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PYLUSD study session exposes tensions over OCSCS program moves, mini electives and budget trade-offs
Summary
Teachers at the Orange County School of Computer Science defended their inclusion model and 'mini elective' schedule while trustees and district staff disagreed over who authorized the removal of Dual Language Academy classes and whether proposed changes require a formal material-revision process. The board asked staff to return with budget details and options.
At a June 3 Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District Board of Education study session, teachers and leaders from the Orange County School of Computer Science (OCSCS) told trustees they had seen strong early academic results from a full-inclusion, mastery-based model while trustees and district staff argued over whether recent program changes were district-directed or required board approval.
OCSCS staff described student outcomes, including increases in C-or-better passing rates for language arts (from 90% to 96%) and math (from 83% to 96%) among returning students, and said their mastery-based grading uses a nine-point rubric translated into letter grades to help families understand progress. "Our kiddos with IEPs are really hanging in there with everybody else," school psychologist Miss Hawkins said, pointing to the data on inclusion and academic performance.
The meeting grew contentious when several trustees and public commenters said programs tied to the school's charter — notably the Dual Language Academy (DLA), the "many…
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