2. TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
Contents
District
Priorities
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
1
Strategic
Highlights
________________________________________________________________________________________________
1
General
Administration
____________________________________________________________________________________________
5
Instructional
Leadership
__________________________________________________________________________________________
6
Leadership
Style
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
7
Community
Relations
______________________________________________________________________________________________
8
Personnel
Management
__________________________________________________________________________________________
10
3. ANNUAL
REPORT
2014-‐2015
Page
1
DISTRICT
PRIORITIES
It
is
unbelievable
how
time
flies!
It
seems
just
like
yesterday
that
I
sat
in
my
new
chair
and
wrote
a
“Welcome
Letter”
to
this
great
district.
The
first
100
days
as
a
superintendent
were
focused
on
the
articulation
of
the
District’s
Priority
Areas
as
collected
from
many
different
stakeholders,
including
parents,
staff,
community
partners,
and
students.
The
input
from
these
stakeholders
led
us
to
the
following
Priority
Areas:
1. Develop
an
English
Language
Development
program
that
will
ensure
English
Language
Learners
reclassification
within
the
first
three
to
four
years
of
participating
in
Alum
Rock
School
District’s
academic
program.
2. Redesign
the
Alum
Rock
Middle
School
Program
to
include
a
rigorous,
Common-‐Core
based
curriculum,
with
a
project-‐based
instructional
component
that
provides
all
students
with
a
viable
college
and
career
pathway.
The
middle
school
program
in
Alum
Rock
will
also
incorporate
socio-‐emotional
resources
designed
to
appropriately
support
all
students
in
this
level.
3. Engage
parents
in
meaningful
conversations
to
improve
all
district
programs
and
services,
and
encourage
active
parent
participation
at
all
schools
and
district
functions.
STRATEGIC
HIGHLIGHTS
The
following
initiatives
have
been
implemented
to
address
the
district’s
priority
areas:
Priority
1.
English
Language
Development
Program.
Constructing
Meaning.
This
is
a
professional
development
program
designed
to
train
teachers
to
address
English
Language
Learners’
linguistic
needs
throughout
the
day
and
in
all
academic
areas.
The
first
year
of
implementation
was
focused
on
middle
schools.
Over
60
middle
school
and
elementary
teachers
completed
the
five-‐day
intensive
training.
All
middle
school
principals
collected
evidence
of
teachers
implementing
Constructing
Meaning
new
instructional
practices.
This
was
also
present
at
the
elementary
campuses
where
teachers
attended
the
training.
Kinder
Plus.
Extended
day
kindergarten.
100%
of
kinder
classrooms
offered
extended
day
kinder.
Teachers
received
two-‐hour
paraprofessional
support.
In
addition,
we
collaborated
with
State
Senator
Jim
Beall’s
California
15th
Senate
District
office
to
bring
full-‐day
kinder
to
all
4. ANNUAL
REPORT
2014-‐2015
Page
2
TK/K
students
in
Alum
Rock
with
support
from
Kidango.
This
partnership
will
provide
Alum
Rock
kinder
students
with
full
day
kinder
in
collaboration
with
Kidango.
Kidango
is
a
state
funded
provider
of
preschool
and
afterschool
programs.
This
bill
is
still
pending.
However,
we
were
able
to
refurbish
the
kinder
classrooms
at
five
sites
with
Kidango
support
in
order
to
implement
the
Kinder
Plus
program.
Extended
Year
Programs
Examples:
Think
Together
Summer
Academy-‐
In
partnership
with
Think
Together
staff,
eight
Alum
Teachers
provided
summer
academic
support
and
enrichment
opportunities
to
over
two
hundred
students
second
through
fifth
grades.
The
program
focused
on
project
based
learning
opportunities
and
critical
thinking.
The
target
students
were
our
lowest
performing
students.
Kinder
Plus
-‐
Alum
Rock
has
been
offering
extended
year
services
for
kinder
students
in
collaboration
with
Kidango.
This
summer,
ten
families
in
the
Russo/McEntee
area
qualified
for
free
or
reduced
fees.
Bridge
to
Kinder-‐
In
collaboration
with
the
United
Way,
we
provided
kinder
support
to
approximately
forty
families
in
Arbuckle,
Chavez,
Dorsa,
and
San
Antonio
attendance
areas.
Priority
2.
Middle
School
Re-‐design.
Throughout
the
year,
every
middle
school
presented
to
the
board
their
new
or
updated
design
model.
The
goal
for
each
middle
school
is
to
integrate
a
rigorous
academic
model
while
integrating
Common-‐Core
standards,
and
to
integrate
a
college
and
careers
pathway
for
each
student.
The
following
are
the
middle
school’s
re-‐designs
and
updates:
Mathson
Institute
of
Technology.
Ocala
STEAM
Academy.
Fischer
Business
Academy.
Sheppard:
School
within
School
Model-‐
Atlas
&
AVID.
George
Middle
School
and
feeder
pattern
as
Visual
and
Performing
Arts
Cluster.
Renaissance
Academies
I
&
II
with
a
Social
Justice
focus
5. ANNUAL
REPORT
2014-‐2015
Page
3
Middle
School
Increased
Support
Services:
Measure
A
Santa
Clara
County.
This
initiative
provides
Alum
Rock
students
with
increased
counseling
services
in
the
following
schools:
Sheppard/Painter,
Ocala,
and
George.
City
Year.
This
extended
day
support
was
implemented
in
nine
of
our
schools.
They
will
be
in
twelve
schools
during
the
2015-‐2016
school
year.
Citizen
Schools.
This
support
increased
from
George
Middle
School
to
include
Sheppard
Middle
School.
This
initiative
offers
focused
support
to
sixth
grade
students.
Middle
School
Extended
Year:
We
have
increased
the
number
of
middle
school
students
participating
in
math
programs.
As
I
visited
all
the
sites,
every
program
leader
shared
with
me
that
this
2015
summer
season
has
been
stronger
than
in
the
past.
We
will
use
this
year’s
data
as
baseline,
and
the
goal
will
be
to
double
the
participation
rate
for
next
year.
Programs
offered:
Jose
Valdez
Summer
Institute
at
San
Jose
City
College.
Approximately
eighty
students
participated
for
the
first
time
in
this
intensive
math
program
free
of
charge
to
our
Alum
Rock
students.
ALearn
&
Elevate
Math-‐
Focused
on
supporting
over
two
hundred
sixth,
seventh,
and
eighth
grade
students
in
reaching
grade
level
proficiency
in
mathematics.
Mathson
Tech
Academy.
Over
80
students
participated
in
this
“hands-‐on”
tech
program
for
students
sixth
through
eighth
grade
at
Mathson.
More
information
will
be
provided
during
their
presentation
at
the
School
District
Board
Meeting
of
August.
Middle
School
Bridge:
Ocala
&
Fischer
participated
in
putting
together
a
bridge
academy
for
incoming
sixth
grade
students
to
ensure
a
seamless
transition
from
Elementary
to
Middle
School.
Priority
3.
Parent
Engagement.
The
identified
priority
areas
were
the
result
of
direct
parent
and
stakeholder
engagement.
In
addition
to
asking
parents
and
stakeholders
to
volunteer
and
participate
in
our
schools
and
at
6. ANNUAL
REPORT
2014-‐2015
Page
4
the
district
level,
we
have
redirected
the
organization
to
seek
their
input
at
all
levels
of
decision
making.
Highlights:
Kinder
enrollment
efforts.
With
the
support
of
Ford
and
Bonilla,
our
district’s
Public
Relations
firm,
last
August
we
launched
our
first
recruitment
effort
outside
our
campuses.
Community
liaisons
were
sent
to
a
number
of
areas,
including
Mi
Pueblo
Supermarket(s),
home
visits,
National
Night
Out-‐at
St.
John
Vianey
and
Mayfair
Community
Center.
Media
outreach.
I
spoke
at
four
radio
stations,
in
English
and
Spanish,
and
two
TV
stations
regarding
the
importance
of
parents
getting
ready
for
school,
and
how
they
need
to
support
their
children.
Telemundo
featured
George,
Mathson,
and
LUCHA
as
exemplary
programs
in
our
community.
Back
to
District
Night.
We
held
Back
to
District
Night
on
Tuesday,
September
9
with
over
four
hundred
people
in
attendance.
We
shared
district’s
priorities,
and
highlighted
a
number
of
our
programs.
Parent
University.
Parent
University
was
held
twice
during
the
2014-‐2015
school
year,
one
in
the
fall
and
the
other
in
the
spring.
Overall
attendance
to
both
events
was
over
700
parents.
Pathway
to
College.
This
event
was
a
result
of
feedback
from
parents
wanting
additional
information
about
College
and
University.
We
had
approximately
one
hundred
participants
with
a
panel
of
Alum
Rock
alumni
who
are
currently
college
students.
Middle
School
Expo
Nights.
As
a
result
of
parent
feedback
from
Parent
University,
we
held
four
Middle
School
Expo
Nights
in
the
four
corners
of
our
district.
These
events
gave
all
parents
an
opportunity
to
learn
about
our
middle
school
programs
and
our
policy
of
open
enrollment.
Principal
Parent
Engagement
Goal.
Every
principal
was
asked
to
include
a
Parent
Engagement
Goal
as
part
of
their
evaluation
process.
7. ANNUAL
REPORT
2014-‐2015
Page
5
GENERAL
ADMINISTRATION
A. Efficient/Effective
Management
Accomplishments:
Addressed
all
the
business
of
the
district
on
an
efficient
and
timely
manner,
including
recruiting
and
hiring
site
administrators,
addressing
a
number
of
personnel
challenges
at
the
executive
cabinet
and
mid-‐management
levels,
passing
Measure
O,
secured
highly
experienced
interim
assistant
superintendents
in
both
HR
and
Business
while
recruiting
the
appropriate
staff
for
those
positions,
worked
effectively
with
district
legal
counsel
to
address
a
number
of
personnel
and
agreement
issues
with
different
agencies,
etc.
B. Policies
and
Programs
Accomplishments:
Upheld
all
district
policies
and
agreements.
Worked
effectively
with
staff
and
Construction
Management
company
to
address
a
number
of
facilities
issues,
completed
all
last
summer
projects,
addressed
emergencies
such
as
Dorsa’s
roof,
and
used
support
from
Kidango
to
complete
the
number
of
kinder
bathrooms
that
needed
to
be
refurbished.
This
partnership
with
Kidango
increased
the
number
of
refurbished
bathrooms.
Passed
Measure
O
to
improve
district
services.
Secured
a
number
of
corporate
partners
funding
to
increase
district
services,
including
Shortino
Foundation,
Applied
Materials,
New
Teacher
Center,
Deloitte,
and
Cisco
Systems.
C. Planning
Accomplishments:
Worked
with
parents,
stakeholders,
executive
and
extended
cabinet
members
to
update
and
align
Local
Control
Funding
Formula
(LCFF)
and
other
funding
sources
to
district
priorities.
This
led
to
the
development
of
the
2015-‐2016
LCAP.
As
a
result
of
this
work,
we
were
able
to
offer
a
reasonable
salary
increase
to
staff,
provide
increased
support
for
all
district
sites
and
departments,
including
the
allocation
of
LCAP
resources
for
school
facilities
improvement.
D. Communication
Accomplishments:
Identified
communication
as
one
of
the
district
office’s
goals.
We
sought
out
stakeholder
input
via
a
survey.
As
a
result
of
the
survey,
we
focused
on
strengthening
customer
service
from
the
district
office.
I
keep
an
open
door
policy,
and
meet
regularly
with
the
leaders
from
all
the
units.
Kept
positive
and
productive
communications
with
charter
partners,
while
adhering
to
all
current
agreements.
8. ANNUAL
REPORT
2014-‐2015
Page
6
INSTRUCTIONAL
LEADERSHIP
A. Curriculum
Development
Accomplishments:
1.
English
Learner
Priority.
Integrated
Constructing
Meaning
as
the
pedagogy
to
assist
teachers
decrease
the
number
of
Long
Term
English
Learners.
During
the
2014-‐2015
school
year,
the
majority
of
middle
school
teachers
participated
in
this
professional
development
effort.
2.
Middle
School
redesign
at
Mathson
and
Ocala
Middle
Schools.
Mathson
Middle
School
re-‐opened
in
August
2014
as
Mathson
Institute
of
Technology
(MIT).
MIT
focus
is
on
high
tech,
enabling
students
to
learn
college
and
career
skills
in
the
area
of
technology.
Major
curriculum
additions
were
the
integration
of
technology-‐focused
electives,
and
the
use
of
3-‐D
monitors
and
3-‐D
printers
in
different
core
classes,
including
Math
and
Science,
Constructing
Meaning,
Common
Core
and
Project-‐Based-‐
Learning.
B. Program
Evaluation
Accomplishments:
1.
Initiated
the
implementation
of
iReady.
iReady,
an
adaptive
diagnostic
assessment,
has
been
implemented
as
our
local
assessment.
It
supports
the
integration
of
technology
in
a
blended
learning
mode,
as
well
as
the
implementation
of
Common
Core
standards.
The
adaptive
technology
provides
students
opportunities
to
focus
on
working
on
standards
and
skills
at
their
specific
level
as
determined
by
the
on-‐going
assessments.
C. Staff
Development
Accomplishments:
1.
English
Language
Development.
Constructing
Meaning.
This
provides
teachers
with
the
process
and
tools
for
integrating
explicit
language
instruction
into
content-‐area
teaching.
Over
sixty
middle
staff
completed
the
five
day
training
cycle,
and
over
twenty
elementary
school
staff
completed
the
five
day
training
cycle.
Out
of
the
teachers
and
staff
that
participated
in
the
full
cycle,
five
will
become
the
district’s
trainers
of
trainers.
2.
Program
Evaluation.
We
initiated
the
implementation
of
iReady
in
January
2015.
As
of
now,
about
half
of
our
sites
have
successfully
implemented
the
first
round
of
iReady.
9. ANNUAL
REPORT
2014-‐2015
Page
7
This
initiative
is
at
its
early
stages
of
implementation,
and
we
are
planning
to
move
the
rest
of
the
sites
into
full
implementation
as
well
as
to
support
the
rest
of
the
sites
to
move
to
the
next
implementation
level.
3.
Leadership
Development.
Deloitte
Courageous
Principals
Training.
In
collaboration
with
the
New
Teacher
Center
and
Cisco,
we
provided
Deloitte’s
training
to
all
sixty
five
ARUSD
administrators.
This
training
will
allow
all
our
administrators
to
strengthen
their
communication
and
collaboration
skills
with
all
their
stakeholders.
D. Stability
and
Continuity
Accomplishments:
1.
Partners
in
School
Innovation.
We
were
able
to
complete
the
Partners
in
School
Innovation
(PSI)
effort
in
our
district.
We
continue
to
use
their
cycle
of
inquiry
model,
and
we
have
modified
it
to
align
with
the
needs
of
our
district.
In
addition,
we
have
supported
other
programs
that
have
been
effective
in
our
district,
such
as
City
Year,
Citizen’s
Schools,
etc.
All
the
after
school
providers
that
were
able
to
demonstrate
student
success
continue
in
our
schools.
LEADERSHIP
STYLE
A.
Student
Advocacy
Evidence:
All
district
initiatives
and
efforts
are
student
centered.
The
three
district
priorities
start
and
end
with
the
student
in
mind.
Focusing
on
the
reclassification
of
English
Learners
provides
the
majority
of
our
students
(about
52%
of
ARUSD
students
are
English
Learners)
the
support
and
services
needed
to
become
fluent
in
academic
English
as
soon
as
appropriate.
The
main
purpose
of
redesigning
Middle
Schools
is
to
capture
students’
hearts
and
minds,
making
schools
more
meaningful
and
places
where
students
want
to
be.
Increasing
parent
engagement
allows
our
district
to
understand
the
point
of
view
of
our
parents
who
want
the
best
for
our
students.
Thus,
the
three
district
priorities
are
designed
to
provide
success
for
all
our
students.
B. Clear
Vision
Evidence:
Alum
Rock
is
a
“turned-‐around”
district.
Our
schools
have
increased
academic
performance
for
the
past
several
years.
We
are
now
taking
Alum
Rock
to
the
next
academic
level.
We
are
building
on
the
strong
foundations
of
solid
academic
10. ANNUAL
REPORT
2014-‐2015
Page
8
performance
and
creating
the
“New
Alum
Rock.”
The
New
Alum
Rock
is
innovative,
welcoming,
and
provides
all
students
with
a
solid
college
and
career
pathway.
C. Collaborative
Management
Process
Evidence:
All
district
initiatives
have
been
launched
in
collaboration
with
all
stakeholders.
Constructing
Meaning
was
implemented
with
full
support
from
the
teachers
union
and
most
administrators.
The
LCAP
process
included
all
stakeholders,
and
parents
were
invited
to
facilitate
the
parent
and
community
meetings.
Parent
University
included
a
variety
of
partners,
including
community
organizations,
parent
groups,
teachers,
ARUSD
alumni,
and
administrators.
Principals
led
Principals’
Roundtables,
and
a
variety
of
administrators
collaborated
in
creating
all
management
meetings
and
retreats.
COMMUNIY
RELATIONS
A.
Communication
1. Vision
of
The
New
Alum
Rock:
Creating
our
New
Image.
The
New
Alum
Rock
is
a
turned
around
district.
In
the
past
several
years,
Alum
Rock
has
beat
the
odds
by
moving
14
of
its
17
elementary
schools
over
the
state
goal
of
800
API
mark.
Three
of
those
campuses
were
identified
as
persistently
high
academic
performing:
McCollam,
Russo/McEntee,
and
LUCHA,
with
API
scores
over
850.
Our
focus
on
Middle
School
redesign
has
created
the
Alum
Rock
Middle
School
Model
focused
on
a
career
and
college
path
for
every
student.
We
moved
our
middle
schools
from
remediation
factories
to
college
and
career
induction
centers.
The
New
Alum
Rock
has
high
student
expectations
and
provides
students
with
the
academic
rigor
and
student
support
that
each
student
needs
to
be
ready
for
the
21st
century
work
environment.
2. Media.
With
the
support
from
Ford
and
Bonilla,
our
district
has
a
new
media
presence.
Alum
Rock
is
now
“on
the
news”
for
its
innovation
and
improvement.
Last
year,
we
took
our
message
to
both
Radio
and
TV
stations,
both
in
English
and
Spanish,
to
offer
our
community
the
many
high
quality
programs
our
schools
offer.
In
addition,
when
something
of
importance
to
parents
needed
to
be
addressed,
we
did
so
in
a
prompt
and
transparent
manner.
In
December,
we
informed
our
parents
11. ANNUAL
REPORT
2014-‐2015
Page
9
about
the
real
situation
of
the
roof
at
Dorsa,
and
this
spring
we
addressed
the
Walden
West
incident
much
more
efficiently
than
other
entities.
3. Creating
a
Digital
Presence.
At
the
request
of
parents
and
community,
we
updated
our
district
website.
The
new
website
look
helped
us
not
only
tell
information,
but
tell
a
story
through
pictures.
We
are
also
“being
followed”
on
Facebook
and
Twitter.
During
the
first
months
in
Facebook,
Mandy
Ford,
from
Ford
and
Bonilla,
managed
our
Facebook
presence.
It
was
imperative
to
work
with
our
followers
to
develop
a
clean
and
honest
look.
With
Mandy’s
straightforward
style,
we
allowed
all
comments,
positive
and
negative
to
be
printed
on
Facebook.
Jason
Sorich,
Principal
on
Special
Assignment,
helped
us
to
establish
a
Twitter
presence.
These
two
efforts
have
created
an
international
digital
community
for
Alum
Rock.
4. Communication
Assistant
Superintendent’s
Office.
We
added
the
new
position
of
Communication
Assistant
in
the
superintendent’s
office.
The
goal
is
to
increase
and
improve
communications
with
all
stakeholders.
This
position
provides
web
support
to
all
sites
and
the
district’s
Facebook
account.
In
addition,
the
Communication
Assistant
provides
support
to
all
district-‐wide
events,
special
recognitions,
and
other
public
relations
endeavors.
B. Visibility
Evidence:
I
visited
every
school
in
the
district,
and
attended
the
majority
of
back
to
school
and
open
house
nights
throughout
the
district.
I
participated
in
a
number
of
parent
meetings,
including
Principal’s
coffees,
PTO/PTA
meetings,
supported
the
organization
of
the
PTO
at
Chavez.
I
worked
closely
with
community/parent
groups,
including
Somos
Mayfair,
PIQUE,
etc.
I
received
The
“Champion
of
Student
Success”
Award
from
City
Year,
for
the
collaborative
effort
we
made
raising
funds
to
support
and
increase
of
services
in
our
schools.
I
spent
many
hours
supporting
and
participating
in
a
variety
of
volunteer
events,
including
NVIDIA,
United
Way,
and
City
Year.
I
participated
in
most
LCAP
input
sessions
with
our
community.
12. ANNUAL
REPORT
2014-‐2015
Page
10
PERSONNEL
MANAGEMENT
A. Visibility
Evidence:
I
keep
an
open
door
policy.
Every
employee
and
all
parents
and
community
members
have
access
to
my
time.
At
the
beginning
of
the
school
year
I
extended
an
invitation
to
have
one-‐on-‐one
meetings
with
employees,
parents
and
community
members.
I
met
with
approximately
200
individuals
in
my
first
three
months.
I
worked
closely
with
the
negotiations
team
throughout
the
negotiations
process,
being
able
to
successfully
reach
a
win-‐win
agreement
with
all
bargaining
units.
B. Morale
Evidence:
I
reach
out
to
all
employees
in
different
manners.
I
have
reached
out
to
all
ARUSD
at
the
beginning
and
end
of
different
seasons,
sharing
thoughts
and
videos
to
support
the
district’s
vision
of
creativity
and
innovation.
We
have
sponsored
a
couple
of
pot-‐luck
events
for
district
office
employees,
seeking
communication
with
employees
that
traditionally
are
difficult
to
schedule,
such
as
bus
drivers,
maintenance,
and
technology
support.
I
reach
out
to
teachers
on
a
regular
basis
to
seek
feedback
from
them
in
all
of
our
initiatives.
Some
teachers
were
invited
to
the
management
retreats
both
in
January
and
June.
C. Staff
Development
Evidence:
I
supported
Teamsters
when
they
asked
to
receive
more
training.
I
worked
with
MOT
Director
to
identify
areas
of
need.
As
a
result
of
this,
three
bus
drivers
have
applied
for
the
trainer’s
professional
development.
I
supported
AREA
leaders
in
their
effort
to
provide
AREA
members
with
Common-‐Core
training.
We
paid
teachers
to
participate
in
these
trainings.
I
have
supported
all
staff
in
their
pursuit
of
higher
degrees,
including
all
administrators
seeking
a
doctorate.
D. Staffing
Evidence:
We
were
able
to
implement
all
the
district’s
initiatives
by
increasing
the
number
of
staff
involved
in
decision
making,
including
in
cabinet
another
level
of
administrators.
For
example,
when
we
were
not
able
to
find
an
appropriate
candidate
for
Assistant
Superintendent
of
Business,
we
included
the
Director
of
Fiscal
Services
and
the
Administrator
of
Fiscal
Services.
The
district’s
work
kept
on-‐going.
This
is
just
the
beginning
of
our
work
in
the
creation
of
the
New
Alum
Rock.
We
have
set
the
foundation
to
develop
exemplary
learning
environments
in
all
our
schools.
Creativity
has
now
13. ANNUAL
REPORT
2014-‐2015
Page
11
been
added
as
a
core
academic
area
where
students
are
challenged
daily
through
rigorous
instructional
practices
as
they
thrive
in
their
journey
towards
college.
Thank
you
so
much
for
the
opportunity
to
serve
such
a
great
district!
Hilaria
Bauer,
PhD
Superintendent
July
29,
2015
Alum
Rock
Union
Elementary
School
District
2930
Gay
Ave.
San
José,
CA
Tel
(408)
928-‐6800
www.arusd.org
