The systems in question are CALPADS - which tracks student achievement and CALTIDES - which tracks teacher performance. Democratic Senator Joe Simitian helped create them. He says both make the state's educational system accountable to taxpayers:
"Hard to imagine any other environment in which you would spend 40,50,60 billion dollars a year but not be able to say here's what we're getting in the way of value for that expenditure."
The Bay Area Council - a business group - is also asking the
Governor to spare the systems. CALPADS and CALTIDES receive
several million dollars in federal funding. Brown's budget
proposal would take that money and use it elsewhere in
education. Brown's office says the Governor has concerns with
the complexity, usability and accountability of the data collection
systems…and wants them reviewed