Back to School 2021
At Carlsbad Unified, the 2021-22 school year has launched successfully. Our students are back on campus full time. Sports teams and VAPA (visual and performing arts) groups are practicing and competing. And everybody is relishing their time back in the classrooms, at the lunch tables, and on the playgrounds.
Last year was a difficult and emotionally challenging time. We missed out on many things, like football games and field trips and fairs. But I do not think we should call it a lost or a wasted year. I hope we focus on our successes in finding new ways to meet the pandemic’s challenges --- new instructional formats, new community connections, and new technologies for communicating with students and parents. Over the past 18 months, we showed flexibility and creative adaptation in trying new and different ways to help students learn.
At last week’s Board meeting, our Instructional Services team presented the results of our Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) for the 2020-21 school year. This report showed how we did on the goals we had set for ourselves last year; and it helps us determine our goals for this new year. Despite the upheavals of last year, there were many outstanding accomplishments of which to be proud.
Academic Achievement
Despite the disruptions of the last 18 months, we have ample evidence of student learning and growth in the 2020-21 school year. Important data points worth sharing include:
The percentage of our students who graduated on time in 2021 is an amazing 98%, up 4% over the last 5 years. (In contrast, this year’s graduation rate is 85% in San Diego County and 87% in California.)
Carlsbad Unified’s college-going rate is an impressive 80%. (The national rate is 57%.)
The percentage of our 2021 graduates who completed the A-G requirements, making them eligible for the University of California and California State University systems (UC/CSU), increased by three points this year to 83% --- up an impressive 12% over 5 years. (Our 83% figure compares with 52% of graduates in San Diego County and 47% in California.)
The percentage of our high school students enrolled in at least one honors, AP, or community college course is up 18% over the last five years, to 79%.
Academic Support
During the pandemic, we also have given our students additional academic support including tutoring, added intervention sections, and more intervention teachers. Further, a robust and well-attended summer school helped hundreds of students brush up on their basic skills or to stay on track to graduate on time. Also available was the Gear Up program for incoming 6th and 9th graders and other in-person and virtual learning options. In total, we provided summer learning experiences to 631 elementary students, 538 middle school students, and 599 high school students in the summer of 2021 (or 1,768 students all together).
Social Emotional Support
Because of school closures during the pandemic, many students experienced disconnection from their peers, their teachers, their sports, and the larger community. Related to that was an increase in general stressors on students’ emotional health, as well as a higher incidence of serious mental health concerns. In response to these Social Emotional realities, Carlsbad Unified has instituted more counseling, mental health supports, and new elementary school counseling for students in need. The Harmony program at the elementary schools and student advisory periods at the middle and high schools help students to build resilience, and teach skills such as time management and how to combat bullying.
Yes, there are still a (relatively low) number of positive COVID-19 cases, and some students and staff members are quarantining at home. But, much more broadly, we are back at school, teaching and learning, collaborating and exploring --- and integrating the knowledge we have gained from dealing successfully with these challenging times. Carlsbad Unified is living our mission: to provide every student an extraordinary education in an inspiring environment.
