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El Monte High spotlights culturally affirming teaching and cross‑curricular collaboration as test scores rise
Summary
El Monte High School presented a student-led ‘newsroom’ and an instructional report May 20 that credited culturally affirming teaching, cross‑department PLCs and adoption of a common CER writing expectation with improved outcomes — the school reported a 69.91% ELA meet/exceed rate for 24–25, up about 10 percentage points since the pandemic.
El Monte High School Principal Eddie Cuevas presented a multimedia instructional report to the El Monte Union High School District board on May 20, saying the campus is combining a focus on student identity with tightly aligned instruction to boost outcomes. "It is my privilege and my honor to be the principal of El Monte High School," Cuevas said as he introduced a student newsroom segment and a cross‑curricular team.
Cuevas and his staff described a multi‑year strategy built on routine PLC (professional learning community) work, evidence‑based practice tied to an instructional organizer, and a locally named Culturally Affirming Teaching (CAT) initiative. Instructional coach Sean Maher told the board the presentation’s purpose was to "cite evidence connecting EMHS performance data with their instructional practices." Teachers said they exchanged materials, calibrated assessments and adopted a common CER (Claim‑Evidence‑Reasoning) writing expectation across English and U.S. history to give students repeatable writing practice.
EL TOSA Nari Cho described the CAT framework the school used this year: "It celebrates their cultures. It connects their learning to a greater meaning of their real life experiences," she said, outlining components that include knowing students, incorporating diverse perspectives and partnering with families. Presenters reported a summer survey of about 1,200 students that informed CAT priorities and said students explicitly asked for curriculum that reflected their backgrounds.
Junior‑level teachers described concrete curriculum changes: aligning essential standards across cohorts, revising reading selections to include authors who reflect students' lives, and replacing a traditional paragraph approach with CER to boost writing outcomes. The team showed comparative data and told the board that El Monte High’s ELA percent meeting or exceeding proficiency for 2024–25 was 69.91, an increase the presenters said was “over 10% since the pandemic.”
Board members asked how the practices will scale to math and science and pressed for next steps. Trustee Qui Nguyen described the approach as "systematic, data driven" and urged replication across campuses. Cuevas said the school plans to tighten its PLC processes next year and coordinate with district educational services while being strategic about time and resources amid leaner budgets.
Why this matters: The school framed academic improvement as tightly linked to culture and identity work, not just test prep. Trustees praised the combination of student voice, teacher collaboration and data use; the board committed to continuing support as the program scales.
The presentation concluded with trustees offering congratulations to the principal, staff and students; the board did not take any formal action beyond discussion and praise.
