The National Center for Urban School Transformation has announced that 22 schools from across the country have been chosen as finalists for the National Excellence in Urban Education Award. Among the finalists is Mae L. Feaster Charter in the Chula Vista Elementary School District (CVESD).

“These schools are among the best urban schools in the nation,” stated Dr. Joseph F. Johnson, Jr., Executive Director of the National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST), the organization that administers the award program. “Although these schools serve low-income communities with an array of challenges, every finalist boasts achievement results that exceed state averages for all students.”

These schools generate strong test results, high rates of attendance, and excellent student behavior. Furthermore, the outstanding results are apparent for every demographic group of students enrolled.

“Feaster sets high expectations for students, and its staff members go above and beyond in ensuring every student achieves academically,” said CVESD Superintendent Francisco Escobedo, Ed.D. “This is a great honor for the entire Feaster community, but to be honest it is not a surprise. The school continues to innovate, and create ways for students, staff and parents to be engaged in every aspect of school life.”

Students in the inaugural Feaster Middle STEAM Academy celebrate school’s ribbon-cutting.

Beginning in early January, each finalist will receive a site visit from an NCUST evaluation team of researchers and practitioners. According to Dr. Lynne Perez, NCUST Associate Director, “We recognize schools that are great for every group of students served. Our focus is all about results: Are all students learning?” Among the thousands of urban schools throughout the nation, only 48 presented applications documenting that they met all the base criteria for the National Excellence in Urban Education Award. Of those 48 impressive schools, 22 presented superior evidence of excellence and were named finalists.

After the site visits are completed, NCUST will announce 10 to 15 award winners in March. The finalists will compete in three divisions: elementary (for the 16 finalists serving grades pre-kindergarten through six); middle school (for the six finalist schools serving students up through grade eight); and high school (for the five finalist schools serving students through grade 12). Each winning school will receive $2,500 and will be featured at the National Excellence in Urban Education Symposium to be held in Dallas, TX, May 20-22, 2015.

When asked about the key factors that are common across all high-performing schools, Dr. Johnson is emphatic, “It’s all about curriculum, instruction, and climate. Great urban schools offer challenging, rigorous curricula. They expect students to excel, even when they might have difficult home situations. Furthermore, in great urban schools, teachers provide a caliber of instruction that helps students learn challenging content. Instruction is clear, focused, and engaging. Teachers present content in ways that make it easier for students to relate and understand. Finally, the school climate is safe, positive, and supportive. School administrators and teachers work together to establish a climate that engages parents, supports students, and breeds success.”

To be eligible for the NCUST Award, schools must have high numbers of low-income students and may not have selective admissions policies. The school’s test results must be better than the state average for all students. Also, the school’s test results for every demographic group of students must be better than the state average for all students. All schools must have high attendance rates, low suspension and expulsion rates, high graduation rates, and evidence of excellence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

In 2012, CVESD had four NCUST winners: J. Calvin Lauderbach, John J. Montgomery and Otay schools each won in the elementary category, and Robert L. Mueller Charter won in the middle school division.

About NCUST

Since its inception, the National Center for Urban School Transformation (housed at San Diego State University) has identified, celebrated, and promoted the best practices of the nation’s highest performing urban schools. NCUST provides programs, tools, and research intended to help districts create more high-performing urban schools. For more information on the National Center for Urban School Transformation, its findings, as well as its programs, please visit their website at www.ncust.org or call (619) 594-7905

About the Chula Vista Elementary School District

Students in the Chula Vista Elementary School District experience a rigorous 21st Century learning environment that is rooted in effective teaching practices and high-quality instruction. Our mission is to nurture every child’s imagination, intellect, and sense of inquiry. Working collaboratively, we tap a collective intelligence rich with the spirit and creativity necessary for students to become difference makers. Located in southern San Diego County, the District’s 45 schools serve nearly 29,200 students, primarily in grades K-6.

On an annual basis, each school in the Chula Vista Elementary School District provides an oral presentation or written report to the Board of Education on educational progress and future plans. Hazel Goes Cook Elementary recently presented its progress report to the Board. Check out this cool video about the school:

Enjoy!

Mauricia Saucedo was a parent volunteer when she first began working with English Learner students in the Chula Vista Elementary School District. A landmark Supreme Court decision in 1974 guaranteed children an opportunity to a “meaningful education” regardless of their language background. The Supreme Court decision stemmed from a lawsuit in San Francisco, but its impact was felt in CVESD and at districts across the country, where students who did not know English were often left to “sink or swim” in the classroom. The aftermath of Lau v. Nichols paved the way for Saucedo and many like her to eventually be hired as classroom instructional aides to work with limited-English proficient students.

Today, Saucedo is a Communications Supervisor, serving as the District’s translator and interpreter in oral and written Spanish. She has seen first-hand the District’s transformation in both attitude and achievement toward English Learners.

“Night and day,” Saucedo said. Saucedo recalls when a sixth-grade student who did not know English, and whose teachers and administrators did not know what to do with, was placed in a Special Education classroom for much of the school day. There was nothing “wrong” with the student—other than he did not know English. “It broke my heart,” Saucedo said.

Now, more than 40 years after Lau vs. Nichols, CVESD is a shining example of what’s right about English language acquisition. The District is promoting research—and solutions—to address a complex problem in California schools today: Long Term English Learners (LTELs). This week, CVESD leaders shared with the state Board of Education about the District’s process for developing a Local Control Accountability Plan that incorporates all students, including English Learner and Low-Income students. The District was invited to participate in state Board meeting because of its reputation as a leader in closing the achievement gap among English Learners.

“Our District has worked hard to develop and implement literacy-based interventions for English Learners, foster growth in Dual Language Immersion programs, and increase parental engagement and parent leadership development while we implement the new Common Core State Standards,” said Superintendent Francisco Escobedo, Ed.D.

CVESD has consistently reduced the number of Long Term English Learners in its system. The District experienced a 27% decrease in the past four years, and a 30% decrease when compared to 5 years ago. CVESD defines a Long Term English Learner as a student in grades 4-12 who has not made annual progress in developing English language for two or more consecutive years, and who has been in U.S. schools for four or more years. This definition is more aggressive than the state’s definition, and enables CVESD to identify LTELs earlier and provide them necessary interventions and support.

Why such concern? “If you become a Long Term English learner, it is a downward trajectory academically and the consequences are just devastating,” said Emma Sanchez, CVESD’s Executive Director of Language Acquisition and Development.

Laurie Olsen, Ph.D., in her 2010 publication Reparable Harm:  Fulfilling the Unkept Promise of Educational Opportunity for California’s Long Term English Learners, called the issue a “wake up call” for California educators. Three out of four English Learner students in grades 6 -12 have been in California schools for 7 years or more and are still without the English skills they need to succeed academically. This is far longer than it should take to attain English proficiency. Such students struggle academically year after year, with little or no progress towards proficiency.

“If we don’t ensure that we provide timely interventions, language support, best practices to ensure children are accessing not only the language, but literacy development in all content areas—that’s when they become a Long Term English Learner,” Sanchez said.  “We don’t want to send children on to the middle school as Long Term English Learners. That is why our definition in CVESD is more aggressive. We are actually looking at children in CVESD in third grade who are at-risk of becoming a long term EL. If they are not making progress, and not achieving academically in the content areas, we know who those kids are. We are monitoring this.”

CVESD has 45 schools that collectively serve a student population of 29,200 (including charter schools), of which 68% are Hispanic and 37% EL. Why has CVESD been so successful in addressing LTELs? “It starts with generating the data of who they are and where they are academically. English learner progress is monitored continuously and data is used to provide timely interventions,” Sanchez said. “Parent engagement cannot be underestimated. Our parent leaders are a critical component to our parent education efforts.”

When the superintendent goes on his campus visits, he asks principals who the school’s LTELs are and what is being done for them? In addition, professional development in reading, math, and writing has focused its attention on explicit instructional practices that accelerate language and literacy for English Learners, Sanchez said.

“Our professional development with teachers at both the District level and site level is all about understanding how to support your LTELs through scaffolding (a teaching approaching that progressively builds student understanding). How do we help children access rigorous content, how do we support them to understand and make meaning of academic vocabulary?” Sanchez explained.

The results compare favorably with other school districts, where students typically plateau as they get older (see chart). In the final year of the former California State Standards, CVESD’s English Learner API was 818, which was higher than the overall score for some school districts in California. In English/Language Arts, that gap in proficiency had narrowed to 12 percentage points, and in Mathematics, it was down to single digits—7 percentage points.

“We are very proud of our efforts so far, but we won’t be satisfied until we close that gap entirely,” Superintendent Escobedo said. “Our District initiatives this year included expanding use of technology and web-based applications for business and operations to ensure seamless data interaction. In the classroom, this means we will continue to use web-based programs—learning accelerators—to positively impact students’ learning experience. These learning accelerators help supplement classroom instruction, in turn boosting proficiency of our English learners.”

At Mae L. Feaster Charter’s Engineering Lab, third grade students learn about torsion, tension, compression, and shear. They collaborate to construct model bridges. Upper grade students learn to code for “Arduino,” an open-source electronics platform intended for making interactive projects. Feaster students are taught the value of working with a team, revising an idea when it fails as opposed to accepting failure, and the importance of understanding design.

“The Engineer Lab inspires students and celebrates their creativity,” said CVESD Superintendent Francisco Escobedo, Ed.D. “The school has done an amazing job in infusing the Arts, as well as Science, Technology, Social Studies, Engineering and Math into the curriculum. By fostering critical thinking and reasoning skills at a young age, the program can make a life-changing impact on students.”

The dedication to innovation is reflected in Feaster’s most recent award: the inspire Award in the 2015 Innovation in Education program, which is hosted by the Classroom of the Future Foundation.​ The award comes with a $5,000 donation from the Classroom of the Future Foundation.

Cassie Santos, Feaster’s engineering teacher, said she already observed a change in her students since the lab opened this school year.

“Their problem-solving skills have increased drastically,” Santos said. “They don’t give up as easily as they would before. That productive struggle is coming through in their regular classes. They are working harder and not getting stuck on a problem and giving up. Or they see problems and come up with solutions without even being prompted. That cross-curricular aspect has been amazing.”

Santos admits she was pleasantly surprised to hear that her school won the award. “This is icing on the cake for such a fun program,” she said.

Feaster’s Engineering Lab came about because of a partnership with Qualcomm’s Thinkabit Lab, which is the technology giant’s hands-on lab in Sorrento Valley that introduces middle school youth to technology and engineering careers. Feaster was one of the first schools to participate in Thinkabit. Feaster wanted to extend the experience, and set about developing its own engineering lab, staffed with an engineering teacher. The synergy with Qualcomm’s Thinkabit Lab has been a crucial component to Feaster’s efforts to provide its students with new engineering ideas and concepts.

The inspire Award is the school’s latest honor. Feaster Charter is among eight schools nationally in the running for the highest recognition from the National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST). Joseph F. Johnson, Jr., Ph.D., Executive Director of NCUST, said Feaster is among the select few that met the National Excellence in Urban Education Award program’s rigorous eligibility criteria.

“We selected your school as a winner because you demonstrated through multiple indicators that your school is achieving impressive academic results for every demographic group you serve,” Johnson said, in written remarks.

“Our site visit team validated that your school is truly one of America’s best urban schools! The site visit teams had the incredibly difficult task of determining which finalist schools presented the greatest evidence of strength in four areas: curricular rigor, instructional effectiveness, relational quality, and continuous improvement efforts. The team found considerable evidence of these strengths at your school.”

Feaster will have to wait until the National Symposium on High-Performing Urban Schools on May 21-22 in Dallas to find out whether it will receive the Silver Award or Gold Award. Silver Award winners will receive $2,500 checks and Gold Award winners will receive $5,000 checks. Only three schools out of eight will be designated as Gold Award winners.

One generation grew up watching black-and-white television, the other is still growing up and as likely to watch Apple TV as ABC. No matter their age, however, participants in the Intergenerational Games each knew how to toss a giant parachute, wiggle a hula hoop, and share a smile. It was all part of a sun-splashed day on April 9 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, Chula Vista. The event paired “older adults” with third graders from Wolf Canyon Elementary in a variety of health and fitness activities.

“The purpose is to bring together two very different generations—the forever ‘young at heart’ and our third-grade students,” said Allison Wagner, the District’s physical education resource teacher who is based at the OTC. “They get to play a whole bunch of different sporting events, learn about health and nutrition, and what life-long fitness is all about.”

The senior volunteers and students were teamed in pairs for the 13^th Annual Intergenerational Games, a project of San Diego County’s Aging and Independence Services, Health and Human Services Agency. By bringing different generations together, mutual understanding and respect add to the impact of the program’s goals.

The students and mature adults heard from Joaquim Cruz, a former Brazilian Olympic gold medalist in the 800 meters. Paired participants then began a circuit of stations that alternated between physical activities and educational stations with information.  Later, the kids and their new-found elder friends took turns awarding one another medals at the closing ceremonies before sitting down together to share lunch.

“Many of our seniors have the wisdom of how to live well,” said Superintendent Francisco Escobedo, Ed.D. “The Chula Vista Elementary School District was the first ‘Live Well San Diego’ school district in the county. We’ve made health and wellness a priority in our schools. This is a perfect time for our seniors to share with our students how to eat well, how to exercise, how to conduct themselves with one another. This is a perfect time to have fun while also learning life lessons.”

Retired Navy Capt. Jack Evans was a second-class seaman assigned to the battleship USS Tennessee when he awoke December 7, 1941, to the sounds of war as the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

“Everything was on fire. There was fire everywhere,” recalled Evans, in an oral history provided to the website Witness to War. “Even the paint was burning on my ship. The flames were so hot in the stern that it melted the rivets, great big rivets.”

Evans, who received a Purple Heart after suffering shrapnel wounds in the attack, was among the representatives of Chula Vista Masonic Lodge #626, who on April 16 presented citizenship awards to sixth-grade students at nearly 45 schools in the Chula Vista Elementary School District. If Evans represents “living history,” so do the Masons.

The Masonic Awards are in their 89^th year in CVESD. The awards program is the lodge’s highlight of “Public Schools Month.” The recognition was first sponsored by the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of California in the 1920s. It is promoted every April, with the goal of encouraging the community’s support for public education.

The Chula Vista Lodge was founded in 1925, and by the following year started a tradition of honoring CVESD students for good citizenship as part of Public Schools Month. Many of the representatives this year have been a part of the awards program here for decades, recalling when there were only a handful of school in the District. They witnessed the region’s growth—and the schools’ growth as well.

“Our members who take part in this visitation look forward to being a part of an uplifting program that highlights what we as Americans try to uphold—being good citizens.  Our Lodge is very appreciative of the school district’s exemplary efforts to create a very well organized, and executed awards program,” said Terry Stewart, Secretary of the Chula Vista Lodge.

The student honorees were selected by their teachers using criteria that included behavior, participation in school activities, respect for others, or leadership within peer groups.

Many former award recipients are now in public service, including teachers at District schools that welcomed this year’s Masonic teams. Thurgood Marshall Elementary Principal Scott Woodward received a Masonic award when he was a student.

“The Masonic Awards are near and dear to my heart because I won the award in 1973,” Woodward said. “Being a good citizen means caring for your fellow classmates, your school, community and family—being an example for what is right through your actions and words.”

As part of the awards program, District representatives accompany Masonic team members to the schools. Because of the high number of District schools, 15 teams of District and Masonic representatives fan out across the District.

“Our students, staff members and parents fully understand the value of community partnership, and this awards program is a shining example of what our local schools mean to our community,” said Superintendent Francisco Escobedo, Ed.D. “The message of support for free public education is as important today as it was in the 1920s, when the Grand Lodge began this program.”

A comprehensive four-year initiative to improve the health and wellness of students in the Chula Vista Elementary School District has resulted in the most positive trends to date in the fight against childhood obesity.

The results of the District’s 2014 measurement of the height and weight of every preschool through sixth grade student were announced Wednesday at a joint press conference with County health officials. The data collection indicated that the District experienced a 5% decrease in the number of students in the unhealthy weight category compared to 2010, when the district first collected Body Mass Index (BMI) data for its students. The decrease in students in the unhealthy weight, which includes students considered overweight or obese, is significant because obesity rates remain high nationally.

CVESD’s 2014 results are being celebrated not only as a success for the district, but as a strong indication that the community’s involvement and focus on health and safety is paying off. 

“This is Live Well San Diego in action,” said County Supervisor Greg Cox, referring to the County vision for healthy, safe and thriving communities. “Our schools are focusing on health and wellness for students, and we have collaborative partners working together to engage residents in healthy activities and making their communities safer.”

CVESD is the largest elementary school district in California with 45 schools, serving more than 29,000 students. It was the first district to partner with the County on Live Well San Diego, and is active on a number of health-related programs and coalitions in the Chula Vista community.

District officials noted all stakeholders—students, parents, community and local government—needed to be involved in the fight against obesity. “We know that these positive changes cannot be attributed to a single factor, but multiple influences and efforts that align with the goal of creating healthy school environments and healthy and safe communities,” said CVESD Superintendent Francisco Escobedo, Ed.D.

In 2014, 1 out of every 4 kindergarteners started school at an unhealthy weight (overweight/obese); in 2010, the number was approximately 1 out of every 3. In 2014, 1 out of 5 girls (19%) was obese by the sixth grade, and 1 out of every 4 boys was obese (25%); in 2010, it was 1 out of every 3 sixth graders that fell into the obese range.

“We are expanding the good health footprint for all of Chula Vista,” Escobedo said. “This is exciting. The students are learning and adopting behaviors that they will carry with them into adulthood and hopefully pass on to their own children. We are transforming lives.”

While the 5% decrease is across the district, some schools saw larger gains. Harborside Elementary School, for example, has 9% fewer obese students from 2010.

The announcement of the measurement results was held at Harborside Park in Chula Vista, which is also a success story in supporting a heathier and safer community. The park had been a spot for illegal activity. But new fencing was installed, and land donated by Costco in Chula Vista is making the park more inviting for baseball/athletic fields that are on the campus and utilized by the community.

The County Board of Supervisors launched Live Well San Diego in 2010 with the goal of achieving healthy, safe and thriving communities across the region by partnering with community and city leaders, schools, businesses, non-profit organizations and residents. Chula Vista is home to a thriving Live Well community network that is showing positive results.

“There is great power in collaboration, and the reality is that we can do more together than we can ever do alone,” said Nick Macchione, Director of the County Health and Human Services Agency. “We want to recognize the importance of the roles that we all play in making our communities healthy, safe and thriving.”

If you were seeing purple at Olympic View Elementary last month, it was no accident. Purple is the color that symbolizes all branches of the military as it is the combination of Army green, Coast Guard blue, Air Force blue, Marine red and Navy blue. On April 15, Olympic View celebrated “Purple Up! for Military Kids Day.” The day recognizes the contributions military families make to the nation and local community and is part of April’s recognition as the Month of the Military Child. Principal Gloria McKearney held a brief ceremony on the blacktop at the beginning of school for grades K – 6, parents, and friends.

Olympic View Elementary serves more than 150 students from military families.

As part of the ceremony, Safety Patrol members Paraded the Colors, attendees recited the Pledge of Allegiance, and sang the Star Spangled Banner and You Are a Grand Old Flag. Ms. McKearney told the students that wearing purple is a way to thank, honor, and to recognize the many contributions and sacrifices military kids make to our country as members of a military family. Chula Vista City Councilman John McCann, whose daughter, Kennedy, attends Olympic View, addressed the students and told them how proud he was of them. Grief, loneliness and immense sadness are common emotions military kids experience when their parent is deployed. Yet, military kids are resilient and carry on.

–Courtesy of Olympic View Elementary

More than 30 speakers from a variety of companies and public agencies came out to Discovery Charter recently to talk about careers in science, technology, and engineering, and how math is used in everyday life. It was all part of the school’s first STEM Career Fair.

Kenneth J. Brown, Director of Engineering, Commercial/Industrial, for Leviton of San Diego showed students how his company’s charging stations keep electric vehicles on the go. Chula Vista City Councilman Steve Miesen got behind the wheel of a garbage truck to demonstrate the technology utilized to collect trash from the curb. The Chula Vista Police Department displayed its SWAT vehicle and demonstrated how its ‘bomb robot’ is utilized for specific tasks that help keep officers and the public safe.

Organizer and Resource Teacher Bree Watson said the goal of the fair was to give students a flavor of the different career possibilities in STEM fields. “The kids are loving it,” Watson said, as students moved from station to station. Representatives with booths and exhibits ranged from Homeland Security to Qualcomm.

Student Bruno Bello recalls how difficult it was to find something that was both challenging and enjoyable. He wasn’t into sports, and he wasn’t into school. The year was 2010, and he was despondent about the divorce of his parents. Then, he discovered music. It changed his life, he says, in ways he could not have imagined.

Bruno was in the first group of District elementary students who began learning classical music after-school through the Community Opus program, the District arts initiative in partnership with the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory. Community Opus drew its inspiration from the El Sistema movement in music education and social change that first began in Venezuela.

“Before I had music, I was having trouble. I didn’t see the point of doing homework or paying attention at school,” Bruno recalled.

Now in middle school in the Sweetwater Union High School District, Bruno is taking honors classes and earning “A’s” on his report card. His story was featured in a YouTube video, courtesy of The NAMM Foundation, that was presented recently as part of the youth symphony’s annual update to CVESD’s Board.

“It can change your life a lot. It can give you hope, to know that if you really want something, you can make it,” Bruno said about music education.

Students from the District’s after-school band and orchestra performed prior to the Board’s May 6 meeting at the Education Service and Support Center. Bruno’s budding music career began when he was in fourth grade at J. Calvin Lauderbach Elementary. His story helps inspire today’s generation of Community Opus students, the ones new to an instrument much like Bruno had been.

“Music is a unifying medium that solidifies knowledge, and the quest for knowledge,” said Superintendent Francisco Escobedo, Ed.D. “Music is a way for students to open up their understanding of math in a conceptual way, as well as enhance their natural creativity. They learn not only to play an instrument, but also to work as a team. Kids create intense relationships with one another as they practice and perform together.”

Initially, the Community Opus Project began at Otay and Lauderbach elementary schools, and soon grew to six campuses in the District: Harborside, Lauderbach, Otay, Lilian J. Rice, Rosebank, and Vista Square. Because of the success of the after-school program, the District worked on adding music instruction to the school day with the help of the youth symphony. In-school music instruction is taking place for 3,000 students at the initial six campuses. The work has been boosted by a partnership with VH1 Save The Music Foundation, which provides District schools with $30,000 each in musical instruments—with the stipulation that they employ a full-time music instructor to provide music education as part of the school day.

In addition, students from across the District have the opportunity to perform in the Community Opus orchestra, band, and choir at three schools: Kellogg, Vista Square, and Palomar.

The partnership has attracted the attention of school districts, arts enthusiasts, and music educators from across the country. It is hailed as a model for introducing low-income/at-risk youth to music and restoring music education in schools following years of cuts to the arts. The Yale School of Music is honoring the District with the Yale Distinguished Music Educator Award. The School of Music selected CVESD to participate in its fifth Symposium on Music in Schools, which takes place June 4–7, 2015 on the Yale campus.

During the 2014-15 school year, the District began implementation of the VAPA Strategic Arts Education Plan for the purpose of bringing arts education into District classrooms. Schools and teachers have participated in professional development and other activities throughout the year to support student learning through VAPA. For example, 42 teachers from across the District learned fundamentals of visual arts while developing state standards aligned, integrated arts lessons in a series of Saturday workshops with the California Arts Project.

The Board of Education set aside $5 million to employ additional teachers starting in the 2015-16 school year with a focus on Visual and Performing Arts, which in turn will provide classroom teachers with release time for collaboration. The funding for collaboration while also boosting arts instruction District-wide was being hailed by classroom teachers and arts supporters alike as a “win-win.”

“The Chula Vista Elementary School District is demonstrating again that it is at the forefront of providing innovative and comprehensive education to the children of its district,” said Dalouge Smith, president and chief executive officer of the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory (SDYS).

The arts push is part of the District’s Local Control and Accountability Plan for the 2015-16, 2016-17, and 2017-18 school years. On June 10, the Board approved $18 million in LCAP-related expenditures.

Third grade teacher Carla Kriss thanked the Board at its June 10 meeting for the funding of collaboration time.

“I work at Allen School—we live on a shoestring,” Kriss said. “We have for a long time. We only have about 400 kids. My collaboration time is once a month, maybe, because of the lack of funds.”

She said the LCAP allocation will provide more time for her to meet with her grade level team and other colleagues—which is especially important now because of implementation of new state standards. Collaboration time enables teachers to identify student needs, plan instruction, and strategize.

The District has been working on a draft LCAP since January 2014. Restoring Visual and Performing Arts instruction in District schools was a constant part of the discussion. So was the need for release time for teachers to collaborate, be it through VAPA, physical education or science instruction.

Under the new school funding formula enacted in California in 2013, school districts are required to prepare (or revise) an LCAP on an annual basis. The LCAP must align with the annual budget, contain certain elements, and be developed in consultation with teachers, principals, administrators, other school personnel, parents, and students.

“SDYS is thrilled that our partnership with CVESD over the last 5 years to rebuild access to music and arts education has culminated with this commitment to providing visual and performing arts instruction at every school for every student,” Smith said. “We look forward to continuing to be part of the explosive growth of music education in Chula Vista.”

The youth symphony began its partnership with the District on the Community Opus Project at Otay and Lauderbach schools, and eventually grew the program to six campuses: Harborside, Lauderbach, Otay, Lilian J. Rice, Rosebank, and Vista Square. Because of the success of the after-school program, the District worked to restore music instruction to the school day.

In-school music instruction is now taking place for more than 3,000 students. The work was boosted by a partnership with VH1 Save The Music Foundation, which provides District schools with $30,000 each in musical instruments, with the stipulation that they employ a full-time music instructor to provide music education as part of the school day.

Jaclyn Rudderow, Program and Communications Manager at VH1 Save The Music Foundation, said her organization was thrilled to hear about the Board’s influx of arts funding.

“With this huge investment in certified music and arts teachers, we are well on our way to achieving our goal in providing equity for a complete education that includes music and the arts for all children in Chula Vista,” Rudderow said.

Superintendent Francisco Escobedo, Ed.D., noted that the Community Opus program has attracted the attention of arts enthusiasts nationally as a model for restoration of the arts in public schools.

“As part of our initiative to infuse 21^st Century skills into our learning outcomes, the arts are a perfect medium to enhance collaboration, creativity, and critical-thinking skills throughout our system,” Escobedo said.

To view the complete Board-adopted LCAP, click on the following link: FINAL BD Approved LCAP

About the Chula Vista Elementary School District

The Chula Vista Elementary School District serves nearly 30,000 students at 45 schools. Students experience a rigorous 21st century learning environment that is rooted in effective teaching practices and high-quality instruction while discovering novel methods of instructional delivery. Students receive an education that nurtures every child’s imagination, intellect, and sense of inquiry. Working together, the District will harness the potential of a collective intelligence rich with imagination and creativity necessary for students to become difference makers in the community.

Kindergarten parents shed a few tears. Teachers formed welcome “tunnels” at school entrances. And PTA leaders set up coffee and pastries to welcome parents. Most of the District’s 45 schools began the school year on Wednesday, July 22. (Ella B. Allen School, Hilltop Drive Elementary, and Vista Square Elementary are being modernized this summer and resume classes in September.)

The “First Day of School” spirit was evident as nearly 30,000 students resumed classes. At Howard Gardner Community School, a special flag raising ceremony was held to recognize the donors of large flag, flag pole, and lighting for nighttime viewing. The display was courtesy of Bob and Sue Sutherland from Sutherland Management Co. (McDonald’s restaurant owners). The flag flew at half-staff in honor of the five service members who were slain in Tennessee.

Parents and some teachers took to social media to share first day stories, and classroom activities, such as those posted to the #camlearns hashtag of Enrique S. Camarena Elementary. As one teacher put it, “LOVE the first day!!!”

Welcome to the 2015-16 school year!

Dramatic “makeovers” are underway this summer at three schools in the Chula Vista Elementary School District, thanks to general obligation bond funding approved by voters in 2012 under Proposition E.

Prop E created a School Facilities Improvement District (SFID) encompassing 31 of our then-44 schools. Construction crews have been busily making improvements this summer to Ella B. Allen School, Hilltop Drive Elementary and Vista Square Elementary.

Last year, Castle Park, Lilian J. Rice and Rosebank schools were the first to be modernized under Prop E. The renovations at each school include electrical upgrades and undergrounding of utilities, energy enhancements to heating and air-conditioning, window replacements, and enhanced wireless technology access (WiFi).

At Allen, Hilltop Drive, and Vista Square schools (see photos), the finishing touches are scheduled to be completed in time for students’ return to class on Tuesday, September 8.

Most of CVESD’s other campuses started the new school year on July 22.

Students from Silver Wing Elementary in south San Diego caught fly balls, took swings in the batting cage, and ran the bases during a simulated game while being cheered by their local heroes: the San Diego Padres and San Diego Police.

The baseball “camp” took place Aug. 18 at Petco Park, the home of the Padres. The event was organized in partnership with STAR/PAL, a San Diego-based nonprofit organization that models police and community collaboration. With the names of the 40 fifth and sixth grade students appearing on the oversized electronic scoreboard, and local news cameras capturing just about every swing, the event had a larger-than-life feel. Sworn officers from the San Diego Police and County Probation departments helped run skills sessions for the students of Silver Wing, which is one of 45 schools in the Chula Vista Elementary School District.

“The difference with today is that we are actually on the field at Petco Park,” said San Diego Police Officer Edwin Garrette, also a STAR/PAL staff member. “We typically don’t do this. …Some of these kids have never even been to Petco Park. So for them to be out here on the field is huge.”

Every student received a jersey to take home. They even had their own lockers in the ballpark’s auxiliary locker room. Garrette, who was honored by the Padres that evening for his work with STAR/PAL, noted Silver Wing has a special relationship with SDPD’s Southern Division.

Padres players Brandon Maurer and Yonder Alonso were joined by former star reliever Trevor Hoffman in participating in the event. Alonso shared about himself and the importance of education while the students ate their lunch in the stands at Petco.

The District and 26 individual schools are selected for respective ‘Honor Roll’ distinctions

The Campaign for Business and Education Excellence (CBEE) has announced that the Chula Vista Elementary School District is one of only 11 districts in California to be named a 2014 “Honor Roll” district. “Your district stood above the rest in getting your students to grade-level proficiency and beyond,” said James S. Lanich, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of the business organization, in announcing the award.

In addition to the district recognition, 25 of CVESD’s 45 campuses were named “Star Schools.” The Star School award was bestowed upon campuses with a significant population of socio-economically disadvantaged students and that demonstrated consistently high levels of student achievement, improvement in achievement levels over time, and a reduction in achievement gaps among student populations. A 26^th campus—Arroyo Vista Charter School—was named a “Scholar School” as it demonstrated a significant level of academic achievement, but does not have a significant size socio-economically disadvantaged student population.

“The honors are a credit to our teachers, administrators and students,” said CVESD Superintendent Francisco Escobedo, Ed.D. “We are proud to be recognized by California’s business community as an Honor Roll district, and are ecstatic to learn that more than half of our campuses were similarly honored. Our teachers and administrators work tirelessly to keep the focus on high expectations and student academic achievement. It all starts in the home, where our students’ first teachers are their parents. Our entire school community can take pride in these honors.”

Ella B. Allen School received the added distinction of being named a 2014 “STEM Honor Roll” school, because of high math and science achievement. CBEE only recognized 100 schools in the state with the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) honor.

“Many high performing schools are not getting the recognition they deserve. These schools that succeed in reducing the achievement gap and preparing their students for college and careers should be celebrated,” said Lee Blitch, CBEE Chairman.  “There are schools all over California that are leaders in ensuring their students are getting the best quality of education. Those schools need to be recognized.”

The Honor Roll is a school recognition program that uses only academic achievement data showing improved academic growth over time and a closing of the achievement gap.

“The American education system has a secret. Many schools are doing well… the Honor Roll proves it,” said Lanich, the CBEE president. “Students are achieving at higher levels than anyone admits, and more students than ever are succeeding when given the opportunity.”

The following are the District schools that were honored as “Star Schools”:

A full list of the Honor Roll schools and the STEM Honor Roll can be found at www.ca.edresults.org/HonorRoll or email outreach@cbee.org.

About the Campaign for Business & Education Excellence

The mission of the Campaign for Business & Education Excellence is to use the power of data to learn what works to improve public education and close the achievement gap. Since 1998, CBEE has worked to focus businesses around a common agenda for high performing public schools leading to increased college success and economic productivity. CBEE serves as the business community’s leading voice in education in California.

About the Chula Vista Elementary School District

Students in the Chula Vista Elementary School District experience a rigorous 21st Century learning environment that is rooted in effective teaching practices and high-quality instruction. Our mission is to nurture every child’s imagination, intellect, and sense of inquiry. Working collaboratively, we tap a collective intelligence rich with the spirit and creativity necessary for students to become difference makers. Located in southern San Diego County, the District’s 45 schools serve nearly 30,000 students, primarily in grades K-6.

Baseline is set for test results aligned to new, more rigorous state standards

When California updated its standards and built matching assessments (tests) to shift student learning toward more complex skills, it was assumed there would be a learning curve for everyone involved. While that certainly held true, it also turned out that students in the Chula Vista Elementary School District did better at meeting the challenge than most peers in the county and state.

CVESD students outperformed the state average by double digits, and significantly outperformed the county average in every grade level tested last spring in English Language Arts/literacy. In Mathematics, District students overall outperformed the county average and significantly outperformed the state average. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson on Wednesday unveiled the results of the new online assessments, which were administered to about 3.2 million students.

“These results tell me that our teachers and staff, in collaboration with our administrators, believe that all students can achieve academically,” said CVESD Superintendent Francisco Escobedo, Ed.D. “Our schools worked hard to ensure our learning environment meets the challenges of the 21^st Century.”

Although an achievement gap persists between English Learners and the District’s overall student population, the gap is narrower in Chula Vista than in many districts elsewhere in the state and county. District leaders are looking to replicate the successes of individual schools.

One such success story is Myrtle S. Finney Elementary, a Title I school that is located just a five-minute drive from the international border with Mexico. Overall, about 60% of students at Finney met or exceeded standards in English Language Arts. Finney’s English Learners significantly outperformed the average for their peer groups at the District, county and state levels: 37% of Finney EL students met or exceeded standards in English Language Arts.

“As benchmarks go, this is a good starting point,” Escobedo said. In third grade, for example, about 53% of Finney’s ELs achieved or exceeded standards. That is outstanding, Escobedo added.

Finney Principal Olivia Amador-Valerio credits a “collection of approaches” that went into the hard work of teaching.

“The first one was a realization that our purpose is to teach students how to think,” she said. “Once we took a closer at what that would entail, we realized that we needed to provide our students with tools to be able to interact with complex text (reading materials) at their grade level. …Students are interacting with a blended approach of fiction and non-fiction. Our students have learned how to apply tools to make sense of the readings. Our teachers have learned to really refine their questioning of students during that reading experience, to assist student in deepening their understanding of the material.”

Amador-Valerio likes to use the phrase, “Read like a detective, write like a reporter” in describing her students’ approach to English Language Arts.

Finney Elementary is being looked to as a model for best practices in the teaching of English Learners.

“We spent a lot of time as a staff breaking down the whole reading experience for students,” Amador-Valerio said. “We realized that reading, in addition to providing meaning, includes a lot of moving parts in any given passage: from the way the text is presented, to word choice, to how the words are assembled, and how paragraphs transition from one topic to the next.”

Finney staff members knew that the strategies to help English Learner students gain understanding actually helped all students in enhancing reading comprehension.

The state’s education officials, meanwhile, noted the baseline scores reflect, in part, the rigor of the state’s new standards.

“The results show our starting point as a state, a window into where California students are in meeting tougher academic standards that emphasize critical thinking, problem solving, and analytical writing,” Torlakson said, in prepared remarks. “California’s new standards and tests are challenging for schools to teach and for students to learn, so I am encouraged that many students are at or near achievement standards. However, just as we expected, many students need to make more progress. Our job is to support students, teachers, and schools as they do.”

Preliminary figures indicate that less than 1 percent of California students did not take the assessment as a result of a parental exemption. That shows, Torlakson said, a high level of commitment to the new standards among parents, teachers, students, and community leaders.

Thurgood Marshall Elementary Principal Scott Woodward noted the support at his campus, whose students overall were the highest performing in the District. “What really stands out to me is the full buy-in and collaboration with teachers, staff, parents, students—we all have worked really hard collaboratively to dig deep and understand what the standards are asking us to do,” Woodward said. “The most exciting thing to me is that my staff now says, ‘Just wait until we really figure this out.’ That attitude of always striving to be the best that we can be is a great model for our kids, and is one of the reasons our students did so well.”

Marshall Elementary had the highest performing Grade 3 students in the District, with nearly 76 percent meeting or exceeding standards in English Language Arts, and the highest performing Grade 5 students, with nearly 82 percent meeting or exceeding standards in ELA. (In overall results, it should be noted that Marshall edged out traditional academic powerhouse Heritage Elementary by less than 1 percent for the top spot in the District.)

While there has been considerable hand-wringing at the state level about California’s tepid results overall, some CVESD schools and grade levels did exceedingly well. A blistering 82 percent of Ella B. Allen Elementary Grade 6 students met or exceeded proficiency in ELA; and 65 percent of Allen Elementary Grade 6 students met or exceeded proficiency in math. Approximately 69 percent of Liberty Elementary Grade 5 students met or exceeded proficiency in math, which was the best math performance of any grade level in CVESD. Overall, however, students at Anne and William Hedenkamp Elementary can call themselves the District’s math champs: 62 percent of Hedenkamp students met or exceeded standards in math.

Heritage Elementary had traditionally been at the top of the District academically under the former state standards. How did Heritage students fare under the new, more rigorous state standards? The data is in: Heritage is still an academic powerhouse although the overall top spot is now claimed by Thurgood Marshall Elementary by less than a percentage point.

Heritage Elementary Teacher Jessica Guinn (L), and Principal Erin Dare share a moment with this year’s fifth grade students. Last year’s Grade 5 students placed second in the District in both ELA and math.

California updated its standards and built matching assessments (tests) to shift student learning toward more complex skills. The new online tests were administered last spring. The recently released results serve as a baseline as to where students are in meeting the tougher academic standards. Heritage had the highest achieving fourth grade in the District last year in English Language Arts, with 72.5 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards. Heritage fifth graders did even better, with 78.5 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards. (As impressive as that figure is, Heritage had the second-highest performing Grade 5 in the District, edged out by Marshall Elementary’s Grade 5 in ELA where nearly 82 percent met or exceeded standards.)

Heritage fifth graders also finished second in the District in mathematics, with 66 percent meeting or exceeding the standards. (Liberty Elementary’s Grade 5 was first, with nearly 69 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards in math.)

At Heritage, the Grade 5 achievement in both mathematics and English Language Arts is a source of pride. Heritage Principal, Erin Dare (in photo, second from left) credited a combination of factors for her school’s consistently high performance year after year.

“It is our amazing teachers who come to work each and every day, ready to teach our students,” Dare said. “We have awesome students ready to learn. They work really hard to achieve high levels of success. And we have outstanding parent support, the work they do inside and outside the classrooms is incredible. Those are the things that keep us at or near the top each year.”

That does not mean the transition to the new state standards, and online assessments was easy.

“Transitioning has been quite a journey. Learning the new standards was a foundation that we had to establish first,” Dare said. “We learned the standards, and then infused curriculum to what we thought would support the teaching and learning of the new state standards. Honestly, we really didn’t know because there was not a road map that told us we were on the right track.  So the data has been a pleasant surprise. We are happy to see that our hard work is paying off and we are thrilled with the amount of success that we’ve had with our students.”

It looks like the San Diego Chargers were winners off the field this week too, what with the way kicker Josh Lambo, defensive tackle Sean Lissemore and linebacker Manti Te’o fired up students at Harborside Elementary during a fitness-themed assembly. Under sunny skies and flanked by cheerleaders and community leaders, the Chargers presented a ceremonial $10,000 check to Board President Glendora M. Tremper, Board Member Eduardo Reyes, Ed.D., and Superintendent Francisco Escobedo, Ed.D. The Chargers awarded the District a “Hometown Grant,” in partnership with Fuel Up to Play 60, the NFL and the California Milk Advisory Board. Fuel Up to Play 60 is an in-school nutrition and physical activity program launched by National Dairy Council and NFL, in collaboration with the USDA. Youth are encouraged to consume nutrient-rich foods (low-fat and fat-free dairy foods, fruits, vegetables and whole grains) and achieve at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day.

The Harborside assembly took place on Tuesday, October 6—the first day of classes after Fall Break. Over a four-year period, Harborside made the greatest improvement in moving students to a healthier weight, as measured by the District’s Body Mass Index (BMI) assessments.

Each of the 32 NFL Clubs provide a Hometown Grant in their respective communities in the area of youth health and wellness. The Chargers selected CVESD because the team was made aware of the District’s “Growing Healthy Children” initiative, which has dramatically reduced the numbers of students who are obese or in an unhealthy weight. The NFL grant will help fund transportation for students at District schools on the west side of Chula Vista to attend the “Exercise the Dream” program at the Olympic Training Center, located on the east side of Chula Vista.

Student Bruno Bello recalls how difficult it was to find something that was both challenging and enjoyable. He wasn’t into sports, and he wasn’t into school. The year was 2010, and he was despondent about the divorce of his parents. Then, he discovered music. It changed his life, he says, in ways he could not have imagined.

Bruno was in the first group of District elementary students who began learning classical music after-school through the Community Opus program, the District arts initiative in partnership with the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory. Community Opus drew its inspiration from the El Sistema movement in music education and social change that first began in Venezuela.

“Before I had music, I was having trouble. I didn’t see the point of doing homework or paying attention at school,” Bruno recalled.

Now in middle school in the Sweetwater Union High School District, Bruno is taking honors classes and earning “A’s” on his report card. His story was featured in a YouTube video, courtesy of The NAMM Foundation, that was presented recently as part of the youth symphony’s annual update to CVESD’s Board.

“It can change your life a lot. It can give you hope, to know that if you really want something, you can make it,” Bruno said about music education.

Students from the District’s after-school band and orchestra performed prior to the Board’s May 6 meeting at the Education Service and Support Center. Bruno’s budding music career began when he was in fourth grade at J. Calvin Lauderbach Elementary. His story helps inspire today’s generation of Community Opus students, the ones new to an instrument much like Bruno had been.

“Music is a unifying medium that solidifies knowledge, and the quest for knowledge,” said Superintendent Francisco Escobedo, Ed.D. “Music is a way for students to open up their understanding of math in a conceptual way, as well as enhance their natural creativity. They learn not only to play an instrument, but also to work as a team. Kids create intense relationships with one another as they practice and perform together.”

Initially, the Community Opus Project began at Otay and Lauderbach elementary schools, and soon grew to six campuses in the District: Harborside, Lauderbach, Otay, Lilian J. Rice, Rosebank, and Vista Square. Because of the success of the after-school program, the District worked on adding music instruction to the school day with the help of the youth symphony. In-school music instruction is taking place for 3,000 students at the initial six campuses. The work has been boosted by a partnership with VH1 Save The Music Foundation, which provides District schools with $30,000 each in musical instruments—with the stipulation that they employ a full-time music instructor to provide music education as part of the school day.

In addition, students from across the District have the opportunity to perform in the Community Opus orchestra, band, and choir at three schools: Kellogg, Vista Square, and Palomar.

The partnership has attracted the attention of school districts, arts enthusiasts, and music educators from across the country. It is hailed as a model for introducing low-income/at-risk youth to music and restoring music education in schools following years of cuts to the arts. The Yale School of Music is honoring the District with the Yale Distinguished Music Educator Award. The School of Music selected CVESD to participate in its fifth Symposium on Music in Schools, which takes place June 4–7, 2015 on the Yale campus.

During the 2014-15 school year, the District began implementation of the VAPA Strategic Arts Education Plan for the purpose of bringing arts education into District classrooms. Schools and teachers have participated in professional development and other activities throughout the year to support student learning through VAPA. For example, 42 teachers from across the District learned fundamentals of visual arts while developing state standards aligned, integrated arts lessons in a series of Saturday workshops with the California Arts Project.