LA School Report

In a memo regarding the Smarter Balanced Assessments, LA Unified officials explained to Superintendent Ramon Cortines and members of the school board how the new test is so different from its predecessor and why scores may appear lower than in the past. Cynthia Lim, executive director of the district’s Office of Data and Accountability, said...

Not many people know much about LA Unified’s $133 million MiSiS computer system that has held the center of attention for the past year—and will determine the success or failure of the school year now underway. District officials this week gave LA School Report a behind-the-scenes look at the system to understand what it does and...

In an emergency vote yesterday, the state Assembly passed a bill that exempts 2015 high school seniors from passing the California High School Exit Exam, enabling them to graduate. The bill now goes to the Senate, which will take it up Monday as the body is not in session today. If it passes there, it will...

By Matt Krupnick They were once the envy of the world for the access they offered to high-quality education for all students at a low price. But California’s public colleges and universities delivered something different to Andrew Hotchkiss when he applied for admission two years ago: a punch to the gut. Hotchkiss, now 21 and...

Public officials celebrate affordable housing milestone in Hollywood The project will house school district employees and families earning 30 to 60 percent of the area’s median income. City News Service A request for the new LAUSD superintendent: Ask our kids what they need Two moms and their children talked about what they would like the...

After reviewing preliminary results of the Smarter Balanced Assessments, LA Unified officials say the test scores are lower than what parents typically see but want them to know “it does not mean our kids are getting dumber.” Cynthia Lim, Executive Director of the Office of Data and Accountability, told the LA School Report today that parents should...

This is an oops moment. In recent stories about LA Unified’s search for a new superintendent to replace the soon-to-be-departing Ramon Cortines, we reported that no female has led the school district, drawing attention to the possibility that board President Steve Zimmer and his colleagues might want to make a little history in their next hire. That conclusion arose...

Major news outlets in the Los Angeles area did a “Los Angeles Unified heads back to school” story this week. But there was no unanimity among them on the number of students the district serves. Three local television stations — NBC, ABC and CBS — all pegged the number at roughly 550,000, likely ignoring students enrolled...

The California Assembly Appropriations Committee yesterday approved a bill that eliminates a graduation requirement that has prevented as many as 5,000 high school seniors from graduating through no fault of their own. SB 725 will eliminate the requirement that class of 2015 seniors pass the California High School Exit Exam, known as the CAHSEE. The...

By Corey Turner The defendants may be one southern California school district and its top officials, but an unprecedented, class action lawsuit could have a big impact on schools across the country. Today in Los Angeles, a U.S. District Court judge will preside over the first hearing in the suit against the Compton Unified School...