Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools

April 2024 ABC 10 Response

Statement, attributed to Murdock Smith, Executive Director, HCCTS:

“We are disappointed ABC 10 has spent months criticizing Highlands based on hearsay
and vague accusations by misinformed, disgruntled former employees and anonymous
sources. It’s unclear why the station continues to pursue this story and relitigate
allegations and themes covered in previous reporting. The questions represent a
fundamental misunderstanding of the facts, or a pattern of having been repeatedly
misled - or both. Our staff has spent countless hours and school resources responding
to often redundant and overly broad PRA requests – time and resources that are best
spent serving our students and faculty.

The mission of Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools is to provide our
diverse community of adult students with access to education and technology that
empowers them to improve their lives. We stand by our operations and are proud of our
track record of consistently meeting or exceeding accountability standards set forth by
the Twin Rivers Unified School District.

Like any growing organization, Highlands has been – and continues to be – committed
to improving and reforming processes and procedures to better serve our students,
faculty, and staff. It is our responsibility - and our promise - to the Highlands community,
our school district, and our tremendous support network to continue this service of
education and enrichment for so many who deserve the opportunity.”

Regarding Enrollment Numbers

When asking about enrollment numbers it’s important to be clear what kind of
enrollment you’re asking about. Average Daily Attendance differs from overall
enrollment. Different numbers can reflect the kinds of questions being asked.

Enrollment at Highlands, CICA, and HCCTS varies daily, week, month, and year due to
open enrollment, transfers, students leaving, and students graduating. At HCCTS, we
currently see up to 200 new students enrolled per day so enrollment numbers can vary
greatly. All student enrollment is tracked through PowerSchool and can be provided on
any specific date. Enrollment fluctuates between years and during the year more than a
typical school year because students enroll throughout the year and take a break due to
life events like pregnancy, childbirth, changes in family, housing conditions, and job
circumstances.

Enrolled—Students who have completed registration and are currently enrolled in a

class in PowerSchool. Students may be enrolled but not attending. These numbers are
reflected in teachers' rosters. A teacher might have 100 students enrolled in their class
on PowerSchool, but if only 40 students attend class each day, the ADA for that class
will be 40.
 ● Active- Students who are enrolled and have been present within the last 30 days
one day or more (this is the enrollment status we use for the SARC.

● Average Daily Attendance- This is the number of students attending, and we

receive funding based on ADA, not enrollment.

Regarding Class Sizes

Increased student enrollment has led to large class sizes for some international high
school students. In response to the high demand for English and high school diploma
programs, Highlands is currently hoping to recruit 80 teachers in the new school year
and is proposing to expand our facilities to meet the growing needs of our students.

The student accountability report card for each year has reported average class sizes.
While it’s true that we have some very large classes with more than 100 students
enrolled, we also have classes with 10 students enrolled. The SARC only reports
averages.

We calculated average class sizes for the SARC by taking the total number of students
enrolled in a class and dividing that number by the number of teachers who teach that
class. We calculated enrollment by looking at attendance. Any student marked present
within 30 calendar days of the respective year's Census Day was counted as an active
student. Average class sizes are standardized using the following process: Students
enrolled in a class on Census Day that falls under one of the categories provided (i.e.
Mathematics includes Algebra and Pre-Algebra), who have at least one record of
present attendance within 30 days of the respective Census Day, will be counted as
actively enrolled.

SARC Areas for Concern

On February 1, 2024, Mark Lutgen, the Data Manager for Highlands Community
Charter School and CICA, presented at the board meeting the Student Accountability
and Report Cards (SARCs) for the 2022-2023 school year for board approval. It was
brought to the attention of Highlands and CICA during that meeting that errors were
identified within the SARCs. Based on the concerns presented, the following changes
were made:

1. The formatting of the maps

2. The methodology for capturing class size
3. Some of the appendix verbiage
4. The fiscal reporting sheet

Class Size Distribution

Average class sizes for the SARC were determined by calculating the total number of
students enrolled in a class and dividing that number by the number of teachers who
teach that class. We calculated enrollment by looking at attendance. Any student
marked present within 30 calendar days of the respective year's Census Day was
counted as an active student. Average class sizes are standardized using the following
process: Students enrolled in a class on Census Day that falls under one of the
categories provided (i.e. Mathematics includes Algebra and Pre-Algebra), who have at
least one record of present attendance within 30 days of the respective Census Day, will
be counted as actively enrolled.

Average class sizes:

HCCS:

Average Class Sizes and Class Size Distribution

Avg. 2020-21 Avg. 2021-22 Avg. 2022-23
Subject Class Number of Classes* Class Number of Classes* Class Number of Classes*
Size 1-22 23-32 33+ Size 1-22 23-32 33+ Size 1-22 23-32 33+
H.S. English 5 67 2 0 5 95 1 2 18 129 7 32
I.H.S. English 32 27 12 41 28 56 9 32 45 38 18 39
H.S.
5 40 0 0 4 61 0 0 4 54 0 0
Mathematics
H.S. Science 2 27 0 0 2 53 0 0 3 56 0 0
H.S. Social
5 91 1 2 4 123 0 0 20 142 8 43
Science
* - For more information, please see Appendices B – Class Size Distribution

CICA:

Average Class Sizes and Class Size Distribution

Avg. 2020-21 Avg. 2021-22 Avg. 2022-23

Subject Class Number of Classes Class Number of Classes Class Number of Classes
Size 1-22 23-32 33+ Size 1-22 23-32 33+ Size 1-22 23-32 33+
H.S. English 4 44 0 0 5 56 0 1 6 74 2 1
I.H.S. English 2 1 0 0 29 3 1 5 21 27 13 6
H.S.
2 27 0 0 3 39 0 0 2 34 0 0
Mathematics
H.S. Science 1 21 0 0 2 31 0 0 2 34 0 0
H.S. Social
2 57 0 0 3 71 0 0 3 74 0 0
Science
* - For more information, please see Appendices B – Class Size Distribution

Regarding Accountability
Highlands fully cooperates and complies with the boards and agencies tasked with
overseeing the school. We welcome accountability. Some examples:

● The Highlands Community Charter School Board of Directors acts as a fiduciary

and oversees the organization’s budget and overall financial management.

● Highlands and CICA are authorized by Twin Rivers Unified School District which
has access to financial statements and records, cash flow, attendance reports,
and other information. They provide feedback and support through their local
control and accountability plan (LCAP).

● Highlands is committed to transparency and follows all necessary disclosures

including filing an annual federal Form 990, accessible by anyone.
 ● Each year Highlands engages a 3 party, independent auditor to review their
rd

finances. In 2023 the audit showed no adverse findings. These are posted on the
website.

● Highlands and CICA are fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools
and Colleges (WASC).

Regarding Teacher Qualifications and Credentialing

All Highlands teachers have credentials or are in the process of obtaining them.
Through our collaboration with the San Diego County Office of Education, we continue
to improve teacher credentialing and ensure that all teachers hold valid California
teaching credentials.

No paraeducators are hired to teach or teach classes at Highlands or CICA. They’re

hired to support teachers and assist students in the classroom or online.

Currently, 100% of our 222 teachers at Highlands and CICA hold at least one valid
California teaching credential, and many hold two or more. When looking at the total
credentials held by our teachers, 101 have cleared credentials, 119 are preliminary with
CTC, and two are preliminary with SDCOE and are pending processing of their
paperwork with CTC. Due to the CTC’s processing time of three months, some teaching
credentials may not be accurately reflected on the educator profiles.

Our teachers at Highlands and California Innovative Career Academy have high school
diplomas, bachelor’s degrees, and many have master's degrees and prior teaching
experience.

SOURCE: 2022-2023 SARC, published in the 2023-2024 school year

Preliminary credentials are issued to teachers at Highlands and CICA for various
reasons; here are the top five scenarios of our current teachers.

Teachers from Other States &
Countries
These teachers taught in educational systems around
the United States, outside California, where a
California teaching credential was not required, and
from other countries worldwide, such as Afghanistan,
Belgium, Belarus, Germany, Russia, the UK, and
Ukraine.

Teachers with International These teachers taught overseas in Korea, Japan,

Teaching Assignments Vietnam, and China, where a California teaching
credential was not required.

Teachers from These teachers taught at Sacramento State

College/University System University, UC Davis, or other college or university
systems that did not require a CTC credential.

Credentialed Teachers adding These teachers are adding another credential to

additional Credential provide greater flexibility in their classroom/subject
teaching assignments.

New Teachers These teachers are new to the teaching profession.

Work Samples & Compliance

All student work samples are original and complete. No student work samples or
compliance paperwork for our independent study school is fabricated or falsified.
Allegations that suggest otherwise are false.

Regarding Attendance Policies

Highlands has rigorous attendance reporting procedures. Teachers are required to enter
accurate daily attendance to ensure all students are accounted for, using an app to
assist them with this process. The app Highlands uses defaults to absent, and teachers
must affirmatively mark a student present. Highlands does not encourage teachers to
inflate attendance, falsify reports, or pressure them to inflate their numbers.

Many Highlands and CICA students are low-income and receive assistance from the
State through organizations such as the Department of Human Assistance and Child
Action. To receive their benefits, they must attend school regularly and have their
attendance accurately documented in the Highlands Student Information System. If the
attendance is inaccurate or missing, it will negatively impact students’ benefits and
income. For this reason, Highlands is adamant that teachers update their attendance
every day and double-check its accuracy. Highlands also requires that teachers capture
in-person attendance using the digital attendance system via the Highlands “Brain” (an
internally developed phone and web application) and a paper-based sign-in system.
English Language Learner Progress
We utilize adult assessments for English Learners including Comprehensive Adult
Student Assessment Systems (CASAS) testing and English Language (EL) Civics
assessments. We also collect and provide local measures of academic performance
and workforce readiness through alternative measures, such as high school credits
earned and courses completed.

CASAS Testing
In the 2022-2023 school year, our students completed 35,700 CASAS assessments, an
increase of 99% from 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. This is due to both an increase in
enrollment and an increase in testing frequency to every 6-8 weeks.72% of students
have a pre- and post-test and of those students with a pre- and post-test score, 77%
have shown an increase in their score.

El Civics
EL Civics instructional materials and assessments are designed for adult English
Learners. They are aligned to CASAS competencies. The learning materials include
topics involving English literacy, civic engagement, and workforce skills. These
objectives are taught and assessed three times throughout the school year: in October,
February, and May. For the 2023-2024 school year, we are assessing students on the
following COAAPs

Employment 33.9

Personal Finance 1.8

DMV 12.7

We had 1830 passed assessments for employment and 1864 passed assessments for
personal finance, for a total of 3,694. The third assessment, DMV, will be taken in May
2024. The final results are to be determined.

Workforce Readiness
Our Career Technical Education programs have grown over the course of the
2022-2023 year. Last year we had 340 students enrolled, and we currently have 562.
CTE Fun Fairs, in-class presentations, and appointments with counselors have all
contributed to this growth, with the goal of increasing CTE participation to 85%.

Regarding Human Resources, Staff Morale and Retaliation Allegations

We take all staff concerns seriously and work as a group to address them. Earlier this
year Highlands was pleased to welcome a new head of Human Resources to our
leadership. As a growing organization, we realized the need to augment our HR function
and we couldn’t be more pleased with the impact thus far.

No one at Highlands retaliates against anyone who expresses themselves or raises

concerns about the school.
So far in the 2023-2024 school year, Highlands has hired approximately 148 new
employees. Of the 148 new employees, 85 joined in 2024. Our current turnover rate is
4.6%.

Regarding Teacher CASAS Tests

Teachers don’t take CASAS tests. At Highlands and CICA, we are proud to employ
culturally and linguistically diverse teachers who speak many languages. We believe
that the diversity of our students should be reflected in the diversity of our staff. While
we do not assess our teachers in English, we do require that they meet the
requirements of CTC for credentialing purposes, which involves college-level English
and/ or passing the California Basic Educational Skills Test. All employee records,
including assessment scores, are confidential and are not released to other employees
or the public. For any additional information regarding teacher credentialing please refer
to the CTC.

Regarding the Class Action Lawsuit

This is a routine wage-and-hour lawsuit brought by trial attorneys who exploit
California’s private attorney general’s act to enrich themselves. These lawsuits are
common in large organizations.

Regarding the Highlandia App

Highlandia is an innovative learning tool for Highlands students and staff. It was
launched in 2021 and continues to improve. Since then, the app has had 16,000 unique
users. Recently, there has been an average of 1000 active users per day. However, this
is still in development, and we will continue to improve the app to meet the needs of our
students.

Retention Day 1 (or “D1”) retention is a metric measuring the percentage of first-time
users returning the next day. The industry average is 20-30%, depending on the genre
(29% overall), with 30-40% considered good and >40% exceptional. In the past 30
days, we have averaged 32%.

Mean playtime per user per day measures how much players play in a given day, and
Mean playtime per session measures how much players play in a given session before
closing the game. The industry average for mean playtime per day is 15 minutes, and
for mean playtime per session, it is 4 minutes. In the past 30 days, our Mean playtime
per user per day has hovered around 15 minutes, and our Mean playtime per session is
4.5 minutes. This means that players generally play 2-3 stages, three times daily,
aligning with the industry average.

Learning gains through Highlandia

(a) Pre-test performance versus Post-test performance:
Users will take a pre-test before starting the journey on the map. Users will then go
through the map stages relating to their PowerSchool Level, after which they’ll take a
post-test. We will compare post-test performance to pre-test performance to determine
the learning that has taken place. Tests are based on Highlands’ exit tests.
(b) Individual user rating:
We are in the process of assigning difficulty ratings to each stage. When users do well
on a stage, their ratings go up; when they perform poorly, their ratings go down. When
users do well on a hard stage, their ratings go up even more, and similarly, when a user
does poorly on an easy stage, his rating goes down more. We will be able to see a
user’s rating over time—if a user is improving, this rating should go up over time.

Overall (a) is a good, standardized way of measuring student improvement, but we

hope to refine (b) over time so that it can provide a more real-time way of measuring
user performance.

Highlandia Budget
Highlandia is written into Highland's LCAP under goal and action 1.8 Digital Learning
Opportunities. Please see the money budgeted for Highlandia below.

Regarding Support for Not-for-Profit Organizations

Highlands receives something directly benefiting students in return for all of its support
for not-for-profit organizations. This could include assistance with student outreach,
recruitment and the provision of support services to our students