Report 2019-104 Recommendation 37 Responses

Report 2019-104: Youth Experiencing Homelessness: California's Education System for K-12 Inadequately Identifies and Supports These Youth (Release Date: November 2019)

Recommendation #37 To: Education, Department of

To effectively monitor LEAs and help them identify additional youth experiencing homelessness, for those LEAs it determines may be underidentifying youth experiencing homelessness, Education should provide general guidance on its website or through group emails to help them increase their identification rates and, as resources permit, should provide detailed technical assistance to selected LEAs that Education believes may be at the highest risk of missing a greater number of youth experiencing homelessness.

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2021

Fully implemented. Education continues to use CALPADS and free and reduced- price meal (FRPM) data to identify LEAs that might be at risk of underidentifying youth experiencing homelessness. Education used this information to select LEAs for FPM monitoring, for both 2020-21 and 2021-22 cycles, that included targeted technical assistance regarding the LEA's identification practices and procedures.

Education also conducted two Identification Webinars in August 2021, with three selected LEAs that presented on their identification procedures and strategies; the webinar was recorded and is currently available to all LEAs on Education's web site at Resources for Homeless Children and Youths and includes the following:

New Identification Strategies and Resources in Response to Coronavirus (DOCX);

Identification Strategies for Homeless Children and Youth (PPTX);

Identification Strategies for Homeless Children and Youth Video; and

Identification Strategies for Homeless Children and Youth Transcription.

In addition, the housing questionnaire and posters are provided in all languages, and include the rights and protections afforded to youth experiencing homelessness and their families, to alleviate any apprehensions of identifying themselves as such. Furthermore, Education provided and posted instructions and guidance for completing the questionnaire, which offers LEAs strategies to increase their identification of children and youth experiencing homelessness. This information can be accessed on Education's web site at Resources for Homeless Children and Youths and includes the following:

Housing Questionnaire and Instructions (PDF);

Guidance for Completion of Housing Questionnaire (DOCX).

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Fully Implemented

1-Year Agency Response

Partially implemented. Education hosted a webinar entitled, Homeless Education: Identification Strategies, on September 9, 2020, to assist LEAs in increasing their identification rates of youth experiencing homelessness; additional resources are posted on Education's web site at Resources for Homeless Children and Youths and include the following:

- New Identification Strategies and Resources in Response to Coronavirus (DOCX);

- Identification Strategies for Homeless Children and Youth (PPTX);

- Identification Strategies for Homeless Children and Youth Video; and

- Identification Strategies for Homeless Children and Youth Transcription.

Education also developed and posted a training module on its web site entitled, All About Data and Homeless Education that provides direction to LEAs on how to evaluate and analyze various data reports to determine if an LEA is underidentifiying students experiencing homelessness.

Education will use 2019-20 CALPADS data, available in December 2020, to better identify LEAs at risk of underidentifying youth experiencing homelessness; dissemination of a technical assistance letter to those LEAs that appear to be at risk for underidentifying youth experiencing homelessness will be sent in January 2021.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Pending

6-Month Agency Response

Partially Implemented. In January 2020, Education posted a link (https://nche.ed.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/identification.pdf) on its web site to the National Center for Homeless Education's brief entitled, Identifying Children and Youth in Homeless Situations.

Additionally, as part of the 2020-21 Federal Program Monitoring risk assessment, Education utilized the newly developed method for identifying LEAs at the highest risk of underidentifying youth experiencing homelessness as criteria in selecting the LEAs for Homeless Education monitoring reviews. Education will post an identification training module on its web site and send general guidance, i.e. emails, to those LEAs reporting zero enrollment of homeless children and youth. Education anticipates full implementation of this recommendation by November 2020.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

Partially implemented. To effectively monitor LEAs and help with increased identification, Education will provide: (1) general guidance on its website through an identification training module; (2) a link to the National Center for Homeless Education's brief entitled, Identifying Children and Youth in Homeless Situations; and (3) ongoing general guidance, i.e. emails, to those LEAs reporting zero enrollment of homeless children and youth.

Additionally, Education will disseminate emails to those LEAs at the highest risk of underidentifying youth experiencing homelessness, based on the results of the newly developed method for identifying these youth (see response to Recommendation 36). This same data will also be used as part of the 2020-21 Federal Program Monitoring LEA risk assessment criteria used in the selection of Homeless Education reviews; full implementation is anticipated by May 2020.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2019-104

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.