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Updated March 15th, 2007

A Message From LCUSD
Superintendent Jim Stratton

La Cañada Unified School District students and staff members consistently perform at such high levels of achievement that we risk taking our success for granted. A recent Feb. 6 Governing Board workshop on district goals highlighted the scope of our accomplishments. In addition to standardized assessment data, the evidence of progress included examples of new programs, expanded learning opportunities and strengthened resources.

Much has been done, for example, to provide academic and emotional support for our students. Class size averages have been reduced to 20 in 9th grade English and math, student mentoring programs have been created at the elementary and secondary levels, counselors in grades 7-12 have implemented activities to combat bullying, and more than 100 elementary students are receiving systematic reading intervention support. Eighth-grade students are involved in a service learning project, LCHS homeroom teachers are delivering lessons on diversity and tolerance, and students new to LCHS have been involved in social mixers and orientations. Our counselors are working diligently to provide a range of services: approximately 8,000 individual/family guidance appointments have been logged, career assessment inventories have been completed by students, and support groups have been formed to reinforce study skills, social skills and character education.

In the area of curriculum, several new courses have been added to the 7-12 schedule. These include speech/debate, Korean 3 and 4, professions in the arts, digital photography, separate advanced placement literature and advanced placement language classes, and revised classes in Spanish 4, earth science and discrete math. At the elementary level, we have added a third year to our Spanish language program and have adopted a new reading intervention curriculum. Our K-6 teachers are piloting various state-approved textbooks in social science and will select a new district social science program later this month.

Timely and meaningful assessment of student mastery of standards continues to be a key focus for us. K-6 teachers were trained this summer in a new reading assessment tool — the Informal Reading Inventory — which measures fluency, vocabulary, decoding and comprehension and identifies students in need of further support. Throughout the district, from kindergarten to 12th grade, teachers are administering and analyzing quarterly anchor assessments to make sure that students have mastered the essential learning standards before moving on to the next instructional units. LCHS teachers post student grades online, and parents of almost twothirds of the students have obtained passwords to activate the reporting services. Well aware of the importance that both the state and federal governments place on standardized tests, our teachers have computerized access to their students’ California Standards Tests Scores and meet in grade level or course level groups to analyze the results and identify particular skills that may need reinforcement.

To maintain their expertise, our staff members continually participate in professional development and training. All K-12 teachers were trained in September in the Developmental Assets student support program. Fifteen of our new first- and second- year teachers are participating in a Beginning Teacher Assessment and Support consortium that La Cañada operates with the Glendale Unified School District. More than 75 teachers so far have attended six hours of after-school training sessions that they have selected from a menu of options. As part of our master plan in English Language Development, several teachers are doing extensive training in programs devoted to the needs of students who are learning English as a second language. One program is called Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English and is a state credential requirement. The other is a computer software program called DynEd and allows teachers to design additional support in specific content areas. Similarly, our Special Education teachers have been trained in how to use Applied Behavior Analysis to strengthen the learning capacity of students with severe needs and how to develop Individual Education Plans through a state-of-the-art computer software package.

Quality educational programs also require quality facilities and equipment. In December, the new high school culinary arts room was opened and on March 2, the new band room was finished. Both projects came in on time and under the projected construction costs. New multipurpose room projects are currently being planned for Paradise Canyon and for Palm Crest Elementary Schools. The second and third floors of the B Building at LCHS are scheduled for modernization this summer.As part of our deferred maintenance plan, new asphalting was completed on the Paradise Canyon upper and lower playgrounds and on the Palm Crest lower playground. As part of the Joint Use agreement with the city of La Cañada Flintridge, after-school hours for the LCHS Information Resource Center were expanded to include Monday as well as Tuesday through Thursday.

Student use of technology was also addressed in the implementation of 2006-07 goals. More than 400 new desktop computers were installed district wide, two new file servers were installed at LCHS to support expanded electronic services, and 36 portable laptop computers were purchased by the 7/8 PTA for student text and graphic use. Network switches at the elementary schools and at LCHS were replaced to improve the speed with which students can connect to the internet. The media arts room at LCHS was upgraded with a new projector, six additional computers, and a new lighting and sound system. Finally, more than 90% of our student transcripts are now submitted electronically to universities, saving time, resources and money. Other fiscal initiatives added to the goals progress this year. In its second year of operation, a Budget Advisory Committee has met to study the state funding process and to review LCUSD budget priorities. An online system for tracking the reimbursable costs of services mandated by the state has been implemented and will help to capture more refunds more quickly. Block grant monies from the state were used to support substance abuse prevention efforts, upgrade the computer labs, support elementary arts instruction and expand counseling services. As a result of a Governing Board study, developer fees were raised for the first time since the 1980s and will increase the funding available for certain construction projects.

Underlying and uniting all of our goals is the importance of communication, and advances continue in this area as well. The new district newsletter is in its second year of publication, with 11 separate issues already distributed. Board meetings are now audio-posted on the website, and the GATE newsletter has been re-established. To eliminate the need for slow and cumbersome phone trees, the district has implemented the Connect Ed program which allows schools and the district office to communicate a simultaneous, personally crafted phone message to all district families within five minutes. High school registration materials are available online, and more teachers have developed and posted websites.

Staff members are extremely proud of all these accomplishments and extremely appreciative of the community support related to them.

If you would like to be added to the distribution list of our newsletter, e-mail Enoch Kwok, director of technology, at ekwok@lcusd.net.

In addition, for the full PowerPoint report presented at the Feb. 6 workshop, visit www.lcusd.net, select the School Board tab, and scroll down to Board Workshops.