A subcommittee of the LAUSD Community Schools Steering Committee (CSSC) has been making steady progress on implementing the Meaningful Teaching and Learning (MTL) Resolution within the Community Schools Initiative (CSI), passed by the LAUSD school board in September 2024. This resolution promotes a social justice framework in education and calls for a more holistic approach to measuring student success. It provides up to 10 community schools the opportunity to pilot meaningful project-based learning (PBL) and develop their own alternative assessments. As part of a three-year pilot program, participating schools will be exempt from all standardized tests except those required by state and federal mandates.

Since its formation in October, the MTL subcommittee has met weekly to develop an implementation timeline, including a site selection process, and has drawn from the expertise of national leaders in PBL and performance assessments. In early March, the subcommittee launched a series of information sessions along with the MTL pilot application, which included a detailed scoring rubric for interested schools. A total of seven schools applied—five elementary, one high school and one K-12 SPAN school. The CSSC reviewed application scores and made recommendations for five MTL pilot designations, which will be reviewed and approved by LAUSD’s Division of Instruction by the end of April.

To inform its work, the subcommittee identified and interviewed organizations with successful PBL models and alternative assessments, including the San Diego Education Association, Envision Learning Partners, LAUSD Linked Learning, the Maryland Center for Community Schools and the New York Performance Standards Consortium. Five major themes emerged from these interviews: 1) the role of community in learning; 2) the importance of leadership and collaboration; 3) aligning performance assessments with college and career readiness; 4) policy and structural support for sustained implementation; and 5) the need for innovation and flexibility in alternative assessments. Building on these insights, UNITE-LA identified common best practices and recommendations to guide the subcommittee’s ongoing learning and implementation efforts. These include: developing clear guidelines, enhancing leadership training, strengthening community and family engagement, increasing visibility of the graduate profile, advocating for policy flexibility, expanding partnerships, developing professional development modules, and monitoring and evaluating implementation.

UNITE-LA looks forward to continuing its support for this important teaching and learning opportunity as the initiative enters its next phase—defining key roles and job descriptions and ensuring selected schools receive the training and professional development necessary to lead this effort successfully.

For more information, please reach out to Jenny Vu, Director of Education Systems Strategy, at [email protected].