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Don't miss the opportunity to experience innovation in action alongside education leaders and entrepreneurs as you learn, reflect and make meaning of how these innovative approaches might inspire your work!

RSVPs are required to attend a tour, and you must be a registered conference attendee to join. Review the experiences below and sign-up—spots are limited and will fill up quickly. After you reserve a spot, you will receive a confirmation email with a QR code. Please bring this the morning of the tour to facilitate easy check-in on April 17th. Estimated departure times are listed below in each tour description. One week before your tour, you will receive a follow-up email from abbey@gsv.com confirming your tour's exact departure time.

A big thank you to our presenting sponsors, The Grable Foundation and Cajon Valley Union School District, and our supporting partners, Big Picture Learning, Learner Centered Collaborative and Project Lead the Way.

If you have any questions, please reach out to abbey@gsv.com. See you at the bus stop!

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Tour 1: Learner Centered Collaborative's Design39 TK-8 Campus

‍https://design39campus.com

Estimated tour departure: 7:30am
Estimated return: 11:30am
Transportation: Bus
Theme: TK-8, Design Thinking, Learner Centered Collaborative

Join Learner Centered Collaborative’s Design39 tour for the opportunity to see student-centered learning in action. Talk with Learning Experience Designers (D39's school leaders) and TK through eighth-grade learners as we experience the campus in action. After visiting learning spaces, we will split into breakout sessions to reflect and debrief on guiding questions like:

What “shifts” in education will allow for a student-centered learning experience?
How might we tap into the passions and interests of our learners to create peak learning experiences?
How can we thoughtfully use space to enhance learning?

Tour 2: Big Picture Learning’s San Diego Met High School

Estimated tour departure: 7:30am
Estimated return: 11:30am
Transportation: Bus
Theme: High School, Project-Based Learning, Internship Model

Visit The San Diego Met (housed on the San Diego Mesa College campus) and get an up-close glimpse at how the relationships between students and advisors—and even school leaders—create a truly student-centered learning environment. Learn more about Big Picture Learning’s internship-driven model by speaking directly with students who have gone through their own processes for engaging with the community to explore their own interests through internships. During this experience, you’ll attend a brief orientation with SD Met students and school leadership, take a student-led tour through the Mesa College campus and SD Met classrooms to explore the San Diego Met approach to inquiry-based learning, Advisory, and interest exploration, and reflect on the experience with SD Met students and school leadership using the following guiding questions:

What would be possible if we centered our curriculum in the student instead of particular content?
What is the role of educators in helping students develop social capital?
How do internships and other work-based learning experiences help students develop agency?
How might our understanding of rigor and authentic assessment shift when we use the community as a space and resource for learning that is just as impactful as our school building?
How can a personalized learning model address equity challenges and achievement gaps?

SCHOOL DESCRIPTION
Big Picture Learning network schools focus on a relationship-centered approach; partnering with youth to strengthen their own identities through an exploration of their interests through internships. Layer on top of that an Advisory model in which students become incredibly close with a select group of their peers and you’ve got a recipe for school with success in mind.‍

San Diego Metropolitan Regional, Career, and Technical High School (known affectionately as "The Met") is a public, innovative, student-centered school in the San Diego Unified School District, and part of the Big Picture Learning network. At the Met, we believe that every student has unique interests, skills, cultural assets, and learning needs, and as such, our teachers focus on "one student at a time," building a close relationship with each student and truly personalizing each student's educational path. We are located on the campus of San Diego Mesa College, and we leverage our strong relationship with Mesa to provide students with unparalleled college access and preparation.

The Met is a California Distinguished School and is fully accredited by WASC. The Met provides a UC A-G curriculum, which means that successful completion of the course of study allows students to graduate having fulfilled all requirements for admission to a University of California (UC) or California State University (CSU) school.

The Met is distinguished by our three pillars:

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1. Advisory

Every Met student joins an Advisory when they enter the school.
Advisories are small cohorts of about 10 to 15 students in the same grade level who stay with each other and their Advisor throughout their years at the Met.
Advisory is the heart of our relationship-centered model, allowing Advisors to develop close relationships with each student, and students to develop a supportive community that feels like a family within the school.
Advisors support their students in both academic and personal growth. Responsibilities include family communications, support for internship placement, and coordination of major presentations such as Exhibitions and Student-Led Conferences. 2. Internships Every Met student participates in real-world work experience two days a week through an internship that is based on their interests

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2. Internships

Every Met student participates in real-world work experience two days a week through an internship that is based on their interests.
Internships provide students with the opportunity to explore careers and learn valuable skills through hands-on experiences in authentic work environments.
Students are mentored at the internship by a professional who is an expert in their field.
Students work with their mentor and advisor to develop a project that demonstrates what they have learned through the internship, with the goal of making a positive impact on the internship site or the community beyond.

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3. College Classes

Starting as early as 9th grade, students have the opportunity to take college classes at San Diego Mesa College.
The credits earned in these classes are fully transferable to the UC and CSU systems, as well as many private colleges and universities.
The classes are completely FREE; the San Diego Unified School District pays for all fees and textbooks.

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PRE-READING FOR ATTENDEES

Prior to your tour, please explore the following resources and guiding questions:
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- & and other work-based learning experiences help students develop agency?

How might our understanding of rigor and authentic assessment shift when we use the community as a space and resource for learning that is just as impactful as our school building?
How can a personalized learning model address equity challenges and achievement gaps?

Tour 3 & 4: Cajon Valley Union School District

Estimated tour departure: 7:30am
Estimated return: 11:30am
Transportation: Bus
Theme: HS, MS and Elem, Career Pathways

Join us to see Cajon Valley Union School District’s high school, middle school, and elementary school. Start the morning at Bostonia Global High School to learn about the Advisory Model, Leaving to Learn, and how Career’s Education through mentorships prepare students for their future possible selves through gainful employment.

Hillsdale Middle School will provide an immersive experience in the Launch Pad. This interactive space will provide insight into the foundational Careers/ World of Work activities designed for students while you share the experience with students and staff.

Chase Elementary School has a deep integration of World of Work and the Literacy tool Beable. See how students learn about their interests, strengths, and values from John Holland’s work by identifying their RIASEC codes. Students at the lowest levels begin self-exploration into their interests through simulations, Meeting a Professional, and practicing possible careers.

Tour 5: Poway Unified Site Visit

Estimated tour departure: 7:30am
Estimated return: 11:30am
Transportation: Bus
Theme: HS and Elem, Interdisciplinary Learning, Project Lead the Way

Join the Poway Unified Site visit to see hands-on, interdisciplinary learning in action, from the TK/K level to a senior capstone engineering course where students are solving the real-world problems for a local hydroponic fish garden. Start at Valley Elementary and witness cooperative groups at the TK level, with Spanish dual-curriculum, followed by a discussion of student agency and pathway alignment by the teacher. Then travel to the Abraxas Garden, which provides thousands of fresh produce to the community, where seniors will host a discussion of their solutions to the engineering problems facing the water-treatment system. Begin considering the following questions:

How do we create hands-on learning with intention for a TK-12 alignment?
Where can education align with the challenges facing a community?

SCHOOL DESCRIPTION
Valley Elementary School, Principal Dr. Pablo Chavarin

Valley's mission reflects that of the Poway Unified School District: to build college-readiness for all students through a rigorous, engaging, standards-based curriculum. Traditionally, discussions of college-readiness have been confined to high schools. At Valley, we believe that the awareness of post-secondary opportunities must be built from the first day students enter school. Beginning in kindergarten Valley teachers instill in their students the understanding that "after high school comes college." Classes adopt a university of their own and display college-related banners, t-shirts, and other visuals to bring the presence of the university right into our elementary school classrooms. But college-readiness is more than just knowing about college. It is most important to receive high-quality instruction that ensures mastery of the standards proscribed by the State in the Frameworks for Public Instruction. To provide a strong, coherent instructional program for all our students, teachers work together both within and across grade levels to coordinate curriculum, track student achievement data, and plan together for the success of each Valley student.

Built in 1962, Valley School is one of twenty-five elementary schools in the Poway Unified School District. It is one of the three original elementary schools located in the heart of Poway and is located next to the City Library, Sheriff Station, Fire Department, City Hall, and Community Center. Valley completed a major modernization project a couple of years ago that included new kindergarten classrooms, a new library and main office, renovation to all classrooms, and the elimination of most portables. Approximately 700 students are currently enrolled in Kindergarten through fifth grade. Enrollment at Valley Elementary has remained stable, but the ethnic makeup and number of English Learners have steadily increased over the last several years. Ethnic groups include 31% Caucasian, 40% Hispanic, 6% Filipino, 7% Asian, 4% African-American, and 12% from other ethnic groups. Students live in upper, middle, and lower-income houses, apartments, and mobile homes.

Valley Elementary is a Targeted Assistance Title 1 school, meaning that the school receives federal funding to provide services to eligible children identified by the school as failing, or most at risk of failing, to meet the state's academic content standards. Title 1 funds are mostly used to support methods and instructional strategies that are proven to be effective and that strengthen the core curriculum for students at risk of failure. This is done through daily small group instruction to struggling students along with the coaching of classroom teachers from the school's literacy specialist.

Valley has a Resource Specialist Program to assist students who have identified learning problems. Special Education staff includes a full-time Resource Specialist and Speech/Language Specialist. Additionally, a School Psychologist is on campus two days a week to support students in a variety of ways and to test students for possible identification for special education services. Students needing a Special Day Class are referred to neighboring schools. A Gifted and Talented Program of differentiated instruction within the regular classroom setting is provided for students who are identified.

The Boys and Girls Club opened next door to the school in January 2004 and provides after-school care for first through fifth grade for a nominal annual fee. Valley is the only elementary school in Poway that is part of the district's ASES Grant to provide daily before and after-school programs to over 100 needy students. Valley has a partnership with Cal State San Marcos in which student teachers take classes on site and tutor Valley students after school. Valley also hosts several student-teacher placements each year. It is a strong partnership that benefits both Valley students and CSUSM teacher candidates.

A Dual Language (Spanish) Immersion program is provided for students K through fifth grade. Valley also provides a full day program for Kindergarten students. The school is on a modified calendar which serves to shorten the time that students are away from school during the summer, strengthening the consistency of all learning opportunities. An on-site Homework Club is provided to over 100 students daily through a community group.

Valley Elementary began their Project Lead the Way program in 2017 and now utilizes it at all grade levels.

Abraxas High School
Abraxas High School is a continuation high school that serves students who need an educational environment that is smaller, more intimate, and more flexible than what is typically found at comprehensive high schools.

Abraxas students typically select this school because they are at risk of not receiving a high school diploma, and they believe that Abraxas can help to make that goal a reality.

Those who enroll at Abraxas High School are usually 16 years old or older and voluntarily choose to attend this school because they and their parents appreciate the unique opportunities that Abraxas makes possible.

Have any questions, find the answers on our FAQs page.

Abraxas students can expect to find:
A quality program of instruction leading to a high school diploma.Rigorous academic performance standards.Instruction that addresses the Poway Unified School District academic standards.Smaller class sizes.Various instructional strategies that include open entry/open exit into the school and classes, alternative options to earn elective credits, a shortened school day when appropriate, and work/study options.A competent and caring staff who skillfully and patiently addresses issues confronting students.Counseling, career, and vocational guidance services.

Abraxas students can expect to find:

A quality program of instruction leading to a high school diploma.
Rigorous academic performance standards.Instruction that addresses the Poway Unified School District academic standards.
Smaller class sizes.
Various instructional strategies that include open entry/open exit into the school and classes, alternative options to earn elective credits, a shortened school day when appropriate, and work/study options.
A competent and caring staff who skillfully and patiently addresses issues confronting students.
Counseling, career, and vocational guidance services.

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In 2015, Abraxas High School began a school garden. The garden began by transforming a little used tennis court into a thriving outdoor lab to teach students about growing healthy food and giving back to the community by donating the produce to the people in our community that need it the most. Half of the tennis court grows produce in soil supplied through our compost program. The other half of the garden is powered by an 8,000 gallon aquaponic pond filled with over 300 tilapia fish. The garden was built entirely by students in the Abraxas Construction Class, as well as students in the aquaponic and agriculture classes. We have grown tremendously since our beginning. We have donated over 6,000 pounds of fresh produce to needy families in our community, and we have over 150 diploma-bound students working/learning in the garden yearly. We also work in tandem with our special needs students in our transition program that serves students from the ages of 18-22.

Abraxas High School began using Project Lead the Way Engineering courses in 2021.

PRE-READING FOR ATTENDEES
Prior to your tour, please take some time to learn more about each site by exploring the following resources:

Valley Elementary School
The Project Lead the Way Elementary Launch Curriculum
Abraxas Garden and the many videos about the garden and impact
The Project Lead the Way High School Engineering Curriculum.

Tour 6: E3 Civic High School

Estimated tour departure: 9:00am
Estimated return: 11:30am
Transportation: Bus
Theme: Design Thinking

Join us for a tour of e3 Civic High given by our scholar ambassadors. See how our mission and vision come to life within our studios and how our Learning Facilitators engage, educate, and empower our learning community.

After touring our campus, participate in a panel discussion and subsequent breakout groups with our Principal, Deans, and Wellness team around these guiding questions:

How might we redesign an educational system built for sustainability and replication?
How can we use library (partner) resources and spaces to improve educational opportunities for our scholars?
How might scholars grow academically through civic engagement?

e3 Civic High is a free public charter high school serving approximately 400 students in grades 9 thru 12 located in the landmark 400,000 square foot downtown San Diego Public Library. The three "e's" represent and drive our mission to Engage, Educate, and Empower. The unique partnership between e3, the San Diego Public Library, the City of San Diego, and SDUSD has created a new mixed-use design model for urban public schools and community-based organizations.

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Mission & Vision

The mission of e3 Civic High is to engage, educate, and empower our learning community to be caring, passionate, lifelong learners and civic leaders that are prepared for college, the workforce, and life.

College . Workforce . Life

While the three e3's represent our core values and drives our mission, the 3 R's (reading, writing and arithmetic) drive academic college readiness while the 5 C's (Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Creativity, Civic Engagement) drive our Workforce and Life readiness. This is the "e3 Way".

All e3 scholars have clear college, workforce, and life targets, including academic, civic engagement, and internships to prepare them for life after high school. All scholars are offered academic and wellness supports and small class sizes. e3 supports all scholars to prepare for and take the PSAT, SAT, and apply to a 2-year college and 4-year universities.

The e3 way and innovative learning platform offers students:

A personalized experience that leverages technology to support and enhance learning and teaching
All students are supported and assessed each year for college, workforce and life readiness
Students are supported in college and workforce readiness including PSAT and SAT preparation
100% of students take the PSAT and SAT and apply to 4 year colleges
All students are supported through college applications, financial aid and acceptance processes
Tutoring is available for all e3 students at no cost
Over 100 course offerings including gaming, college prep, accounting and college level courses (UCSD and PLNU)
e3 advisors provide college application supports to all e3 students
All e3 students receive a MacBook Air to take home daily for the school year
Relevant field trips and renowned guest speakers for real world exposure
Design thinking and digital literacy skills for 21st century workforce prep
Internships for all e3 students Focus and supports for wellness and mental health with licensed therapist on campus
All students & staff use Google Apps for Education in a collaborative learning environment

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PRE-READING FOR ATTENDEES
Learn more about e3 Civic High on our website:

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Read more about design thinking and e3 Civic High in the news:

Reflect on these guiding questions before, during and after your tour experience:

How might we redesign an educational system built for sustainability and replication?
How can we use library (partner) resources and spaces to improve educational opportunities for our scholars?
How might scholars grow academically through civic engagement?

Tour 7: JA'S BizTown & Finance Park

Estimated tour departure: 8:30am
Return: 11:45am
Transportation: Bus
Theme: Early Workforce Development, Community Partnership

Join us for a tour of Junior Achievement of San Diego County’s McGrath Family JA BizTown and Mission Fed JA Finance Park. Participants will be able to tour the 10,000-square-foot mini-city comprised of 21 life-sized San Diego businesses and see students connect the lessons learned in the classroom to ‘real-world’ careers. At Finance Park, observe students engaging in an adult life simulation where they learn how to budget, save, and spend for themselves and their virtual families. In both cases, you will witness Capstone experiences that align with in-class curriculum. We’ll explore these guiding questions during the experience:

What does “tri-sector engagement” (i.e. public, private, nonprofit) look like and how can it accelerate career/work readiness in K-12 students?
How can we continue to infuse standards-aligned work-based learning into traditional classroom lessons.
What roles do NGOs and private sector partners play in supporting K-12 educators?

SCHOOL DESCRIPTION
The McGrath Family JA BizTown is Junior Achievement’s experiential-based elementary school Capstone Program. It is a 10,000-square-foot mini-city comprised of 21 life-sized San Diego businesses where students connect the lessons learned in the classroom to ‘real-world’ applications. They run a business, earn paychecks, open bank accounts, pay taxes, vote, and are challenged to earn a profit in their business. Their experience is monumental and prepares them for a lifetime of learning and academic achievement.Through daily lessons, hands-on activities, and active participation in a simulated community, students are encouraged to use critical thinking skills as they build the foundation in business, economics, and free enterprise. Students develop a strong understanding of the relationship between what they learn in school and their successful participation in a local economy.

Mission Fed JA Finance Park builds the foundational knowledge and skills students need to make smart lifelong financial decisions. Guided by volunteers, this program takes students through an adult life simulation where they learn how to budget, save, and spend for themselves and their virtual families.

Finance Park offers two formats for participating in the program: the teacher-led format and the one-day visit format. The teacher-led format allows teachers to lead their students through 6-13 financial literacy lessons, culminating in a visit to our Mission Fed JA Finance Park facility. Additional activities are available for each theme: Income, Savings, Insurance and Risk Management, Credit and Debit, and Budgeting. The one-day visit format includes JA staff teaching the financial literacy curriculum on-site during the visit to our Mission Fed JA Finance Park facility.

PRE-READING FOR ATTENDEES
Prior to the tour experience, please take some time to learn more about The McGrath Family JA BizTown and Mission Fed JA Finance Park by exploring:

https://jasandiego.org/biztown/
https://jasandiego.org/finance-park/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEcSiU7cV9E
https://youtu.be/h04rYBdi1MA
Guiding Questions:
- What does “tri-sector engagement” (i.e. public, private, nonprofit) look like and how can it accelerate career/work readiness in K-12 students?
- How can K-12 education leverage private sector needs and interests to better prepare students for the “real world”?
- What are the barriers for corporate and governmental partners to engage meaningfully in K-12 workforce development, i.e. paid internships, job shadows, professional mentorship, etc.

Tour 8: Altus Schools Resource Center

Estimated tour departure: 8:30am
Estimated return: 11:45am
Transportation: Walking, 20 minutes each way estimated
Theme: Walking, Hybrid, Alternative Model

We will walk to this tour. Join us to see an alternative school model in action at an Altus Schools Resource Center. Experience a blended learning curriculum using new technology along with existing resources and small teacher-to-student ratios. Engage with teachers and students and explore how instructional design is embedded into the design of each resource center—from how they are set up, how students interact with teachers and technology, and how they work independently and at their own pace. As you engage with teachers, students, and each other, you’ll explore guiding questions like:

How is data driving instruction and increasing student engagement?
Describe the professional development process for teachers.
How has a culture of continuous improvement fostered innovation?
How does the Resource Center design support the school’s approach to personalized and individualized learning?
What types of support and services are available for students to overcome barriers to their education?

SCHOOL DESCRIPTION

Altus Schools are Free Public Schools serving students in grades K-12. Altus Schools share a common philosophy and approach that puts kids first. Our schools focus on improving student achievement, creating prototypes for educational reform, and improving the quality of life for students, their families, and their communities. These nonprofit, State-funded, free public schools redefine how teachers teach and students learn.

Altus Schools offer an alternative to the traditional school setting. Our non-campus, non-classroom based Resource Centers are designed to activate the learning potential of every student. Our blended learning curriculum utilizes the newest technology alongside existing resources and has enhanced the learning experience of every student. We are truly breaking the barriers in providing the highest quality education available whether it is in-person, blended, or 100% virtual.

The combination of our high quality instruction and small teacher-to-student ratio gives our students the opportunity to achieve their greatest academic endeavors. Our unique instruction model gives teachers the opportunity to interact with students on a meaningful level, resulting in a transformative education for our students!

Students can find the focus to catch up and have the freedom to accelerate at a pace that optimizes learning in the style they prefer. At Altus Schools, our flexible scheduling and around-the-year calendar better serves our students academic and personal needs. Unlike traditional schools where attendance is accumulated by being physically present in the classroom, we measure attendance by completion of work. Our teachers work one-on-one with every student and their family to ensure assignments are completed and learning is achieved.

The Altus Schools journey to provide personalized, exceptional educational options to students in neighborhoods throughout Southern California began in 1993 when The Charter School of San Diego (CSSD) became the first charter school approved in San Diego County. In the decades since, CSSD began serving students through a radically different model that continues to provide students with a free, public individualized learning option in their neighborhood. Altus Schools have replicated to include Audeo Charter School (est. 2001), Mirus Secondary School (est. 2007), Audeo Charter School II (est. 2016), Grossmont Secondary School (est. 2017), Sweetwater Secondary School (est. 2017), Audeo Charter School III (est. 2018), and Audeo Valley Charter School (2021). Together, these schools have transformed the lives of more than 45,000 students, their families, and the communities in which they live.

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PRE-READING FOR ATTENDEES

https://www.altus4u.com/
Guiding Questions:
- How is data driving instruction and increasing student engagement?
- Describe the professional development process for teachers.
- How has a culture of continuous improvement fostered innovation?
- How does the Resource Center design support the school’s approach to personalized and individualized learning?
- What types of support and services are available for students to overcome barriers to their education?

April 17-19, 2023