| State: California | Number of Students: 466 |
| School Type: Charter School | Free and Reduced Lunch: 83.9% |
| Grade Level: 9-12 | English Language Learners: 5.4% |
School Context
No Excuses: USC Hybrid High expects high academic achievement and strong behavior skills from all students.
Individualized Learning to Increase Motivation: USC Hybrid uses blended learning to personalize learning and increasestudent motivation. Students split their time between face-to-face instruction and online learning, working through amastery-based college-prep curriculum. Teachers build self-paced lessons that ensure all students work at an appropriatelevel.
Closing the Gap: Ednovate’s mission is to close the college graduation gap. The CMO aims for all students to attend andgraduate from college.
State of Technology
Open Door Policy: In 2014, Oliver Sicat (CEO) won the Digital Innovationin Learning Award (DILA) for an Open Door Policy. It’s no wonder. In2013-14, visitors from 50 organizations came to USC Hybrid High to learnmore. They also share information through publication with USC andwith other news outlets. The CMO believes that a true open door policymeans sharing the good news, as well as the challenges they face.
Teachers Matter: USC Hybrid High had some challenges in their firstyear of opening, mainly due to the structure of teaching and learning.Sicat says this structure “de-emphasized the role of the teacher.” Afterreflecting on these challenges, the school learned a lot about theimportance of their teachers. Currently, the school model focuses onsupporting teachers, giving them the autonomy and accountabilitynecessary to make choices about the edtech tools that are used intheir classrooms. Principals support teachers with ongoing coaching totweak and improve their classroom models. To further their autonomy,teachers receive $3,000 in funding each year to spend on curricular toolsof their choice.
Admin Picks: While there’s a lot of autonomy for teachers andprincipals, network level administrators have a unified strategy around afew basic tools. Currently, the entire network is using Illuminate, GoogleApps, Hapara and Canvas.
Canvas For All: A small group of teachers began using the free versionof Canvas last year as a way to organize their online resources andmaintain data. After a few months, the tool had spread and by spring of2014 and network administrators realized the tool was in hot demand.After comparing different options, the network adopted Canvas for alltheir schools to give students more consistency across the curriculum.Now teachers use Canvas to create a complete set of modules for anentire quarter. They are expected to build their work out in advance sothey are free to respond to data, create small group interventions andremix content in order to personalize learning.
Tech Needs & Requirements
Technology tools must be cloud based. Integration with Illuminate and/or Clever is highlypreferable. A discipline System is also needed.
Initiatives
Ednovate will open a second school, Hybrid High East, in Fall 2015.
Ednovate aims to support five of Los Angeles’ top five high schools by 2017.