Education California | The official newspaper of the Association of California School Administrators
Volume 49 | Number 10 | November 5, 2018
Unique program leads to growth in math
Whiteboards and raised hands domi-
nate teacher Jon Highfill’s classroom at
Ridgepoint Elementary School. It’s that
environment that’s also seeing growth in
mathematics throughout his campus and
district.
“I’m so proud of how hard my students
are working and you can see that they enjoy
the work because they are experiencing suc-
cess,” Highfill said. “Most students now say
math is their favorite subject of the day.”
Ridgepoint is part of Twin Rivers
Unified School District, which has nearly
29,000 students – preschool through adult
education – in the northeastern part of
Sacramento. Two years ago, Superintendent
Steve Martinez and the Board of Trustees
began searching for a new math initiative
that would spearhead growth in the dis-
trict’s flat scores and low performance.
“There has always been the will to do
great work for kids,” Martinez said. “But we
knew our teachers and site administrators
needed tools and support to build capacity
in the classroom.”
That is when a Southern California
superintendent introduced Martinez to
Swun Math.
Swun Math is a dynamic program ben-
efiting students, teachers and the district.
Students can collaborate and determine
solutions to math problems with a common
sense approach that can be unique to their
way of thinking. Teachers receive grade-
level specific professional development and
See SWUN, page 12
A dedicated leader
Mary McNeil has used hard work and dedication to find resources for her students.
Mary NcNeil’s dedication to her community and values has
been the key to her success as superintendent of Needles Unified
School District in San Bernardino County. She is the recipient
of ACSA’s 2018 Superintendent of the Year Award.
McNeil is driven by her work as a strong leader for the com-
munity of Needles. Professional development has played no small
role in McNeil’s success.
“ACSA has helped me create my legacy through the breadth
and depth of my professional growth opportunities, which have
taught me how to truly make the difference,” she said.
Needles USD is 2.5 hours away from the closest California
school district and 3.5 hours from the county office. Early on,
McNeil recognized the lack of resources (few stores/lack of fresh
produce or meat in Needles) and had higher hopes.
“I push my team to go out into this great state and to see
what is possible,” she said. “All our administrators are members
of ACSA and attend ACSA functions throughout the year. As
superintendent, I have worked to develop connections statewide
See MCNEIL, page 8
Once an ESS winner, now an
Administrator of the Year
Manny Nuñez knows the importance of relationships. It
explains why he starts every morning by greeting every student at
Seaside Middle School with a handshake.
“What it allows is for every kid to get noticed,” Nuñez, principal
at Seaside Middle School, said. “There’s nothing more powerful
than connection. Noticing you. Calling you by name. Saying, ‘Good
to see you today. Do great things.’”
Eighty percent of the students at Seaside Middle School
qualify for free or reduced lunch. And 80 percent of the students
are Latino. Manny Nuñez knows their struggle and admits he sees
himself in them.
“It’s an honor to serve as the leader of a school that has students
that look like me,” Nuñez said. “And more importantly, students
that have a similar background or experience. You have the empa-
thy piece because you understand.”
Nuñez grew up in a small village in Sinaloa, Mexico. He says
access to education was limited due to a lack of resources.
“School was once in a while,” Nuñez said. “It was not consistent.
You go to school maybe two or three days a week because there was
a teacher that would roam around these small villages.”
When Nuñez was 3 years old, his father was murdered by the
Call for presenters.
The Lead
3.0 Symposium has issued a Call for
Presenters for the upcoming April
11-13, 2019 event. The symposium is
a collaborative effort of ACSA, CUE
and Technology Information Center for
Administrative Leadership (TICAL). It is
truly for administrators, by administra-
tors. Three organizations, one mission
– Educational Leadership for the 21st
century. Find out about the event and
presentations call at www.lead3.org.
Negotiator award. The ACSA
Human Resources Council is seeking
nominations for the 2019 Negotiator of
the Year. The award will be announced
at the 2019 Negotiators' Symposium in
San Diego, Jan. 23-25. Award details
and criteria are available at www.acsa.
org/negotiatorsaward. Deadline for
nominations is Nov. 15.
ECE webinar, part 2. ACSA, in
partnership with the California County
Superintendents Educational Services
Association, is offering a free webinar
on expanding access for early child-
hood education. More than 100 lead-
ers participated in Part 1 of the series.
Part 2 will be Nov. 14, 9:00-10:00 a.m.
and share best practices from the field
for expanding ECE. Register for Part 2
at http://bit.ly/ECEpart2.
CAASPP guide. CDE is offering a
Guide to CAASPP Completion Status
and Roster Management to assist test
coordinators in CAASPP administra-
tion. The guide will assist in enabling
users to determine which students
have completed testing and which
have not. The guide is available on the
CAASPP portal at http://bit.ly/caaspp
completion.
Negotiating event. Register now
Manny Nuñez, left, has gone all the way from being a former Every Student Suc-
ceeding winner to now being named ACSA's Middle Grades Principal of the Year.
Mexican army for his involvement with opium poppy. Nuñez’s mom
left Mexico for California in hopes of making money for the family.
She brought Nuñez’s younger brother with her but Nuñez stayed in
Mexico with his grandparents.
“I feel like she left for a good reason,” Nuñez said. “My mom
for the Negotiators’ Symposium, Jan.
23-25 in San Diego. This three-day
event, with its mix of interactive and
workshop sessions, presented by
practitioners, consultants and attor-
neys, will offer information and provide
insight into the issues and laws that
confront HR departments. Registration
is available at www.acsa.org/negotia-
torssymposium.
See NUÑEZ, page 9
Salary scale for some new teachers
with an undergraduate credential
California State University is signifi-
cantly increasing the number of teacher
candidates who are simultaneously com-
pleting a bachelor’s degree and a teaching
credential. This results in reduction of the
time to earn a credential to approximately
4-4.5 years and is one approach to address
the teacher shortages.
However, a disincentive for students to
earn a credential as an undergraduate has
been that their entering salary is based in
large part on the number of post-graduate
units they have taken. Importantly, the units
taken by candidates who earn a credential
with a bachelor’s degree include the same
post-baccalaureate courses only taken dur-
ing undergraduate study.
The CSU Chancellor’s Office has
worked with ACSA’s Human Resources
Council and ACSA staff in developing a
consistent approach for recognizing post-
baccalaureate courses taken as an under-
graduate.
A simple, yet intriguing suggestion was
put forth by ACSA CTC Liaison Doug
Gephart, to report these post-grad courses
in a special section added at the bottom of
See TRANSCRIPT, page 3
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