Lindbergh pilot 'Impact' program gives sophomores interdisciplinary, project-based experience
Summary
Lindbergh Schools staff and students described the first-year rollout of Impact, an interdisciplinary real-world learning class for sophomores, including examples of projects, grading tied to competencies and plans to expand the program each year.
Lindbergh Schools staff presented an update on Impact, a new interdisciplinary real-world learning class launched this year for a cohort of 27 sophomores at Lindbergh High School.
District leaders said the half-day pilot assigns three full-time teachers to Impact—an English-language-arts teacher, a government teacher and an art teacher—and focuses on cross-curricular projects and competency-based grading.
Teachers described classroom activities that have combined English, social studies and art: students read a graphic novel and produced related art; studied U.S. government and made propaganda-style posters to demonstrate understanding of political participation; and conducted microplastics experiments with brine shrimp that tied to art projects. Students also produced stop-motion “hero” videos and took field visits to talk with local park officials.
A student representative, Cohen Forth, said Impact uses six‑week seminar cycles and competency-based assessment rather than traditional letter grades. “You can tag the competencies when you submit something,” he said, adding that the program helps students see practical uses for what they learn and gives more choices about how to demonstrate mastery.
Teachers and the student speaker acknowledged growing pains: co-teaching for extended blocks, pacing three hours a day, and helping students track progress across multiple competencies. Staff said they are using a learning-management tool (referred to in the meeting as MyLC) to show student progress and that teachers check in regularly when students fall behind.
District staff said the original plan is to expand Impact one grade per year—adding juniors next year, then seniors—so that after four years the program would also be available to freshmen. Long-term goals include offering Impact as a full-day option while maintaining traditional course pathways for students who prefer them.
Speakers emphasized the pilot nature of the program and said the district will continue adjusting schedules, co-teaching practices and competency tracking as the program scales.
The presentation included photos and student feedback collected during the initial rollout.
