ABC Community Update
News from the ABC Unified School District: May 30, 2024
Message from Dr. Zietlow: Ad Hoc Committee
As you may have heard, the School Facilities Capacities and Declining Enrollment Ad Hoc Committee provided a report at last week’s ABCUSD Board of Education meeting. The Committee has been working on the issue of how declining enrollment is impacting our schools for the past year, looking at data, information, and trends. Superintendent Dr. Gina Zietlow recorded this video to share an update on where the Committee’s work is at and the Board’s request to look at this issue further.
14 ABCUSD Schools Named as Honor Roll Schools
We had 14 schools named to the 2023 Educational Partnership Honor Roll for high achievement in student success. The program, sponsored by the Campaign for Business and Education Excellence, identifies higher-performing schools and districts that improve student outcomes. The 14 schools are among 1,430 public schools in California to be recognized. In addition to these 14 schools, the ABCUSD was selected as a California Honor Roll School District, one of only 26 honored in Los Angeles County.
Honor Roll Star Schools - schools with more than 33 percent of students designated as socioeconomically disadvantaged
Bragg Elementary School
Burbank Elementary School
Carmenita Middle School
Carver Elementary School
Cerritos High School
Gahr High School
Haskell Middle School
Kennedy Elementary School
Leal Elementary School
Ross Middle School
Tetzlaff Middle School
Stowers Elementary School
Honor Roll Scholar Schools - schools with fewer than 33 percent of students designated as socioeconomically disadvantaged
Cerritos Elementary School
Whitney High School
Input Needed: Use of AI in ABCUSD
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is becoming increasingly integrated into our lives. Education is no different. The ABC Unified School District recognizes the opportunities and challenges AI brings to our schools. The ABCUSD Information & Technology Department has developed “A Guide to Ethical and Responsible AI Use at ABC Unified School District.” This guide outlines the principles, strategies, and best practices of using AI tools in teaching and learning while also promoting its ethical and responsible use.
We need your feedback on this guide. Please review the document and submit your feedback here. To ensure transparency, we will publish your comments (not your name) on our website. We will also hold community roundtable events to discuss the guide and the feedback received.
Please visit our Responsible Use of AI webpage for more information about our efforts to ensure we use this tool in a way that benefits our students.
CAASPP Test Scores
As the school year ends, we are excited to announce that the CAASPP test scores in Math and English are available in the Aeries Parent Portal. As students head into summer, students and parents must know their child's academic performance before heading into the new school year. The newly redesigned test reports provide an overview of your child’s reading level, writing scores on the essay portion (performance task), and math conceptual understanding. Test scores are released on a rolling basis, meaning as soon as scores become available, the state will send them via your parent portal account. We understand that we have received about 80% of the scores, with the remaining scores to be released in the coming weeks.
For more information on the score reports, please click here or visit https://ca.startingsmarter.org/.
ABCUSD Measure BB Citizens’ Oversight Committee Opening
The ABC Unified School District’s Bond Citizens’ Oversight Committee has an opening for a parent representative. This committee was established as part of Measure BB, the $258 million school facilities improvement bond passed by voters in November 2018. The committee is responsible for ensuring the proper spending of Measure BB funds by carefully reviewing expenditures.
To qualify for this position, the applicant must be a parent or guardian of a child enrolled in the ABC Unified School District AND must be active in a parent-teacher organization, such as a PTA or school site council. The committee typically meets quarterly but may convene more frequently if necessary.
Applications for the position are due by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, June 7, 2024. For further questions, please contact the Deputy Superintendent/Chief Financial Officer’s Office at (562) 925-5566, extension 21257.
Dates to Remember
June 4 - Board Meeting (7:00 p.m.)
June 18 - Board Meeting (7:00 p.m.)
August 9 - First Day of School (Carmenita, Fedde, Haskell, Ross, and Tetzlaff 7th grade students)
August 12 - First Day of School
The ABC Community Update is a weekly e-publication
produced by the ABC Unified School District.
ABCUSD
16700 Norwalk Boulevard
Cerritos, CA 90703
(562) 926-5566
In 1965 the Artesia, Bloomfield, and Carmenita School Districts unified and became the ABC Unified School District. Today, the District serves over 20,000 Pre-K to 12th Grade and adult education students through its 30 campuses, adult school, and virtual academy. The District is home to some of the most awarded and recognized schools in California and serves the cities of Artesia, most of Cerritos, Hawaiian Gardens, as well as portions of Lakewood, Long Beach, and Norwalk.