Detailed Summary

What did we see and hear today that we want to capture?

Overall Philosophy

• Students at Del Lago are called scholars. Why? “Similar to scientists, mathematicians, historians, and artists, our scholars engage in deeper learning tasks that require them to seek out and attain new knowledge, apply what they have learned, and build upon that information to find solutions and to innovate. Learning to read, write, think, and behave as scholars is at the heart of success in college, 21st century careers, and civic life.” (See the complete explanation here.)

• The goal is to prepare students for success: “What do our students need to know and be able to do to be successful in today’s workforce?”

• The principal talked about a triangle of interconnected pieces, all of which need to be changed together in order to create transformative change. 

  • Instruction involves using high quality materials and finding relevant content that engages students. 

  • Culture includes staff collaboration, willingness to take risks, and the connections between people.

  • Structures involve systems put in place to support instruction and culture.

All three must be in harmony to create successful change.

• Del Lago academy relies heavily on restorative practices. “Restorative practice includes proactive processes that focus on building relationships and community, as well as ensuring that all students feel welcome and connected.” Restorative practices are not about remediation/punishment - they help to preserve the culture of the school. All teachers are trained in restorative practices before they begin working with students. 

Schedule and Grading

• In contrast to Mission Vista, Del Lago has a single pathway for all students in grades 9-11. Here’s the schedule for every student:

• Each grade is split into “villages” of approximately 100 students. Three of the four teachers (English, Social Studies, and Science) are teamed and have a common prep period. Math teachers are not part of the team, but have a common prep period as a department. Teachers teach three of the four blocks each day.

• While Mission Vista (our first school) had TONS of choices for classes, Del Lago had very few options for students. All students had the same academic program, at least for the first three years. Students did not seem to mind this because there was a ton of choice embedded within each class. For example, in science students were working on a project where they picked a disease or illness and researched it, finding ways that it connected to what they were learning. In English, students were tasked with picking something they felt strongly about and writing a persuasive essay.

• Del Lago uses school-wide standards-based grading. “The primary purpose of grades is to communicate a student’s level of achievement to all stakeholders.”  For this reason, grades are not impacted by behavior, including absences, late work, or plagiarism. Students are encouraged to do all assignments, but grades are given only for summative assessments. Grades are not to be used punitively - behavioral issues lead to behavioral consequences.

• If a student does not complete an assessment or does not demonstrate mastery of standards, they are given a “No Mark” (rather than a 0). Students cannot pass a course if they have any No Marks. This avoids students playing the “numbers game” and avoiding tasks they don’t want to do by earning points on other assignments. At Del Lago, students must master all of the content to receive credit for a course.

• A No Mark means “I don’t know it yet.” Students have opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge later in the course and erase a no mark. Erasing a no mark usually requires meeting with a teacher or doing some review work before another summative assessment is given. According to one teacher, “No marks are a lot of work, but it gets me doing the things that really matter.”

• Teachers still collect data constantly, but incomplete assignments are not counted against students.

• At Del Lago, “learning is the constant. Time is the variable.” The philosophy is that it’s “never too late to learn.” 

• Students at Del Lago do not have homework, although teachers explain that students may have tasks they need to think about at home. Work is done during the school day.

• During the first four days of school, Del Lago engages only in relationship-building activities - no course content is covered. SEL skills and expectations are explicitly taught. Staff members utilize the strong relationships they’ve built (“cash in their chips”) over the course of the year.

• Every morning, staff members have a 10-minute “standing meeting.” This provides a brief daily check-in (where teachers are literally standing). 

Career Exploration: Students in ninth grade meet with counselors to begin identifying potential career paths. As tenth graders, they exchange 2-3 emails with an e-mentor from a field they are interested in. In eleventh grade, they apply for internships. Every junior completes an internship experience that lasts five weeks (twice a week for 4 hours a day).

Other observations/notes

• Del Lago has tried to find ways to increase parent engagement. The principal explained that when student work is available or when they bring in food trucks, activities, and opportunities to interact with other families, attendance is higher.

• At the Open House, Del Lago students engage in student-led conferences, where they show families what they’ve been learning. This event also includes food and music.

• Eighth graders who have elected to go to Del Lago attend “Second Saturdays” from January through June, where they meet with staff members and become familiar with the school.

• The Youth Council is composed of 15 juniors (who were trained during their sophomore year) who run a Youth Court, which hears cases involving disciplinary issues (such as frequent tardiness, plagiarism, fighting/verbal altercations, inappropriate vocabulary/behavior, frequent disruptions, or inappropriate use of technology). The court utilizes restorative practices and is an alternative to traditional discipline.

• In our observations, we saw “learning all over the walls” (including student work and informational posters). Students were also extremely engaged in their learning. The instruction was predominantly student-centered, with very little teacher talk time.

• Classrooms were set up for student-centered learning, with white boards everywhere, separate spaces for small groups to meet, spacious classrooms, and comfortable chairs. The spaces were designed for flexible learning arrangements.

• At Del Lago, students are exposed to explicit, systematic teaching of SEL skills and academic habits. We saw students who had been trained for public speaking and to interact with adults. For example, in each classroom that we visited, one student was designated as the “greeter.” They would introduce themselves, shake our hands, explain the task that they were working on, and offer to answer any questions that we had.

• There was a heavy emphasis on writing, acting in a professional manner, and public speaking. Students were regularly asked to do presentations and work with different groups of peers.

• The once-a-week advisory had students from grades 9 through 12. In one advisory that we saw, the seniors took leading roles and passed those roles on to the juniors when they graduated. Advisory curriculum was sent out by the counseling department each week. Topics were selected in response to issues that came up in the community.

• At all of the schools we visited, there were mentions of “teachers on special assignment,” teachers serving as instructional coaches, and various other forms of collaboration between teachers. At Del Lago, instructional coaches are available to help teachers, without any sort of evaluative role.