​​SAN JOSE, CA – Have your nature names ready for Walden West’s 75th anniversary celebration this month. The Santa Clara County Office of Education’s outdoor school and summer camp is calling on current and former attending educators and camp staff to join in celebrating the “Past, Present, and Growing Forward” on April 25. 

Over seven decades, Walden West has provided Santa Clara County students with meaningful learning experiences rooted in environmental ste​wardship and personal growth. To commemorate its anniversary, a free celebration is scheduled for Saturday, April 25, 5 p.m. at the camp, located at 15555 Sanborn Road in Saratoga. 

Attendees will enjoy exploring the camp and reminiscing about their days at Walden West, followed by dinner, remarks from longtime staff members, and a campfire program. The campfire program will be led by Ron “Spider” Lauder, Todd “Squirrel” Martines, and Tad “Tundra” Nakamura. Notable staff will join the anniversary celebration, with Jymn “Scooby” Meier delivering the keynote and Russell “Badger” Krebs serving as the emcee. And it wouldn’t be a memorable camp experience without the musical talents of the Walden West staff. They’re known to play a variety of instruments to complement their clever song lyrics.

To RSVP for the anniversary celebration, please visit https://givebutter.com/WaldenWest-75th​ 

 

​SAN JOSE, CA –  The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) has released the DataZone MTSS Module, a new component of the DataZone platform designed to help school districts effectively track, coordinate, and evaluate student supports within a Multi‑Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework.

School districts provide a wide range of academic, behavioral, and social-emotional support to students, but those efforts are often tracked in separate systems. This can make it challenging to see the full picture of how a student is being supported, whether services are well coordinated, and which approaches make the best impact. The DataZone MTSS Module addresses this challenge by centralizing support information and data in one shared, user-friendly system. 

By integrating student information, assessment data, attendance, and program participation within the DataZone Data Warehouse, the MTSS Module supports identification of student needs earlier, clearer documentation of supports, and stronger alignment between Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 practices.

When paired with DataZone Analytics, districts can examine patterns across schools, student groups, and support types. This helps build a better understanding of what is working, where gaps exist, and how to improve support. 

The release of the DataZone MTSS Module helps districts spend less time managing systems and more time focusing on student success. By introducing MTSS functionality within DataZone, the SCCOE continues its commitment to providing practical, scalable tools that support districts and improve outcomes for students. 

For more information about the DataZone MTSS Module or SCCOE’s DataZone platform, visit https://www.datazone.org or contact support@datazone.org

​SAN JOSE, CA –  The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) has released the CALPADS Rules Engine (CARE), a new tool designed to help school districts proactively find and fix California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) data issues earlier, before data is submitted to the state. CARE reduces time-consuming efforts to resolve errors, which can become increasingly difficult once data is submitted.  

Accurate CALPADS reporting is critical as it contributes to the California School Dashboard​, ensuring accountability. Errors are found too late in the reporting process, with limited clarity about what caused them or how to resolve them quickly. CARE addresses this challenge by allowing districts to check their data earlier, using the same validation rules applied by the state, but presented in a clearer and more actionable way. 

Built within the SCCOE’s DataZone platform, CARE works with district data already housed in the system, eliminating the need for duplicative uploads or manual error checks. Results are displayed in digestible terms, making it easier for student services, data, informational technology, and program teams to collaborate around data quality. 

By improving data quality earlier in the process, CARE helps districts better support students, strengthens compliance, and ensures statewide reporting reflects an accurate and full picture of student needs. 

CARE reflects SCCOE’s ongoing commitment to developing shared, scalable data tools that reduce burden on districts while strengthening the quality and reliability of statewide reporting. Together, CARE and DataZone support a more proactive, collaborative approach to data governance and accountability. For more information about CARE, DataZone, or SCCOE’s CALPADS support services, visit https://www.datazone.org or contact support@datazone.org

​SAN JOSE, CA – The solution to the California teacher shortage may already be on school campuses. In an effort to address the state’s teacher shortage in STEM, special education, bilingual education, and transitional kindergarten, a local scholarship program led by the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) is expanding its reach to 15 California counties to help classified school employees become credentialed teachers. This comes just in time for the next application cycle. 

The cost of earning a teaching credential, fewer supports for new teachers, and a high turnover rate all contribute to a chronic teacher shortage, which ultimately affects students. According to the Learning Policy Institute, “teacher shortages disproportionately impact students in high-need schools.” Former and current classified school employees have a demonstrated commitment to students and do not experience the culture shock that individuals with little or no classroom experience might.

Through the Classified School Employee Teacher Grant (Classified Grant), current and former classified school employees in partnering public schools, charter schools, district offices, or county offices of education can receive $4,000 per academic year to obtain their bachelor's degree and/or their first teaching credential. The scholarship money can be used for tuition, fees, and books at partnering institutions of higher education. In return, program graduates complete one year of classroom instruction for each year of funding provided through the Classified Grant. 

There is a growing pipeline of classified employees entering the classrooms through the Classified Grant program. There have been more than 260 classified school employees in the first round of the program. In the second round, there have been over 400 participants. The application period for the 2026-27 school year will open in July. $2 million is available in scholarships. 

The next application cycle will open on July 1, 2026. Classified school employees interested in learning more, please visit https://sccoe.to/school-employee-to-teacher 

SAN JOSE, CA – The Santa Clara County Board of Education is aware of a whistleblower complaint that was made public by a party outside the Board.

 

To ensure an objective and impartial review, the Board has retained independent counsel to review the matter.

Maintaining a safe, professional, and respectful workplace is a core priority of the Board of Education. All employees are expected to be treated equitably, and concerns should be raised and addressed through established and appropriate processes.

In keeping with this commitment, the Board will protect employee privacy rights, uphold applicable employment standards, and respect the integrity of the investigative process, and will not comment further while the review is underway.​