| State: California | Number of Students: 77,812 |
| School Type: Public School District | Free and Reduced Lunch: 65.8% |
| Grade Level: K-Adult | English Language Learners: 23.0% |
School Context
Closing The Gap: All schools develop an intervention plan to close the achievement gap in the district’s four lowest-performing sub-groups (English Learner, African-American, Hispanic and Special Education). Additionally, high schools develop a plan to increase the number of African-Americans and other underrepresented groups enrolled in Honors and APcourses.
Graduate: Increase the graduation rate by increasing those meeting graduation requirements to 90%, college entrancerequirements to 60% and linked learning pathways to 90%.
Achievement Growth: Increase proficiency/advanced proficiency in English Language Arts and Math by 3% annually,increase proficiency in the district’s lowest-performing subgroups by 5% annually, and increase the number of 8th gradestudents enrolled in Algebra by 3% annually.
State of Technology
More Than The Core: Like most districts, Long Beach is prioritizingtechnology that supports the Common Core. However, the district is alsocounting on technology to play a big role in supporting its linked learninginitiative. Linked Learning brings together academic content that relatesto real world professions and provides hands on technical activities tostudents. It also supports students to develop career awareness, explorecareers through internships and develop relationships with professionalsin the field. The district has partnered with ConnectEd California tosupport this work in its high schools, and leverages their tool, ConnectEdStudios, to help students make connections and find resources for linkedlearning.
Going Mobile: The district currently hosts a 1:1 iPad initiative in NelsonAcademy, McBride High School, Linberg Middle School, Washington MiddleSchool and Franklin Classical Middle School. Its experience with iPadsstarted in 2009 with a small 8th grade pilot, utilizing a digital textbook appfrom Houghton Mifflin Harcourt called HMH Fuse. While the 1:1 initiativescontinue to grow, many other schools are taking advantage of iPad cartsinstead. The district continues to support principals to make their ownfunding decisions when it comes to purchasing hardware, and will workcollaboratively with school leaders to rollout future 1:1 initatives. However,all administrators have their own iPads, which they use to conductobservations and provide teacher feedback on the go.
Infrastructure: Long Beach USD aims to develop a wireless network in allschools, capable of supporting 40 students per classroom accessing theinternet simultaneously.
Professional Development Mecca: Long Beach Unified has long been hailedfor its innovative approach to professional development. The district has anextensive coaching strategy, partnerships with local teacher colleges and investsa great deal in teacher resources. In fall 2013, the district took another step,thanks to a Gates grant, to use the design process with teachers and principalsto put together an RFP for a comprehensive PD System. The district endedup going with a bid from Truenorthlogic and are in the middle of rolling out thissystem for the 2014-15 school year.
Tech Needs & Requirements
Long Beach Unified prioritizes projects based on the impactthose projects have on students, the strategic goals of thedistrict, and other existing resources. The district needs software that supports Common Core standards in language arts, math and science standards.
Initiatives
New PD System In Town: The district is in the process of developing a new PD System with Truenorthlogic and rolling outpilots of the new system this year.