Los Alamitos board hears Oak Middle School achievement report and honors students and staff

The Los Alamitos Unified School District Board of Education heard a detailed report from Oak Middle School Principal Robert Castillo and recognized student and staff honorees during the meeting.

Castillo, principal of Oak Middle School, presented test and benchmark results and described new programs and partnerships that he said are driving student growth. "Every student needs a champion," Castillo said, summarizing the school’s approach to instruction and student supports. He told the board that Oak outperformed Orange County averages across grade levels in both English language arts and math, and cited MAP and state proficiency scores the staff uses to track progress.

The presentation included specific performance figures: on state assessments, Castillo reported ELA proficiency rates of 79.9% for sixth grade versus 59% countywide, 79.3% for seventh grade versus 60.4% countywide, and 83.5% for eighth grade versus 57% countywide. In math he reported 69.4% (sixth grade) compared with 50.5% countywide, 63.4% (seventh) versus 48.5%, and 62.8% (eighth) versus 46.6%. Castillo also cited MAP results—reading scores averaging 220.2 for sixth grade versus a national average of 211 and similar outperformance in other grades—and said Oak’s average student percentile was roughly 74% in reading and 79% in math.

Castillo described school initiatives intended to sustain those outcomes, including a math and ELA academy, expanded sixth-grade leadership programming, coordinated work with neighboring campuses (including McAuliffe and the high school), and targeted professional learning for teachers. He credited district supports such as Ed Services and curricular resources (Savvas) and noted partnerships that support enrichment activities such as aquarium and astronomy field trips.

Board members and the superintendent responded with praise. Board member Bragman said a recent campus walkthrough showed ‘‘commitment every day’’ and linked classroom practice to the outcomes shown in the data. Superintendent Dr. Pulver congratulated the school for student engagement and community support.

The board also used the meeting to recognize student and staff achievements. Principal Castillo invited ASB leaders Mackenzie Cruza and Summer Lee to the podium; the board presented medals to the students and praised the increased ASB participation. The district honored student Mark Ochoa under the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) "Every Student Succeeding" recognition for perseverance; Castillo said Ochoa had received a Chromebook and tickets to Knott’s Berry Farm as part of the celebration.

The board presented Amanda Drucker, identified in the presentation as Oak PTA president, with the school’s "Hero of the Heart" recognition. Castillo said the PTA moved fundraising in-house and raised more than $100,000 last year and that Los Alamitos Education Foundation (LAFE) grants totaling $13,844 supported Oak this year. Drucker, accepting the honor, thanked the PTA team and described the shift to in-house fundraising as a strategy to direct more dollars to student programs.

Oak instructional assistant April Quinones was recognized as a classified employee of the year for more than eight years of service and for work in special education, home-hospital instruction and district-level service. District leaders described Quinones as a trusted and respected campus professional.

Before the presentation, the board approved the meeting agenda by voice vote after a motion and a second; the transcript records the motion and that the ayes prevailed. The meeting moved to photos and a short recess following the recognitions.

The board did not take formal policy votes on instructional changes during this portion of the meeting; the session focused on reporting, recognition and brief board comments. The district did not announce follow-up actions or deadlines related to the presentation during the recorded segments.