Category A: Organization:
Vision and Purpose,
Governance, Leadership and Staff, and Resources
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
A-1. The school has a clearly stated vision or purpose based on its students' needs, current
educational research, and the belief that all students can achieve at high levels and b) the
school’s purpose is defined further by the governing boards and the central administration
and further defined by Expected Schoolwide Learning Results (ESLRs) and the academic
standards.
VISION
The Van Nuys High School Vision Statement states that the school is committed to creating a safe
and secure environment, where students will become self-sufficient, academically capable
individuals, effective communicators, critical thinkers, self-directed lifelong learners, and responsible
and ethical citizens.
ESLRs and INDICATORS
P
ersonal Development
Students will be active citizens acquiring the attitudes, knowledge, and interpersonal skills to
understand and respect themselves, others, and the environment from both a local and global
perspective.
INDICATORS
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Crisis, Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs (ATOD), and grief groups to support students’
social and emotional needs
“Council” program
On-campus counseling services including marriage and family therapists
Student participation in classroom collaborative group activities
Leadership class
Campus clubs
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Sports teams
On-campus parent center to support student/parent needs for counseling, health education,
referrals to services (medical, dental, and vision), and parenting skills classes
Teen Court program available on-campus
Collaboration with college interns working with special needs of students
Bilingual (Spanish-English) psychologist on campus
Full-time Pupil Service for Attendance (PSA) counselor on campus
Work and career guidance
AVID
Education Talent Search
Upward Bound
Medcore (partnership with USC weekend classes for students interested in medical careers
(50 students)
Service learning graduation requirement. Standards-based community outreach done through
social science department
JROTC service learning
Dedicated intervention councilor and coordinator
Beyond-the-Bell (YPI and Impact)
Student job board
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ROP classes
Positive behavior support initiative poster campaign and articulation
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Students will develop an understanding of the arts, culture, and human diversity.
INDICATORS
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Numerous and varied ethnic clubs on-campus
Annual VNHS Spring Multicultural Fair
Assemblies and Field trips
“Day of the Dead” annual art day
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Black history month
Armenian genocide and Holocaust assembly
Cinco de Mayo
World history courses
World literature courses
Folklorico dance
Mecha
Jewish club
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Thai club
French culture week
Lighthouse Christian club
A
cademic Achievement
Students will be proficient or above in all core academic areas, while demonstrating growth in
English language arts, mathematics and writing across the curriculum.
INDICATORS
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California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) pass rate
Advanced placement enrollment and exam pass rate
California State Test–rates of student growth in academic areas
API growth rate
The California English Language Development Test scores for nonnative speaking students
Periodic district mandated English, mathematics assessments, social science, and science
Enrollment in and success of on-campus after school and Saturday Kaplan courses to
prepare under-performing students for the California High School Exit Exam.
SAT results
A-G requirements
After-school tutoring programs in mathematics, science, social science and English
C
ommunication Skills
Students will be able to express themselves effectively, both orally and in writing. Students
will understand the value of collaboration and cooperation by working together in clubs, classes,
and groups.
INDICATORS
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California English Language Development Test (CELDT)
Writing across the curriculum
Van Nuys Website
Group work Projects
School newspaper
School literary magazine
Parent newsletters
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Principals newsletter
Clubs
Sports teams
The “Council” program
Pregnant teen group
Peer mentoring
Tutoring
Peer tutoring
ESL mandated assessments in speaking
Peer Counselors speak to business
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Student Government
Student Affairs
Student Council
Senior Board
Junior Board
Daily announcements
Power point presentations
Wiki biographies
Video presentations
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Interview for internships
Social networking
T
echnological Proficiency
Students will be prepared to use technology to enhance learning and pursue career and
educational goals. Students will be prepared to participate in the ever-evolving technological
world.
INDICATORS
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Advanced Placement computer science pass rate
Enrollment in computer courses
Customize career plans for students through Bridges website, the digital library and other
career awareness websites and to include a resume and cover letter for every student
Encouragement of classroom power-point presentations, word-processed documents, and
internet research
Computer labs
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Use of Vantage writing program
ALEKS
Carnegie
American Dream (life skills game of life)
Revolution (CAHSEE prep)
Machine Tool Academy
Automotive Repair Academy
Robotics program
Journalism utilizes state of the art hardware and software
Year book uses cutting edge technology
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Graphic arts classes utilizes state of the art hardware and software
Upgrade of computers in the library
Two active full-time computer technicians
FINDINGS
This vision statement reflects the school’s commitment to
provide a superior, interdisciplinary education where
students will attain the skills necessary to participate
successfully in a democratic community. The vision
statement of Van Nuys High School is based on the needs
of students and clearly states VNHS’s belief that all students
can learn and meet the highest academic standards possible.
The vision statement is aligned with Local District 2’s
Mission Statement to provide quality professional
development and service to Local District 2 schools, “to
ensure that all students receive a rigorous standards-based
curriculum, quality instruction, and the opportunity to
learn.” The VNHS vision statement and ESLRs and the
California State Standards are shared and supported by our
School Based Management Council, School Cite Council,
School Advisory Committee for State Compensatory
Education Programs, English Learner Advisory Committee,
Magnet Parents Association, and Student Leadership
Council. VNHS believes that this statement directly reflects
student needs, current educational research and the belief
that all students can achieve high levels.
EVIDENCE
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VNHS Vision Statement
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District 2 Mission Statement
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SBM agenda
SSC agenda
CEAC agenda
ELAC agenda
Magnet Parents Association
agenda
Student Leadership Council
agenda
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DEVELOPMENT, REFINEMENT AND
UNDERSTANDING OF VISION AND ESLRS
Van Nuys High School began its accreditation process in the
spring of 2010. During this time the entire faculty and staff
met, examined, and reacquainted themselves with the
school’s vision statement and the Expected Schoolwide
Learning Results (ESLRs). At this time the accreditation
team, which is comprised of teachers, administrators, and
counselors began work on revising the vision statement and
ESLRs. During the previous accreditation a tremendous
amount of time, energy and effort went into revamping the
ESLRs, and the committee felt that the current vision
statement and ESLRs were quite strong and helped focus
the school on its goals.
The ESLRs reflect the California State Content Standards as
descriptors to more accurately assess student attainment of
academic skills. The ESLRs take into account the crucial role
that assessment of data, particularly data from the California
State Standards Test, the California High School Exit Exam,
District benchmarks and site-based assessments, play in the
design, evaluation, and modification of curriculum and
instruction. The ESLRs focus on content standards and the
results from assessment tools, and focus particularly on two
areas of critical academic need: mathematics and English
language arts or reading, writing, and speaking across the
curriculum.
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Professional Development
Agenda
Vision Statement
ESLRs
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Focus Group minutes
CST data
CAHSEE data
The ESLRs are extremely relevant, not only in terms of the
VNHS Vision Statement, but also to the current forces
driving the delivery of curriculum, such as academic rigor,
the California State and National Content Standards, current
research and best practices, assessment tools and data from
the current community profile. Both academic and
vocational opportunities are addressed as part of the
school’s responsibility to its diverse student body and to
assist the school in it progress to deliver this crucial part of
its vision.
In the spring and the fall of 2010, the accreditation team,
faculty administration, staff, parents and students examined
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the ESLRs. As mentioned, although the ESLRs are very
strong it was the decision of the stakeholders to update
them. The focus of the update was to make the ESLRs more
memorable to the stakeholders of VNHS, so an acronym
was devised and new emphasis was placed on
communication.
Faculty, administrators, staff, parents, and students formed
focus groups, which undertook the comprehensive task of
examining the relevance of the new ESLRs. Through
discussions and feedback on professional development days
that were designed to advance the accreditation process, the
focus groups also were asked to deepen their understanding
of the ESLRs. The faculty was asked how they incorporate
the ESLRs into what they do in their classroom currently,
and then asked to see what other ways they can incorporate
the ESLRs into their everyday lesson planning and
classroom activities in the future. Departments then met to
discuss how the ESLRs were used in each individual
department and how these practices could be improved. In
addition, SLCs and magnets met again to discuss how the
ESLRs are utilized and how they can be promoted in these
learning communities. The focus group members were
surveyed in all of these meetings and the results were studied
and the ESLRs were once again revised. The amended draft
was presented for feedback and approved by our SchoolBased Management Committee (SBM), School Site Council
(SSC), the Compensatory Education Advisory Council
(CEAC), the English Language Learner Advisory Council
(ELAC) and the Magnet Parents’ Association, Student
Leadership Council, faculty and staff.
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Final version of amended
ESLRs
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Department meeting agenda
SLC and Magnet meeting
agenda
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Agendas SBM, SSC, CEAC,
ELAC, Magnet Parent
Association, Student
Leadership Council.
Since their inception, the ESLRs have honed the school’s
focus on common schoolwide learning results. The creation
of the original ESLRs had a positive effect on our
curriculum at Van Nuys High School. With an emphasis on
standards-based instruction and with the data from
assessment tools, the ESLRs have now been aligned to
address these two important influences on the development
and delivery of curriculum. As teachers revise their
curriculum to meet such expectations, they also ensure that
the curriculum is aligned with VNHS ESLRs. The ESLRs
stress the importance of post-secondary preparation,
academic achievement, communication, cultural awareness
and personal development, all of which are part of the Van
Nuys High School Vision. That being said, we realize that
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the recent function of the ESLRs has been more implicit
than explicit. Though many members of the staff post
ESLRs in their class, it is not clear that our students think of
their education in terms of the ESLRs. The ESLRs are a
living document, subject to constant reassessment and
revision.
REGULAR REVIEW AND REVISION
As part of the accreditation process the VNHS accreditation
team, administration, focus groups, faculty, students, parents
and staff made a close examination of the VNHS Vision
Statement and the ESLRs and made revisions in the spring
and fall of 2010. In the past the vision/ESLRs were
reviewed informally as part of the yearly updated progress
reports like the three-year accreditation review and the
Single School Plan for Student Achievement (SSPSA) and
then presented to School Site Council and the School based
Management Committee. In the fall of 2010 the principal,
administration and stakeholders of VNHS decided to
formalize this process. Policy was set to make the VNHS
Accreditation Team responsible for formal review of the
vision and the ESLRs in January of every year. Changes
would be implemented and then the findings and changes
would be presented to the SBM, SCC, ELAC, CEAC,
Magnet Parents Association and the faculty and staff for
approval in February of the same year. This formalized
process assures that the vision/ESLRs are kept current with
research and trends in education and to assure that there is a
continuous focus and refocus for the stakeholders at VNHS
on what we are trying to achieve and how we are going to
achieve it.
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STANDARDS-BASED STUDENT LEARNING
VISION AND PURPOSE
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
A.2 Governance Criterion
The governing boards a) have policies and bylaws that are aligned with the school's purpose
and support the achievement of the expected schoolwide learning results and academic
standards based on data-driven instructional decisions for the school; b) delegate
implementation of these policies to the professional staff; and c) regularly monitor results
and approve the single schoolwide action plan and its relationship to the Local Educational
Association (LEA) plan.
The leadership and staff at Van Nuys High School have a deep commitment to deliver a quality
academic standards-based education to all students to achieve the expected schoolwide learning
results. The mission of the leadership team, faculty and staff at VNHS is to ensure that all
activities, programs and decision making relate directly to improving and enhancing student
achievement and academic skills.
FINDINGS
EVIDENCE
GOVERNING BOARDS/DECISION MAKING BODIES
The shared school governance and decision making bodies
at Van Nuys High School are represented by a broad range
of participants including students, parents, community
members and administrators. Stakeholders are given the
opportunity to participate in school governance and the
decision making process.
Shared governance decisions at Van Nuys High School are
made by the School-Based Management Committee (SBM)
and the School Site Council (SSC). In addition, the
Compensatory Education Advisory Council (CEAC), the
English Language Learner Advisory Council (ELAC) and
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Agenda for SBM, SSC,
CEAC, ELAC, and Magnet
Parents’ Assoc. meetings
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the Magnet Parents’ Association have advisory functions in
the decision making process. The faculty and staff also play
an important role in governance.
THE PRINCIPAL
The principal’s role in the governance process is to provide
facilitative leadership to these groups. The principal is
responsible for communicating a clear vision for the school
and must work with all stakeholder groups to chart a course
of action to achieve the school’s objectives. The principal
works to build consensus and must ensure that all
stakeholder groups are included in the school governance
process. The principal communicates with the LAUSD, who
regularly provide directions regarding goals and expectations
for student learning results, academic standards, school
organization, staff development, parental involvement and
student discipline, which is then carried out by School
Based-Management.
The principal has weekly administrative meetings to outline
ongoing objectives for student expectations and
achievement, for pupil personnel services and for innovative
best practices to be discussed during faculty, department and
SLC faculty meetings. The principal also oversees the many
organizational teams and often provides direct involvement
during their meetings. Both teachers and support staff are
also either directly or indirectly involved in these auxiliary
activities as well.
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Consensus
Communications with
LAUSD
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Minutes of weekly staff
meetings
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SBM and SSC meetings
Single Plan for Student
Achievement.
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SBM By-Laws
Attendance policy
Campus safety policy
Disciplinary policy
SCHOOL-BASED MANAGEMENT
The Van Nuys High School-Based Management (SBM)
represents all stakeholders through elected representatives.
This 16 member body consists of eight members elected by
the faculty and eight members from other stakeholder
groups: administrators, classified employees, students, and
parents. The SBM has responsibilities for decision making in
five areas: 1) professional development program, 2) student
discipline and code of conduct, 3) schedule of school
activities and events, 4) guidelines for the use of school
equipment, and 5) local school general fund budgetary
matters. These decisions are data driven and aligned with
the schools vision, purpose, the expected schoolwide
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learning results and the Single School Plan for Student
Achievement (SSPSA). The SBM meets every month.
Some of the recent decisions that were made by the SBM
are the bell schedule changes, professional development
occurs every Tuesday, and overseeing changes in disciplinary
procedures and instructional staff development issues.
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Bell schedule
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School Site Council
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Title I and Bilingual budgets
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Title I
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CEAC meeting agenda
SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL
The School Site Council has elected representatives from the
faculty, staff, students, parents from the CEAC, and parents
from the ELAC. SSC is mandated by the state. This group
meets monthly. The function of the SSC is to oversee the
supplemental federal and state funds that are provided to
VNHS. The goal of the SSC is to ensure that Title I and
Bilingual program budgets provide after-school intervention
programs to enhance student learning and necessary
supplemental materials to enhance student academic
performance. The SSC is also responsible for ensuring that
all expenditures are aligned with the Single School Plan for
Student Achievement (SSPSA). The SSC is also responsible
for the input and recommendations from the ELAC and
CEAC councils regarding the implementation of programs,
such as the English Language Learners Program and Title I.
If, at any time, there is not a consensus among the SSC
members during the discussion portion of their meeting,
then the SSC members must then take a vote on the points
of the budget/s in question. In addition, the SSC has the
task of utilizing data to assess the correlation between the
Single School Plan for Student Achievement and student
achievement.
COMPENSATORY EDUCATION ADVISORY
COMMITTEE
The Compensatory Education Advisory Committee is made
up of parents of students eligible to receive supplemental
services under Title I. Van Nuys High School is a
Schoolwide Title I program with 80 percent of the student
body eligible for free or reduced school lunches. The CEAC
council meets monthly. CEAC meetings provide an
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excellent opportunity for communication between school
staff and parents regarding the activities at Van Nuys High
School. These meetings give parents the chance to air
concerns about student achievement, the administration, the
faculty, and the overall well-being of the VNHS community.
There are approximately 60-70 parents that attend each
meeting.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER ADVISORY
COUNCIL
The English Language Learner Advisory Council has a
function similar to the CEAC and is focused on programs
for those students in the Bilingual and ESL programs. This
group meets each month either before or after the CEAC
since many of the participating students are eligible for both
programs.
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ELAC meeting agenda
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Magnet Parent’s Association
Agenda
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Principal’s, magnet, ELAC
newsletters
MAGNET PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION
The Magnet Parents’ Association is made up of the parents
of the 1253 students participating in all three magnet
schools. The VNHS Magnet Parents’ Association functions
like an independent booster club that provides funding and
support for the VNHS community, with wide latitude for
deciding the programs and areas of support. They choose
the issues they deem essential to address. The monthly
magnet parent meetings are informational and well attended
by parents. This group publishes its own newsletter and
maintains open lines of communication between magnet
parents and the school.
RELATIONSHIP OF GOVERNANCE TO VISION AND
ESLRS
As outlined previously the vision and ESLRs are developed
and re-assessed by focus groups of diverse stakeholders.
Ultimately, the vision statement and ESLRs must be
approved by School Based Management and the School Cite
Council governing bodies, as well as, the parent groups and
the faculty and staff at Van Nuys High School.
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District personnel are involved in the development of the
vision of the school and the ESLRs in a limited way. These
decisions are left to the school for the most part. The Board
and District personnel support us in what we believe is right
for this school community. They do not interfere, and they
support us in many ways. Examples of their support include
comprehensive data analysis shared in monthly principal
meetings and assistant principal meetings, the purchase of
textbooks, training of faculty and administrators in new
instructional initiatives, the development and refining of
District operational and instructional policies and
procedures, and communicating changes.
UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN PROFESSIONAL
STAFF AND GOVERNING BOARDS
The guidelines for selection of governance committees are
clearly outlined in the collective bargaining agreement.
School elections involve the entire faculty. The faculty is
well aware of the duties of these governing boards and the
responsibilities of the professional staff. Involvement and
participation in governing boards by parents are encouraged
at parent group meetings. Furthermore, these governing
boards evaluate student performance regularly, through
CST, CAHSEE, CELDT, API, AP, SAT and other state and
federal data. These boards also oversee overall school
operations and the fiscal health of the school.
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Rules outlined in the
bargaining agreement
Union meetings agendas
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Bulleten 1600
COMPLAINT AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION
There is a formal conflict resolution policy written into
VNHS’s Bulletin 1600 Small Learning Community
Agreement, which was approved by the School-Based
Management, when informal means of conflict resolution
are ineffective. In addition, we use the Williams complaint
procedure to receive and address complaints about
operations and instructional issues.
The school leadership teams and the principal maintain
effective communication within the school and with the
school community.
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A.3 Leadership and Staff Criterion
Based on student achievement data, the school leadership and staff make decisions and initiate
activities that focus on all students achieving the expected schoolwide learning results and academic
standards. The school leadership and staff annually monitor and refine the single schoolwide action
plan based on analysis of data to ensure alignment with student needs.
Analysis of student data inform nearly all of Van Nuys High School’s major decisions—its course
offerings, program development, professional development, and student activities. The school
leadership in consultation with the staff, determines the direction of the school based on ongoing
review of student achievement, student interest and community demands.
FINDINGS
Van Nuys High School provides for the regular review of
student data in order to ensure that the curriculum is
challenging, meeting the academic needs of students and
achieving the expected schoolwide learning results and academic
standards. All teachers receive individual item analyses of their
students’ California Content Standards test results to enable
them to change their methodology according to the students’
needs. CAHSEE, CST, CELTD and API scores are shared with
all staff members to understand student academic levels and to
determine how to improve areas of weakness and hone areas of
strength. AP and SAT scores are available at teachers’ request.
The entire faculty and staff work together to improve these
results. Training and access to My Data increases teachers’
access to data regarding the individual students in their
classrooms.
EVIDENCE
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Whole school faculty
and staff meetings to
review student data
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Department meetings to
review student data
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SLC and Magnet
meetings to review
student data
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My Data professional
development meetings
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SBM and SSC
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Principal open door
policy
BROAD-BASED AND COLLABORATIVE
There is a formalized governance system, which draws leaders
from all stakeholder groups. This governance system is
spearheaded by the principal. School Based Management and
the School-Site Council provide oversight. It is the goal of this
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broad base of stakeholders, which include students, parents,
faculty, administration, staff and community members, to
collaboratively build a culture which celebrates excellence and
success, and where expected schoolwide learning results and
academic standards are achieved. Administrators are encouraged
to listen to the ideas and challenges facing all stakeholders. The
principal has an open door policy and is always prepared to
listen to new ideas from various stakeholders and stakeholder
groups. The entire school community is actively involved in all
major decisions and actions related to common goals.
SCHOOL PLAN CORRELATED TO STUDENT LEARNING
The school has to revise the Single School Plan for Student
Achievement (SSPSA) on a yearly basis based on student
achievement data. The SSPSA addresses needs of under
performing sub groups as they appear in CST, CAHSEE,
CELDT, API disaggregated data. Categorical funds in
conjunction with after-school funds provide various tutoring
programs for students in need. EL programs have in school and
after-school intervention programs. Learning teams and
departments look at data to discern student needs and
subsequently address them. A Diploma Project Advisor (DPA)
and CAHSEE intensive preparation program (Saturdays, in
school, after school) help seniors and juniors pass the CAHSEE
so they can graduate. A dedicated intervention counselor was
hired to improve the promotion rate of students from 9th to 10th
grade and implement intervention services. Wall to wall SLCs
were implemented in fall of 2007. The SLCs mission is to build
rigorous, engaging, personalized programs within the home
school to improve students’ achievement.
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SSPSA Reports
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CST, CAHSEE,
CELDT, API
disaggregated data
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Intervention, CAHSEE,
after-school tutoring
schedules
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Dedicated intervention
counselor
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Implementation of SLCs
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Vision Statement and
ESLRS
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Master schedule
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Achievement data
CORRELATION BETWEEN ALL RESOURCES, ESLRS
AND PLAN
The vision statement and ESLRs of Van Nuys High School are
based on the needs of students and clearly state VNHS belief
that all students can meet the highest academic standards
possible. The master schedule of classes reflects a need for a
wide variety of courses to meet the diverse needs of the student
population. Over the years student achievement data has been
used by the school leadership to initiate activities and establish
programs to address student needs that focus on all students
achieving the expected schoolwide learning results and academic
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standards. For example, Van Nuys High School has one of the
largest and most successful Advanced Placement (AP) programs
in the Los Angeles Unified School District. In 2010, over 1000
tests were administered to students who take one or more AP
tests. There are currently 59 sections in 29 subject areas. The
pass rate in 2009 and 2010 was 70.2%. A variety of courses and
programs have been implemented for at-risk students. Students
who need to pass the California High School Exit Exam are
offered CAHSEE preparation classes. Incoming freshmen are
administered the Scholastic Reading Inventory and placed in
Strategic Literature (Language!) classes if they are reading two to
four years below grade level. Students with poor math skills are
enrolled in Algebra Ready classes. An Extended Learning
Academy (ELA) offers classes on Saturdays for students that
need remediation in their academic classes. The English and
ESL Departments have been trained in the Language! program.
The Perkins Program has career pathways in culinary arts,
photography, graphic art, video, and business/marketing. Van
Nuys High School has two California Partnership Academies in
manufacturing technology and automotive repair. Through the
Regional Occupation Program a Live Concert Academy
(ZAPPA), is available on campus. Special Education teachers of
RSP students use the collaborative model where students
participate in general education classes but are given additional
help to meet the rigors of those classes. All students are
provided with the A-G requirements(all tenth graders meet
individually with their counselors to go over these requirements
and create a four-year plan) as well as hands-on experiences that
emphasize the career focus of the Van Nuys High School vision.
Three magnet programs provide students with a rigorous course
of study in the math/science, medical, and performing arts
fields. Small Learning Communities are career based and
provide rigorous standards-based course study, specializing in
technology; humanities; mind and body; and arts, media and
entertainment.
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AP Courses
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CASHEE Prep
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SRI Testing
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Language!
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Algebra Ready
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ELA
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Perkins Program
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California Partnerships
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ROP course guides
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ZAPPA
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Collaborative model
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A-G requirements
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Math Science, Medical,
and Performing Arts
magnets
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Technology;
Humanities, Mind and
Body; and Arts, Media,
and Entertainment
SLCs.
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A-4. Leadership and Staff Criterion
Based on student achievement data, the school leadership and staff make decisions and initiate
activities that focus on all students achieving the expected schoolwide learning results and academic
standards. The school leadership and staff annually monitor and refine the single schoolwide action
plan based on analysis of data to assure alignment with student needs.
Van Nuys High School and its leadership regularly review student achievement data and present it to
faculty and staff and provide access to this information to all stakeholders through the internet and
various newsletters and communications. Decisions in all governing bodies are research driven and
focus on having students meet and excel past expected schoolwide learning results. The single
schoolwide action plan is updated annually through the Single Plan and the three-year and six-year
WASC accreditation process. Again, data are disaggregated and analyzed to assure that individualized
student needs are being met.
FINDINGS
EVIDENCE
Van Nuys High School’s staff is well qualified, and the school
and the district have a fair, thorough and effective system of
hiring, preparation, induction, and ongoing professional
development. The system helps to ensure that VNHS teachers
are prepared to facilitate the school’s goals as articulated in the
state content standards and the VNHS vision statement and
ESLRs.
EMPLOYMENT POLICIES/PRACTICES
VNHS’s hiring practices are aligned with LAUSD policies. All
current VNHS faculty are teaching within their credentialed
areas of specialization and all are CLAD certified or in the
process of certification. The district process for hiring, site
placement and salary calculation is consistent with LEA
guidelines.

No Child Left Behind
compliance

Credentials
The hiring procedures used at VNHS are another example of
cooperation between staff and stakeholder groups. The
administration and faculty of the department to which the
17
teacher is applying to including the department chair, interview
the candidate. Hiring committees frequently include parent and
student volunteers, as well. This procedure is rigorous and
assures that VNHS hires the most qualified teachers and are
suited to the demands of each individual assignment. Magnet
positions require a separate interview process. Both teachers
currently on staff and applicants from outside VNHS are
required to interview. In addition to the other stakeholders, a
magnet coordinator is part of the magnet interview process.
QUALIFICATIONS OF STAFF
The vast majority of Van Nuys High School’s teachers are
highly qualified and perform at a high level. All but nine are
highly qualified out of 140. These nine teachers are all working
toward their CLAD credential. They have a bachelor's degree
(many have masters and some have doctorates), a state teaching
credential and have demonstrated competence in each core
subject they teach. Teacher performance is reviewed regularly in
accordance with the VNHS stull policy. The percent of teachers
that are highly qualified is 93%. LAUSD strictly monitors
teacher progress toward full authorization, and VNHS will not
hire new teachers who have not attained this highly qualified
status.

Documentation of stulls

Teacher resumes

Professional
Development

District Intern Program

BTSA

Pre-Intern Program

Assistant principal

CLAD certification
MAXIMUM USE OF STAFF EXPERTISE
At VNHS, beginning and new teachers are provided
opportunities for professional development in curriculum,
assessment, standards-based instruction, and classroom
management through several districtwide programs. First year
probationary teachers receive support through the Beginning
Teacher Support and Assessment Program (BTSA) and are
required to complete this program. Teachers with alternative
certification are supported through the Pre-Intern Program and
begin the process for full credentialing through the District
Intern Program. The New Teacher Academy provides a preorientation for newly hired emergency credentialed teachers as a
condition of employment. VNHS has an assistant principal that
facilitates a smooth transition for new teachers. This program
has been found to be very practical and effective for assisting
teachers entering the profession.
All VNHS faculty are CLAD certified or in the process of
achieving certification. This training is necessary because many
18
VNHS students come from homes where English is not the
primary language. These students reap the benefit of a teaching
staff that is prepared and qualified to teach second-language
students. Almost all faculty members hold the CLAD or
BCLAD authorization.
The administration and the department chair collaborate to
place teachers in classes that are best suited to their abilities and
student needs. The determination of teaching assignments for
individual teachers occurs through a process of communication
between administrators, department chairs and teachers, with
the goal of placing teachers to maximize their strength and
expertise within their fields. The administrators and department
heads use a variety of criteria to assist them; the teacher’s prior
experience and stated preferences, the teacher’s seniority, the
needs of the Master Schedule, and the personnel shifts within
the department. In addition, test results can be used to help
determine placement, for example AP test pass rates.
VNHS has a faculty handbook, which was updated in 2010.
Child abuse, sexual harassment, nondiscrimination, family
medical leave, retirement and complaint procedures are all
posted in the main office.

Administration and
department chair
collaborations

Master schedule

VNHS Faculty
Handbook

Professional
development agendas

SLC, accreditation,
leadership committee
agendas

SBM, SSC, ELAC,
CEAC, Magnet Parent
Association agendas

Union bargaining
agreement
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION AND PLANNING
Every Tuesday afternoon professional development is
scheduled, during which a great deal of communication and
planning occur. Various groups meet: whole school meetings,
department meetings, Small Learning Community and Magnet
meetings. Committees are regularly formed to plan for specific
endeavors. For example, there is a Small Learning Community
committee which oversees the development of SLCs at VNHS
and manages the SLC funding; an accreditation committee
oversees the accreditation process; a leadership committee
comprised of department chairs, administrators and the union
representative oversee the 4170 instructional material budget
and other concerns, etc. The governing bodies outlined
previously, SBM, SSC, ELAC, CEAC, the Magnet Parents
Association all have a role in communication and planning.
Conflict resolution is at first done in an informal manner by
getting the disputing parties together and trying to find common
ground, often with the oversight of an administrator or the
principal. If this does not produce an outcome there are policies
in place as outlined by the union bargaining agreement and there
19
is a formal conflict resolution policy outlined in the Bulletin
1600 agreement.

Bulletin 16000
Staff is evaluated through the “stull” process. New teachers are
evaluated every year for two years. Permanent teachers are
evaluated every two years. Established teachers can be evaluated
as little as once every five years

Stull evaluations
VNHS has Pearson learning teams in which approximately 80
teachers collaborate to design lessons and work collaboratively.
Up until June 2009 VNHS had a math coach and an English
coach. Informal mentoring and collaborations occur between
teachers.

Pearson learning teams

Professional
development agenda

My Data

Public works evaluations

WASC evaluations

API and CST scores
EVALUATION OF EXISTING PROCESSES
The school leadership is continuously reviewing the existing
processes to determine the degree to which actions of the
leadership and staff, focus on successful student learning.
Student data are regularly reviewed by a variety of groups during
professional development. The whole school reviews data, as do
departments, Small Learning Communities, Magnets and
individual teachers through the use of My Data and other
sources. In addition the school is evaluated annually by Public
Works as pertains to the Small Learning Community grant.
Annual evaluation occurs through the development of the Single
School Plan for Student Achievement and through the WASC
accreditation process every three years. Van Nuys High School
is very concerned about student learning as is evidenced by the
consistently increasing API and CST scores over the last six
years.
20
A.5 Leadership and Staff
All leadership and staff are involved in ongoing research or data-based correlated professional
development that focuses on identified student learning needs?
Van Nuys High School’s teachers attend conferences and workshops targeted to their specific
disciplines and/or geared to the enrichment of the entire school program. Within the culture of the
school there is a spirit of receptivity to current research, and the staff welcomes any information that
might assist them in their mission. Every Tuesday afternoon there are professional development
collaborations focused on student needs and frequently incorporate the latest findings in the field.
Some of the topics of recent professional development meetings have been teaching faculty how to
use My Data (an online source where teachers can look at data concerning their students and
classes), examining state and national test results, supporting the goal of writing across the
curriculum, and supporting the English language learner, etc.
FINDINGS
EVIDENCE
On-going professional development is provided to support the
implementation of standards-based core instruction and
incorporates initial training, coaching, lesson study inquiry
groups, and online training. Professional development
opportunities are aligned to each teacher's assignment. The
district is building capacity for staff at each school to provide
balanced professional development that supports effective
classroom practices through structured reflection, inquiry,
action, research, and other complementary activities.
SUPPORT OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
In the spring of 2008 the faculty voted to dedicate every
Tuesday afternoon to professional development, in part to
respond to the growing need for collaboration in our Small
Learning Communities and Magnet programs. Professional
development sessions are divided into four different types of
meeting: 1) Small Learning Communities and Magnets; 2)
Departments; 3) whole school; and 4) optional. At the end
and/or the beginning of the year VNHS organizes three paid
professional development days that are optional where teachers
are invited to meet together to discuss educational issues,
collaborate on curricular/standards-based lessons, and hear
experts in the field of education. We also have special days and

PD scheduling election

PD survey

PD agenda
21
after school classes which teachers can attend. Many of these are
coordinated by our technology coordinator. Currently we have
classes on Evernote; using a projector and multimedia cart in
the classroom; Web 2 resources for teachers and students; tips
and tricks for beginning moviemakers; mimeo and google docs;
using the Van Nuys High School wiki site; using the Van Nuys
High School professional networking site; Google education
tools; power-point techniques; Skype; and twitter, etc.
One of the main reasons that the VNHS faculty decided to alter
the bell schedule was to create more time for teacher
collaboration in Small Learning Communities and Magnet
programs. In these sessions teachers may collaborate with
colleagues that share students to analyze individual academic
data and address individual student needs, work on individual
Small Learning Community or Magnet discipline issues, discuss
how to best utilize Small Learning Community or Magnet funds,
devise spirit raising activities, plan articulation with middle
schools, etc.
Departmental Professional Development sessions play a key
role in the implementation of standards-based core instruction.
Each department has unique instructional initiatives and
concerns. During these sessions departments are encouraged to
work cooperatively to plan standards-based lessons, analyze
student performance data, prepare for interim assessments, and
to develop end of term assessments. Decisions concerning the
purchase of new supplemental instructional materials,
distribution of supplies and equipment, and distribution of
textbooks are also departmental concerns during these sessions.
Whole school meetings are typically run by the principal and
school administration and address issues that are of concern to
the entire faculty and the running of the school. These sessions
include everything from examining schoolwide testing data, to
presentations of air-borne pathogens, discussing schoolwide
discipline issues, setting of yearly goals, UTLA information, etc.
Small Learning Community and Magnet meetings focus on the
needs of the schools within schools. These sessions cover a
variety of topics including examining individual student
achievement, personalization, discipline procedures, set up
teacher collaborations, look over grading policies and testing
data, etc.

Current bell schedule

SLC and Magnet meeting
agendas

Department meeting
agendas

Whole school meeting
agendas

SLC and Magnet meeting
agendas
22
VNHS faculty is encouraged to attend conferences and outside
workshops. Released time is provided and fees are paid for
faculty members and administrators to attend conferences to
improve their professional skills. Many teachers and
administrators participated in Small Learning Community
workshops particularly when VNHS was going wall-to-wall in
the fall of 2007. AP conferences are very popular and have been
well-attended. Teachers who have taken advantage of these
opportunities have found them to be beneficial. Due to budget
concerns conference attendance has been scaled back in the
recent past. VNHS also encourages staff members to develop
classes for teachers and provides classroom access on Saturdays
to teachers who wish to lead workshops or training sessions.

Conference attendance
data
In addition, the Van Nuys High School faculty has embraced
Pearson Learning Teams. Pearson Learning Teams is a
successful program where teachers are supported through a
process of analyzing data to identify student needs, choose
instructional strategies, plan a unit/lesson, implement it, and
analyze student work in collaboration with one another. These
groups develop a high level of collaboration and strengthen
teaching practices. There are currently 13 such groups at VNHS.
Approximately 80 teachers participate.

Pearson Learning teams

Pearson lessons
generated by VNHS
faculty
Before the recent budget cut, teachers from several disciplines
participated in the Literacy Cadre which has developed and led
professional development sessions to showcase techniques and
methodologies for teaching content area literacy. The Literacy
Cadre is currently not being funded and no longer exists.

Literacy cadres

Faculty surveys
SUPERVISION AND EVALUATION
The faculty participates in the planning process for professional
development activities. Administration, department
chairpersons, and other key faculty members meet to set the
agenda for professional development sessions. The faculty has
been surveyed for their needs and interest for types of activities.
Faculty members are encouraged to participate in making
presentations of their best classroom practices to their
colleagues.
23
LAUSD, District 2, and the VNHS administration are all highly
supportive of professional development for VNHS faculty.
Administrators are part of all professional development and
supervise to make sure there is cooperation and participation
among the faculty. Attendance is always taken.
MEASURABLE EFFECT OF PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
Tests scores over the last six years have improved dramatically.
The API has risen by 89 points and in 2008 alone it rose by 53
points. CST scores have improved over this period as well. In
language arts it rose by 18.4% and in math by 9.4%. Although
this can not be attributed entirely to the effectiveness of the
VNHS professional development efforts, we believe that it is
fair to attribute at least part of this success to this effort.

Attendance rosters

API data

CST data
24
A.6 Resources Criterion
The human, material, physical, and financial resources are sufficient and utilized effectively and
appropriately in accordance with the legal intent of the program(s) to support students in
accomplishing the academic standards and the expected schoolwide learning results?
Amidst the budget crisis Van Nuys High School has avoided reducing staff significantly due to the
stimulus money. Some key clerical personnel were reassigned and are missed very badly.
Administration had to creatively finance several counseling positions in order to retain certain
counselors. In addition, summer school has been reduced and for the most part all classes offered
are solely for credit recovery. VNHS has been fortunate in the ability to retain most of the faculty.
FINDINGS
EVIDENCE
ALLOCATION DECISIONS
All school funding is in accordance with the Van Nuys High
Single School Plan for Student Achievement (SSPSA), which
is aligned with the school’s vision and purpose and student
achievement of the expected school wide learning results and
the academic standards. The School Site Council has elected
representatives from the faculty and staff, students, parents
from the CEAC, and parents from the ELAC. The function of
the SSC is to oversee the supplemental federal and state funds
that are provided to VNHS. In the case of title I, any request
of under $500 is decided by the Title I coordinator. All other
requests are determined by the SSC. The goal of the SSC is to
ensure that Title I and Bilingual program budgets provide
after-school intervention programs to enhance student
learning and necessary supplemental materials to enhance
student academic performance. The SSC is also responsible
for ensuring that all expenditures are aligned with the Single
School Plan for Student Achievement (SSPSA). The SSC is
also responsible for the input and recommendations from the
ELAC and CEAC councils regarding the implementation of
programs, such as the English Language Learners Program
and Title 1. The Van Nuys High School-Based Management
committee represents all stakeholders through elected
representatives. The principal is a designated member and
must be on the council and provides legal oversight. The SBC
is responsible for the local school general fund budgetary
matters. The Small Learning Community Leadership
committee is responsible for overseeing the Small Learning

SSPSA

SSC, CEAC, ELAC

Supplemental federal
and state funds

Title I funds

Bilingual funds

School Based
Management committee

VNHS general fund

Small Learning
Community committee

Small Learning
Community grant
25
Community grant. The IMA funds are overseen by the SBM
committee. The QZAB grant and California Partnership
Grants are overseen by the technical director. Gifted funds are
overseen by the gifted coordinator

Technical director

Gifted coordinator

District audit

P.A. system

Auditorium

Metal shops

Auto shops

New gym

L.A. Beautification
grant

Library project

Adult school
PRACTICES
The central district has audited the student store and the
district has set in place people that audit expenditures as they
occur. Not only does VNHS supervise purchases, but District
2 has assigned VNHS a fiscal specialist and a federal and state
education programs coordinator, a program improvement
coordinator, an EL coordinator, and two specialists that assists
her.
FACILITIES
The school facilities are adequate and well maintained per the
district audit. The school buildings are comprised of well
constructed 20s era building as well as bungalows. Various
buildings have had their AC systems updated. The school has a
PA system that aids in communications, as well as, a phone
system. The school houses a state-of–the-art auditorium used
for performances and gathering. There are auto and metal shops
that are being renovated. The school’s old girl's gym has been
rebuilt and the football field is having its bleachers redone.
Through collaboration with Tree People the campus has had
more trees and bushes planted, especially in the bungalows area,
which is mostly paved with cement. A pathway was built off the
quad which was funded by the Los Angeles Beautification
project. The school has baseball, basketball, dance, volley ball
and track facilities. The swimming team unfortunately has to
practice off campus. The school is engaged in long-term
planning of replacing the library with a more appropriate
structure, as well as, replacing the bungalows etc.
The school has computer internet access in every class, but
seems to need a wider bandwidth as the usage of technology
increases. Various computer labs exist and are being used
extensively and need constant updating and maintenance
provided by two computer technicians. The parent center and
the drama bungalows burned down in 2009 and the school is
in need of a new parent center. Facilities are shared with
Adult School and Saturday Boot Camp. The school constantly
struggles with lack of classrooms to eliminate teacher
26
traveling and allow more computer pull-out labs and
intervention activities. VNHS is part of a Safety collaborative
with Grant High School and community and police
organizations. The group attacks graffiti problems, gang
problems, student discipline problems, etc. They also connect
parents to outside agencies for assistance with everything
from parenting difficulties to nutritional problems.
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT
Department chairs work collaboratively with their teachers to
determine allocations of funding for instructional materials and
equipment in department meetings. Department chairs and
teachers work together to make funding allocations that are
transparent, equitable and meet the needs of faculty and
students. Lead teachers in Small Learning Communities work in
much the same way with their faculty members. Magnet
coordinators receive requests from magnet teachers, and
oversee funding of these requests.
Text books are ordered once a year. Department chairs evaluate
the need and work with the assistant principal in charge of
curriculum to place the order. Instructional materials are
purchased through departments (IMA – 4170), Title I
(supplemental materials in accordance to the single plan, EL
budgets (English learners needs), Gifted and Magnet funds, and
through the SLC grant. The process to get materials from Title I
is to make a request with a justification that is approved by the
coordinator if it is under $500 and by SSC if over. Departments
either order by request or divide their resources among
members. SLC funds are overseen by the SLC lead committee.
Van Nuys High School invests significantly in technology in
accordance with our SSPSA. Many teachers have LCD
projectors with document readers. Some teachers use Mimio
interactive boards. Many teachers took technology classes and
have a netbook to use in class for multimedia presentation.
Various computer labs have been created, maintained and
updated. SLCs have available video cameras that can be checked
out for projects.
WELL-QUALIFIED STAFF

IMA—4170 funds

Title I funds

Gifted and magnet funds

SLC grant

SSPSA

LCD projectors

Teacher credentials
The vast majority of Van Nuys High School teachers are highly
27
qualified. They have a bachelor's degree (many have master’s
and some have doctorate’s), a state teaching credential and have
demonstrated competence in each core subject they teach. The
percent of teachers that are highly qualified is 87.8%. Teachers
are hired through the district and district policies require
adequate preparation and certification. Positions are usually
advertised (“flown”) and candidates are interviewed by a team of
administrators, department chairs and SLC leads, or magnet
coordinators.
New teachers are mentored by VNHS teachers as they complete
their BTSA induction program. The school uses its’ resources to
support collaboration and in-house PD through learning team
projects, technology and modern SDAIE technologies. It is
VNHS teachers that develop the classes and team and
collaborate with the aim of better addressing student needs.
Ten percent of Title I funds are allocated for Professional
Development (PD) and VNHS uses these resources to fund
technology and PD classes as well as conference attendance.
Teacher attend conferences to learn about new strategies in their
academic areas, practices to close the achievement gap , EL
strategies, SLC best practices, AP best practices and more.
During 2008-9 and 2009-10 conference attendance was limited
by district freeze policies.

District hiring policy

Mentoring

BTSA program

SDAIE program

PD agendas

Various meeting
agendas
LONG-RANGE PLANNING
The LAUSD regularly provides direction regarding goals and
expectations for student achievement, school organization,
parental involvement, staff development, etc. Similarly,
school committees and organizations are regularly involved in
various processes of developing better programs to meet many
of these same needs and objectives. For example, the
principal has regular administrative team meetings with
various administration and pupil personnel staff to plan
objectives for student achievement, pupil personnel services,
etc. The principal has direct or indirect involvement in many
of the various school organizational teams that may also
contribute to plans related to the long-range interests of the
school and its community. Many other members of the school
community actively and regularly participate on a variety of
school organizations, such as School-Based Management.
28
Category B: Organization:
Standards-based
Learning: Curriculum
B.1 Curriculum Criterion
All students participate in a rigorous, relevant, and coherent standards-based curriculum that
supports the achievement of the academic standards and the expected schoolwide learning results.
Through standards-based learning (i.e., what is taught and how it is taught), the expected schoolwide
learning results are accomplished.
Van Nuys High School students participate in a rigorous, coherent curriculum designed to address
the California State Standards and the VNHS Expected Schoolwide Learning Results. Van Nuys
High School faculty design curriculum, ground themselves in research and monitor the effectiveness
of their program. Advanced courses, AP and honors, are offered in multiple departments. Though
these courses are extremely well-subscribed, the faculty works hard to uphold rigorous standards
and deliver rich multifaceted curriculum in all courses, regardless of their designation.
FINDINGS
Van Nuys High School’s rigorous curriculum reflects the belief that
all students can meet the highest academic standards possible. This
belief is evidenced in a wide variety of ways: detailed course syllabi,
research projects, required in core, as well as, elective courses, a
unified curriculum developed by the faculty, benchmark exams in
math, English, social studies and science, and the alignment of the
curriculum with the California Content Standards. Teachers in all
departments meet frequently on Professional Development days to
unify their curriculum and align it with the California Content
Standards.
EVIDENCE

Benchmark exams

California Content
Standards

Professional
development days

Benchmark exams
All core (English, math, science, and social studies) and noncore
departments support a rigorous and relevant curriculum and require
that all students apply academic skills. All core areas districtwide
have adopted textbooks that are aligned to State Academic Content
Standards. Advanced Placement (AP) and honors programs provide
enrichment in a variety of 29 core and noncore subjects. All
29
students have access to AP courses through an entrance exam,
teacher recommendation, or student desire, and Van Nuys adds new
AP courses almost annually. Enrollment in AP classes has increased,
and the number of students taking advanced placement classes
indicates the willingness and desire of VNHS students to be
challenged with rigorous classes. In 2010, over 1000 tests were
administered to students who take one or more AP tests. There are
currently 59 sections in 29 subject areas. The pass rate in 2009 and
2010 was 70.2%. In 2010 Newsweek ranked Van Nuys High School
as the 53rd best public high school in the nation. To ensure that
curriculum is rigorous and meets state standards, districtwide
benchmarks aligned with state standards have been developed in all
core areas by faculty members in the various departments.
Moreover, all core areas have created and implemented pacing plans
to ensure standards-based curriculum and instruction. The
University of California/California State University A-G program
helps students prepare for post-secondary education. Students also
have the opportunity to take free, on-campus SAT and ACT prep
classes provided by Kaplan.

Master calendar

AP Exams

Textbooks

Standards and
Frameworks

Course outlines

Benchmark tests

A – G program

SAT prep classes

PD agendas

Conference
attendance data

SDAIE trainings

Small Learning
Communities

Pearson Learning
teams

Williams compliance
CURRENT EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND THINKING
Van Nuys High School’s staff is highly qualified and trained in their
subject matter. The curriculum is consistent with the philosophy of
teaching and learning and aligned with current research, best
practices, and national and state accountabilities. Teachers access
professional development opportunities and attend conferences and
work shops, with the goal of being on the cutting edge of
educational research and thinking. Faculty utilize a wide variety of
current teaching strategies and techniques including: cooperative
learning groups, scaffolding techniques, primary source-based
instruction, project-based instruction, differentiated instruction,
SDAIE strategies, Bloom's Taxonomy, etc. In addition Van Nuys
High School went to wall-to-wall Small Learning Communities in
the fall of 2007. Faculty and administration attended extensive
workshops, conferences and meetings to ensure that current best
practices were in place for this implementation. Most recently the
faculty has embraced Pearson learning teams, as they work
cooperatively to develop relevant lesson plans in a research driven
format.
ACADEMIC STANDARDS FOR EACH AREA/CONGRUENCE
VNHS offers a rigorous standards-based curriculum to all students.
Van Nuys High School follows the California State Standards in all
subject areas, courses and programs. All textbooks are William’s
30
approved and aligned to the California State Standards. As VNHS’s
expected schoolwide learning results were conceived to align with
standards, there is a congruence with the actual concepts and skills
taught, the state standards and the expected schoolwide learning
results. It is the goal of VNHS to have all students complete A-G
requirements. Core and elective areas utilize standards-based pacing
plans and benchmark assessments. ROP and CTE classes have
curriculums that are in sync with California CTE foundations and
guidelines. Teachers continually create and use dynamic lessons,
assignments and projects in their instructional programs in
alignment with the standards.

A-G requirement

ROP and CTE
curriculums

Sample lesson plans
and student work
samples

Course outlines

SDAIE

Language!
STUDENT WORK—ENGAGEMENT IN LEARNING
Sample lesson plans and examples of student work were compiled
from a wide variety of Van Nuys faculty in all subjects as part of the
accreditation process. Class rooms were visited to provide evaluative
snapshots of student engaged in learning. After reviewing all this
evidence, it clearly demonstrates the implementation of a standardsbased curriculum that addresses the expected schoolwide student
goals and results.
ACCESSABILITY OF ALL STUDENTS TO CURRICULM
A rigorous relevant and coherent curriculum is available to all
students in academic and career-technical programs. Class sizes are
balanced during the first two weeks of each semester. A variety of
honors and AP classes provides opportunities for high-achieving
students. Students may take math classes off sequence at all levels
from math tutor lab A to AP calculus B/C. English language
development, bilingual Spanish and Specially Designed Academic
Instruction in English (SDAIE) courses support students in the
process of acquiring English. Language! is offered to students who
place between third and seventh grade level on the Scholastic
Reading Exam (SRE). The RSP Collaborative Program supports
special education students mainstreamed in content-area classes and
provides a learning lab class for additional assistance. Adaptive P.E.
extends physical fitness opportunities to students who otherwise
would not have access to physical education.
That being said, many residential students come into high school
from middle school not properly prepared to meet the curriculum
based standards in high school particularly in the special education
program. These students are promoted through middle school
without being held accountable in academic classes. The students
31
then come into high school expecting to be promoted whether they
learn/know the material or not. Once the student realizes that they
will not be promoted, they either begin the process of not coming to
class and this leads to dropping out, or they come to class and refuse
to participate. Since they know there is no consequences for their
lack of effort they continue down this road. Since the parents aren't
held accountable for their childrens’ education, this poses a big
disadvantage for teachers in regards to meeting and teaching to the
curriculum-based standards. When students reach 17 to 18 years of
age and are still in the 9th or 10th grade academically, they begin to
drop out. Teachers have to base their lesson plans on the students
reading levels and the students come into high school with a reading
level in the range of second through sixth grade This means the
teachers have to chunk down the assignment and re-teach the
students before they can get started on the curriculum-based
standards. The students and teachers then have to try to get caught
up and have to move at a slower pace throughout the class.
Teachers base their lesson plans on state-based curriculum, but
must move at a slower rate throughout the school year. In addition,
currently, special education students can get a certificate of
completion rather than take the CAHSEE. This is a major problem
as it affects CAHSEE results, the API, and VNHS program
improvement status. At the SLC retreat these problems were a main
focus and were addressed. A full-time dedicated intervention
councilor was hired to address these problems. The “Council”
program was implemented to provide students with more
personalization. There is after-school tutoring as well and CAHSEE
prep courses.
The school offers a wide range of courses that provides students
with opportunities to pursue both career interests and educational
goals. Whether honors, AP, special education, ELD, bilingual or
sheltered classes, the core curriculum provides preparation for postsecondary educational choices, as well as, practical skills necessary
for success after high school. A wide range of honors and AP
classes provides opportunities for high-achieving students. The
three magnets, Medical Careers, Performing Arts and Math/Science,
offer unique opportunities for students with specialized interests.
Students apply through the District and are picked by lottery using a
point system. The SLCs are career based and provide for a number
of pathways such as culinary arts, machine tool, automotive repair,
film, floral, photography, graphic design and business for interested
Van Nuys High School students. Teen Court offers after school oncampus opportunities for all Van Nuys High School students to
participate in a jury deciding real cases under the guidance of a
municipal judge once a month.

Dedicated
intervention
counselor

SLC retreat

“Council” program

AP courses

Magnet programs

SLC programs

Teen court
32
To improve basic skills and prepare students for the CAHSEE,
identified students are invited to attend the Extended Learning
Academy (Saturday School). After-school tutoring is offered on a
regular basis in all core academic areas. Teachers and counselors
encourage students to attend. The above supports are promoted in
the school bulletin, flyers, and through the Phonemaster 2000.
Buses accommodate students who need school transportation.
Based on test scores, identified students in the ninth and tenth
grades receive a double period of English intervention to improve
reading and writing skills. The program selected by the local District
2 is called Language!
Vantage computerized writing program gives students instant
feedback and promotes more opportunities for writing. The
Extended Learning Academy (Saturday School) was established to
give extra help and to prepare students for the upcoming California
High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). Advancement Via Individual
Determination (AVID) encourages under performing students to
enroll in challenging, rigorous college preparatory courses. AVID
also provides mentoring and tutoring. Student achievement is
recognized in various ways: senior awards, ROTC awards, athletic
awards, student of the month recognition.
Along with 12 Special Day Classes (SDC), one Mentally Retarded
(MR) class and one autistic class, Van Nuys has a support learning
lab for Resource Specialist Program (RSP) students. RSP students
are in full inclusion in the academic program and receive support
from the RSP teachers in the general education classes, as well as, in
the learning lab (a support class). RSP teachers collaborate with
selected general education teachers and provide support,
modification, and accommodation when needed. All IEPs are
generated on Welligent (an online LAUSD program). District Office
of Transition Services (DOTS) provides two full-time counselors to
assist special education students in career exploration and
opportunities.

CAHSEE prep

Phonemaster 2000

Tutoring logs

Language!

Vantage

ELA

AVID

Awards, Student of
the Month

IEPs

RSP collaboration

DOTS logs

Department meeting
agendas
INTEGRATION AMONG DISCIPLINES
Teachers that teach the same subject meet regularly to discuss
curricula throughout the year. There is communication between the
levels in each department. Tuesday afternoon professional
development meetings provide ample opportunities for departments
to integrate their curricula. Each SLC has cross disciplinary strands.
33
Cohorts of students are assigned two or three similar teachers.
These teachers get together to create curriculum in a variety of grade
levels.
CURRICULAR DEVELOPEMNT, EVALUATION AND
REVISIONS
Even though our API and CST Proficient and Advanced rates have
been rising steadily, we are concerned about any student who scores
below Proficient on the CST. For the most recent schoolwide effort
to address this condition all students scoring below Proficient were
identified, additional data were collected on these students, and Van
Nuys faculty, staff and administration brainstormed methods,
strategies, and overall ideas to address this problem. At the same
time, departments without testing data have worked just as hard as
the rest of the staff to identify and help students in the lower 25%
of their classes.

API and CST scores

A-G requirements

Career-based SLCs

Theme-based Magnet
programs

PD agendas
POLICIES: RIGOROUS, RELEVANT, CURRICULUM
Van Nuys High School strives to make curriculum both rigorous
and relevant to students and forge connections between academic
growth and the realities of their lives outside of school. Relevance is
a priority across campus in our curricular planning, instruction and
development of assignments. All students are offered A-G
requirement classes to prepare them for post-secondary education.
Our Small Learning Communities are all career-based: Technology;
Arts, Media and Entertainment, Mind and Body; and Humanities.
Within these communities there are two California Partnerships:
automotive repair and machine tool academies. In addition, there
are classes in culinary arts, graphic design, fashion, stage craft
(lighting and sound), floral, photography, and video. Our Magnet
programs are theme based and lead students to careers in:
Math/Science, Medical, and the Performing Arts. Medical magnet
students explore careers at two local hospitals and are given
presentations about various opportunities in the medical field. There
are classes in dance, acting, music, film, etc. Also, there is a
yearbook class and a journalism class where students produce high
quality products and are given real-world experiences.
Van Nuys High School strives consciously to achieve consistency
and coherence in its course offerings. Professional development
time is offered for teachers to develop grading, homework, and
classroom management policies. Teachers meet in both departments
and cross curricular groups (SLCs and Magnets) to share
34
information and best practices, develop consistent course
expectations and discuss implementing changes in the following
school year.
ARTICULATION AND FOLLOW UP STUDIES
Articulation with feeder schools and post-secondary educational
institutions is a priority at Van Nuys High School. The counselors
communicate with the feeder schools to exchange information on
course offerings, sequencing, and placement tests. The Assistant
Principal of Secondary Counseling Services (APSCS) takes students
from the high school to the middle schools to present, perform, and
talk about the various programs offered at the high school. The
counselors visit the feeder middle schools to program students into
their ninth grade classes. Students and parents are invited to attend a
Ninth Grade Orientation program at Van Nuys High School. The
counselors inform parents and students about the requirement for
the four years of high school. They are told about grades, dress
code, attendance, behavior, discipline, etc.

APSCS presentation

High School
presentation to
Middle Schools

Ninth grade
orientation

Student led tours

Performances for
eighth graders
SLCs provide events for incoming students on Saturdays in the
spring. Information booths are set up on the quad.
Demonstrations, such as robotics, are provided. There are
performances in the auditorium. There are presentations to eighth
graders and their parents at night as well. Buses are provided to
bring middle school students to these events from their home
schools. Counselors go to feeder schools and make presentations as
well. Beyond the Bell, YPI and Impact help with articulation. For
example, Impact sponsored a barbeque on campus.
The magnet programs work with feeder schools in the fall. The
coordinators visit feeder schools to make presentations in the
month of October-December. VNHS also hosts student-led tours
of the campus, during the last four weeks of November through
early December, just before the choices application is due. The
Performing Arts Magnet Coordinator invites the middle schools
such as Madison, Pacoima and Portola Magnets to a Performing
Arts Assemblies, showcasing performances from all our performing
Arts Departments (vocal instrumental music, dance, theatre,
film/video, and stage).
VNHS maintains a close working relationship with Mission College
35
and Valley Community College. Valley College offers after-school
classes on the VNHS campus. VNHS has a Gear Up grant from
California State University Northridge. Additionally, North Valley
Occupational Center (NVOC) presented their Aviation Technology
Program based at nearby Van Nuys Airport to the tenth grade
classes. NVOC provides bus transportation. VNHS houses a career
advisor and college counselor to provide access to all students. The
career advisor arranges job fairs four times a year at lunch in the
central quad. She also arranges for speakers, ASVAB testing, job
shadowing opportunities and field trips to industrial and
technological sites such as the fourteenth nontraditional Career Day
at the Electrical Training Institute.
The college advisor arranges a yearly college fair and also invites
many representatives to the campus to meet with juniors and
seniors. College tours are also arranged to provide first-hand
knowledge of college, while outside speakers provide motivation to
do well in school and achieve in life. Both advisors attend parent
meetings to inform parents of available programs. Kaplan provides
free on-campus preparation for SAT and ACT tests. Registration
and fee waivers are facilitated for critical tests such as the AP,
PSAT, SAT, and ACT. Support services such as financial aid
workshops for students and parents, as well as scholarship bulletins,
bring college within financial reach to all students. Before
graduation, seniors indicate what there post-secondary plans are.
LAUSD has contracted a firm to track students after graduation.

Articulation with
colleges

Gear Up grant

Career and College
counselors

SAT and ACT test
prep

Financial aid
workshops

PSAT, SAT, ACT,
and ASVAB fee
waivers
36
B.2 Curriculum Criterion
All students have equal access to the school’s entire program and assistance with a personal learning
plan to prepare them for the pursuit of their academic, personal and school-to-career goals?
All Van Nuys High School students have full access to all classes. VNHS has a well-developed
counseling program centered on the development, monitoring and the appropriate adjustment of a
personal four-year learning plan for each student. Advising encompasses multiple aspects of
individual student development, and focuses not only on students academic needs but also
personal and vocational concerns, as well.
FINDINGS
EVIDENCE
VARIETY OF PROGRAMS—FULL RANGE OF CHOICES
Van Nuys High School offers courses that fulfill all of the A-G
college requirements, so that students are able to pursue postgraduation options at community colleges, state universities,
University of California campuses, private colleges, vocational
schools, and the armed forces. The school offers a wide range of
courses that provides students with opportunities to pursue
both career interests and educational goals. Whether honors,
advanced placement, special education, ELD, bilingual or
sheltered classes, the core curriculum provides preparation for
post-secondary educational choices, as well as practical skills
necessary for success after high school.
Van Nuys High School is comprised of four career-based Small
Learning Communities: 1) Technology; 2) Humanities; 3) Arts,
Media and Entertainment; and 4) Mind and Body. Although
students are offered A-G classes there are many career technical
opportunities offered, as well. As mentioned there are two

Post-Graduation options

A-G requirements

California Partnership
Academies
37
California Partnership Academies in the Technology SLC:
automotive repair and machine tool. There are classes in the
culinary arts in the Mind and Body SLC. Classes in photography,
graphic design, stage craft and video are offered in the Arts,
Media and Entertainment SLC. There are ROP classes
VNHS is home to three magnet programs: Math and Science,
Performing Arts, and Medical Careers. Many of the students in
these programs go on to pursue post-secondary careers in these
fields.

Perkins Pathway
programs

SLC programs

Magnet program

Tenth Grade counseling
parent letters, phone
masters

Four-Year plans

Graduation requirements

PHBOA Parent
Conferences

Back to School Night

Report cards

Sprintell Telephone
System

IEPs

DPA

Teacher phone calls
STUDENT-PARENT-STAFF COLLABORATION
Counselors meet with students to make sure each student’s
program of study is meeting graduation requirements. Each
student, with the help of a counselor and parents will plot
his/her course through the four years of high school. This plan
guides students in selecting classes and meeting requirements for
graduation and are based upon a student’s individual learning
style and career and educational goals. Students in the tenth
grade review their Four-Year Plan, graduation requirements, and
postsecondary goals. Counselors and staff encourage parent
participation. Appointments are also held outside of school
hours so parents can participate. In addition, there is a PHBOA
parent night and a back to school night once a semester (four
parent meetings per year). Parents can visit with faculty and
counselors. Report Cards are sent home every five weeks. An
automated telephone system is used to communicate to parents
(Sprintell system). Parents are notified both about school events
and about any personal issue happening with their students.
There are various parenting classes offered through the VNHS
Parenting Center. The special education office arranges IEPs
with parents. The Diploma Project Advisor (DPA) goes to
homes to find out why students aren’t in school. She works with
families to increase attendance. Teachers call home with regards
to behavior, grades and attendance. Magnet Parents have a
comprehensive magnet newsletter that comes out every month.
They have a magnet coordinator that will often contact parents.
Magnet parents have monthly meetings. The Bilingual
Coordinator works on placement of ESL students and meets
with a bilingual parents organization. The dean’s office
communicates with parents and students who have bad
behavior. The school website communicates to the whole
community about events taking place at VNHS.
38
MONITORING/CHANGING STUDENT PLANS
All students meet individually at least once a semester to review
graduation requirements, monitor/change their current plan as
needed and ensure proper scheduling. Students are offered
opportunities to revise their Four-Year plan during these
counseling sessions. Students can decide the future of their
education. If students do not like noncore curriculum they work
with counselors to adjust their schedules. If students do not like
the Small Learning Community they are in, they are able to
change to another SLC for the next year. To ensure that
students complete all graduation requirements, counselors
maintain contact with students throughout their four years at
Van Nuys, working with students, adjusting schedules to
accommodate individual student needs. Most importantly,
seniors have a senior check list that shows students their
progress or shortcomings in meeting graduation requirements.
Seniors and their parents receive certified letters at the midsemester fall report card to notify them of any possible
impediments to graduation.
VNHS offers Student Study Teams (SST) to assess and
discover why students are struggling in school. It is done to
offer interventions for the students, such as, preferential
seating, extended time on tests, daily log for homework, afterschool counseling services, counseling groups, referrals for
vision-hearing, medical evaluations, community-based
counseling services and family support, after-school tutoring,
Saturday school, boot camp, and referral to special education.

Four year plan

Meetings with counselors

Counselor letters home
with grad requirements
for all grades

12th grade certified
letters

Student Study Teams
POST HIGH SCHOOL TRANSITIONS
VNHS is very successful in facilitating students in achieving
post-secondary goals. While we can always improve on inspiring
the freshmen students who struggle just to complete high
school, we are doing a great deal to get the students who
complete high school to the next level. Many Van Nuys
graduates get accepted to the very finest universities and
colleges. In 2010, students were accepted to Harvard, Yale, Cal.
Tech., Stanford, Princeton, Cornell, etc. Van Nuys High School
regularly sends many students to UC Berkeley and UCLA.
39
According to the college office post-secondary survey 85.4% of
the students do have post-secondary plans. It is also important
to note that roughly 81.3% of the students go to college, where
10.8% attend University of California, 11.2% attend California
State University, 4.8% attend California Private Colleges, 4.8%
attend non-California four-year colleges, 0.5% attend nonCalifornia two-year colleges and 49.2% attend community
colleges.
The college counselor makes presentations in classrooms and at
parent evenings to provide information about college
applications, college entrance exams, and financial aid.
Representatives from a variety of colleges and universities make
presentations to students. College peer counselors support the
college counselor by providing assistance and information about
the college application process, including financial aid and
scholarships. Van Nuys High School supports and assists
students who intend to take the PSAT, SAT and ACT. SAT
preparation classes are available on the campus at no cost to the
student. Registration and fee waivers are facilitated by the
college counselor.
Van Nuys High School also maintains a Career Center, staffed
by a full-time career advisor who provides a wealth of
information and access to Regional Occupational
Programs/Classes (ROP/ROC) and internships. Work permits
are also issued. The district also provides transportation for
students taking ROP classes off campus. These classes prepare
students with career-specific skills for entry into a broad range
of occupations. Career fairs are scheduled throughout the year
to make students aware of various career opportunities. The
ASVAB test is given annually to all interested students on the
campus, and students can assess their results with their
counselors.

College office postsecondary survey

Presentations

College and university
representatives

SAT preparation

Registration and fee
waivers

ROP/ROC

Work permits

Career fairs

ASVAB
40
B-3. Curriculum Criterion
All students are able to meet all the requirements of graduation upon completion of the high school
program.
In keeping with its effort of creating individual plans for all students and with the school’s
commitment to meet the needs of every student, Van Nuys High School has multiple options for
remediation for students who are in danger of not graduating on time with their graduating classes
FINDINGS
EVIDENCE
REAL WORLD APPLICATION CURRICULUM
All students have access to real world applications of their
educational interests in relation to a rigorous, standards-based
curriculum. The Small Learning Communities are career-based;
Technology; Humanities; Mind and Body; and Arts, Media, and
Entertainment. The Magnets are theme based and relate directly
to career paths: Performing Arts; Medical; and Math and
Science. There are two California Partnerships: machine tool
and automotive repair. There is a wide variety of courses that
have real world applications, including: business, graphic design,
film, culinary arts, dance, marching band, orchestra, vocal
ensemble, acting, stagecraft, ZAPPA, yearbook, journalism, etc.

Career-based Small
Learning Communities

Theme-based Magnets

California Partnerships

Course offerings

Graduation requirements

Senior checklists
MEETING GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
The graduation requirements for VNHS are as follow: 230
credits and passing the CAHSEE exam. This includes four
years of English, three years of social science, one year of
biological science, one year of physical science, two years of
math (algebra 1 and geometry), two years of physical education,
one semester of health and life kills, one year of a fine art, one
year of a technical art, and 70 credits of electives. In addition to
these requirements students must also pass the fitness gram and
computer literacy. For 2013 graduates, two years of a foreign
language are Required.
To ensure that students complete all graduation requirements,
counselors maintain contact with students throughout their four
years at Van Nuys, working with students, adjusting schedules to
accommodate individual student needs. Most importantly,
41
seniors have a senior check list that shows students their
progress or shortcomings in meeting graduation requirements.
Seniors and their parents receive certified letters at the midsemester fall report card to notify them of any possible
impediments to graduation.

Certified letters

Summer school

Beyond the Bell

Extended Learning
Academy
Van Nuys High School offers a variety of programs to help
students who are behind on credits or are struggling
academically. Counselors and Assistant Principals continually
review transcripts of students who are in danger of not meeting
graduation requirements. These students are contacted
individually and counseled on credit recovery options which
include:



Summer school: Although funding shortages have
reduced summer school offering VNHS provides credit
recovery every summer. Seniors may complete summer
school and receive diplomas after achieving credit
recovery. Most years, summer school is six weeks with
four-hour days. In the summer of 2010 VNHS summer
school was only four weeks with six-hour days, due to
the fact that the faculty voted to change the yearly
schedule in order to start school in August and end
school in early June. Previously, VNHS started in early
September and ended in late June.
After-School Tutoring (Beyond the Bell): There are a
variety of academic classes offered after school. English
tutoring is offered on Mondays and Wednesdays and
taught by two Van Nuys High School faculty members.
There is a math lab five days a week, which is presided
over by college students from the California State
University at Northridge (CSUN) and Mission College.
Science is offered on Monday and Wednesday, as well. A
VNHS science teacher works with college students to
help tutor VNHS students. There is general tutoring
offered on Mondays and Wednesdays and taught by a
VNHS counselor. Furthermore, online classes are
offered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for
health, English 9 and math 9.
Extended Learning Academy: Students are identified
based on their previous California High School Exit
42
Exam (CAHSEE) or California Standards Test (CST)
results. Students who have not passed the CAHSEE or
have performed at the “basic”, “below basic” or “far
below basic” level on the CST are given the opportunity
to attend the ELA program to prepare them for passing
the CAHSEE. Students attend thirty hours of Saturday
classes to improve their skills in mathematics or English
and earn credits at its completion. Students and their
parents are also contacted frequently to be reminded of
the necessity to attend these classes.

Adult Education Credit Recovery: VNHS students
can take classes on the Van Nuys High School campus
at night during adult school.

Adult education

Concurrent Enrollment at Community Colleges:
VNHS students are allowed to take course work at local
community colleges such as Valley College and Pierce
College.

Access to community
colleges

Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID)
Classes: These classes are geared to residential
students, many of them first generation college goers
and underrepresented, who are reasonably accomplished
(“B” average academically). Students receive college
awareness training, planning for matriculation into a
suitable four-year university, study skills training, team
building, etc. Students take field trips to colleges and
cultural destinations. Students are placed in cohorts and
share teachers to build a culture of success.

AVID classes

VANTAGE: An online writing program provides ninth
grade students instantaneous feedback on their writing
skills. Students submit their essays online and then
receive corrections and other suggestions with a click of
a button. Students refine their work through the
program’s assessment and evaluation process. Vantage is
an internet-based instructional writing program that
scores student responses to prompts/writing tasks in
less than ten seconds through artificial intelligence.
Through the scoring of student writing, teachers can
deliver writing assignments more frequently and monitor
the writing performance of their students. Students

VANTAGE program
43
therefore receive immediate feedback in an assessment
process that is part of instruction. Teachers of ninth
grade students are trained regularly to use Vantage
successfully in their classrooms.
44
Category C:
Standards-based Student Learning:
Instruction
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
C-1 All students are involved in challenging learning experiences to achieve the academic
standards and the expected schoolwide learning results. All teachers use a variety of
strategies and resources, including technology, and experiences beyond the textbook and
the classroom, that actively engage students, emphasize higher-order thinking skills, and
help them succeed at higher levels.
Teachers and staff at Van Nuys High School stimulate student achievement by utilizing various and
diverse teaching strategies, testing data, technology, and other resources to promote higher-level
thinking skills and to prompt students to reach beyond the classroom experience alone. The school,
through its specialized and individualized programs, has established an atmosphere of high
expectations for students to maximize their learning experiences.
FINDINGS
Van Nuys High School provides for the regular review of
student data in order to ensure that the curriculum is challenging
and is meeting the academic needs of students. VNHS has a
full-time testing coordinator and the VNHS testing process has
proceeded in a well-organized manner, with an increase in the
percentage of students tested and a dramatic increase in our API
and a steady increase in our CST scores. All teachers receive
individual item analyses of their students’ California Content
Standards test results to enable them to change their
methodology according to the students’ needs. CAHSEE and
API scores are shared with all staff members to understand
student academic levels and to determine how to improve areas
of weakness and hone areas of strength. On-going informal
assessments in core and noncore areas are used regularly to
monitor student learning and achievement. Furthermore, formal
District created standards-aligned benchmark exams are given
quarterly in math, English, social science, and science. The
results of the item analyses completed for these exams are
EVIDENCE

Full-time testing
coordinator

Test results

Item analyses

Informal assessments

Benchmark exams
45
discussed during department meetings and are used to drive
classroom instruction and curricular change. All classes are
aligned to the California State Standards.
RESULTS OF STUDENT OBSERVATIONS AND EXAMING
WORK
As part of the accreditation process teachers were asked to
submit sample lessons and the student work that accompanied
them. Observations of students working in class were made.
Anecdotal evidence was accumulated. After careful examination,
it was concluded that instruction covered myriad types of
effective learning programs almost all of which were tied directly
to the California State Standards and the expected schoolwide
learning results. Van Nuys High School is a diverse multi-ethnic
high school with students from extremely diverse backgrounds
and learning levels. VNHS takes pride in academic excellence
and student achievement in providing a quality education which
serves this diverse student population.

Student work samples

Classroom observations

Honors courses

AP courses

SDC and RSP special
education courses

ELD courses

Sheltered courses

Meetings with counselors

Monitoring grades
STUDENT UNDERSTANDING OF PERFORMANCE
LEVELS
The school offers a wide range of courses that provides students
with opportunities to pursue both career interests and
educational goals on many different performance levels.
Whether honors, advanced placement, special education, ELD,
bilingual or sheltered classes, the core curriculum provides
preparation for post-secondary educational choices, as well as,
practical skills necessary for success after high school.
Counselors review a wide range of individual student data and
meet with students to explain the expectations and rigor that
each class performance level requires. Word of mouth plays a
great role in helping students to understand the expectations,
requirements and difficulty of particular classes. Grades are
monitored regularly to make sure students are meeting the
challenges of academic rigor in their classes.
DIFFERENTIATION OF INSTRUCTION
The faculty at VNHS differentiate instruction by using a wide
variety of strategies and resources in order to facilitate the
46
engagement of students in high order activities. The classes
include technology and encourage problem solving and higher
level thinking. The curriculum consists of textbooks, nontext
books, work sheets, current teaching strategies, resources,
experiences, Vantage, written and oral activities, term papers, in
class essays, personal writing assignments, performances and
projects that teachers provide for students in a wide variety of
performance levels and disciplines. Instructional approaches are
used that require active involvement of the learner and help
students develop an array of techniques to organize, access, and
apply knowledge. Teachers use lectures; instruct students
individually, in small groups and large groups; lead discussions,
including Socratic circles; monitor individual practice, and
demonstrate skills. Students engage in a wide variety of activities
including: answering questions, conversing about subject matter,
taking notes, working individually or in groups to solve
problems, etc. The focus of instruction is to help all students
meet or exceed academic standards and the expected schoolwide
learning results. Instruction includes innovative methods that
are supported by research, and professional development
activities are frequently used in the classroom. Each discipline
utilizes a wide variety of strategies and resources:

Lesson plans

Supplemental material

Computer labs

Classroom observations

Vantage

Drama and dance
performances

Marching band
competitions

Film Festival

Music and Dance
competitions

Research Projects

Stock market competition
Strategies and Resources—Visual and Performing Arts
The Visual Arts department gives students the opportunity for
hands-on learning in a variety of mediums. VNHS Instrumental
music groups and the dance team are highly regarded and have
won many awards yearly for their professional and talented
performances. The marching band is considered one of the best
in the region. The dance team attends Nationals in Las Vegas,
where they typically place in the top three in all events. Drama,
choir and instrumental music classes provide many challenging
performance opportunities that extend learning beyond the
classroom. Video and film classes give students opportunities to
write, film, edit, and produce their own work. All the visual arts
classes offer hands-on experience with tangible results for
students.
Strategies and Resources—Social Studies
The Social Studies Department assigns research projects
focusing on famous people, case studies, or countries that bring
the past into the present and allow students to understand and
47
appreciate the significance of past events. In addition the social
studies department utilizes many innovative activities. Some of
these activities include online stock market competitions, mock
trials, mock businesses and debates, to name a few. Teen Court
affords student participation in an actual courtroom situation.
For the past six years members of the history department have
been part of a history cadre sponsored by LAUSD and District
2. They are trained in lesson planning that combines lessons in
art, literature, philosophy and history for the tenth grade class. It
has made for a rich world history program. In addition, there is
a history liaison.

Mock trials

Mock business

Debates

Teen Court
Strategies and Resources—Special Education

Reports

Oral presentations

IEPs

Study skill classes

RSP

SDC

Plays

Poetry

Interviews

Debates
The Special Education Department provides challenging
learning opportunities for students in the form of reports, oral
presentations, and differentiated instruction. An out-ofclassroom facilitator provides oversight for the correct
implementation and scheduling of IEPs with the assistance of
the Consent Decree Clerk (CDC). RSP students are expected to
complete all general education class assignments with support in
the classroom from a special education teacher or
paraprofessional and through the study skills class. The special
education program is designed to meet the educational needs of
students with a variety of learning disabilities. At Van Nuys
High School, students are primarily learning disabled, not
physically disabled. A rigorous curriculum is provided for
students with special needs throughout the entire school.
In the Resource Specialist Program, RSP teachers and
instructional aides attend general education classes with students
as well as provide a study skills class with supplemental materials
and personal assistance. In this way, the students benefit from
expert instruction in both special education and general
education. Additionally, support is provided for Special Day
Class (SDC) students in elective classes. All math classes are
available to SDC students.
Strategies and Resources—Foreign Language
In the Foreign Language department, students are engaged and
challenged by such activities as creating plays, writing book
reports, writing poetry, doing interviews, participating in
debates, doing research projects, using the internet, creating art
48

Research projects
Being the largest department, English has the widest range of
class offerings at many different levels. Up until recently the
literacy coach was a resource to the entire department but due to
budget constraints the position was terminated. Almost all
English teachers have been trained in the Developing Readers
and Writers (DRW) program for the strategic literacy classes and
are able to incorporate supportive scaffolding methodology into
their classes. Many English teachers have also participated in AP
training and include AP style analysis in their essay formats, as
well as, persuasive, cause and effect, literary analysis, expository,
and biographical incident. Class discussion and Socratic circles
are utilized to explore literary themes. Book reports and research
papers are standards-based and grade-level specific. Most of the
Perkins pathways core with English, further contributes to the
department’s ability to be relevant to all areas of the student’s
school experience. Many English teachers utilize the Vantage
computerized writing program, which offers students feedback
instantaneously.

DRW

Strategic Literacy classes

Scaffolding

AP training and analysis

Class discussion and
Socratic circles

Book reports

Research papers

Vantage

Persuasive, expository,
biographical, writing
assignments
Strategies and Resources—ELD

High Point

Collaborative learning
strategies

Portfolios

Bilingual coordinator
projects, and participating in other activities that serve as both
practice and assessment.
Strategies and Resources—English
Since the District recently adopted High Point as the English
Language Development textbook for all of LAUSD, all ELD
teachers have received professional development and
continuous support in ELD methodology and the use of High
Point in particular. Because the majority of classes are two-hour
block classes, ELD uses a lot of collaborative learning strategies,
as well as, project-based curriculum. The use of portfolios is
mandated in ELD and is fully implemented at VNHS. The
bilingual coordinator is truly fluent in English and Spanish, and
she serves as an invaluable resource to the department. She
attends department meetings and keeps the members informed
of all developments in the District, while also relaying any
concerns they might have.
49
Strategies and Resources—Science

Critical thinking

Research labs

AP strategies

Computer-based labs

Internet research

Dissections

Written research projects

After school tutoring

CAHSEE preperation
Many teachers tutor after school, and advanced students can
participate in a helpful AP calculus and an AP statistics camp.
The LAUSD/EDUSOFT program can be used to provide
supplementary material. District-mandated benchmark
assessments are administered in algebra 1A and 1B, and
assessments in algebra 2 and geometry.

AP calculus/statistics
camps

Benchmark assessments
The math coach position was terminated recently due to budget
constraints. Math instructional guides are provided for all levels
of math. ELA Saturday school exists for math students who
need intervention.

Math instructional
guides

Sports teams

Sports facilities
With two science-based magnet programs on campus, the
science department challenges students on many different levels
to think critically and apply that critical thinking to outside reallife situations. From ninth grade basic inter-coordinated science
classes to twelfth grade honors research labs, students strive to
identify and understand difficult scientific concepts. With AP
classes in all laboratory sciences, students use not only hands-on
activities, but computer-based labs, internet research, DNA
recombination, dissections, and written research projects.
Strategies and Resources—Math
Teachers recommend students for after-school tutoring. Most
textbooks now come with a tutorial CD and publisher website.
It is possible to test incoming ninth graders with a math test to
identify intervention candidates. Math CAHSEE preparation by
the math department is provided prior to the exam and in afterschool tutoring. An Essentials of Math course is offered for
summer school (schedule permitting). CST Preparation is done
in math classes.
Strategies and Resources—Physical Education
Sports teams and the Physical Education Department provide
means for students to develop lifelong habits for physical fitness
and nutritional health. There are 18 sports teams, which allow
athletic opportunities for a wide variety of students. There are
athletic fields for football and baseball (a track around the
football field). Other sports utilize these fields as well. There are
two gyms, one of which is brand new. There is a weight room, a
dance room, tennis courts, several outdoor basketball courts and
hand ball courts. The department complies with state and
50
national standards to provide resources and activities to all
students, and the department is in compliance with all Title IX
guidelines.
Strategies and Resources—School Library
Van Nuys High School has a full time librarian who is also a
National Board Teacher. In addition to providing books and
publications for student use, providing a facility where students
can research and study, and providing other usual library
services, the librarian provides additional services as well. The
librarian provides support for teachers, teaching classes in
research, poetry, book making, etc. She recently applied for and
received a Laura Bush grant for six thousand dollars to help
revitalize the collection. She is also sponsor of a literary
magazine called “Lit Bits.” In addition, she organizes monthly
boggle and chess tournaments and a monthly open mic at lunch.
Furthermore, there are 18 computers for students to utilize.
There are copy machines for both students and faculty.

Librarian provided
teacher support

“Lit Bits” literary
magazine

Open mic

Library computer lab
51
C-2. All teachers use a variety of strategies and resources, including technology and experiences
beyond the textbook and the classroom that actively engage students, emphasize higher order
thinking skills, and help them succeed at high levels.
A wide variety of evidence, including examination of student work, classroom observations,
anecdotal evidence, results of faculty, student, and parental surveys, suggests that Van Nuys High
School faculty utilize myriad teaching strategies to engage students, emphasize higher order thinking
skills, and help them succeed at high levels. Although much of our evidence suggests that the
strength of our academic program is happening campus wide and in almost all subgroups, as is
revealed by the steady increase in API and CST testing data, the stakeholders at Van Nuys High
School are always looking for ways to improve and achieve at even higher levels.
FINDINGS
EVIDENCE
As outlined in section C-1 Van Nuys High School students
encounter an extremely varied curriculum, utilizing many
current teaching strategies and resources, which challenge
students in a variety of modalities and on many levels with an
emphasis on higher order thinking such as analysis, synthesis,
and evaluation.
TECHNOLOGY
Teachers utilize technology as a tool in the classroom to
promote a variety of learning styles and modalities. There are
nine permanent computer labs on campus and six portable ones
with 25 laptops. All teachers have a computer. Most classrooms
have at least some computers for student use. There are also
computers available in the library, as well. Many teachers
incorporate technology in the classroom by assigning multimedia presentations, requiring essays and projects to be wordprocessed, and using the internet to do research. Furthermore,
students use computers for art projects, graphing calculators in
math, and computer software for individualized instruction.
Students are more engaged in their subject material and are
exposed to a variety of online virtual manipulatives, which aid
visual and kinesthetic learners and help students to master
standards-based concepts. Students use the Vantage writing
software in English which helps teachers assign more writing
assignments and helps students hone their skills as they receive

Multimedia presentations

Graphing and scientific
calculators

Online virtual
manipulatives

Internet access

Vantage program
52
virtually instantaneous feedback. In special education and life
skills, students learn how to make life choices through a
computerized learning system called American Dream. Both
journalism and yearbook use state of the art equipment to
publish and do layouts. At least 60 teachers have LCD
projectors, which also can be used in conjunction with
DVDs/VCRs. The increased use of technology in the blended
learning classroom allows the teacher to differentiate instruction
for all students and allows students to master the courses at their
own pace. In the technology SLC, all ninth grade students are
required to take computers. Furthermore, there are two
California Partnership Academies in the Technology SLC, the
Machine Tool Academy and the Automotive Repair Academy
both of which rely heavily on technology. In addition there is a
robotic program

American Dream (Game
of Life)

Grade Machine

School newspaper and
yearbook

LCD projectors

Machine Tool Academy

Automotive Repair
Academy

Robotics program
Further use of technology includes use of the computerized
grading systems, by teachers and the implementation of the
school website: http://www.vannuyshs.org.

School website

PD agendas

Trainings, conferences
and workshops

SDAIE instruction

Pearson learning teams
CURRENT KNOWLEDGE
Van Nuys High School’s staff is highly qualified and trained in
their subject matter. The curriculum is consistent with the
philosophy of teaching and learning and aligned with current
research, best practices, and national and state accountabilities.
Faculty access professional development opportunities and
trainings, attend conferences and work shops, with the goal of
being on the cutting edge of educational research and thinking.
Faculty utilize a wide variety of current teaching strategies and
techniques including: cooperative-learning groups, scaffolding
techniques, primary source-based instruction, project-based
instruction, differentiated instruction, SDAIE strategies,
Bloom's Taxonomy, etc. In addition Van Nuys High School
went to wall-to-wall small learning communities in the fall of
2007. Faculty and administration attended extensive workshops,
conferences and meetings to ensure that current best practices
were in place for this implementation. Most recently the faculty
has embraced Pearson learning teams, as they work
cooperatively to develop relevant lesson plans in research driven
format.
53
EXAMINATION OF STUDENT WORK
Classroom observations, samples of student work and anecdotal
evidence demonstrated that students were able to engage in
higher level thinking, reasoning, and problem solving:
individually, in small and whole groups, during class discussions,
during in-class and take home essays, in debates, in scientific
experiments, in examinations and tests, in oral reports and in
many other varied assignments and instruction. These activities
helped students in achieving the academic standards and the
expected schoolwide learning results. These same observations,
samples and anecdotal evidence also demonstrated that students
could organize access and apply knowledge they already have
acquired, that students have the tools to gather and create
knowledge, and that students have opportunities to use these
tools to research, inquire, gather, discover and invent knowledge
on their own and communicate this.

Classroom observations

Student work samples

Anecdotal evidence

JROTC

ROC/ROP classes
The JOBS program offers students on-the-job training at
various locations on a part-time basis.

JOBS program
The California Occupational Preference Survey (COPS)
provides an opportunity for students to further refine their
career path choices. Students also may sign up to take the
Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). The
integration of aptitudes, educational goals, and career interests in

COPS

ASVAB
REAL WORLD EXPERIENCES
All students are encouraged to participate in a variety of
activities that challenge them to see the relevance between class
work and their daily and future lives. Teachers actively challenge
and encourage students to stretch their skills to achieve higher
levels of proficiency and personal engagement. All departments
use teaching methods that encourage student reflection and
interactive experiences.
The JROTC program provides leadership training with an
emphasis on military organization. ROC/ROP programs include
internships at the Valley Presbyterian Hospital, as well as a
variety of classes offered at West Valley Occupational Center.
54
these tests give students more information with which to make
career decisions.

SLCs

Magnet programs

CATS advisors

Machine Tool Academy
Small Learning Communities are career-based: Technology;
Humanities; Mind and Body; and Arts, Media, and
Entertainment. There are two California partnerships within the
SLCs: machine tool and automotive repair. A variety of real
world classes are offered as well including: business, graphic
design, culinary, computers, film, stagecraft, Zappa, yearbook,
journalism, etc.
In the magnet programs, each magnet focuses on a career path.
The Medical Careers magnet emphasizes and guides students
towards careers in the medical profession. These students attend
classes at Northridge Medical Center and are given the
opportunity to train in several departments. The Performing
Arts magnet students produce plays and films as well as
participate in dance, choral, and orchestral productions. The
Math/Science magnet exposes students to various career
options and advanced level educational opportunities in those
fields. All magnet classes can enroll up to twenty-five percent
nonmagnet general program students, thereby giving all VNHS
students access to these programs.
Career and Transitional Services (CATS) advisors handle career
and transitional services for special education students and
coordinates activities that promote and ease the transition from
high school to post-graduation activities. The advisors also help
students identify their career goals as well as their personal
strengths and weaknesses. Students are connected with job
training and placement opportunities or referred to college
advisors. In addition, the advisor determines which services
students are eligible for and works with the Department of
Rehabilitation.
The Machine Tool Academy has three numerically controlled
computer lathes. Students used these machines to produce
aluminum bushings to repair classroom chair legs, make pen
holders, and manufacture additional tools that are used in the
class. The California Partnership Machine Tool Academy is a
Tech-Prep academy that prepares students with a strong
academic foundation for careers in the machine tool technology
industry. The program features a career path of academic and
vocational courses offered in participation with Los Angeles
Valley College, California State University Los Angeles, New
55
Directions for Youth, and the National Tooling and Machining
Association. A grant provides resources to employ a coordinator
who assists the machine shop teacher.
56
Category D:
Standards-based Student Learning:
Assessment and Accountability
D.1 Assessment and Accountability Criterion
Van Nuys High School uses a professionally acceptable assessment process to collect, disaggregate,
analyze and report student performance data to the parents and other shareholders of the
community.
Van Nuys High School regularly reviews student progress toward the academic standards, and the
expected schoolwide learning results. Faculty members continually analyze student performance on
standardized state and national tests (CST, CAHSEE, CELDT, API) to evaluate and adjust their
teaching. In addition, data to determine college readiness (AP scores, SAT scores, A-G completion
rates) are collected and evaluated. These results are reviewed annually for all students and key
subgroups and used as the foundation for developing the Single School Plan for Student Learning.
Assessment results are reported to parents at least once a year and the School Accountability Report
Card (SARC) is available for parents to view online. Additionally, the District’s reform initiatives are
the result of a careful review of assessment data. Assessment data drive the changes in instruction
enabling Van Nuys High School to better serve the needs of students and parents.
D-2a & b. Assessment and Accountability Criterion
Teachers employ a variety of assessment strategies to evaluate student learning. Students and
teachers use these findings to modify the teaching/learning process for the enhancement of the
educational progress of every student.
Van Nuys High School regards assessment as an integral part of the education process. The faculty
employs a wide variety of strategies to meet the needs of a diverse student population. These
strategies involve a wide array of assessment practices that range from class tests to long-term
projects. Faculty provided sample lessons, assessments and examples of student work. This provided
a snapshot of the types of assessment used in classrooms. Teachers in six academic departments,
mathematics, science, English, social studies, ESL, and special education, were given a survey
regarding the types of assessment used in their classrooms. A total of 81 teachers responded. Based
on the survey results, it is clear that all departments use a variety of strategies to evaluate student
learning. Teachers use the assessment results to enhance their instruction by re-teaching and
evaluating materials and resources. Many teachers employ metacognitive strategies to help modify
the teaching-learning process.
57
FINDINGS
EVIDENCE
PROFESSIONALLY ACCEPTABLE ASSESSMENT
PROCESS
Van Nuys High School has an effective assessment process to
collect, disaggregate, analyze and report student performance
data to parents and other shareholders in the community.
Departments review their curriculum taking into consideration
student performance on standardized state tests and the ESLRs.
They then identify strategies to increase student progress toward
those instructional objectives. Departments meet at least once a
month to provide opportunities to analyze data and exchange
assessment and instructional methodology. Using a power-point
presentation, the principal shares assessment data with faculty
members upon receipt of test results. The testing coordinator
provides teachers with test results concerning their current
students. Furthermore, there are professional development
opportunities where teachers are taught how to use My Data, so
they can find information on their current students to guide
instruction.

Professional
Development agendas

SPA District team

Testing Coordinator

Test-taking techniques

Pre-testing materials

Teacher customized
testing packets

English Learners data
MODIFICATION OF TEACHING/LEARNING PROCESS
After evaluating the test results from the years 2007-2009 all
Van Nuys stakeholders reviewed the assessment data and began
a process to bring about the desired improvements. VNHS has a
full-time testing coordinator. A Kaplan testing expert was
brought in to assist teachers in providing better test-taking
techniques for the students. Pre-testing materials were issued in
the academic core subjects. Teachers were in-serviced to
administer various tests more effectively. Current and
comparative test results in all the core subjects were issued to
the teachers who could then evaluate student skill levels and
adapt instructional materials and methods.
ESL and SDAIE teachers receive current language information
about their students once a semester.
58
MONITORING STUDENT GROWTH
The larger Van Nuys High School community reviews student
progress in a variety of ways. The School Accountability Report
Card (SARC) is annually presented to advisory council parents
and is available to all stakeholders online. There is also the
School Report Card which gives information to parents. The
principal shares assessment results with parents of the different
advisory councils as does the District 2 superintendent with the
districtwide advisory councils.
Students and parents are kept abreast of students’ progress
through a variety of means. The school sends home progress
reports every five weeks. Teachers are also required to give
comments for students who are receiving D or F grades.
Teachers are also required to give an “in danger of failing”
comment at the 12-week point for all students in that situation.
There are four parent-teacher conference nights during the
school year, two in the fall and two in the spring. There is both a
PHBAO parent conference and a Back-to-School or Open
House per semester. These give parents an opportunity to meet
with teachers and discuss the progress of their students. Parents
are encouraged to arrange parent/teacher conferences during
teacher conference periods.
The above-mentioned precautions are in place for all students.
There is an additional safeguard for seniors who are preparing to
graduate. There is a “senior fail list” for those seniors who are in
danger of not graduating. This gives students a warning that
they are not passing a particular class and may not graduate.
Parents also receive a certified letter informing them about this.
Upon entering Van Nuys High School, all students meet with a
counselor, either individually or during life skills classes and are
given a Four-Year Plan to plot their course through high school.
This plan guides them in selecting classes and meeting
requirements for graduation. Van Nuys High School offers
courses that fulfill all of the A-G college requirements, so that
students are able to pursue post-graduation options at
community colleges, state universities, private colleges,
vocational schools, and in the armed forces.

SARC

LAUSD website

Parent Advisory Council
agendas

Progress reports

Parent conference
requests

Back-to-School and
Open House

PHBOA parent
conferences

Parent/teacher
conferences

Senior fail list

Certified letters

Four-year plan

A-G requirements
Students with special needs and EL students benefit from other
assessments. EL students are routinely administered the
CELTD to gage their readiness to move into mainstream
59
classes. Special education students receive a battery of tests to
assist in the formulation of IEPs. Teachers routinely report the
progress to the special education staff about the progress of IEP
students

CELDT testing

Focus group

Department meetings

Department assessments

Department meetings

District periodic
BASIS FOR DETERMINATION OF PERFORMANCE
LEVELS
Van Nuys High School faculty meet on Tuesdays during
professional development time in departments regularly to set
standards for determining students’ grades in each class and
grade level and to determine how to measure student growth
and performance levels. These determinations are founded in
the California State Standards and expected schoolwide learning
results. Several departments utilize common year end
assessments. Many more are in the process of developing these.
In addition, departments are provided GPA breakdowns within
each course. Correlated with state and national assessment data
for individual students, departments can use this information to
evaluate the consistency of performance and evaluation among
comparable courses and sections.
APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES
Teachers use appropriate assessment strategies to measure
student progress toward acquiring a specific body of knowledge
or skills in disciplines and departments.
English
The Van Nuys High School English Department utilizes a
variety of methods to teach the California State
English/language arts standards. The English department is a
passionate group of professionals who meet regularly to discuss,
examine, and share various methodologies to improve student
performance. Up until fall of 2009, VNHS had a Literacy Coach
who was an integral component of the English department. Due
to funding cuts this position was eliminated. Along with the
department chair and other key content area specialists,
meetings occur to ensure that teaching is aligned with the
California State Standards. A significant tool for assessing the
writing and reading comprehension standards is the quarterly
local district assessment. These assessments are designed to
evaluate the reading comprehension and writing of fiction and
60
nonfiction material in the areas of persuasion, exposition, and
literary analysis.
In addition, teachers have developed a curriculum guide for each
grade level to ensure that both the California State Standards are
met, and in meeting the standards, the art of teaching is not
compromised.
The survey showed that the most frequently used methods of
assessment by the department included in-class and take-home
essays, group projects, objective type tests, and teacher
observation. Less frequently used methods of assessment were
journals, portfolios, reports, individual projects, and oral
presentations.
assessments

California standards

Student
comments/survey

High Point

Portfolios

Assessment booklets

Bilingual program

Department meetings

District periodic
assessment

After-school tutoring
ESL
The ESL Department implements the District’s mandated High
Point curriculum series with course portfolios for each student.
The series develops and reinforces cognitive academic skills
throughout all levels, basic to advanced. The curriculum
materials include integrated text and workbooks, visual and
audio aids, group activities, content connections, and carefully
designed writing projects appropriate to each level, but always
within a format that is consistent throughout each chapter, unit,
test, and course level. Students overwhelmingly discover that
they can meet the challenges of each course to become more
successful learners.
Mathematics
The Mathematics Department employs a variety of methods to
assess student achievement. Depending on the level of the class,
teachers engage students in activities that build students’
mathematical skills as well as their problem-solving abilities. The
VNHS Math Coach, (this position was also eliminated in fall
2009) used to meet frequently with the department to discuss
and analyze instructional strategies and standards-based
assessment. Teacher-developed tests as well as the District
quarterly assessments are used as means to enhance the
instructional practices. The math after-school tutoring program
offers help to any student who needs more instructional time in
his/her mathematics class and is well attended. In 2009 there
were between 50-60 students participating in this program.
Teachers, as well as, peer tutors, are utilized to work with the
participants. The program is also used to target students who
61
have previously been unsuccessful in passing the mathematics
portion of the CAHSEE. The department is also in the process
of developing departmental exams to standardize assessment
and advancement practices. The department tends to use
teacher observation and free response tests as the primary form
of assessment but also incorporates the more typical types of
testing such as objective type tests.
Science
The Science department frequently uses in-class essays,
matching answer, true/false, multiple-choice, and short answer
tests to assess the knowledge of students. Assessments such as
free response, take-home essays, reports, teacher observation,
and group projects are also used by the department to measure
student achievement, particularly by the honors and AP class
teachers. The material covered by teachers is driven primarily by
the California State Standards in life science and physical
sciences. The department also meets frequently to discuss
instructional strategies and assessment practices, California State
Standards, and safety measures among other topics. The
department noted that methodology is dictated largely by the
number of facts or problem solving skills, which students must
assimilate and which the state of California directs for each
student to master individually.

Focus group survey

Teacher observations

Department meetings

Teaching methodology

California state standards

Focus group survey

Department meetings

Teen Court
Social Studies
The Social Studies Department relies on a variety of methods to
assess and teach the curriculum and California State Standards.
The department has also devised a departmental final for grade
ten and is in the process of formulating finals for other grade
levels to assure that key concepts have been taught on the
various grade levels. The department also engages in multiple
hands-on types of activities to enhance the quality of instruction
at all levels. Some of these activities include online stock market
competitions, mock trials, and debates, to name a few. The
department meets regularly to discuss assessment, instructional
practices, and other curriculum related areas. One of the
valuable activities that the Social Studies Department promotes
is to involve students in Teen Court. Students are selected to be
part of a jury to prosecute students from other schools who are
charged with minor crimes. With the presence of a municipal
court judge, students learn how the judicial system functions at
the local level. The most frequently used modes of assessment
are in-class essays, matching answer tests, multiple choice tests,
and short answer tests.
62
Special Education
Assessment is an ongoing process for all special education
students throughout their years in school. All students in special
education have to be assessed in order to receive services. They
are tested by a special education teacher every year to determine
their academic placement. The school psychologist is involved
in the initial assessment of the student and the three-year reevaluation. If the student needs assessment in other areas such
as adapted P.E., speech and language, deaf and hard of hearing,
Visually Impaired, etc., the Designated Instructional Service
(DIS) itinerant teacher will assess in their particular area. All IEP
goals are based on the students’ needs determined by the
assessment. All instruction and in-class evaluations are based on
achieving the IEP goals, combined with the core curriculum.
Evaluation is done in class by projects, oral presentations,
computerized assessments, reports, art presentations, and
various multi-modality tests.

Focus group survey

Teacher Feedback

Department meetings

DIS

IEP
The Special Education Department concentrates on in-class
work including multiple choice tests, journals, group projects,
oral presentations, simulations, and games. A variety of testing
methods is used two to three times a semester including
matching answer tests, true or false tests, and short answer tests.
Free response tests are used only once a semester.
STUDENT FEEDBACK
In many classrooms students conduct their own assessments.
Many teachers utilize metacognitive techniques where students
evaluate what they’ve learned and how. Teachers use this
information to monitor student growth and modify
individualized student instruction. Many teachers also use
performance rubrics, which provide students the means to
evaluate their work and helps them take a larger role in their
own learning process.
63
D-3. The school, with the support of the district and community, has an assessment and monitoring
system to determine student progress toward achievement of the academic standards and the
expected schoolwide learning results.
The LAUSD, District 2, and Van Nuys High School work together to generate data concerning
academic performance. They disseminate this information among all stakeholders, so that faculty
and staff have access to it in planning curriculum, and all stakeholders have access to it to assess
progress of students to meet the academic standards and the expected schoolwide learning results.
The counselors provide attention to individual student needs. VNHS has clear procedures to ensure
that the progress of every student is carefully monitored. Van Nuys High School is particularly
concerned with students that are struggling and has in place the human infrastructure to meet, not
only the academic needs of students, but the emotional needs as well. Van Nuys High School fosters
a culture of high expectations and success.
D-4. Assessment of student achievement in relation to the academic standards and the expected
schoolwide learning results drive the school's program, its regular evaluation and improvement and
usage of resources.
Van Nuys High School has established several ongoing programs to improve student
achievement. The identification of students and allocation of funds to support these programs
have been supported by local, districtwide, and statewide assessment results. The data provided
by the District as well as from school-based assessment results creates the foundation for a
continuous discussion and evaluation of current practices among the faculty and staff.
Appropriate funding resources have been utilized to improve overall results. Faculty and staff at
VNHS are provided with API, AYP, CAHSEE, AP, CELDT and CST results during faculty and
departmental meetings. All faculty has access to My Data, as well results A majority of teachers
have a direct role in providing suggestions and actions to improve student achievement.
Categorical funds have been utilized to acquire programs and materials that are targeted to
enhance achievement.
FINDINGS
EVIDENCE
ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING PROCESS
The LAUSD, District 2, and Van Nuys High School monitor
student progress by generating reports concerning student
progress and correlate this with criteria defined in the VNHS
64
Single Plan. Multiple factors are then considered to assess
student progress:

Student achievement as it relates to the California State
Standards and the schoolwide learning results;

College readiness indicators and success in college level
courses such as AP classes and college level courses
offered by Valley College on campus;

Success of former VNHS students in post-secondary
careers;

Achievement of specific state accountability indicators;

Progress of underachieving students who come to
VNHS performing far below grade level in language arts
and math.
District 2 provides ongoing supervision of instruction and
accountability. Directors of school services monitor
implementation of Single Plan Action Steps by observations and
feedback as they meet with the school principal. School test data
are examined by principals and directors of school services for
progress towards targeted benchmarks and development of
related professional development. Up until recently, literacy and
math coaches monitored progress of pacing plans and periodic
assessment results to develop action steps to support schools.
The District provides a Decision Support System which includes
comparative and analytical data to inform instruction at Van
Nuys High School.
Van Nuys High School utilizes Tuesday afternoon Professional
Development time in schoolwide, department, Small Learning
Community, and Magnet meetings to monitor and assess data.
Professional Development time is also devoted to trainings in
My Data so that teachers may monitor and assess data of
individual students. Faculty regularly meet with counselors, who
provide additional data for individual students, so that strategies
can be developed, to help students achieve high academic
standards and meet expected schoolwide learning results.

AP classes

Valley College classes

CST data

Single Plan

Decision Support System

Faculty meets agendas
Counselors meet regularly with individual students to monitor
academic progress. Students in danger of failing are offered a
warning on their report cards. Seniors in danger of failing are
sent home a warning letter. As mentioned previously there are a
wide variety of support systems set up for at-risk students such
as: after-school tutoring, summer school, CAHSEE prep,
65
AVID, Vantage, adults school, collaboration with community
colleges, etc. Special education students receive IEPs and checkups on a regular basis. Van Nuys High School students also, of
course, take a wide variety of tests including: CAHSEE, CST,
AP, CELDT, SAT, ACT, district periodic assessments, “High
Point,” etc., all of which help monitor student performance and
assess progress.

CAHSEE prep

After-school tutoring

IEPs

CST, CAHSEE, AP,
CELDT, SAT, ACT data

Back to School, Open
house, and PHBOA
parent conferences
In addition the School Site Council, School Based Management,
the administration and the principal all provide important
oversight and accountability for the school—reviewing
important documents and reports and approving expenditures.
Furthermore, parent groups such as ELAC, and the Magnet
Parents Association provide members to serve on the School
Site Council and the School based Management boards, as well
as meeting monthly to assist with oversight and monitoring of
the progress of Van Nuys High School and its students.
REPORTING STUDENT PROGRESS
Students and parents are kept abreast of students’ progress
through a variety of means. The school sends home progress
reports at the fifth, tenth, and fifteenth-week points during the
semester before final grades are issued. There are four parentteacher conference nights during the school year, two in the fall
and two in the spring. There is both a PHBOA parent
conference and a Back-to-School open house per semester.
Counselors meet with parents to discuss student progress both
with grades and test scores. Test results are made available to
parents, the community, and interested shareholders online.
MODIFICATIONS BASED ON TEST RESULTS
Van Nuys High School has seen a dramatic rise in test results
over the last six years especially in terms of its API and CST
scores. Many successful programs have been kept in place or
been expanded. New programs have been introduced as well.
Van Nuys High School’s stakeholders are consistently searching
for innovative ways to boost student achievement and improve
the lives of its students.
66
After School Tutoring
Title I and Beyond the Bell provide funding to maintain and
expand after-school tutoring programs in mathematics, English
language arts, social science and science. Students are counseled
and advised to attend these sessions based on their needs.
Teachers and tutors are available to help students with
assignments or comprehension of curricular standards. These
programs have been recently revamped to influence lowperforming students schoolwide.

After-school tutoring
schedules

Title I and Beyond the
Bell budgets

Online English and math
courses

Vantage computer lab

Dedicated Vantage
coordinator

AP data
Online Courses
Online courses are offered in English and math for credit
recovery. English students make up 9th and 10th grade course
work. Usually these are remedial 11th grade students. Math is
offered as well for 9th grade courses. Students work
independently while a teacher monitors progress. All tests and
assessments are proctored.
Vantage
VANTAGE, is an online writing program that provides ninth
grade students instantaneous feedback on their writing skills.
Students submit their essays online and then receive corrections
and other suggestions with a click of a button. Students refine
their work through the program’s assessment and evaluation
process. Vantage is an internet-based instructional writing
program that scores student responses to prompts/writing tasks
in less than ten seconds through artificial intelligence. Through
the scoring of student writing, teachers can deliver writing
assignments more frequently and monitor the writing
performance of their students. Students therefore receive
immediate feedback in an assessment process that is part of
instruction. There is a dedicated computer lab and a dedicated
Vantage coordinator. In addition there are computer carts
available.
Advanced Placement Preparation
Teachers of Advanced Placement (AP) courses are provided
additional funds – ten hours of overtime per section taught – to
meet with their classes during after school hours or during the
weekends to help students practice and prepare for the
upcoming exams in May of each year. Due to the detailed nature
of the exam in each subject area, more time is typically needed
67
to accomplish the task. Van Nuys High School has consistently
made a strong showing in the exam participation with over a
1,000 tests administered as well as in passing results, with a
70.2% passing rate in 2009 and 2010. There are currently 59
section in 29 subject areas. In 2010 Newsweek ranked Van Nuys
High School 53rd in the nation out of all public schools.
Extended Learning Academy (ELA)
Students are identified based on their previous California High
School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) or California Standards Test
(CST) results. Students who have not passed the CAHSEE or
have performed at the “basic” or below level on the CST are
given the opportunity to attend the ELA program to prepare
them for passing the CAHSEE. Students attend thirty hours of
Saturday classes to improve their skills in mathematics or
English and earn credits at its completion. Students and their
parents are also contacted weekly to be reminded of the
necessity to attend these classes.

Title I funds

ELA schedules

Summer school schedule

Summer school schedule

Residential pre-AP
summer school classes

Master schedule

Residential AP classes
Summer School
Up until the summer of 2009 Van Nuys High School was able
to offer a wide variety of summer school classes. Students could
strengthen their skills in a wide variety of levels and a wide
assortment of subjects. Since the budget crises however, it was
mandated by the LAUSD that summer school only be used for
remediation and credit recovery. This being said there are still a
wide variety of classes offered in many subject areas and at
multiple levels.
Pre-AP Summer School and AP Classes for Residential
Students
As a response to Van Nuys High School’s need to provide more
upper level courses for residential students, summer pre-AP
courses were offered in English and history three years ago. The
idea being to give residential students an edge in order to
succeed in these very challenging courses and to create a cohort
of students in the SLCs that would stick together to pursue
academic excellence. Students then continued their studies in
AP classes specifically designed for residential students during
the regular school year. This program has expanded over the
years and classes are offered in AP language, AP literature, and
AP psychology. Even though summer school now has been
mandated solely for credit recovery by the LAUSD, VNHS
funds the pre-AP summer school program through its general
68
fund. In addition, the Small Learning Communities provide 22
honors courses in multiple subject areas and grade levels and
five AP classes. Residential students may take magnet honors
and AP classes, as well.
Council
In the fall of 2009 Van Nuys High School adopted a new
program called “Council.” “Council” is a program approved by
the LAUSD with mentoring from the Ojai Foundation. The
program is designed to build confidence in students. Students
learn communication skills and how to listen to peers. Teachers
work with students in groups and work on communication
techniques. “Council” addresses the emotional well-being of
individual students and builds a sense of belonging and
community in individual students. There are tri-monthly
meetings for teachers and a part-time council coordinator.

Council handbook

Mentor from Ojai
Foundation

Tri-monthly meetings for
faculty

Part-time Council
coordinator

American Dream
software and licensing

VNHS website

Conference attendance
records
American Dream (Game of Life)
In the fall of 2007 Title I bought licenses for a computerized
game of life. This game is utilized in life skills and special
education classes. Students are given a series of life choices and
accumulate points based on their decisions. Students learn how
to make good decisions in multiple areas. This helps them
become better members of the community and society, and
clarifies their priorities in a fun and enjoyable setting.
Van Nuys High School Website
Van Nuys High School now has a website and efforts are being
made to improve it. Information is provided for parents,
community, students, faculty, and staff in an organized and
comprehensive way through the site’s interactive nature. The
Calendar portion of the site contains all school events to inform
all stakeholders of upcoming activities. Teachers are now able to
post their classroom and course guidelines on their individual
webpage and inform students of class projects or assignments.
Even though parts of the website are fully functional, some
areas are still under construction.
Advanced Placement Conference Attendance
Many Van Nuys faculty have attended AP workshops offered by
the College Board. Many of these teachers are either currently
teaching AP classes or will teach them in the future. Others
69
learn AP techniques to become part of vertical teams. Teachers
are eager to learn about the most up to date curriculum for their
corresponding content area and are proactive in signing up for
upcoming workshops throughout the year. Gifted, Magnet, and
Title I funds have been used for registration in these workshops.

Gifted, Magnet, and Title
I budgets

Student agendas

Principal, Magnet Parent
Association, and ELAC
newsletters
Classroom Libraries
Title I funds are used to purchase and make available
supplemental reading materials to English classes. Teachers in
the department have created mini libraries in their classrooms to
encourage reading among their students. The Title I office also
houses a series of books for students to check out on their
teachers’ advice. The English department, based on the teachers’
experiences with their students’ needs and current interests, has
decided the titles of these books. Class sets of certain titles have
also been made available by teacher recommendation and their
popularity among VNHS students.
Student Agendas
At the beginning of each school year, every student is given an
agenda that includes the school calendar and other useful
information. The pages of the weekly calendar have also
included mathematics problems and English language arts
concepts relating to the CA state standards. The agenda has
proved to be a powerful tool in assisting students to grow in the
personal skills of organization and responsibility, as well as
holding them accountable for need-to-know information such as
school policies and requirements. Teachers use the agendas to
teach their students organizational skills.
Van Nuys High School Newsletters
A principal’s newsletter, a magnet parent newsletter and an
ELAC newsletter are sent to all of the parents informing them
of various school activities including academic, athletic, and
school events. The newsletters also inform parents of graduation
requirements, school policies, and other pertinent educational
news.
70
Category E:
Standards-based Student Learning:
Assessment and Accountability
E-1. The school leadership employs a wide range of strategies to encourage parental and community
involvement, especially with the teaching/learning process.
Van Nuys High values parental and community involvement in the student learning process and
involves families in teaching and learning in a variety of ways. The school leadership and shareholder
groups employ a wide range of strategies to encourage parental and community involvement,
especially with the teaching/learning process.
FINDINGS
EVIDENCE
REGULAR PARENT INVOLVEMENT
Van Nuys High School welcomes parental participation even
before students arrive on campus. Our three magnets each hold
parent and student orientations with campus tours throughout
the year. Prior to the start of the school year each magnet holds
a parent orientation meeting in the auditorium for new parents.
The Korean Parent Association, the largest and most involved
in Los Angeles, holds a ninth grade orientation the third week of
school to inform parents of GPA’s, A-G requirements, and
college eligibility to public and private colleges. The residential
school has an orientation to familiarize parents with the four
Small Learning Communities. Pre-registration allows parents to
speak to their child’s counselor, see where the classrooms are,
and prepare for the coming school year.
At the start of each school year families are provided with a new
school year student-parent packet that includes the district
Student–Parent Handbook and the VNHS policies and rules to
familiarize them with district and school policies, contact
numbers and other helpful information.




Magnet parent tours
schedule
Korean parent
orientation flyer
Master schedule A-G
classes
Student-parent handbook
71
During the school year, VNHS parents are encouraged to
regularly attend and participate in School Based Management
(SBM), School Site Council (SSC), Compensatory Education
Advisory Council (CEAC), English Learner Advisory Council
(ELAC) meetings, and Magnet Parent Association meetings to
develop school policies, programs, make funding decisions, and
develop academic strategies and interventions, using district
data, to raise student achievement and have each student career
and college ready when she/he graduates. All meetings provide
Spanish and usually Korean translators for parent
understanding.





SBM, SSC, ELAC,
CEAC, Magnet Parent
Association sign-in sheets
and agendas

CEAC sign-in sheets and
agendas

ELAC sign-in sheets and
agendas
SSC -- The School Site Council monitors the
achievement of the Schoolwide Plan for Student
Achievement.

SSC sign-in sheets and
agendas
SBM – School Based Management helps shape
discipline, budgets, use of equipment, scheduling, and
professional development.

SBM sign-in sheets and
agendas

Back to School Night
parent sign-in sheets
California State Standards
ESLRs
CEAC –The purpose of the compensatory education
program is to meet the educational needs of
economically disadvantaged students. The
Compensatory Education Council is an advisory group
that advises SSC on funding supplemental services
needed to raise the academic achievement student
participants in their academic career.
ELAC – The English Learner Advisory Council exists to
advise SSC on the provisions for eligible students to
acquire language skills in the bilingual program. The
language on the home language survey determines the
trigger for assessment. If the home language is not listed
as English, students are then assessed.
Throughout the year there are several parent events to promote
academic success and keep parents informed. Back to School
Night is a family affair. It is the largest attended event with
approximately 500 parents visiting classrooms to learn about the
course objectives, class expectations, California Standards, the
VNHS expected schoolwide learning results, and how to
communicate with each individual teacher. Parents meet the
administrators, coordinators and counselors, hear about our
successes and challenges, and receive other information at a
meeting in the auditorium. On the Quad, to encourage parent
involvement, there are tables set up from various organizations:


72
the Family Center, SLC tables, community organization such as
the U. S. Census and Inner City Filmmakers, etc. Also on the
quad there is food sold by student clubs, and music. In the
spring our Open House is another family celebration of student
success. There are also two Predominantly Hispanic Black Asian
and Other (PHBAO) parent conferences held to discuss student
progress. Parents are given the opportunity to speak to
individual teachers, counselors and other staff members to ask
specific questions to help their child be successful.


Open house parent signin sheets
PHBAO parent sign-in
sheets
USE OF COMMUNITY RESOURCES
The VNHS Family Center extends a warm welcome to our
families and looks forward to working with parents to provide
support and assistance. The Family Center provides bilingual
oral and written communications. There are on-going efforts to
connect with the Spanish-speaking parents through many
programs. Parenting classes are held. Guest speakers from the
district and outside agencies inform parents on how to access
the school system. Social workers from the nonprofit Medical
and Healthy Families come once a month to assist parents with
enrollment. Counseling is available addressing such problems
as: substance abuse, behavioral problems, family trauma,
domestic violence, homelessness, child abuse, and gang
involvement. Health referrals for medical care, dental care or
vision problems are available. The Valley Community Clinic
provides free eye exams and the Hamlin Dental Group offers
free cleaning and reduced prices for other dental procedures.
Assistance and/or referrals are made for immigration services;
legal help; academic help; and for basic needs such as clothing,
food, and housing. Food is donated by local grocery stores.
Van Nuys High School has been very proactive in getting grants
from local, state, and federal government agencies, receiving
millions of dollars over the last six years. VNHS received just
under a million dollars for a federal SLC grant and has two
California Partnership grants. The machine tool work space is
undergoing major renovation, because of a QZAP grant, just to
name a few. A complete list of grants received can be found in
chapter 1 under the grants section.
VNHS parents participate in other functions to increase the
feeling of family and school pride. Parents assisted students
with our campus beautification project, which built a pathway
and planted bushes and trees in the quad. This was funded by
the Los Angeles Beautification Project. Parents helped the Tree


Family Center literature
Family Center schedule
of classes and services

Grant awards

Grant from the Los
Angles Beautification
Project
New Pathway on the

73
People plant trees, and do other projects. Parents attended a
global warming conference to increase awareness and outline
steps to be taken to affect climate change.
In the classrooms, teachers have many community connections
to increase student achievement. The National Science
Foundation and UCLA Computer Science Department keep
students current on computer technology and industry
standards. C-Cap provides culinary arts students with
competition to hone their skills and win scholarships. The
“Council” program is designed to personalize the student high
school experience. Valley Community Clinic, Northridge
Hospital, Narcanon and Teen Line enhance health classes.
There are many fieldtrips to various museums including:
Peterson Museum, Norton Simon Museum, LACMA, Grammy
Museum and Getty Museum, etc. There are class presentations
from a variety of providers including: Devry College, American
Career College, the U.S. Marines, Johnson Wales and the
Cordon Blue. Our ROP auto Technology program has 30
students involved in math and auto tech classes. The
Technology Small Learning Community has a job board in
which over 30 employers have been contacted by faculty. The
Automotive and Machine Tool Academies have many
community partners that provide donations, job placement, job
shadowing, mentoring, etc. VNHS works closely with San
Fernando Valley Community Mental Health Center and
Valley Coordinated Care Services to help students in need. The
Support Education Service program offers tutors to students in
their home or at a nearby center.
The Diploma Project Advisor holds parent and student
conferences and makes home visits to assist students with
attendance issues throughout the year. She provides academic
alternatives for students that are not functioning well in the high
school setting. To encourage attendance, a Perfect Attendance
ceremony is held on the victory stand. Recognized students
receive gift bags with items donated by various businesses and
Jamba Juice fundraisers, and their names are posted in the main
building display case. The DPA created a community resource
list. To assist the DPA, the attendance office, using ConnectEd, calls absent students’ home twice each day.
The Career Center helps students make the school to work
transition. The annual career fair with approximately 80
businesses and community organizations shares information
about educational requirements, needed skills, and job
opportunities. Classroom presentations are arranged by Fashion



quad
Global warming Project
literature
C-Cap scholarships and
competitions
“Council” coordinator
and literature

Field trip logs

Devry, American Career
College, the U.S. Marines,
Johnson Wales and the
Cordon Blue literature

Technology Small Learning
Community job board

List of VNHS community
partners and the support
they provide

DPA position



Perfect attendance
certificate
Community resource list
Connect-ed

Career fair flyer
74
Institute of Design and Merchandizing, (FIDM) the armed
services, Junior Achievement and other certificated programs.
Assemblyman Tony Cardenas offers a scholarship and buses to
events. The career-work experience education advisor is a
member of the Tech Prep regional committee that meets at
Mission College and arranges several student events during the
school year to make college connections. Students are involved
in internships through the “I’m a Student Exploring Excellence
Architecture & Engineering Internship Program”, (iSEE)
Program, the Los Angeles Board of Public Works, Academy of
Business Leadership, Constitutional Rights Foundation, Los
Angeles Pediatric Society, and Kaiser. To develop a sense of
community, students volunteer at Valley Presbyterian Hospital,
Los Angeles city and county elections, and other agencies.

FIDM

Tony Cardenas

iSEE

Progress reports

Certified mail graduation
letters
Four-year plans
PARENT/ COMMUNITY AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
Van Nuys High School systematically educates parents and the
school community about curricular and co-curricular activities
and their relation to student achievement of the California State
Standards and the expected schoolwide learning results. The
counseling department, comprised of seven counselors, a
dedicated intervention counselor, a college counselor, a careerwork experience education advisor, a gifted students coordinator
and the special education department coordinator, all meet with
parents by appointment or on a drop-in basis. Parents receive
progress reports every five weeks. The counselors meet with
parents during orientations and hold individual conferences
throughout the school year. The counselors send letters to
inform parents about graduation, class selections and other
academic concerns. Letters are sent home in Spanish, as well as,
English. Parents of all 10th grade students are invited to develop
a graduation plan. Parents of all seniors receive letters via
certified mail regarding graduation requirements. In an effort to
assist ninth graders and all students having academic, social and
emotional issues and reduce the ninth grade dropout rate,
VNHS created a dedicated intervention counselor position. This
counselor holds conferences and offers parents options and
methods to assist in achieving success for their child. The
college counselor holds a Senior Night to inform parents about
the college application and financial aid process. During the
school year the college counselor meets individually with parents
to inform and give suggestions on which college/university is
the best match for their child. The career-work experience
education advisor answers parent questions on work permits,
career choices for their child and ROP class selections. The


Dedicated intervention
coordinator

Senior Night flyer

Work permits
75
special education department holds IEP meetings, parent
conferences and meeting with other district personnel to assist
parents in developing an educational plan.
The bilingual office holds conferences and notifies parents of all
reclassification test results and academic recommendations.
Reclassification is an important aspect at Van Nuys High
School. The bilingual coordinator works hard to meet students,
assist with progress and keeps parents informed each step of the
way.

ROP classes

IEPs

Bilingual coordinator

Connect-Ed



Google translator
School marquee
Weekly bulletins

Beyond the Bell schedule

Torch Foundation
literature
The deans hold individual parent conferences to address
discipline issues. Letters are sent home to inform parents of
students’ tardies. Parents are given options, methods, and
strategies to help their children become more successful.
Teachers participate in Back to School Night, Open house, and
PHBOA parent conferences. Teacher base instruction on
student achievement of the California State Standards and the
expected school wide learning results. They employ a variety of
means to communicate with parents and to raise student
achievement in their class and on state testing. During the
school year, the teachers call and send notes to parents, use
Connect-Ed, invite parents to visit the classroom, have parents
sign tests and assignments, print out missed assignment reports,
have assignments posted on their website, and post weekly grade
reports. Teachers call home and communicate through email.
The website is packed with information and has Google
translator allowing each page to be translated to the parent’s
language. The marquee posts important parent and student
dates. Graduation requirements are available in seven different
languages. Weekly bulletins are posted, all events are listed on
the calendar, most of the faculty provide email, school policies
are posted, and it is iphone ready.
Under the umbrella of Beyond the Bell, the Youth Policy
Institute and Impact offer an after school program that provides
students with opportunities that include individual and small
group tutoring in core classes, CAHSEE prep, drum line/drill
team, make up artistry, robotics, DJ class, weight training,
driver’s education, web design, urban art, graphic design, and
field trips. (These classes are subject to change.) The Torch
Foundation serves at-risk teens, ages 13 - 17 from low income,
under-served communities by providing a two day experiential
training. Participants look at personal integrity, setting goals and
developing a sense of responsibility. They see how choices affect
76
their lives and the lives of others. The Torch training provides
teens the confidence to go for their dreams with a newfound
confidence and zest for life.
Continual efforts are made to increase parent participation at
school events and still participation is small in comparison to
the large student population. Only 27% of parents responded to
the district survey and only 121 responded to the VNHS Parent
Survey. According to our parent survey, 50% of parents that
responded take advantage of the presentations and seminars
provided by the Family Center and Magnet Parent Association.
Eighty-four percent of parents feel that they are able to ask
questions and are assisted when needed and 81% feel academic
and attendance issues are promptly addressed. Seventy-eight
percent of parents are satisfied with teacher communication and
87% feel they have a clear understanding of academic
expectations.

Parent survey
Areas of Strength
There are numerous opportunities for parent involvement and efforts to keep them informed.
Area of Growth
Parent involvement needs to be further increased.
77
E-2. School Culture and Student Support Criterion
The school is a) a safe, clean, and orderly place that nurtures learning and b) has a culture
that is characterized by trust, professionalism, high expectations for all students, and a
focus on continuous school improvement.
Van Nuys High School is proud of its campus. The entire staff, including maintenance crews,
campus supervisors, faculty, and students, work to make the campus a safe, clean, and orderly
environment conducive to learning. Policies and practices at Van Nuys High School contribute to a
positive climate that reinforces high expectations and academic success. The culture and the physical
environment at VNHS are characterized by trust, respect, and professionalism among all
stakeholders.
FINDINGS
EVIDENCE
SAFE, CLEAN, AND ORDERLY ENVIRONMENT
Van Nuys High School works to ensure a safe campus for all
students, teachers, and staff. Policies at VNHS dictate steps that
have been taken to achieve a safe environment for all campus
participants. A closed school campus policy provides a system
where all visitors must sign in and receive a name tag. Campus
security aides direct any visitors to the main office and also
check identification tags and permission slips of students. An
effective lockdown policy is in place to address any dangerous
situations that may occur on or off the school campus. Teachers
are notified via intercom so that all doors are locked and
students remain in their respective classrooms. Every class is
equipped with a phone, and an intercom system.
The school pays for daily supervision (security aides) and assigns
supervision based on an administrative assessment of campus
needs. Additionally, three deans, two school police officers, and
a probation officer are on campus. Certificated and classified
staff personnel are involved in security for lunchtime and after
school activities. Authorized staff members use golf carts so that

Closed school campus
policy

Campus security aides

Lock down policy

Deans, police officers,
probation officer

Lunchtime supervision
78
they can more effectively patrol the fenced school grounds and
improve supervision. Also, authorized personnel can conduct
random searches on a daily basis or when deemed necessary.
Tardy sweeps and lock-outs gather out of class students. Letters
and phone calls are made to parents to inform them of their
child’s behavior.

Security golf carts

Random searches

Tardy sweeps
VNHS has created and regularly makes adjustments to have an
effective protocol to deal with disruptive and unmotivated
students through parent conferences, paper pickup, dean’s office
discipline, suspensions, and after-school detention. Additionally,
all enrolled students and their parents receive written student
behavior requirements and expectations from the school and
from individual teachers.

Parent conferences logs

Paper pickup

Dean’s office

Suspension

Detention

School nurse

Code of Conduct

Honor Code

Dress Code

Tardy Policy

Dress code policy

Safety drills

Waste receptacles

“Heart of Nature” club
The school nurse is available five days a week to assist and
advise on all health problems and related issues. She assists
students with any on-campus injuries and difficulties and
supervises any authorized medications that need to be
administered. The school nurse also advises teachers and staff
each year in a faculty meeting on the correct response for
teachers when students have health problems, and she advises
teachers about blood-borne pathogens and other related issues.
Van Nuys High School works to ensure an orderly campus. Van
Nuys High School enforces a dress code that restricts gang
clothing and encourages appropriate attire. There is an honor
code and a code of conduct. Van Nuys employs a tardy policy.
Van Nuys High School completes fire safety drills, disaster drills,
lock down drills, and all other required safety drills. Additionally,
there is a disaster preparedness plan distributed to each staff
member and posted in each room.
Van Nuys High School values cleanliness; therefore, all
stakeholders attempt to maintain a hygienic environment that
fosters pride of ownership. Faculty and staff remind students of
their personal responsibility to use waste receptacles and
recycling bins. Waste receptacles are plentiful and are
strategically placed throughout the campus. The “Heart of
Nature club” collects and recycles paper for teachers. However,
a pressing need exists to have students take more responsibility
to clean up and maintain a clean campus.
During lunch and nutrition periods, campus beautification tasks
79
are assigned to students who violate school rules. Deans and

Paper pick-up

Custodial staff schedule

Graffiti removal by
maintenance staff

Student government
campus beautification
program
support staff supervise those students and provide passes back
to class.
Custodial staff provides daily cleaning of classrooms, hallways,
restrooms, and school grounds. Maintenance and operations
staff provides semi-annual deep cleaning of cafeteria kitchen,
dining areas and outside eating spaces. The entire campus
facility (interior and exterior) is fully washed every year. This
year the facility will be painted. Custodial staff works weekends
to complete ongoing cleaning of restrooms and campus
buildings. Windows are washed annually.
Van Nuys High School takes pride in its prompt removal of any
form of graffiti on campus. The plant manager and his crew take
immediate action to remove such graffiti to create a positive and
safe learning environment. The tagging done over a weekend is
removed promptly by the time students are in their first period
class on the following Monday.
Most of the students felt the campus was messy, but believed
that the students were responsible for it and that the school
worked hard to cleanup the mess. Tagging is viewed as a schoolwide problem, and the students trashing the campus and the
bathrooms were viewed as a problem. Students and teachers
tend to see the campus as clean, but with issues. Student
government has initiated a campus beautification program. They
are focusing on beautifying certain parts of the campus. A new
pathway and greenery has been a welcome addition. There are
new bleachers being installed on the PE field. Teachers discuss
eco-friendly behavior.
Students and teachers see a campus, which is extremely
conducive to learning, but VNHS does have challenges which it
must overcome. Recently, due to changes in district policy there
is a problem with wandering students. Special Day Students
(SDC) may no longer be suspended without district approval.
The absence of this tool gives SDC students a certain amount of
license to disobey school rules and regulations. Also, the school
is very limited in its ability to give Opportunity Transfers (OT)
to students that transgress school policy. To exacerbate this
situation even further, the school police are no longer allowed to
give citations to students who are habitually out of class. This
80
was a decision that complies with the advise of LAUSD’s
General Council. The administration has developed strategies to
combat the situation that include tardy lock out and a tardy
policy. Students are suspended. Parent conferences are held.
There are lunch and after-school detentions. Buildings are
locked during instructional periods. During periods five and six,
there is credit recovery in the South cafeteria for students who
are habitually out of class. Deans and security aides patrol the
campus on foot and in golf carts. In addition, a new dean was
hired in the fall of 2010. Furthermore, a dedicated intervention
counselor position was created in the fall of 2009 to combat this
problem. There are counseling groups run by the Diploma
Project Advisor (DPA) and the dedicated counselor. For
chronic students there is a Student Attendance Review Team
(SART) comprised of the DPA, an administrator, a counselor,
the student and parent. Finally, there is a Student Attendance
Review Board (SARB) comprised of a judge, a district attorney,
the DPA, the student and parent.

Trady lock out and tardy
policy

Suspensions

Parent conferences

Building lock downs

Credit recovery in the
South cafeteria

Deans and security
patrols

New dean hiring

Dedicated intervention
coordinator

Counseling groups

SART

SARB

District and school
policies

Student surveys
HIGH EXPECTATIONS/CONCERN FOR STUDENTS
VNHS has high expectations and demonstrates concern and
caring for all students. Teachers provide students with a learning
environment conducive to learning, show respect towards
students, encourage active participation and promote ethical
standards. The VNHS administration, faculty and staff work
together to follow district and school rules and policies.
There are a high number of students that take and pass AP
classes and exams. The high SAT scores correlate to the highest
district wide number of students accepted to UC’s and to
prestigious private universities and colleges. In classrooms,
teachers set standards for classroom behaviors and discuss
safety. Teachers provide online help to students that need it.
Special recognition ceremonies provide positive incentives.
Eighty-eight percent of students feel teachers provide clear
expectations. Eighty-seven percent of students feel their
teachers provide varied assessments other than test. Projects,
portfolios, and PowerPoint and oral presentations as used
learning tools and assessments.
Van Nuys High promotes community and school involvement
and encourages students to set and achieve goals. Van Nuys
High School provides many opportunities for academic success.
81
There are a high number of students that take and pass AP
classes and exams. Students are offered a wide variety of honors
and AP classes. There are 83 honors classes and 59 AP classes
schoolwide. Although residential students have always been
allowed to take honors and AP classes through the magnet
programs, six years ago there were no honors or AP classes in
the residential school. Now with the advent of SLCs there are
22 honors and five AP classes in the SLCs. Furthermore, there
are pre-AP residential summer school classes in English which
VNHS pays for out of its budget.
Three magnet programs along with a gifted program and college
classes are offered on campus with Valley College. R.O.P.
classes provide practical experience through internships and
community classes. Furthermore, career fairs give additional
exposure for jobs and networking. Van Nuys High promotes
community and school involvement and encourages students to
set and achieve goals.
ATMOSPHERE OF TRUST, RESPECT AND
PROFESSIONALISM
Van Nuys High School maintains a high level of trust among
students, parents, and staff. The staff creates a climate of trust
that facilitates high achievement through the enforcement of
classroom rules, the high expectations for student achievement
and the upholding of non-discrimination policies. The
opportunity for conflict resolution is widely available on
campus. Individual and group counseling services exist for all
students. In addition, school clubs provide opportunities for
students to learn interpersonal skills, build trust, and resolve
conflicts. Students are regularly counseled on personal and
school-related issues. Parent, student, and staff surveys indicate
high levels of trust.

SLC honors and AP
classes

Pre-AP summer school
English

Magnet programs

College classes on
campus

ROP classes

Career fairs

Individual and group
counseling classes
Teachers effectively establish classroom environments to
stimulate a dialogue between students and students and teachers
and students. Teachers report that they use a variety of teaching
strategies and learning activities to help students succeed, and
teachers generally use assessment tools to enhance their
instructional practices. Teachers are available to give students
assistance with assignments. Administrators are accessible to
teachers to answer questions and discuss problems. The funding
and planning of staff development support the instructional
program at Van Nuys High School.
82
Parents trust administrators and teachers to inform them of
school programs and policies, and are generally pleased that
teachers hold high expectations for learning. They support the
fact the school personnel consistently enforce regulations and
policies. Parents have responded that the English/Language
Arts and Mathematics programs are providing the students with
excellent preparation.
Student clubs and organizations also contribute to an
atmosphere of trust with their support of the ESLRs by
providing both academic and interpersonal growth
opportunities. Students volunteer to organize and help with
food fairs, dances, lunch activities, field trips, evening parent
meetings, community service, and similar school sponsored
activities.
Faculty and staff members conduct themselves in a professional,
nonjudgmental way when they interact with students, other
staff, and the community. A healthy, diverse multicultural
tolerant learning community is emblematic of Van Nuys High
School. Guest speakers are occasionally invited to come to the
campus to share their expertise with the faculty and the student
body. The active participation of the Magnet and Korean
Parents Associations, the ELAC Council, CEAC, SBM, Alumni
Association, and Band Parents booster groups all contribute to a
diverse community where tolerance and respect are fostered.
Prospective students and their parents from the larger Los
Angeles area are welcome to tour the campus with student
guides to observe the academic and physical environment. In
faculty meetings, personnel are reminded of their responsibility
to foster respectful classrooms where nondiscrimination
principles are modeled and upheld.
The VNHS staff members are encouraged to grow and develop
their academic and pedagogical expertise and to broaden their
understanding of ethnic, racial, gender and socioeconomic
issues. With opportunities provided on “buy back” days that
come with the year-round schedule, the administrative staff has
utilized Title I funds to make it possible for teachers to travel to
museums and libraries such as the Getty, the Ronald Reagan
Library, and the Simon Weisenthal (Holocaust) Museum.
Teachers are encouraged and provided with funds to attend
conferences and to observe programs at other schools. More

Professional
development funding
and planning

Parent surveys

Student clubs and
organizations

Diverse multicultural
multicultural tolerant
learning community

Magnet, Korean, CEAC,
ELAC parent
organizations

Buy back day schedules
83
such opportunities come with the Professional Development
day programs, academic classes at colleges, and universities or
LAUSD, and stull evaluations provide opportunities for
discourse and feedback.
Areas of Strength:
Areas of Growth:
84
E- 3 & 4. School Culture and Student Support Criterion
E3. To what extent do all students receive appropriate support along with an individualized
learning plan to help ensure academic success?
E4. To what extent do students have access to a system of personal support services,
activities and opportunities at the school and within the community?
Van Nuys High School has developed an extensive series of structures and protocols designed to
address the academic and emotional needs of students. In collaboration with counselors and parents
students develop a four-year plan so they may successfully meet the requirements of high school and
be well prepared for post-secondary opportunities. Struggling students receive special attention,
through various programs such as after-school tutoring, a fully developed series of English Language
Learners and Special Education classes, CAHSEE prep, the “Council” program, the school
psychologist, community outreach programs through our parent center, and much more. College
and career councilors work tirelessly to make sure that students are prepared for post-secondary
opportunities. In addition, a college going culture is cultivated and supported by the Van Nuys High
School faculty, administration and staff.
FINDINGS
Van Nuys High School provides more than appropriate support
and an individualized graduation plan to ensure academic
success. A highly developed system of personal support services,
activities and opportunities are available at school and within the
community. The support mechanisms that the school has
established include administrators, counselors, coordinators, a
school psychologist, teachers and other support staff and ensure
access to and success within an integrated, standards-based
curriculum for all students to graduate career and college ready.
Eighty-nine percent of students feel there is tutoring or other
assistance available if they are having difficulties. Eighty-four
percent of teachers feel instruction is culturally responsive and
accommodates diverse student interests, learning styles and
educational needs.
EVIDENCE

Student surveys

Teacher surveys
85
ADEQUATE PERSONALIZED SUPPORT
VNHS makes every effort to provide adequate services to
students. Eight-nine percent of teachers feel students have
opportunities for learning that extend beyond the Instructional
day including after-school programs, college courses,
internships, etc. Health, career, academic assistance and
personal counseling are available to students. VNHS has a
systematic approach to identifying students with health or
psychological issues.
VNHS has seven counselors assigned to a SLC or Magnet to
personalize students’ needs. Each counselor is familiar with the
vision, goals, and course pathways to facilitate more effective
student programming. Taking into consideration graduation
requirements, A-G requirements, and personal goals of students,
counselors, students and parents collaborate to create four-year
plans. Counselors attempt to accommodate parent schedules by
offering meeting times during and after school and on
Saturdays. Middle school articulation allows feeder, eighthgrade middle school students to visit the campus, meet the
counselors, view SLC presentations and tour the campus.
Magnet parents and students are provided tours of the campus
and counseled by magnet coordinators. VNHS counselors go to
middle schools to program incoming ninth graders.
VNHS students falling behind on credit are referred to the
career advisor or adult school. Eighty-nine percent of parents
feel the counselors meet their child’s program needs. The
Resource Coordinating Team (RCT) uses school-wide data to
make decisions about what supports, resources, programs, or
activities are needed in order to help students achieve at the
academic, social, and emotional level in school. Activities such
as assemblies, at the beginning of the year to list behavioral
expectations, adding another counseling group or agency on
campus, and building community partnerships are design to
meet the students’ needs. COST, Coordination of Services
Team, consists of a team of support staff at the school who
discuss individual student referrals from teachers, counselors,
administrators, and other support staff. The team discusses each
individual student and articulates a plan of interventions to try
to help the student achieve success at school. A case

Tutoring schedule

Valley college on
campus courses

Four-year plans

Middle school student
and parent tours
schedule

SLC presentations

Counselor visitations to
feeder schools

Resource Coordinating
Team

Coordination of Services
Team
86
carrier/team member monitors the student’s behavior, provides
referrals and follow up. COST refers students to the Student
Support Team (SST) process. The SST allows a team comprised
of the APSCS, dean, counselor, school psychologist, Diploma
Project Advisor (DPA) and teacher, parent and student review
the forms completed by all the student’s teachers, the parent and
student to implement a plan of solutions to meet the student’s
need. The team meets after several months to discuss the
success or failure of the plan and make adjustments. The team
will meet, review and make adjustments until a correct approach
is determined
A special education coordinator is dedicated to servicing
students with special education needs. She works with special
education staff, all teachers, and other support personnel to
ensure the accommodations and modifications as outlined on
students’ IEPs. Students and their parents receive graduation
checks, including the four-year plan, during IEP meetings.
Prior to each CAHSEE exam, the CAHSEE intervention
coordinator arranges a Boot Camp during the school day and
Saturday School for 7-8 weeks for students that have not passed
the CAHSEE.
The college counselor strives to reach all students to share
college and university admissions information. Services are
provided through one-on-one advising, classroom presentations,
general assemblies, workshops, parent meetings, and community
presentations. The college office also trains peer counselors who
can assist their classmates with college options and offer
assistance. The College Office works with Educational Talent
Search, which provides a TRiO grant, a federally funded grant
for underrepresented minorities. This program targets 180 Van
Nuys High School Students from grades 9-12. Students are
provided with support for individual academic advancement,
test preparation, and field trips to visit colleges with a focus on
the UC system. In 2009 students took a week long trip to
northern California to visit colleges
The Diploma Project Advisor (DPA) identifies students at-risk
for dropping out and works directly with students and the
appropriate school administrators, deans, counselors, nurses,
teachers, parents, and community agencies to develop and
implement personalized educational plans to ensure every

Student Support Team

SST assessment forms

Special education
coordinator

Four-year plan

IEP meetings and
assessment forms

CAHSEE prep schedule

College counselor

College peer counselors

Diploma Project
Advisor

Personalized education
87
student has the opportunity to earn a high school diploma.
The career center provides students with opportunities to
experience the business world through ROP classes that provide
academic content and practical experience. Students are
involved in paid and unpaid internships and job shadowing
opportunities. An annual career fair gives additional exposure
for jobs and networking. Seventy-six percent of teachers feel
students receive career planning and guidance in the form of
career inventories and assessments, job shadowing
opportunities, field trips, and career fairs.
VNHS offers tutoring and intervention to all students during
and after school to support testing and classroom instruction.
Teachers also refer students they have identified. Students who
attend receive help in the core subject areas. The school offers
many intervention programs such Saturday CAHSEE classes,
after school CAHSEE classes, and a 2-week Boot Camp for
CAHSEE. Services such as these give students further academic
opportunity. The Student Academic Intervention Programs are
also available to help focus on students' academic improvement.
The school nurse is available daily. Students utilize the nurse to
dispense their medication, when feeling ill, and with other oncampus injuries and difficulties. The school nurse advises
teachers and staff each year in a faculty meeting about bloodborne pathogens and other related issues on the correct
response for teachers when students have health problems.
District 2 provides a youth relations dispute mediator that assist
with disputes and addresses other social and emotional needs.
Kaplan/Princeton Review offers low cost SAT preparation
courses on the VNHS campus to help students improve their
scores. The district provides a homework hotline, available to
students between the hours of 4:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.,
Monday through Friday. The KLCS Homework Hotline
provides televised tutoring in math and English.
plans

ROP class schedule

Paid and unpaid
internships

Job shadowing

Career fair

After-school tutoring

CAHSEE prep schedule

School nurse

Blood born pathogen
assembly

District 2 youth relations
dispute mediator

Kaplan SAT prep

KLCS Homework
Hotline
DIRECT CONNECTIONS
VNHS has direct connections between academic standards and
expected schoolwide learning results and the allocation of
resources to student support services. Students have direct
connections with counseling and support services to help
88
them analyze and update academic progress, such as graduation
requirements and post-secondary or career education.
Students have direct connections with resources such as the
library, computer room, and their teachers or school staff to
help with career choices and steps to achieve their goals.
Students have direct connections with a youth
relations specialist that helps them bring divergent youth groups
together through communication, mediation, and conflict
resolution. This program helps find natural born leaders and
help them enhance their talent to their potential. There is a
probation officer, who provides helpful resources and assists in
monitoring the behavior and progress of students under court
ordered probation. Eighty-nine percent of students feel help is
available if needed.
A dedicated intervention counselor was hired specifically to
meet with students to discuss academic, social and emotional
issue that may impede their education progress and achievement
to graduation. Additional services provided are small group and
one-on-one counseling, coordination of academic tutoring
services, and parent and teacher conferences.

Youth relations
specialist

Probation officer

Dedicated intervention
coordinator

Full-time school
psychologist

IEP meetings

Designated Instruction
Counseling

Off site mental health
services referrals

Van Nuys Parent Center
SUPPORT SERVICES AND LEARNING
Van Nuys High School’s administration, faculty, and staff
ensure that the support services and related activities have a
direct relationship to student involvement in learning both in
and outside the classroom.
Van Nuys High School has a full-time school psychologist who
is responsible for the comprehensive assessments of regular
education students referred for special education services, as
well as students already identified as being eligible for special
education services. The school psychologist attends IEP
meetings. The school psychologist also provides Designated
Instructional Services (DIS) counseling as indicated on IEP's
and works closely with counseling staff and the special
education department. The school psychologist’s other duties
include: School Support Team (SST) meetings, mental health
referrals, parent conferences, crisis counseling, and individual
student emergencies, as well as, off-site mental health services
referrals. All meeting have a translator for non-English speaking
parents and students. Students have the Van Nuys Parent
Center to help find information with essential needs such as
89
clothing and food banks.
Van Nuys High School offers after-school tutoring and
CAHSEE prep through Beyond the Bell and Title I. Students
participate in AVID and ROP classes. In addition they go on
many various fieldtrips. The librarian and a counselor hold a
group called “Girl Talk” for girls to have a chance to express
issues that are on their minds. It is very effective and allows the
girls to gain trust and develop respect towards their teachers and
each other. The librarian offers a communication group to assist
EL students in conversational English.
Twenty eight teachers have currently been trained in “Council”
mentoring. Fifteen teachers hold “Council” sessions in their
classrooms with students. “Council” is a program approved by
the LAUSD with mentoring from the Ojai Foundation. The
program is designed to build confidence in students. Students
learn communication skills and how to listen to peers. Teachers
work with students in groups and work on communication
techniques. “Council” addresses the emotional well-being of
individual students and builds a sense of belonging and
community in individual students. There are tri-monthly
meetings for teachers and a part-time council coordinator.

After-school tutoring
and CAHSEE prep

Avid and ROP classes

“Girl Talk” counseling
program

“Council” mentoring
program and handbook

Magnet/SLC dedicated
counselors

Independent studies
classes

Master schedule

AP and honors classes

Summer school

Adult school

Valley college classes
EQUAL ACCESS TO CURRICULUM AND SUPPORT
Van Nuys High School prides itself at offering equal
opportunities for all students to take any regular, honors, or AP
courses they choose. There is a counselor specializing in each
Magnet/SLC to guide students in designing an appropriate
curriculum suited to meet their individual needs. Van Nuys High
School regularly examines the demographics and distribution of
students throughout the course offerings. Alternative schedules
are available for all students for both repeat and accelerated
classes through: summer school, adult school, ROP, community
colleges, independent study etc. Upon reviewing students' grades
in the prior semester, counselors will allow students to be
concurrently enrolled at other institutions. We offer AP and
honors classes to all students attending VNHS. A high number
of students take and pass AP classes and exams. Summer and
adult school is available for students to repeat classes. We also
offer Valley College classes on campus for students who want to
earn credits for high school and college. Students attend local
community colleges as well.
90
Students can join a variety of clubs and organizations and
participate in extracurricular activities. The AVID program and
Teen Mentor Programs provide help and challenge students to
achieve. The school also promotes community volunteer
services such as the blood drive, student poll workers, Bake for
Hope, and holiday food drive. The school puts out a student run
newspaper and yearbook. There is a student government and
student activity organizations.
The Junior Officer Training Corps, JROTC, is designed to teach
high school students the value of citizenship, leadership, service
to the community, personal responsibility, and a sense of
accomplishment, while instilling in them self-esteem, teamwork,
and self-discipline. The program’s focus is reflected in its
mission statement, “To Motivate Young People to be Better
Citizens.” It prepares high school students for responsible
leadership roles, while making them aware of their rights,
responsibilities, and privileges as American citizens. The
program is a stimulus for promoting graduation from high
school, and it provides instruction and rewarding opportunities
that will benefit the students, and the community at large.

List of clubs

List of extracurricular
activities

AVID program

Journalism and
yearbook classes

Red Cross blood drives

JROTC

List of clubs

List of sports teams

Service learning

Science bowl

Academic decathalon
CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
VNHS faculty, administration and staff work hard to link
curricular and co-curricular activities to the academic standards
and the expected school wide learning results. All academic core
classes are linked directly to the California State Standards as are
many of the electives. Co-curricular activities are linked to the
ESLRs, personal development, academic achievement,
communications and technology.
Administration and staff realize the importance of providing
links outside the classroom to engage students. Students can join
a variety of clubs, sports teams, and participate in extracurricular
activities. The school also promotes community volunteer
services and service learning is a district requirement for
graduation.
VNHS staff participates in the science bowl and academic
decathlon. Our robotics team has placed second in the local
competition and goes to the national competition. The
environmental club collects recycled materials from each
classroom and office serving as a role model as they help the
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
Robotics

Calculus, statistics, and
biology AP camps

National Math
Competition

Black History Month,
Cesar Chavez tribute,
Armenian genocide and
the Holocaust, etc.
assemblies

Multicultural fair
VNHS administration, faculty and staff recognize the
importance of giving and participate in many fundraisers and
hold donation drives to assist the community. Leadership holds
several blood drives throughout the year for the Red Cross.
Leadership has a holiday food drive with homerooms competing
to bring in the most food. For “Student of the Month”,
individual faculty recognize students, who demonstrate
academic excellence and good character.

Red Cross blood drives

Student of the month
The student poll worker program, students having mock
elections at lunch, students canvassing for the Census allow
students in their government, economics, and other social
studies classes to participate in the lessons they are learning.
Teen Court is an integral co-curricular activity.

Student poll worker
program

Teen court
environment. AP teachers take students to a camp on a
weekend calculus, statistics and biology to prep for AP exams.
Staff interviews students for the National Math Competition.
Teachers take students to participate as volunteers at local health
fairs. The library has the Bookworm newsletter, open mic, book
club and a book fair to increase students’ interests in books and
authors. Throughout the year assemblies such as Black History
Month, Cesar Chavez tribute, Armenian genocide and the
Holocaust etc. are held and are connected with classroom
lessons. A multicultural fair is held to celebrate the many
cultures at VNHS with ethnic food, songs and dances from
around the world.
Areas of Strength
Area of Growth
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