| State: California | Number of Students: 639,337 |
| School Type: Public School District | Free and Reduced Lunch: 78.7% |
| Grade Level: PK-Adult | English Language Learners: 25.9% |
School Context
Grad Goals: The district aims for a graduation rate of 100%. Across the district’s 103 regular high schools, the class of2015 graduation rate climbed six percentage points from the previous year to 83%.
Proficiency for All: LAUSD supports all students in demonstrating proficiency on Common Core mandated standards.Progress toward this ambitious goal is reflected in sustained double-digit growth on the state Academic PerformanceIndex and increasing graduation rates. As icing on the cake, LAUSD schools boast more winners of the US AcademicDecathlon championships than any other school district in the country.
Top of Class Attendance: Because of LAUSD’s emphasis on the relationship between student attendance and studentachievement, the district has made attendance a priority with a new public awareness campaign called, “I’m In,”reinforcing the expectation that every child attend school 100% of the time.
State of Technology
Big Tech: To operate and maintain the largest K-12 computing networkin the United States, LAUSD has partnered with Aruba Solutions, acompany that specializes in the development of infrastructure tosupport the widespread use of mobile devices. As of 2012, the districtreported that 100% of schools are connected to the Internet, and thatall classrooms have Internet access. LAUSD’s wireless network spans750 schools and 84,000 access points, supporting over two milliondevices on the network at any given time.
Instructional Technology Initiatives (formerly known as the CommonCore Technology Project - CCTP): The district decided to providemobile devices and digital curriculum to prepare students for SmarterBalanced exams. In August 2013, LAUSD issued iPads to 31,000students and 1,500 teachers at 47 different schools. The second phaseof this pilot, approved in February 2014, planned to deliver 39,000more devices to teachers and students in 35 additional schools. Butplans changed in mid 2014. Before his resignation in October 2014,Superintendent John Deasy ended the contract with Apple andreopened the RFP process to explore alternative options for technology.Although schools continue to use iPads, Phase 3 of the program allowsschools to choose other devices.
Diversifying Devices: As part of the Instructional Technology Initiative,schools involved in the project may choose between six different laptopdevices, including the Lenovo Yoga Touch, Microsoft Surface Pro 2, DellLatitude E7240 and Chromebooks. The district plans to study whathappens when schools are given more choice around which device touse.
Online Courses: LAUSD supports students in taking online coursesto supplement their traditional school courses. Courses are offeredthrough the district’s virtual academy, City of Angels Virtual Academy(COVA), founded in 2009. Now, the district is including teachers inthe online learning initiative using The Learning Zone, a ProfessionalDevelopment learning management system. The Learning Zoneencompasses instructional, business, compliance, technology, andsoft skills classes which are offered as online and classroom basedprograms.
MiSiS Rebuild: LAUSD rolled out a new SIS system, called MiSiS, in 2014,combining legacy systems ESIS, SSIS, and LAUSDMAX, into a single,comprehensive K-12 platform. Along the way, the district encounteredmajor challenges including bugs that led to problems with studentscheduling, report cards and transcripts. The district will spend the nexttwo years rebuilding MiSiS, bringing the system’s total costs to over$130 million.
Tech Needs & Requirements
School leaders must align all purchases with theSuperintendent’s goals and be able to justify theirpurchases based on those goals. Each vendor must register as an approved vendor inorder for purchasing to be approved. Bids above $70,000 must go through a formal RFPprocess. Instructional materials are exempt from the biddingprocess when under $70,000.