Campbell Union High School District

3235 Union Ave.

San Jose, CA 95124
www.cuhsd.org

Capital Projects Update

The Campbell Union High School District is constantly exploring new ways to meet the needs for modern education
that prepares students to succeed in college and careers. We must offer challenging and innovative programs in
math, science and technology, as well as career training classes. Providing safe, modern classrooms and facilities
for all students is also a high priority.
In November 2014, the District Board of Trustees began a Facility Needs Assessment. Scheduled to be completed
by May, the assessment is evaluating safety and modernization projects that may be needed to ensure that all
CUHSD schools meet todays security and academic standards.
The District will continue to update the community during this
process and welcomes your questions and input. Please contact
the Superintendents office at superintendent@cuhsd.org
or call 408-371-0960.

The new baseball dugout at Del Mar

Dugouts: Pre-cast concrete baseball dugouts were completed last

fall at Del Mar, Leigh and Prospect.
Softball Improvements: A new electronic scoreboard was
recently completed for the Branham Softball Field.
Press Boxes: New press boxes are under design for Del Mar,
Westmont and Branham to replace the existing versions.
Exercise Equipment: New exercise equipment was purchased
and installed at Del Mar, Leigh, Westmont, Branham and Prospect.
Along with the equipment, each workout facility received improvements.

Matthew Dean, President

Kalen Gallagher

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Last day of school for
CACE students

Thanks for your continued support of the Schools of the

Campbell Union High School District

A World Of Opportunity Right In

Your Neighborhood

CUHSD Receives Grants To Meet Common Core Math Standards

Westmont is renovating its new classroom wing

Branham has added a new electronic scoreboard

Career Technical Education Facilities

Thanks to a California State Matching Grant
through the Career Technical Education Facility
Program, the District is currently developing
construction drawings for a new Information
Technology facility at Prospect, a new Engineering
Lab at Westmont, a new Biotechnology Lab at
Del Mar, and an Ag-Farm upgrade at Westmont.

Boynton

Branham

Del Mar

Regardless of whether one has children

or grandchildren who attend or will
attend one of our seven campuses, we

Thursday, June 18, 2015

CUHSD Board Meeting

The Campbell Union High School

District is pleased to announce the
allocation of two grants, $50,000
and $100,000, by the Silicon Valley
Community Foundation to support
and prepare students and teachers
with the skills essential to meeting the
rigors of the new Common Core State
Standards (CCSS) in Mathematics.

CAM P B E L L U N I O N H I G H S CH O O L D I S T RI CT

As the Campbell Union High School

District embarked on another exciting
and dynamic year in 2015, I am once
again struck by the dedication,
involvement and innovation shown by
our faculty, staff, teachers, partners,
students and families. Together with all
community residents, we have created
one of the finest public high school
districts in the state.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

CACE Graduation

Leighs new Library

A World Of Opportunity
Leigh

Prospect

Westmont

Letter From The Superintendent

Wendy Dillingham-Plew

Thursday, June 4, 2015

CUHSD Graduation
Last day of school

Prospect: The new Fine and Dramatic Arts Center will include a
renovated choir and band room, new practice rooms, and new
instrument and uniform storage space. The 2D art and 3D art
classroom/labs will be renovated, including new skylights, storage,
outdoor workspace, and a kiln area. A theater technology shop for
construction of stage sets, and a theater technology classroom, are
also included. These projects are expected to be completed by the
end of summer 2015. A new Cafeteria is under design, and
construction is expected to begin in fall 2015.

Athletic Improvements

ECRWSS

Stacey Brown

Thursday, May 7 & 21, 2015

CUHSD Board Meetings

Leigh: The new Library was completed in summer 2014 and occupied
last fall. The project involved converting the previous music facility into
a renovated center with two large reading rooms, librarians office,
student reading lounge, and individual study rooms. Also included in
the project are new restrooms and a new textbook storage and
distribution area. The campus exterior will be repainted this summer.

Branham: The Science and Special Education wing and the

main office, faculty lounge and new restrooms are under design;
construction of these facilities is anticipated to begin in late 2015.
The school exterior will be painted this summer.

Residential customer

Calendar of
Upcoming Events

All capital projects associated with the 2006 Measure G Bond program
are scheduled to be completed by summer 2016. Heres an update:

Westmont: Four new portable classroom buildings were added to the

campus to provide additional space and housing for students during
the renovation of the new classroom wing (formerly Student Services)
now under construction and anticipated to be completed in early summer
2015. The upcoming renovation of the Science and Administration
wing is part of the same construction project; work is expected to
begin this summer and will be complete by the end of the 2015 fall
semester. The entire campus exterior will be painted this summer.

PAID

KING CITY, CA
93930
PERMIT NO. 34

Linda Goytia

Projects Completed & In Progress

Del Mar: The Library is currently under design for renovation and
modernization and will expand to become a 21st century information/
resource hub. The music facility renovation is under design, with
construction expected to begin in fall 2015. The entire Del Mar
campus will be painted this summer.

CUHSD Board of Trustees

PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE

collective body, teachers developed

and shared CCSS resources across all
districts to support the current work.
New program materials, along with
continued professional development,
allowed for a common decision on
materials, extended pathways, and
curriculum.

for teachers as they work together in

creating lessons, fine-tuning instruction,
and making formative changes as
dictated by students daily progress
and challenges.

The second grant of $100,000 is

an in school grant to be used by
a team of middle school and high
The $50,000 grant will be used
school teachers during the school
This support comes at a crucial time
outside of the regular school year. Math
year to create a coherent and viable
of instructional change. While
Learning Community (MLC) leads will
curriculum to smooth students
providing opportunities for students
be comprised of high school and middle
transition from middle school to high
to solve real-world problems using
school. This grant will fund release
school teachers who will co-teach 30
the laws of arithmetic, the new design
time for teachers to obtain the
incoming 9th grade students in a bridge
in math instruction emphasizes the
needed professional development
summer course and collaborate in the
conceptual understanding of ideas.
planning lessons and teaching. This
for Common Core implementation
class is a form of
intensive instruction
Along with this change in instruction
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to the public. If you are interested
at (408) 371-0960.
placement (AP) course curricula. As a

Take a
CACE
Class

Career
Technical
CUHSD
Job
Education
Facilities
Opportunities
Projects

Education Foundation Volunteer

Opportunity

can all be enormously proud of the

outstanding education we deliver to
more than 10,000 Silicon Valley youth
and adults every yearand the strong
economic benefits and quality of life
that results from ensuring a high quality
public high school system.
It is gratifying to report that our fiscal,
administrative and educational delivery
systems are well aligned for continued
growth and success in 2015. On the
following pages you will find updates
on District finances, technology and

Camden Community Day School

infrastructure improvements, and an
overview of the new Common Core
learning and testing standards that will
even better prepare our students to
compete and thrive in the 21st century.
On behalf of the Board, staff and
educators of the Campbell Union
High School District, thank you for
your continued interest and investment
in the future of our youth and adults,
and the communities we serve.
Sincerely,

Patrick K. Gaffney, Superintendent

What You Need To Know About Common Core State Standards

Educational standards describe what
students should know and be able
to do in each subject in each grade.
In California, the State Board of
Education decides on the standards for
all students, from kindergarten through
high school. Since 2010, a number
of states across the nation, including
California, have adopted the same
standards for English and math, called
the Common Core State Standards
(CCSS). California teachers, parents,
and education experts designed the
standards to prepare students for
success in college and the workplace.
Heres an overview.
What is Common Core?
Californias Common Core State
Standards (based on the national
Common Core framework) are
designed to ensure that high school
graduates are ready for college and
careers in the 21st century. These core
learning standards are giving rise to
a new way of teaching and learning
in the classroom, boosting conceptual
understanding and critical thinking by
allowing teachers to dig deeper into
each subject area each year and
build on what students know to help
them reach the next level.
What will Common Core look
like in the classroom?
Californias learning standards set
the expectation for what students
should know and be able to do by
the time they complete each grade.
Each teacher then decides which
lesson plans and resources to use

to help each student reach that level.

Teachers will be focused on providing
deeper learning opportunities to each
student, encouraging them to become
problem-solvers; this means more peerto-peer interaction in group projects,
less lecturing, and better discussion and
technology that allows each student to
learn at his or her own pace.
What is Formative
Assessment?
Formative assessment is
the ongoing process of
collecting data on what
students know or dont
know, and changing teaching methods
accordingly. At school, the idea is that
with a clear vision of the progress each
student is making, teachers can adjust
their lesson plans and provide necessary
interventions to improve individual
achievement. The standards are aimed
at building childrens capacity to think,
analyze, communicate and reason.

How will we know if the

Common Core learning
standards are working?
The only way to know if Common
Core is working is to test students
periodically. This means good tests,
not more tests! District schools will be
using tests provided by the Smarter
Balanced Assessment Consortium
(SBAC), developed by a group of
educators and adopted by the state
of California. The SBAC
tests will be given
formally every spring to
all 11th grade students
in the District. These first years tests
in April 2015 will be expected to
establish an objective benchmark of
college and career readiness and
should not be compared to the old
CST/STAR test results, as they are
different in structure and content. The
second year (20152016) of testing
will show the progress.

Update: 20142017 Strategic Plan

In May 2014 the Campbell Union High School District Board of Trustees
concluded its efforts to complete an update to the Districts Strategic Plan and
focus areas. Along with participation from parents, faculty, staff, community
members and partners, the District identified four strategic focus areas for
20142017, each designed to provide the most for students in terms of safety,
quality of education and breadth of experience:
1. Successfully implementing the Common Core State Standards
2. Closing the opportunity gap
3. Increasing the percentage of CUHSD students who are college- and career-ready
4. Providing District employees with professional growth
Read more about the Districts Strategic Plan at cuhsd.org/domain/81#focus

and Community Education

instruction.

CACE Director Dr. Bob Harper,

2014 Adult Education
Administrator of the Year

California 2014 Adult Education

Tanya Krause, CUHSD Human

Administrator of the Year by the

Resources Deputy Superintendent,

Association of California School

was named ACSA Negotiator of

Administrators (ACSA). Bob

the Year for 2014 for her work in

was honored for his leadership

labor relations. Tanya previously

at CACE since 2009, where

served a three-year term as

he has spearheaded WASC

president of the ACSA Human

accreditation, helped thousands

ResourcesCouncil, where she

of at-risk young adults recover

has been an active member since

high school credits, increased student engagement and

2000 and a former co-chair of the

graduation rates, and advocated for improved adult education

ACSA Negotiators Symposium.

CUHSD Human Resources

Deputy Superintendent
Tanya Krause, 2014 ACSA
Negotiator of the Year

access at the local, state and federal levels. Bob was active
in the passage and implementation of California Assembly

Terri Lopopolo, CUHSD Speech Therapist and Assistive

Bill 86, leading the development of the AB-86 South Bay

Technology Coordinator, has been recognized as an

Consortium to create and implement a plan that will further

Outstanding Educator by the Special Education Local Plan

adult education opportunities throughout Silicon Valley.

Area III (SELPA III) Community Advisory Committee, a group

of educators and parents working together to serve special

Lena Bundtzen, CUHSD Executive Director overseeing

needs children and families in 11 school districts across Santa

Special Education, was named 2014 Special Education

Clara County. Terri was honored by the Committee for her

Administrator of the Year for Santa Clara County (Region 8)

exceptional work in the District, including initiating a social

by the ACSA. Lena was recognized for her expertise in

cognitive two-year course sequence for special needs students.

District Adopts Google Apps

A-G Default Adopted

In order to be eligible to attend a
University of California or a California
State University campus, students
must complete particular subjects in
high school, referred to as A-G
requirements. In 20132014 the
Campbell Union High School District
adopted A-G requirements as the
default expectation for all enrolling
9th grade students. Working in
conjunction with our partner
elementary districts (Campbell Union
Elementary, Cambrian, Luther Burbank,
Moreland and Union), we facilitated
a common registration form provided
to all students enrolling in CUHSD
schools. This effort has resulted in an
increase in the percentage of students
who are now eligible to attend a UC
or CSU campus.
Program Expansion and Class
Size Reduction
During the 20142015 school year,
the District has expanded offerings

In the 2014-2015 school year, the Campbell Union High

School District adopted the Google Apps for Education
(GAFE) platform, providing staff and students with access
to a variety of web-hosted services that allow for enhanced

Enrollment
A result of the improved economy
and other factors, such as increasing
student achievement, the District is
experiencing growth in overall
enrollment and is forecasting an
increase in enrollment over the next
eight years.
West Side Collaborative
Together with our partner elementary
school districts, the District has
formalized the development of a
collaborative to apply for funding
to support faculty professional
development, with particular focus on
transition to the Common Core State
Standards.
Equal Opportunity Schools
The District continues to partner with
Equal Opportunity Schools to increase
the number of students taking Advanced
Placement courses. Since the beginning
of this partnership, we have experienced
an increase in the number of students
who are taking AP courses, and an
increase in the number of students who
have passed an AP course.

communications and opportunities for collaborative

e-learning.

In total, $32.4 million of outstanding

general obligation bonds were refinanced,
reducing the interest rate of those bonds
from 4.56% to 2.67%.

Stanford, UC Berkeley, San Jose State and Santa Clara

universities.
Through the use of Google Apps in the classroom, CUHSD
students are developing the skills necessary to meet the

with teachers and fellow students; and work virtually in study

rigors of college and career. GAFE tools make it possible

groups and create and securely store their own portfolios

for teachers to challenge student learning through instruction

over an extended period of time. GAFE works natively with

tied to the new Common Core learning standards, and

the recently purchased Chromebooks that have been issued

students are able to demonstrate their knowledge and

to all CUHSD sites and that will be used to deliver the new

understanding in new innovative ways utilizing multimedia

Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium tests.

and productivity applications.

The Districts Technology Services team is committed to

Google Apps for Education provides access to a wide

helping teachers and staff adopt these new tools by offering

range of applications that supplement classroom instruction

voluntary professional development courses. Training in

and creates multiple potential uses for teaching and learn-

Google Drive, Gmail, and Calendar have already been

ing. For example, students can create and store work in the

offered, and more training in both program operations and

cloud, a virtual environment; create writing samples and

the integration of these technologies within classroom

reports, or perform research and share their work product

instruction and student learning will be provided this year.

The QTEL report findings will be used to inform the Districts professional
development plan for 20152016.

teacher collaboration and curriculum/assessment

development at the District, school and classroom levels.
These Teachers on Special Assignment (TOSA) act as a
resource to fellow educators, principals, administrators

The
Inquiry
Cycle

EVALUATE
Student data to
reach every child

AT
E

L
IM P

IMPLEMENT
Real solutions
in your classroom

and staff in the areas of quality

instruction, curriculum, peer

The original bonds were issued as a

result of Measure C, approved by voters
in November 1999. Measure C projects
included upgrading science and
technology in classrooms, modernizing
aging electrical systems, and renovating
facilities throughout the District. The
savings will begin to be realized
beginning with the 201516 property
tax rolls set by Santa Clara County.

Assignment for Mathematics, Literacy

The District was able to achieve these

aggressive interest rates by maintaining
its very strong credit ratings of Aa2
and AA+ from the rating agencies
Moodys and Fitch, respectively. These
high ratings and the Districts wellregarded reputation in the bond market
resulted in strong investor demand for
the refinanced bonds.

Planning common formative

The Region IX Equity Assistance Center at WestEd recently sponsored an English Learner
and Equity Needs Assessment for the Campbell Union High School District. The
Quality Teaching for English Learners Initiative (QTEL) evaluated the status of
teaching and learning for English Language Learners (ELLS) throughout the
District. The needs assessment determines areas for improvement and
capacity building in the quality and structure of educational programs
offered to the most at-risk students in the system.
QTEL reviewed the programs offered to ELLS through multiple
lenses, including level of rigor, engagement, support, and quality
of language and literacy development opportunities. The review
included the perspectives of multiple stakeholders in the educational
system: central office specialists, principals and other administrators,
teachers, parents and students. Additionally, QTEL compared the
current status of instruction with the learning opportunities that schools
should be offering so that ELLS develop the 21st century skills they need
to be college- and career-ready.

use of teacher content specialists to guide and facilitate

coaching, staff development, and

that have implemented GAFE, including the Cambrian,

Campbell and Union elementary school districts; and

areas to the new Common Core State Standards is the

The District takes its fiduciary

responsibility very seriously, said
Superintendent Patrick Gaffney. Our
Board is always looking for opportunities
to provide savings to our taxpayers.

CUHSD Undertakes ELLS Needs Assessment

CUHSD joins several other local districts and universities

Districts monumental task of transitioning all subject

AL
EV

(CACE) program, was named the

A key resource in the Campbell Union High School

that every District student receives rigorous and meaningful

The Campbell Union High School District

has successfully refinanced a portion of
its outstanding general obligation bonds
to take advantage of historically low
interest rates. The refinancing, resulting
in $4.17 million in lower bond payments,
will reduce taxes for all District property
owners over the next 16 years.

CO
LL

EN

of the Districts Campbell Adult

to students in courses including Avid,

Engineering, Mandarin, American
Sign Language, Math, English, and
Science. In addition, teaching staff
was increased by approximately 7%,
resulting in a decrease in class sizes
throughout the District. Further
expansion and continued reductions
in class sizes are planned for the
20162017 school year.

COLLABORATE
To customize strategies
for improvement

developing programs, partnerships, and services to ensure

Evidence of the great work by District

staff, teachers and parents, CUHSD
has seen consecutive years of
improvement in key measurements of
student achievement. The most recent
data from the State of California shows
improved graduation rates; a decline
in the percentage of suspensions and
expulsions; a decline in the number
of student dropouts; and an increase
in the percentage of students who are
UC/CSU eligible.

REFLECT
On results of student
data and modify
instruction
T
accordingly
EC

RATE
BO
A

Dr. Bob Harper, Director

CUHSD By The Numbers

Teachers on Special
Assignment (TOSA)

RE
F

Excellence in the Field

District Saves Local

Taxpayers $4.17
million

student assessment and monitoring.

Strategic activities co-facilitated or
led by CUHSD Teachers on Special
and English Learner Support include:
Bringing teachers together to
analyze student work and evaluate
formative assessments that results
in what is referred to as a cycle of
inquiry.

assessments across departments and

schools by developing comprehensive
Department and District work plans.
Working collectively to gauge the
rigor of instruction and student
engagement at the classroom level.

CUHSD Jobs
The Campbell Union High School
District is always looking for the best
and brightest to join our organization.
For teaching, support staff, administrative, and other career positions,
visit EdJoin.org or call Human
Resources at 1-408-371-0960.

Check out the Campbell Adult and

Community Education website at
cace.cuhsd.org for the full range
of community education and job
training classes available to the public.

CUHSD Joins Common Core

Math Network
The Campbell Union High School District has accepted an invitation to join the
Common Core Mathematics Network (CCMN), a partnership between selected
California school districts and county offices and network leaders.
Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, CCMN has been created to bring
school district and county office teams together to identify and address challenges in
implementing the new Common Core State Standards in Mathematics, and to pilot
and share potential solutions. Leaders of the network include Phil Daro, author of the
Common Core State Standards in Mathematics; David Foster of the Silicon Valley
Mathematics Initiative; and the authors of the Smarter Balanced testing specifications
and directors of the Shell Centres Mathematics Assessment Project team: Alan
Schoenfeld of U.C. Berkeley and Hugh Burkhardt of the University of Nottingham.
District Superintendent Patrick Gaffney will head up the five-person CUHSD team.
We know that there are going to be challenges with implementing Common Core,
said Gaffney. We will continually provide families with information on these new
state standards as we continue our multi-year effort towards full implementation.
Making curricular choices, adjusting content demands, and building productive
assessment systems to guide instructional efforts are all areas the network will be
addressing.
Members of CCMN will convene for three two-day conferences in 2015 and 2016.
Before and during the conferences, teams will identify and discuss high-priority
issues and identify tools and approaches to solving CCSS implementation issues.
Network partners will subsequently pilot the newly designed approaches within
their schools, and share this knowledge with other districts.

Common Core Testing System

Begins In April
Each year schools across California administer state-mandated performance
exams to measure the progress of individual students and their respective schools.
For more than a decade, these California Standards Tests (CST), also known as
State Testing and Reporting (STAR) tests, were paper and pencil exams based on
earlier standards. Last spring, these tests were transitioned as part of Californias
conversion to meet nationally recognized Common Core State Standards. The
Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) testing system will be
administered to all 11th grade students across the District in mid-to-late April 2015,
providing the first baseline performance results for all students and schools.
Designed in alignment with the new state standards, the SBAC is a web-based test
that provides computer adaptive capabilities as students provide their responses, and
also includes tools and capabilities to accommodate students with special needs.
Last year the California Department of Education required that all public schools
conduct a field test of the SBAC to calculate and calibrate its effectiveness, as well as
evaluate the technical capability of schools to manage this new testing format. Our
results showed that the Campbell Union High School District has the capability and
network capacity to successfully meet all of the requirements of SBAC administration.