Bell High School
Small Learning Communities Update
December 2008
SLC Personnel Lists
Important Small Learning Communities Update
(as of April 18, 2007)
From Tim Mathos, SLC School Improvement Facilitator
We originally started with a four year roll out of seven SLCs on all three tracks. We are currently in the second year. All 9th grade students are in the Ninth Grade House and all 10th graders should be in one of six remaining SLCs: MTCA - Multilingual Teacher Career Academy, SHRA - Sports, Health, and Recreation Academy, FAME - Fine Arts, Media and Entertainment Academy, Humanitas, IRBA - International Relations and Business Academy, SCITEC - Science, Computers, Integrated Technology, Engineering Academy. Our SLCs were approved by the LAUSD Central Committee in October 2006.
On February 23, 2007, the Instructional Leadership Team (SLC Design Team Lead Teachers, Department Chairs, coordinators, and administrators) met and decided that our student population would not support that many SLCs on all three tracks. The decision was to reduce the number to four on all three tracks. Therefore, MTCA and the Ninth Grade House remain intact on all three tracks. SHRA and SCITEC have merged as well as Humanitas, FAME and IRBA. Currently, the merging SLCS are collaboratively discussing and rewriting their Vision statements and rethinking their Identities.
The restructuring also means that teachers have been given new preference sheets. We are in the process of finalizing that effort so that there is true equity for all SLCs and true equity and access for all students.
Therefore, MTCA and the Ninth Grade House are fully functioning on all three tracks. Humanitas on C Track has been strong and has a long history. However, with the merging of FAME and IRBA with Humanitas, the process of rethinking their Vision and Identity is underway on all three tracks.
Finally, although we initially had a four year roll out and that we are in the second year, we have decided to go wall to wall by July 1, 2007. All high schools in LAUSD are moving into SLCS. The Office of School Redesign is at the forefront of this effort in that it supplies many of the schools with specially trained School Improvement Facilitators, or Small Learning Communities Administrators and assists the schools in the process of restructuring into SLCs. It is hoped that the Small Learning Communities model will provide the special attention in terms of relationships and academic intervention that our students need to be successful.
Original Small Learning Communities Information
Posted on 8/28/06
The BHS Small Learning Communities conversion process has started with great
success this school year. All ninth graders have been welcomed into the Ninth
Grade House, which is located in the southern half of the campus.
Meanwhile, 10 th through 12th graders who have been participating in three
career path
academies are continuing their involvement. At the beginning of the next
school year, all
current ninth graders will enroll in one of six career path academies. The
three existing academies are the Multilingual
Teacher Career Path Academy (MTCA), the
Humanitas/
Liberal Studies/Human Services Academy (HLSHSA), and the International
Relations and Business Academy (IRBA). Three new academies will
be formed in time for the 2006 – 2007 school year: the Sports,
Health and Recreation Academy (SHRA), the Science,
Technology and Engineering Academy (SCITEC), and the
Fine Arts
and Media Entertainment Academy (FAME).
Early in 2006 all ninth graders received presentations and pamphlets from each of the academies and submitted a preference sheet listing their top three choices. During the spring, every effort will be made to assign students in accordance with one of their top three preferences. Groups of teachers, called design teams, are hard at work this year on proposals outlining all the details of these academies to be submitted first to the BHS School Site Council and then to a district committee for approval. The committee consists of district administrators, members of the teachers’ union, and parent representatives.
SLC School Improvement Facilitator
Some Small Learning Communities have requested more structure to help them as they write their Seven Attributes Narrative. Click here for suggestions.