LCAP
Nestled at the southern base of the Santa Cruz Mountains along Highway 17, the Scotts Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) proudly serves its community. The district is comprised of four award-winning schools: Brook Knoll Elementary, Vine Hill Elementary, Scotts Valley Middle School (SVMS), and Scotts Valley High School (SVHS), with a high percentage of students matriculating to colleges following graduation from Scotts Valley High School. The district also supports an independent Charter School, California Connections Academy, Monterey Bay. Although the 1% Foster Youth, 2% English Learners, and 10% Socially Economically Disadvantaged seem like relatively small numbers of students, there are various languages and situations that contribute to diversity and a need for support from this highly acclaimed district. The Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) includes supplemental dollars, LCFF (Local Control Funding Formula) base, categorical, grants and other general fund dollars. Furthermore, the District passed Measure A to provide funds to rebuild Scotts Valley Middle School,completed in January of 2019! Although SVUSD passed a parcel tax in 2018 ,allowing the district to retain staff and quality programs, Scotts Valley Unified School District remains the 9th lowest funded unified school district in California. The low funding creates unique challenges in meeting the needs of all learners.
This Local Control Accountability Plan tells the story of Scotts Valley Unified School District, the goals, actions and services, and means of measuring progress over three years.
Our Mission: Scotts Valley Unified School District will provide each student with quality educational and social opportunities needed to thrive in a modern world. (Updated 9/2017)
Vision: Our students will be socially responsible, pursuing their full potential in intellectual, social, and physical development, and be engaged, ethical and effective citizens. (Updated 9/2017)
Core Values and Guiding Principles:
1. Our role is to develop academically capable, culturally attuned and socially responsible students.
2. There is strength and value in diversity of thought and experience.
3. District decisions, at all levels, should be thoughtful, equitable andtransparent.
4. We value commitment and collaboration from our engaged students, families and the community.
5. We value trust, respect and teamwork from our highly skilled and dedicated team.
6. We are accountable to our public for setting clear expectations and optimizing resources to meet our goals.
Our process has established district priorities, actions, and allocations of resources. It is important to all the stakeholders in SVUSD that we support the continuum of abilities and learners, including English Learners, Economically Disadvantaged Students, Special Education Students and Foster Youth, students who are high achieving such as those involved in advanced and International Baccalaureate (IB) classes, and those who are meeting or nearly meeting standards. Communicating the goals and vision of the district to our community is imperative, and families are actively involved in the education process. We are especially proud of the changes we have made and focus we have given to climate and culture, and have spent a great deal of time focusing on CTE (Career & Technical Education) pathways with a focus on Media Arts and Design. Building local assessments and participating in regular data cycles across the district, as well as communicating our goals, expectations, and resources, have been important focus areas over the past three years. An Alternative Education academy, K Street, was implemented at the high school to keep students engaged and incorporated at SVHS, with plans to expand to a second classroom in 2019-20. We have participated in a county wide science effort with plans to infuse Environmental Literacy into the district over the next three years.
All four of our schools are Gold Ribbon Schools, three of them receiving Blue Ribbons and SVMS receiving a Distinguished School award and Schools to Watch Award, renewed in 2019. Our highlights include an International Baccalaureate (IB) program at the high school, the academy and enrichment program at the middle school, and strategic implementation of core standards including Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop and math strategies at the elementary schools. Collaboration with our parent clubs and our local foundation, as well as looking creatively at our programs, has allowed us to support engagement and commitment to excellence in our schools. As the district has engaged in the LCAP process over the years, the systems and procedures put in place become more ingrained in the culture of the district. The site administrators communicate with district office personnel and they collaborate on a regular basis about goals and stakeholder feedback, which brings a connectedness across the district.
SVUSD is fortunate to provide quality professional development to its teachers and staff. The first lens when determining professional development is to analyze the needs of its upduplicated students. Highlights include:
- Increased technology implementation with tools and professional development
- Support programs for English Learners, including training in English Language Development (ELD) standards and Guided Language Acquisition Design (GLAD) strategies training
- Common Core State Standards and Math strategies with professional development and training
- Academic support and enrichment in all subjects
- Parent trainings and extensive involvement/volunteer base
- Social-emotional and guidance counseling services at all four schools
- Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Program
- Implementation of and county wide focus on Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
- International Baccalaureate (IB) at SVHS
GOAL 1 Pupil Achievement
SVUSD will provide comprehensive programs to improve student performance and address needs of all students.
English Learners
- Increase the capacity of instructional support staff and site staff to serve English Learners; professional development for K-12 teachers
- Provide digital equity to students for access to learning at home
- Homework clubs (K-8)
Differentiation/Intervention for all students
- Expand Alternative Education program (K Street) at the high school
- Replace Math 1a with a co-requisite class at SVHS for Math 1
- Revamping of the English 3 program provides opportunities for all students to take an IB exam in English at SVHS
- Differentiated classes, strategies and programs (RtI) at all sites
- Provide for reading and math intervention and instructional support at all sites, with extra tutoring and/or homework support.
Student Achievement District Wide
Assessment Implementation Plan and use of data cycles
- Common assessments and use of Illuminate data warehouse
- Focus on local and state results
- Increased instructional support for student performance, attendance, and engagement. Focus on data, including administrator walk-throughs.
GOAL 2 School Climate
SVUSD will provide a safe and engaging environment for students.
Culture
PBIS (Positive Behaviorial Interventions and Supports)
- Provide full time social/emotional counselors at all sites, allowing for increased supports for students.
- Implementation of Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) to increase effectiveness of supports for all students.
Site safety
- Processes
- Inclusiveness
- Communication
Engagement
Involvement of community and parents
Trainings and surveys
Focus on regular attendance
Common letters and reports, increased communication
Focused action steps targeting attendance, particularly for students who are designated as Homeless or Foster Youth
GOAL 3 Course Access
All students will be college and career ready.
College and Career
- Increased Career Technical Education teacher development and credentialing
- Provide part time college and career/CTE specialist
- Offer Credit Recovery at Scotts Valley High School
- Focused plan to increase college going and a-g rates for English Learners and Hispanic students
- College Visits
- Dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment classes at the high school
- Naviance College and Career support SVHS (SAT and ACT prep)
- National Student Clearinghouse to provide information regarding student success after leaving Scotts Valley High School.
Course Access
- Increase Arts across the district, including funding and curriculum to increase arts options in both visual and performing arts.
- Ongoing professional development and support system for teachers.
- Continue to provide International Baccalaureate exam fees for unduplicated students
- NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) enrichment in support of the District-wide science initiative, including environmental literacy and engineering practices.
Technology
- Technology training to increase differentiation across grade levels
SVUSD is proud to collect feedback and input from a variety of stakeholders:
- Parent LCAP Survey
- Parent School Site Council Surveys
- LCAP Parent Advisory Committee
- District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC)
- Community Advisory Committee for Special Education Families (CAC)
- Scotts Valley Educational Foundation (SVEF)
- SVUSD Board of Trustees Strategic Plan Community Advisory
- Health and Wellness Committee
- District Arts Task Force
Please contact Michelle Stewart to find out how you can participate in any of the above committees.
