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Green Hills highlights math gains; board approves new director of special education
Summary
At the May 5 Millbrae City school board meeting Green Hills Elementary presented math gains tied to UDL and new classroom practices; the board approved personnel and consent items including the appointment of Heather Logan as director of special education (pending placement effective July 1).
Green Hills Elementary showcased instructional changes and student gains in math on May 5 at a Millbrae City School Board meeting, and trustees approved personnel items that include a new director of special education.
Principal D's opened the school spotlight by noting staff appreciation activities and a campus tree-planting effort after removal of large eucalyptus trees. Green Hills presented publicly reported assessment data showing subgroup improvement “anywhere from 84% to 91%” and a cited cohort described in the presentation as a 100% acceleration rate among students identified as socioeconomically disadvantaged, with the presenter saying the data were pulled from the California Department of Education dashboard.
Fourth-grade teacher Eddie Grassi and colleagues described classroom-level practices they said underlie the gains: project-based "digital workstations," math centers that allow small-group targeted instruction, and a focus on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to remove barriers to access. Grassi said the workstations were supported in part by a grant from the Millbrae Community Foundation and that lessons used performance tasks to make abstract concepts, like decimals, concrete for students.
Trustees praised the presentation, with several highlighting collaboration among teachers, family involvement and the practical use of professional development. The board also used the consent agenda to approve routine items and personnel actions that included the item introducing Heather Logan as the district's new director of special education, effective July 1. Heather Logan told the board she was "honored to have been selected to come back" to the district and looked forward to supporting staff and students.
Superintendent Hickey framed the personnel item as part of broader leadership changes the board approved, and trustees approved the consent agenda by voice vote. The meeting agenda also included discussion of capacity and a later action to commission a portable classroom architect for Green Hills to address near-term kindergarten space needs.
Next steps: the district will finalize placement and start-up plans for the newly approved personnel and the portable classroom design work; any leased or purchased relocatable classroom will return to the board with procurement details.
