Nov. 13-14, Tuesday and Wednesday -- Educators from throughout California will gather for a two-day Achievement Gap Summit at the Sacramento Convention Center to explore ways to close the gap that separates the state's highest- and lowest-performing students. The conference is sponsored by the California Department of Education and hosted by California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell.

From 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. Tuesday in rooms 309 and 310 of the convention center, Harold Levine, dean of the UC Davis School of Education, will talk about how California's colleges and universities can help to solve the problem. Levine, who also serves as associate provost for education initiatives for the University of California, will take part in a session titled "What is the Role of Higher Education in Closing California's Achievement Gap?" Joining him on the panel will be Steve Bruckman, executive vice chancellor for California Community Colleges, Barry Munitz, former California State University chancellor, and James Rosser, president of California State University, Los Angeles.

Jamal Abedi, professor of education at UC Davis and one of the nation's top experts on English language assessment, will take part in two sessions on Wednesday that will focus on strategies to better identify and teach students who lack the English proficiency needed to succeed in school.

The first session, a panel discussion titled "Improving English Learner Achievement and Assessment: The Dynamic Interplay of Policy, Practice and Research," will be held from 10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Wednesday in room 308 of the convention center. Abedi will be joined by education professors from San Jose State University and California State University Los Angeles.

The second session, "Assessment and Accommodations for English Learners," will be held from 1:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Wednesday in room 314 of the convention center. Abedi will argue that tests used to assess these students are unnecessarily complex and threaten to undermine the goals of the No Child Left Behind Act. He will recommend ways to make the tests more reliable and valid.

For more information about the summit, visit: http://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/re/et/yr07et1113.asp.