July 1st, 2024
How Rim of the World Unified School District Assessed Student Needs and Implemented Solutions
This case study is provided directly from the named school district and may not be applicable to every community’s needs. Examples are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not necessarily reflect the position of SecondMuse or its partners, The Jed Foundation (JED) and the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute.”
Challenge
A 2023 needs assessment found unequal access to counseling and support, chronic absenteeism, and lower graduation rates. All stakeholders stressed the importance of addressing mental health and social-emotional needs, and improving teacher-student relationships.
Approach
The district introduced several solutions: scheduled and real-time culture/climate pulse surveys for students, families, and staff; a mental health care coordination service; a unified communication platform; and expanded virtual schooling options.
Results
From the 2020-21 school year to the 2022-23 school year, requests for mental health care referrals through the mental health care coordination service increased by 53%, and communications for support without referrals went up by 76%.
About Rim of the World Unified Schools
Rim of the World Unified School District (ROWUSD) is a rural district serving several communities in a 125-square-mile area in the San Bernardino Mountains of California. The district has three elementary schools, one middle school, one comprehensive high school, one continuation school, and one virtual academy , with about 2,900 students. In the 2023-24 school year, ROWUSD had 150 teachers and six school counselors. The student-to-teacher ratio ranges from 22-to-1 to 29-to-1, which is above the state average.1 Among the students:
- 58.9% are economically disadvantaged
- 9.5% are English Language Learners, who mostly speak Spanish at home
- 13.6% are students identified with disabilities
ROWUSD’s Challenge: Shifts in Community Attitudes and Values Toward Education
ROWUSD faces unique challenges because it is in a rural area. Many families lack internet or cell service, and those who have it often have weak signals due to the San Bernardino National Forest. That makes communication and community engagement hard.
While planning their Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) with educational and community partners, the district found shared concerns about chronic absenteeism, student engagement, and the need for social-emotional support for students and staff. Community members noted a decline in attitudes toward the importance of education, and students wanted more peer support and better access to the district’s wellness center.
An analysis of community, family, and student feedback, coupled with performance data, showed the need for solutions to boost student engagement, build trusting student and family relationships with the school, and provide more mental health support.
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Student Challenges
Using the California School Dashboard, testing data from the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, district attendance data, and stakeholder surveys and conversations, absenteeism and participation were identified as top concerns.
Existing Programming
Before adding new solutions, ROWUSD used positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) as part of their Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) plan. Their partnership with two community-based family training and counseling centers led to the creation of a Wellness Center at Rim High School in 2021.
Before the pandemic, the district introduced innovative alternative schooling options, including Rim Virtual Academy (RVA) and a virtual tutoring service for all students. ROWUSD’s school board president explained that RVA was established to offer a flexible educational environment with the benefits of a publicly funded district, catering to families who might otherwise homeschool. 2
RVA offers a home choice program to students in grades K-5 which provides access to credentialed teachers, curriculum, and teaching strategies. It also has a full-time independent study option. In the 2023-24 school year, about 5% of the district’s 2,800 students attended RVA, with more on the waiting list.
Before the pandemic, the district introduced innovative alternative schooling options, including Rim Virtual Academy (RVA) and a virtual tutoring service for all students. ROWUSD’s school board president explained that RVA was established to offer a flexible educational environment with the benefits of a publicly funded district, catering to families who might otherwise homeschool. 2
RVA offers a home choice program to students in grades K-5 which provides access to credentialed teachers, curriculum, and teaching strategies. It also has a full-time independent study option. In the 2023-24 school year, about 5% of the district’s 2,800 students attended RVA, with more on the waiting list.
Barriers to Change
- Facing funding challenges due to declining enrollment and changes in the local funding formula
- Filling vacant teaching positions across the district can present challenges due to location, commuting options, and access to affordable housing
- Overcoming hesitancy from families in using mental health services due to stigma or a lack of understanding of the programs
- Acknowledging constraints on professional development, such as:
- Managing fiscal limitations, including yearly budgeting and the careful allocation of multi-year restricted grants, such as educator effectiveness grants
- Balancing required local, county, and state-based training with training for the adoption of new materials and programs
- Addressing the tension between having teachers present in classrooms to build relationships with students and using substitutes while teachers attend professional development to invest in future initiatives that support students
Opportunities for Change
Just as ROWUSD’s rural location poses unique challenges, it also offers unique opportunities. The district’s director of educational services noted that despite the large area the district covers, it is still a small community that values communication, engagement, and support. The community was eager to give input on changes they wanted to see as the district rewrote its LCAP and allocated funding.
That allowed the district to plan and fund programs to address mental health needs and provide coursework relevant to employment and career success. Both efforts aim to boost student engagement and create a positive school culture.
That allowed the district to plan and fund programs to address mental health needs and provide coursework relevant to employment and career success. Both efforts aim to boost student engagement and create a positive school culture.
Strategic Priority: Foster a Positive School Climate
Building a positive school culture and helping all students succeed were essential to ROWUSD. The district strategically assessed the impact of their current initiatives and programs, increased access to mental health support, and approached change through continuous growth and improvement. They identified key areas of concern as proxy measures of student engagement, including chronic absenteeism, suspension rates, and DNF (did not finish) rates.
Objective 1:
Increase student learning
Why:
ROWUSD reviewed California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) data, attendance rates, and graduation data. It showed that not all students had equitable access to challenging, relevant, and engaging learning experiences. There was a significant achievement gap among English Learners, foster youth, students with disabilities, and other students. In community meetings, many people mentioned the need for more technology at home, highlighting that inequity.
What it Took:
- Ensured awareness of the Affordable Connectivity Program
- Provided hot spots and installed Wi-Fi extenders in community libraries
- Clarified student success criteria and created scaffolding and support systems
- Used the What Works Clearinghouse for research and evaluated virtual platforms and curricula for better tech use
- Piloted and adopted a more engaging product for the 2023-24 school year
Objective 2:
Facilitate a safe and positive school climate
Why:
Analysis of student feedback, alongside suspension and attendance data, highlighted feelings of disconnection and concerns about disciplinary procedures. This pointed to a need to improve the school climate and culture so all students feel a sense of belonging.
What it Took:
- Contracted a mental health care coordination service for community-based mental health care resource connections
- Adopted climate pulses surveys, incorporating student input and allowing anonymous concerns
- Standardized discipline procedures and began exploring restorative justice to shift from punitive actions to supportive interventions
Objective 3:
Engage family and community
Why:
ROWUSD held several meetings with educational partners, with a specific focus on including parents and caregivers of English Language Learners, economically disadvantaged students, foster youth, and students with disabilities. No foster youth or economically disadvantaged families attended, highlighting a need for better engagement.
Community members suggested focusing on family engagement so families could get to know school staff better and feel more comfortable engaging. The district aimed to make the community feel informed, connected, and like collaborative partners.
Community members suggested focusing on family engagement so families could get to know school staff better and feel more comfortable engaging. The district aimed to make the community feel informed, connected, and like collaborative partners.
What it Took:
- Streamlined communication with a unified communication system with multiple layers to ensure accessibility for all stakeholders
- Offered virtual parent and caregiver meetings and created forums for student and community input
- Used pulse surveys to gauge parent and caregiver satisfaction and gather improvement ideas
- Increased support to boost parent and caregiver use of the online student portal
District and Student Outcomes
From SY 2021-22 to SY 2022-23, the graduation rate at Mountain Continuation High School (MHS) increased from 59.6% to 65.4%.
From SY 2022-23 to SY 2023-24, the all-student suspension rate dropped from 6.4% districtwide to 5.4%.
From SY 2022-23 to SY 2023-24, the chronic absenteeism rate declined by 4.5%
Key takeaways and learnings
Though ROWUSD has just wrapped up the final year of its three-year LCAP, dedication to continuous improvement has allowed them to learn and iterate along the way.
Some specific lessons include:
Some specific lessons include:
Insight #1
Being flexible and agile addressed unanticipated barriers
The director of educational services noted that while technological platforms can be helpful, there can be unexpected barriers to their use and sustainability. ROWUSD had invested in on-demand virtual tutoring to support students outside of school hours, but its use was limited.
Feedback from students and families showed that the tool was seen as a last resort because the tutors were not familiar with the district’s teaching methods. Students preferred in-person tutors to virtual or chat-based ones because they wanted a more personal connection.
ROWUSD discontinued the platform, explored in-person tutoring options, and shared about additional tutoring programs at local county libraries.
Feedback from students and families showed that the tool was seen as a last resort because the tutors were not familiar with the district’s teaching methods. Students preferred in-person tutors to virtual or chat-based ones because they wanted a more personal connection.
ROWUSD discontinued the platform, explored in-person tutoring options, and shared about additional tutoring programs at local county libraries.
Insight #2
Having real-time data made it easier to revise action plans
Using the mental health care coordination service gave ROWUSD more support for social-emotional needs and better insight into new concerns. Counselors work with the service to provide appropriate in-school follow-up.
The dashboard and impact reporting helped the district identify needs based on factors such as time of day, gender, age, ethnicity, and type of challenge (such as crisis support, ongoing mental health care, or substance misuse support). With data, ROWUSD was able to better revise and implement their action plans.
The dashboard and impact reporting helped the district identify needs based on factors such as time of day, gender, age, ethnicity, and type of challenge (such as crisis support, ongoing mental health care, or substance misuse support). With data, ROWUSD was able to better revise and implement their action plans.
Insight #3
Teaching how to use tools was critical for adoption
ROWUSD discovered a challenge in gathering more data is ensuring that families, students, and staff know how to use the tools provided and feel that their input is valued. The ROWUSD team used pulse surveys as an example of a tool that provides valuable information for the district, but for which clearer instructions are needed for wider adoption. They added that when families, students, or staff see that the district has acted based on their feedback, they realize the district is being responsive and that they are valued members of the continuous growth process.
Plans for Sustaining and Expanding the Program
The superintendent of ROWUSD and the rest of the team all stressed the importance of continuing to build trust among community members and staff. The superintendent also emphasized that keeping current efforts going depends on showing stakeholders how different services are connected and meet various needs. He believes stakeholders need to see how the initiatives combined contribute to the district’s overall goals.
Challenges and Opportunities
Challenges
- Funding challenges due to declining enrollment and changes in the local funding formula
- Combatting “initiative overload.” ROWUSD pointed out the teams that implement new initiatives are usually small in rural districts
Opportunity
- As California rolls out its statewide initiative to provide virtual behavioral and mental health support for children and families across the state, ROWUSD is thinking about how to use the new supports as an intervention – either as part of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or for other student support plans. 3
Ongoing Professional Development Plans
- Professional development on effective technology strategies has been limited due to challenges posed by a lack of available substitutes for class coverage. To address this, ROWUSD is using online training whenever possible and virtual training resources when face-to-face sessions are not feasible.
1 Public School Review Retrieved from https://www.publicschoolreview.com/california/rim-of-the-world-unified-school-district/632610-school-district.
2 Sevillano, Paul; Whiteside, Jennifer; Zarate, Jordan. Personal interview with the author. 7 May 2023
3 PRnewswire, Inc. (2023). CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH CARE SERVICES ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH BRIGHTLINE. Retrieved from https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/california-department-of-health-care-services-announces-partnership-with-brightline-301955351.html
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Conclusion
While it could have been easy to simply look at performance, suspension, and attendance data as discrete issues to address, taking the time to do a full needs assessment helped Rim of the World Unified Schools dig deeper. In doing so, and by engaging stakeholders, they were able to see the fuller picture: combined, all these concerns indicated a need to foster a culture and climate of connectedness and support.
