LAGUNA BEACH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
DRAFT *** QUEST FOR EXCELLENCE NARRATIVE *** DRAFT
The Quest for Excellence Story
Some friends started talking . . . .
In Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future, Margaret Wheatley says, “Change begins from deep inside a system, when a few people . . . respond to a dream of what’s possible.” (p. 25). In the early fall of 2000, four people started talking about how a good school district might be a better district, might continuously improve. Two of the participants were administrators, the Superintendent, Dr. Theresa Daem, and the Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Wendy Doty, and two were elected members of the public board governing the Laguna Beach Unified School District, Susan Mas and K Turner.
The Laguna Beach Unified School District has approximately 2700 students in two elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. There are approximately150 faculty members and approximately 125 support staff members. The community itself is located on the coast of southern California about fifty miles south of Los Angeles. The district is unique in that it is funded through local property taxes rather than Average Daily Attendance (ADA) payments from the state. Another unique feature of the district is that the majority of the students remain in the district from kindergarten through high school graduation.
On September 19, 2000, the Superintendent announced her intention to establish a task force to consider how to continuously improve. The original group of four decided they needed to talk to other people especially about what “excellence” meant. Four separate breakfast meetings were held with four individuals to talk about excellence. One of the guests was a business executive, one the president of a local public community college, one the principal of the top rated high school in California and one the Director of Curriculum and Instruction at an area elementary school district.
The group of four drafted a charter in December 2000, and the Superintendent announced the formation of the Quest for Excellence Committee (Q4e) at the January 9, 2001, school board meeting. The Q4e Committee was established for the purpose of attaining excellence in all areas of the District. The process was anticipated to be consistent, ongoing, and sustainable long-term as well as open, expansive, and as inclusive as conditions permitted. Further, the process was to be flexible enough to accommodate any new knowledge and/or viable possibilities.
The Superintendent’s primary goal was maximum learner achievement through the intentional development of a culture of continuous improvement based on best practices throughout the district. It followed that the highest possible levels of student learning and achievement could only be realized through the most efficient and effective practices in all six areas of the Superintendent’s Vision: Curriculum, Instruction, Personnel, Budget and Finance, Culture and Environment.
The January, 2001, announcement included a description of the purpose of the Q4e Committee, its composition and its structure. The structure initially included three groups; i.e., a Steering Committee, a larger group which included district personnel, parents and community members divided into six subcommittees. Four of the subcommittees were headed by the administrators at the four school sites, the other two subcommittees were the Recognitions subcommittee, headed by the Director of Special Education and the Research subcommittee convened by a Board Member.
At the news of the formation of the Quest for Excellence Committee, Bob Whalen, one of the board members said, “Great, bring us a budget proposal, you are going to need some money.” The budget request for $35,000 was approved at the Board meeting of February 13, 2001.
The Q4e Steering Committee was appointed by the Superintendent and included two members of the Board of Education (one of whom is the Board President); the Superintendent (Dr. Theresa Daem); and the Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services (Dr. Wendy Doty). In the summer of 2001, Dr. Steven Keller took Dr. Doty’s place and Nancy Blade, Principal at Laguna Beach High School was added to the committee.
The Q4e General Committee was comprised of: up to two members of the Board of Education, the Superintendent, the Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services, all four principals, the Director of Special Education, parents, interested community members, staff and teachers.
Some friends started talking . . . .
2000-2001 Academic Year
The 2000-2001 school year was a year of formation and organization. Six subcommittees were formed: one site committee at each school, a Research subcommittee and the Recognitions subcommittee. The California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) was administered late in the year and the resulting data analyzed by the Research subcommittee over the 2001 summer.
2001-2002 Academic Year
As a result of the California Healthy Kids Survey 2001 data analysis, the four site committees of the previous year were reorganized into four different subcommittees as focus projects to address student needs through specific strategies recommended in the CHKS materials. They were:
• Academic Depth
• Character Education
• Project-Based Learning
• Service Learning
The Recognitions and Research subcommittees remained as originally organized. Although the Research subcommittee added Support to its name and the Recognitions subcommittee became Internal Excellence. Subcommittees were generally comprised of one administrator, parents, community members, staff and teachers.
A draft Q4e Plan was developed and circulated for input. The plan included the “spiral of feedback” as the working model for all aspects of the Q4e effort. (page 190. Schools That Learn. Peter Senge, et al.)
In addition, the How I See Things Survey (HISTS) developed by Dr. Michael Bernard, a parent and resident of the district, was conducted with students in grades 2 through 11 near the end of the 2001-2002 academic year. Teachers completed surveys on a random sample of their students in grades 2 through 11 as part of a professional development activity at the conclusion of the academic year. The HIST Survey was designed to provide data not available through the CHKS; i.e., survey of all students and a teacher component for additional verification.
Each Q4e subcommittee presented and filed a one-page summary of their activities for the previous year. As it turned out, the Academic Depth subcommittee and the High School independently researched and recommended the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program for implementation in the 2002-2003 academic year, starting with 9th graders. Service Learning was fully integrated into the high school curriculum through the Community Service graduation requirement.
Some friends started talking . . . .
2002-2003 Academic Year
The recommended AVID program was implemented at the high school with volunteer 9th graders and preliminary work was done for starting the AVID program in the middle school. The Service Learning subcommittee having completed its project; took up the responsibility for High Levels of Wellness. Character Education became the Social and Emotional Wellbeing ((SEWB) subcommittee as a result of an analysis of the HIST survey data and assumed a broadened scope. The 2003 CHKS was administered in February 2003 and included 5th graders for the first time. A Q4e Newsletter was published monthly. Baseline measures for the assessment of progress were discussed and established for the subcommittees:
• Social and Emotional Wellbeing
• High Levels of Wellness
• Academic Depth
• Project Based Learning
• Internal Excellence
• Research and Support
Separate from the Quest for Excellence but driven by data from the Q4e effort: a joint city-district taskforce on substance abuse co-chaired by Nancy Blade, High School Principal and Theresa O’Hare, parent volunteer was established. The task force included Captain Danell Adams from the Laguna Beach Police Department as well as parent and community representatives.
Some friends started talking . . . .
2003-2004 Academic Year
The 2003 CHKS was administered to 5th, 7th, 9th and 11th graders in February, 2003 and the results analyzed in the summer of 2003. Summaries of the data were presented to the district Board and site faculty and PTAs. The 9th grade AVID students moved into 10th grade and new 9th graders were added to the program as were volunteer 8th graders in the middle school.
Based upon an analysis of the CHKS data which indicated a need to improve problem-solving skills and meaningful participation in schools, the Q4e subcommittees were slightly reconfigured for the 2003-2004 academic year.
• The Academic Depth subcommittee took on three areas of emphasis: 1) Configure support systems for at-risk and underperforming students; 2) Contribute to improvements in academic rigor; and 3) Develop and implement a curriculum for ways of knowing which is integrated K-12.
• Social and Emotional Wellbeing became Developing and Improving Social and Emotional Well-Being and divided into two areas of emphasis: 1) Develop and implement K-12 strategies for meaningful participation contributing to self efficacy and 2) Develop and implement K-12 strategies for problem-solving. Over the course of the year this committee morphed into the Social Emotional Education Development (SEED) subcommittee.
• High Levels of Wellness continued with the development and implementation of K-12 curriculum was well an investigation into the possibility of fitness labs at the middle and high school. As it turned out fitness labs presented a number of obstacles and the subcommittee turned its attention to a life-long fitness curriculum including yoga training for the physical education teachers and improving the nutritional value of school lunches and snacks.
• A new subcommittee, the Child Capacity Development, was added to investigate the configuration of support systems for language and music capacity development of district students ages 3 to 7. The subcommittee produced a comprehensive resource kit for parents that was distributed to area pediatricians and health care agencies.
• Research and Support and Internal Excellence remained unchanged.
Some friends started talking . . . .
2004-2005 Academic Year
Five subcommittees continued unchanged: Academic Depth, Social Emotional Education Development (SEED), High Levels of Wellness, Research and Support and Internal Excellence. Child Capacity Development became the Capacity Development subcommittee and assumed the ways of knowing segment of the Academic Depth subcommittee as well as investigation of brain research, learning styles and metacognition.
Norma Shelton, Assistant Superintendent for Business, became the chair of the Internal Excellence subcommittee upon the retirement of Mary Wuertz, the Director of Special Education. Yes, the board member who originally convened the Research and Support subcommittee continued with the stipulation that the designation remain, “convening chair.”
Undergirding the entire Q4e effort were data flowing from the “Big Five”: California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS), California Physical Fitness Test (CPFT), Average Daily Attendance (ADA), Advanced Placement enrollments and test results (AP), and the annual Academic Performance Index (API) for each school in the district.
During the year, most Q4e subcommittees met monthly, the Steering Committee met on an as needed basis and the Q4e General Committee met at least quarterly. All subcommittees created lists of school, community and internet resources for the Individual Student Profile (ISP) to assist students, parents, staff and community to support and enrich the learning experiences of each child in the district.
The Academic Depth subcommittee, co-chaired by Nancy Blade, principal of the high school and Dr. Joanne Culverhouse, principal of the middle school, investigated the International Baccalaureate program (IB). Teams from the high school were in communication with local high schools currently using the IB program. High school departmental teams explored the benefits of IB and students were surveyed to gather input. High school students also had a conference call with students at a high school that has the IB program and plans are underway for teams to visit a high school that offers the program. Writing standards were reviewed and affirmed between the middle school and high school Language Arts curricula.
This subcommittee also suggested strategies for heightening parent and community awareness and support for the Professional Learning Communities (PLC) being organized throughout the district. Plans next year include sending a vertical team (district, high and middle school representatives) to an International Baccalaureate Program Planning Conference.
The Social Emotional Education Development (SEED) subcommittee, chaired by Dr. Gary Greene, community member, Dr. Steven Keller, Assistant Superintendent, Instructional Services and Chris Duddy, principal of one of the district’s elementary schools. produced a professional development activity for staff and teachers at the beginning of the academic year. This well-received diversity training program helped convey the District’s focus on the “whole child” including the academic performance of each student.
This subcommittee established social and emotional learning standards guidelines for teachers. They initiated a SEED subcommittee for teachers to help infuse PLC into the classroom and enhance the “whole child” concept; with teacher input, added specific standards to the K-5 student report card to reflect each student’s well-being and social and emotional development; addressed community awareness of Q4e and how it is being implemented by the district through a marketing/education campaign; completed a SEED team self assessment for coordination with the K-12 Counseling and Support Program; and offered two after school paid staff development opportunities to teachers: a workshop on emotional resilience with Dr. Bill Beacham and training with Dr. Michael Bernard on infusing social and emotional capabilities into teacher behavior.
The Capacity Development (How I Grow and Learn) subcommittee, co-chaired by Ron La Motte, principal of one of the district’s elementary schools and Jami Parsons, assistant high school principal, evolved from a pre-school emphasis to include all levels of student learning and development. During the year this subcommittee developed three different assessments to be included as a part of the ISP. The instruments are based on the work of Dr. Mel Levine and Dr. Howard Gardner and include the assessment of Multiple Intelligences, Learning Styles, and an interest inventory for future career potential. This group provided a staff professional development activity presented by the Executive Director of the Schools Attuned program in conjunction with Dr. Mel Levine’s program, All Kinds of Minds and read Dr. Levine's book, Ready or Not, Here Life Comes as ameans for K-12 educators and parents to learn how to better prepare students for life.
Plans for the coming academic year include incorporating Dr. Levine’s work from his book The Mind That’s Mine into the student curriculum for the 6th grade Organizational Wheel where students will discover how they learn by completing the activities in the companion workbook. Two Community Learning Center (CLC) teachers will be released for five days’ of additional professional development at the All Kinds of Minds program with plans to pilot the Schools Attuned program the following year.
The High Levels of Wellness subcommittee, co-chaired by Jenny Salberg, M & M-chomping middle school assistant principal and Debra Appel, food services supervisor, sent a vertical team of nine people, including one from each school site, to the PE4Life Conference in Chicago. Out of the experience, which included a site visit, plans were developed to build a community-based physical education team, define advocacy strategies, research funding sources, compile an inventory of equipment and space needs, design a PE4Life curriculum for the district and identify benchmarks for program success.
This subcommittee also held two successful Laguna Beach Community Clinic “Teen Talks” focused on a variety of subjects including skin care, health issues, peer pressures and other pertinent topics, each talk was attended by over forty students; implemented a yoga class at the middle school; presented a weekly “relaxation” session at each school site during lunch for students and teachers; sponsored National PE/Fitness Day on May 4th at each school site and distributed green wrist bands symbolizing “life-long fitness” to students, staff, and teachers.
An on-going task for this group is the creation of a district policy for health and wellness, an extensive project that must adhere to strict state guidelines and requirements and will include contributions from a community advisory committee. There are plans to extend the middle school yoga class to the other three school sites in the district in the coming year.
The Internal Excellence subcommittee, chaired by Norma Shelton, Assistant Superintendent, Business Services, includes the Q4e Publisher/Editor/Writer, Kevin Yates. This subcommittee continued with the original Q4e charter to honor, report, and recognize internal excellence occurring within the district. At the beginning of the 2004-2005 academic year, the subcommittee established award categories that mirrored the qualities identified in the District’s Quest for Excellence. The categories were:
• Above and Beyond
• Best Practices
• Continuous Contribution to District Improvement
• Models of Life-Long Learning
Every quarter, District employees, modeling and demonstrating exemplary behaviors in one of the four categories were selected and honored at a formal Board of Education meeting where their families and friends were welcomed to witness the recognition of their achievements.
Internal Excellence also published the Q4e Newsletter monthly during the academic year. The monthly reports included subcommittee updates and site administrator-selected programs and the person (s) responsible for their implementation which demonstrated the Q4e guiding principles and reflected the important work accomplished with students district-wide on a daily basis. The Q4e newsletter was widely distributed internally and externally through the PTAs and other community groups. Each issue of the newsletter included meeting calendars and contact information for anyone interested in volunteering to serve on a subcommittee.
The Research and Support subcommittee, chaired by Dr. K Turner, LBUSD Board Member, focused primarily on the concept, design and mechanics of the Individual Student Profile (ISP). Activities involved reviewing the content and navigational design of the ISP, recommending wording for the ISP disclaimer, Terms of Use, and Privacy Statement; researching copyright, registering, and patents as they related to the Q4e effort. This group suggested the development of a “Link Policy” for the review of all resources and advertisers endorsed by the subcommittees for inclusion on the various ISP resource lists. Maintaining the currency of the Q4e “Story” is a responsibility of this subcommittee.
From the work of our subcommittees we had the suggestions for a framework for identifying and serving the unique needs of each student. We needed a secure system which was user-friendly and would interface seamlessly with already existing databases while accommodating new ones.
Early in the spring term a technology consultant was retained to design the infrastructure for the technical aspects of what was originally known as an Individual Student Portfolio, now called Individual Student Profile (ISP). The consultant selected had many years of programming experience and an intimate familiarity with secure networks and health care computer systems.
The consultant recommended a web-based vehicle to maximize flexibility and access. By early April, a fully functional prototype was presented to the Q4e Steering Committee. The first showing for the full Q4e General Committee was in early June, 2005.
In a number of ways the 2004-2005 academic year was the culmination of a series of efforts. The focus had clearly shifted to how to use what we were learning to serving students better. In summary, the Quest for Excellence effort continued on an upward spiral of intentional continuous improvement redounding to the benefit of every student in the district.
From time to time, the members of the school board give each other “reading assignments” including Good to Great by Jim Collins and a board member-compiled synopsis of The Schools Our Children Deserve by Alfie Kohn. Reading assignments have also included articles from various newspapers and periodicals.
Concurrent with the specific efforts of the Q4e subcommittees the district’s staff development program is designed to complement and supplement through specific emphases in technology and subject matter areas as well as new findings in educational research and theory. A primary focus is on the concept of Professional Learning Communities as articulated by Dr. Richard DuFour in Professional Learning Communities at Work. A large number of district personnel had attended various DuFour presentations over the years including board members, administrators and faculty. In January, 2005, Dr. DuFour and his wife, Becky, made a two-day presentation attended by ALL faculty of the district. Parents, community members and staff were invited to attend also. We noticed a few interlopers from neighboring school districts in the audience as well.
From the DuFours we learned the importance of designing and implementing a pyramid of interventions for students and developed a comprehensive K-12 counseling program under the wise and able stewardship of the Special Education Director, Nancy Hubbel and the members of the counseling staff. The program, based on best practices and national standards, is set for testing and approval by the end of the 2005-2006 academic year.
Also from the DuFours we learned that teachers need time to work together professionally. The school board approved a proposal to compensate teachers for professional time to be scheduled and accounted for at each school site. The teachers' association collaborated with district administration to create paid time for Professional Learning Community activities actually embedded within the weekly work schedule at each school site.
Some friends started talking . . . .
2005-2006 Academic Year - From Very Good to Great
ISP Pilot/Rollout
Comprehensive Student Counseling and Support Program
Professional Learning Communities
cascade effect/fly wheel
sustainability
Some friends started talking . . . .
Most recent update 8-23-05
LBUSD 2004-2005: PLC + CK-12SSP + Q4e = G2G
(Translation: Laguna Beach Unified School District for 2004-2005:
Professional Learning Communities plus a Comprehensive Kindergarten through grade 12 Student Support Program plus the Quest for Excellence equals Good to Great