Learner at May meeting
The California State Board of Education has unanimously adopted a Portrait of a Learner, a vision for student competencies that will guide the board’s work moving forward.
In creating its portrait, the SBE joins 18 states and many California LEAS that have already adopted some version of a Portrait of a Learner — a comprehensive set of aspirations for what every learner will know and be able to do when they leave school.
The SBE’s portrait contains the following seven competencies:
  • Empowered Learner.
  • Critical Thinker and Problem Solver.
  • Effective Communicator.
  • Multilingual, Multicultural Learner.
  • Person of Character.
  • Effective Collaborator.
  • Community Contributor.
Board members reiterated that the portrait does not create new requirements for LEAs and would solely be used as a “North Star” to guide SBE’s decision-making.
“It is important to note that the SBE’s Portrait of a Learner aims to support a vision that can support evaluation and alignment of the Board’s work; it is not a new initiative or an additional layer of work, but a unifying framework,” according to a draft preamble of the portrait. “The Portrait of a Learner provides a framework that can be used to connect curriculum, instruction, assessment, and student supports around a common purpose. It also centers student experience, emphasizing that all students should have access to engaging, relevant learning opportunities that foster both academic knowledge and durable skills.”
During the May 12 meeting, the board requested other minor edits to the draft, including further clarification that the portrait is not a mandate, per ACSA’s advocacy efforts.
The full draft text of the Portrait of a Learner is available on SBE’s May 2026 agenda, item 4, www.cde.ca.gov/be/ag/ag/yr26/documents/may26item04.docx.
Report has data on preschool, TK access in California A new report released last month finds that California ranks 14th in the nation in preschool access for 4-year-olds and 15th in 3-year-old access.
Data from the National Institute for Early Education Research’s 2025 State of Preschool Yearbook puts California above national averages, with 46 percent of 4-year-olds enrolled in Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and the California State Preschool Program (CSPP) and 11 percent of 3-year-olds enrolled in CSPP during the 2024-25 school year. Nationally, enrollment reached 37 percent of 4-year-olds but only 9 percent of 3-year-olds.
California is working to implement universal preschool access for 4-year-olds through TK in the current school year during which 188,906 4-year-olds attended TK (based on the TK Census Day Count). However, the report notes that the state can improve the quality of its programs. The CSPP met six of 10 NIEER-recommended quality standards and TK met three of 10.
This year, Georgia became the first state with universal preschool access to meet all 10 quality benchmarks.
The State of Preschool Yearbook presents a critical snapshot of preschool education in America. Currently, 44 states and DC fund preschool programs. Most state pre-K programs continue to primarily or only serve 4-year-olds.
In California, the report found that, in the 2024-25 school year:
  • The California Department of Education’s two preschool programs, CSPP and TK, together enrolled 278,273 children, an increase of 25,447 from the prior year.
  • State spending for the two programs totaled $4.1 billion, down 1 percent, adjusted for inflation, since last year.
  • State spending per child averaged $14,907 in 2024-25, down $1,587 from 2023-24, adjusted for inflation.
  • In 2024-25, state spending per child was $19,186 for CSPP and $12,480 for TK.
Nationally, state support for preschool education hit record highs in enrollment and funding in 2024-25, but the pace of growth slowed compared to the previous year — and quality remains highly uneven from state to state.
“When states invest in quality preschool programs that can produce strong outcomes, they invest in a better future for children and taxpayers,” said NIEER director Steve Barnett, in a news release. “California’s public preschool programs need to grow while leaders introduce new policies to require and support high quality. California can look to Georgia as an example of a universal preschool program that meets all of NIEER’s recommended quality benchmarks.”
Read more at nieer.org/state-preschool-yearbook.
SPI hosts literacy summit to continue progress toward goal State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond hosted a Literacy Leadership Summit with educational and philanthropic partners on May 5 to discuss how to deliver on California’s literacy and biliteracy promise, specifically his five-year literacy plan to ensure that every child is reading by third grade.
The summit convened state leaders, legislators, educational partners, and philanthropic partners to examine where California currently stands in literacy achievement, where the state aims to be, and how a comprehensive literacy strategy can help close the opportunity gap. The discussion focused on implementation, recognizing that California has a literacy strategy and must be prepared to fully deliver on it.
“I have a vision that every child in this state will achieve literacy by third grade and also achieve biliteracy, opening doors later in life and better preparing our students for the global marketplace. Over the next five years, we are proposing a $1.5 billion investment to accelerate outcomes and ensure all students have access to high-quality literacy and biliteracy instruction,” Thurmond said, in a news release. “We’ve committed more than $1.2 billion to literacy efforts since 2019, and those investments are paying off: this past year, we saw the greatest single-year increase in literacy rates since 2015. We are on a positive trajectory, but progress requires consistency. The next phase will require continued focus and partnership.”
At the summit, Thurmond called on educational and philanthropic partners to support the funding and implementation of his five-year literacy plan to support all students to achieve reading by third grade.
The plan contains key strategies that are proven to improve literacy and would represent the most significant investment and the first long-term literacy plan in recent California history.
Thurmond’s plan includes funding for professional learning, high-impact tutoring, family engagement, and screening for reading difficulties like dyslexia.
Students can submit videos on how to prepare for testing
The deadline to submit videos for the “Do Your Best on the Test” video showcase is June 30. This showcase invites kindergarten through grade 12 students, individually or in teams, to share how they prepare to do their best on statewide assessments and why testing is important.
Participants may be selected to have their video featured on the CAASPP & ELPAC YouTube channel and in social media posts. They may also have portions of their video incorporated into promotional materials shown to students throughout California to inspire other students to do their best on the tests.
The video must include the phrase “Do Your Best on the Test” and should be approximately 75 seconds in length. Submit videos through the “Do Your Best on the Test” Student Video Showcase Submission Form at https://forms.gle/CQN2dyfP5cUCwg6A8.
Each participating student must complete and upload a video release form from the California Department of Education. Submissions will be accepted until June 30.
FYI
Apply now for 2026 CA Schools to Watch program
The 2026 California Schools to Watch program is now accepting applications from both new and redesignated middle schools. California’s Schools to Watch program celebrates excellence in middle grades education and is coordinated by the California League of Middle Schools and the California Department of Education in association with the California Middle Grades Alliance and the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. To earn this designation, schools must submit a detailed application and host a site visit by middle-grades experts. Schools are re-evaluated every three years to retain their status. Selection is based on how well schools align with STW criteria. Designated STW schools serve as statewide models and offer mentorship and best practices to other schools that strive to improve outcomes for all young adolescents. To learn more and apply, visit www.joinclms.org/stw. Applications are due Oct. 1, 2026. For questions, contact Martinrex Kedziora at 951-768-8686 or at kedziora@leagueofschools.org.
Webinars share practical resources for attendance
Attendance Works is kicking off its 2026 Attendance Awareness Campaign featuring the slogan “Your Presence Matters!” This year will focus on the power of student and family engagement all year long. Attendance Works’ 2026 free webinar series will offer actions appropriate for each season of school. Each webinar will feature practitioners who will share practical resources and examples of what schools and districts are doing to improve attendance and engagement. Sessions are scheduled for Aug. 5 and Sept. 23. Learn more at www.attendanceworks.org/resources/webinars.