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Berkeley SD 87 previews student device expectations, highlights restorative-practices training and ACCESS gains
Summary
Board members reviewed suggested revisions to student cell-phone expectations ahead of a state model policy, heard staff describe restorative-practices training in San Diego and were told preliminary ACCESS results show increased English-exit rates among multilingual learners (64 of 674, about 10%).
Board members discussed several nonpolicy updates to student device expectations and received a substantive report on restorative-practices professional development and preliminary ACCESS results for multilingual students.
On student devices, staff presented suggested expectations developed with parent and teacher advisor input. The revisions enlarge the definition of covered devices to include smartphones, smartwatches and smart glasses and propose that devices be kept in assigned hallway lockers (middle school) or classroom cubbies (primary/intermediate) and turned off and out of sight during the school day and while on school buses, unless a supervising adult grants permission or the device is needed in an emergency. Staff emphasized these changes would be posted as expectations and that a state model policy is due by Sept. 1; the law will not take effect until the 2027'028 school year. Because the transcript does not consistently identify the presenter by name for this segment, the summary paraphrases staff recommendations without a direct speaker attribution.
In a longer presentation, district staff who attended restorative-practices training in San Diego described practices the district plans to scale: relationship mapping, daily behavior and attendance "huddles," rotating TLC (on-call restorative support) staff posted in hallways, and circle-based restorative conversations. Presenters said restorative practices focus on building relationships and offering nonpunitive corrective responses, with expected outcomes including improved attendance and reduced exclusionary discipline. The administration plans institute-day training in the fall and ongoing professional-development work to implement these practices districtwide.
On assessment, the board heard preliminary ACCESS results for English-language learners. The presenter said the ACCESS test was revised to align with recent ELD standards and that a July standard-setting event will create a new baseline for comparison. The presenter reported exit counts: in 2024, 41 of 762 multilingual scholars exited (about 5%); in 2025, 43 of 754 (about 6%); and in 2026, 64 of 674 (about 10%). The presenter cautioned that the new scale will limit year-to-year proficiency comparisons until the standard-setting is complete.
What happens next: staff will post district expectations pending the state model policy and continue restorative-practices rollout and institute-day training; assessment staff will report final scale scores after the July standard-setting event.
