BASIS

 

 

The Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet community believes that with the appropriate supports and effort all learners, young and adult, can learn and achieve their learning goals.  With this in mind, we have designed the Bravo Aggregated Systems of Intervention and Support (BASIS), systems and processes to provide support, intervention, and advancement opportunities for all learners in our community.   Our goals are to help students maximize their in-seat learning time, to assist students in making appropriate academic progress from year to year, to achieve 100% graduation rate, and to make sure all students are ready to succeed in the post-secondary program of their choice.  We understand and believe that it is impossible to achieve these goals without providing learning, advancement, and leadership opportunities for classroom teachers.  BASIS is designed as a comprehensive and cohesive plan to coordinate our resources, time, and energy to make progress towards achieving our 2016-22 LCAP (updated alignment to current LAUSD LCAP goals in process) and School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) goals and to assure that all students achieve their potential.

 

 

At Bravo, BASIS utilizes the LAUSD and CDE models of intervention and support services, Multi-Tiered System of Support or MTSS, but systematizes and personalizes the models to address the individual needs of our school based on data-driven decision making and our school culture and climate.  Based on the SPSA process per the LAUSD Time Task Monitoring Calendar and in association with the ongoing process of continuous improvement per the accreditation process, Bravo has a clearly defined, broad-based, collaborative planning process that, per district requirements and policies as a Title 1 school, inherently addresses all key steps in the cycle: assessment of data, collaborative decision making including allocation of resources, and implementation, and monitoring of results to restart the cycle. Key stakeholder groups that include faculty, staff, students, parents, and community members all figure into this cycle to provide and accomplish functional duties and to ensure diverse input.  Within this cycle, strategically chosen Tier I, II, and III interventions and support services are implemented, developed, personalized, interconnected and coordinated by both adopting the district models and, in many cases, extending and customizing those models to best fit the needs of our students. Through this process of customization and personalization, Bravo’s BASIS model is distinguished from the district’s model of intervention and support services.

 

 

Consistent with LAUSD 2016-22 LCAP Goal #1 -100% Graduation (State Priority [SP]- 3, 4, 7, 8) and LCAP Goal #2-Proficiency for All (SP-2, 4, 7), Professional Development (PD) is treated as a part of academic intervention and is planned in collaboration with the Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) to design units and lessons that remove learning barriers for all students.  While we make sure to address annual district mandated PD initiatives, our PD has gone beyond the district mandate by focusing around our schoolwide selected student learner outcomes of five 21st Century Skills, The 5 Cs:  Critical Thinking & Academic Achievement, Creativity and Innovation, Collaboration, Communication, and Culturally Responsive Community Members.   Teachers have spent time defining and understanding each of these skills and the role they play in learning.   They have spent time learning the variety of ways in which different students can be effective communicators, think creatively, and so on.   Specific teachers have spent time sharing best practices during our all-staff PD sessions and have had multiple opportunities to visit and observe one another.

 

In addition to the Five Cs, our teachers have also gone beyond district PD focused on monitoring of student progress to learn how to systematically use interim assessments in the four core content areas to diagnose progress and make strategic supports for specific groups of students as well as use grade distribution reports to diagnose further needs for groups of students.  Instructional Technology support has also been a critical component of this process in training teachers to access online student information data in aggregated and disaggregated formats to further assist them in data driven planning and assessment in Tier 1 strategies. 

 

Our English Department expanded both the sharing of best practices and the systematic use of interim assessments by creating a model program utilizing our Title 1 funding for PD to meet outside of regular school hours monthly to incorporate horizontal and vertical common planning and assessment into their specific instructional programs, both implementing and monitoring curriculum at the real level of their current students’ progress.  In addition, while still utilizing the SBAC interim assessments, the English department has developed its own interim essay assessment based on their specific determined best practices for designing, administering, and evaluating the assessment.  Overall SBAC ELA results reflect the effectiveness of this approach.  Bravo’s ELA SBAC proficiency results in the first two years of reported testing (2015, 2016) were markedly high at 86% and 92%.  However, in the third year (2017) when the district mandated the interim assessments, our ELA proficiency rate fell to 82%.  Based on a dissatisfaction with the standardized, mandated process, the English Department designed and implemented the essay assessment during the provided PD time over the course of the 2017-18 year, and ELA SBAC proficiency for last year rose back to 90%.  This customized assessment and PD model is being adopted by our other departments this year, particularly Math who have had a similar proficiency rate progression, as the benefits of the program have become apparent.  The goal is to provide all teachers with the skills and knowledge to design units, lessons, and assessments that maximize access to content based curriculum to all students.  

 

An additional Tier 1 academic intervention identified in LCAP Goal #1 is the implementation of the Linked Learning Approach in the school program.  The drive to increase teacher collaboration and integration of academic and CTE curriculum and instruction has also had a positive effect in providing additional supports not only for A-G completion but also Bravo’s multiple Healthcare Industry Sector CTE pathways.  As a result, Bravo’s College and Career readiness indicator in 2018-19 showed Blue performance levels for all subgroups.  Bravo’s model is distinguished from the LAUSD Linked Learning model in that students generally have CTE/Linked Learning curricular experiences across the pathways in 9th and 10th grade, giving them awareness and experience of the available pathways, and then the opportunity to select a specific pathway at the end of 10th grade for 11th and 12th grade focus (some pathways begin in 10th grade).  This allows Bravo students to have the college-like experience of completing general education requirements in the first two years and then focusing on a specific major in the final two years of undergraduate education.  Our Linked Learning/CTE pathways are largely successful because of our unique strong community partnerships (Goal #4 - Parent, Community and Student Engagement: (SP- 2, 6), particularly with the University of Southern California, with whom students in pathways spend time as part of their actual courses in settings such as research labs and hospital locations at the USC Keck School of Medicine Health Sciences Campus and the Los Angeles General Medical Center.

 

Tier I socio-emotional supports are made available to all students through direct classroom instruction and through a variety of school-wide campaigns.   Our schoolwide Tier 1 efforts are largely focused on health related issues both because of their critical importance to student success and because of our magnet theme.  In this way, they most clearly connect to LAUSD LCAP Goal #3 - 100% Attendance: (SP-5) and Goal #5 - Ensure School Safety: (SP-5, 8).  Our schoolwide efforts were recognized by receiving the bronze level recognition in the national America’s Healthiest Schools program.   We promote healthy living habits and social-emotional health through locally designed student-led programs in 2019 such as the It’s Personal Campaign, Healthy Eating, Anti Bullying Broadcasts, and healthy cafeteria selections.  These initiatives lead to positive outcomes.  Attendance rates in 2018-19 showed that about 86% of students are present 96% or more at school.  Based on the school survey results from that year, 91% of students report feeling safe at school and 92% report that a teacher or adult at school would help them if they reported bullying, about 5% higher than district averages. 

 

 

To provide choice and variety for the various learners in our district, LAUSD offers a rich buffet of services and supports which are connected to two key LCAP goals, Goal #1 - 100% Graduation (SP- 3, 4, 7, 8) and Goal #2 - Proficiency for All (SP- 2, 4, 7).  Through our BASIS approach, Bravo incorporates many of the district offerings coupled with our own versions of strategies and programs tailored to meet school needs while addressing LCAP goals.   These Tier II academic supports extend the learning time for students in a variety of ways, having a great impact on students remaining on track to successfully complete A-G requirements for college readiness as well as transitioning through grade levels to graduation.

 

 

Tier II Socio-Emotional supports are available for specific groups of students.  These interventions range from the traditionally offered supports to locally designed or supported programs.  The individuals and teams that comprise this layer of support are key components of the BASIS process.  Parent engagement is a critical component of these efforts both in committee participation, organizational efforts, and outreach. Our school has entered into unique partnerships with agencies that will provide services to students and their families.   The interventions connect to multiple LCAP goals: Goal #3-100% Attendance: (SP-5), Goal #4-Parent, Community and Student Engagement: (SP- 2, 6), and Goal #5-Ensure School Safety: (SP- 5, 8).

 

 

 

Tier III services are limited but effective.   The Bravo community believes that we will work to keep every single one of our students and provide the appropriate supports.   However, when there are instances where we have exhausted all services and a student is unable to make progress,  we coordinate with alternative programs and option schools to find alternative locations and enrollment for student success.  

 

 

 

As a model program and practice, BASIS has been a key factor in positive Dashboard results and outcomes in our academic and social-emotional domains. The following are results reflected in the 2018-19 school  year: