Many young families move to the Palos Verdes Peninsula by looking for excellent school districts in Southern California. While schools in the Palos Verdes Peninsula School District have historically been ranked highly, recent numbers tell a different story.

We’ve seen PVPUSD rankings fall in the last few years, but let’s take a closer look at the information behind this drop by examining English Language Arts and Math Scores:

 Palos Verdes High School:

 The percentage of students achieving proficiency in math is 39% (which is lower than the California state average of 40% ) for the 2018-19 school year. The percentage of students achieving proficiency in reading/language arts is 43% (which is lower than the California state average of 51% ) for the 2018-19 school year.

2018-20198* CAASPP Test Scores

*latest available test scores due to COVID-19.

In 2018-2019 PV High placed in the bottom 50% of all schools in California for overall test scores.

The Early Assessment Program (EAP) is one of the multiple measures the California State University (CSU) utilizes to assess students' readiness for college-level coursework. The assessment is given to all students in 11th grade. The EAP results for PVPUSD are very concerning.

• College Readiness scores in English/Language Arts: 57%

• College Readiness scores in Math: 32%.

When will be the time to ask PVPUSD the tough questions?

What are the reasons behind these low achievement scores?

Has PVPUSD even acknowledged these rankings, let alone made plans to address the Core Academic needs of students in Palos Verdes?

Is the high performance of PVPUSD merely a mirage to protect real estate values?

Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District has adopted several formal programs to teach Social Emotional Learning (SEL) to the Elementary, Middle, and High School students. View the district curriculum web page here.

The Following Curricula and Programs have been or are currently being used in Palos Verdes Schools:

• Second Step

• Illuminate

• We Thinkers!

• Panorama Surveys

Questions to ask about these non-academic programs.

• What are the lessons in the curriculum?

• Are parents consenting to the Social/Emotional lessons?

• Are there any measurable standards for success in these curriculums?

• Are the lessons age-appropriate and aligned with the California Education Code?

• How much is academic instruction time reduced in order to make room for Social/Emotional learning ?

• Are schools trying to take on roles of parents?

• Are teachers being asked to act as amateur social workers?

• How and where is personal student data being stored and used?

Let’s Take a Closer Look:

An example of the SEL curriculum found in a first grade PV classroom

Hidden Rules and Expected and Unexpected Behaviors: Pirate Adventure is the book used in the “We Thinkers!” curriculum. There is a “Mood Teacher” who teaches that there are no clear rules or expectations, but you can find hidden rules about conforming to collective behaviors. Children are looked down upon and put under peer pressure to join the collective group. The different ways children can join the group include:

• “Following the group plan”.

• “Keep everyone feeling comfortable”.

• “Keeping your body in the group”.

Is this the best choice to teach our children about rules, manners, and awareness?

Are children being celebrated for their individual talents or are they being taught to group think?

Is this the kind of curriculum we want our children learning during valuable school time?

Is this where PVPUSD should be spending funds when the District has financial concerns?

Critical Race Theory (CRT) is an academic movement, which seeks to link racism, race, and power. It was introduced by Derrick Bell and Kimberlé Crenshaw of Harvard University in 1989. The key assertion of Critical Race Theory’s is that racism is “systemic” and “structural,” and it is embedded within all American systems and culture.

The UCLA School of Public Affairs defines Critical Race Theory as the following:

“Critical Race Theory (CRT) recognizes that racism is engrained in the fabric and system of the American society. The individual racist need not exist to note that institutional racism is pervasive in the dominant culture. This is the analytical lens that CRT uses in examining existing power structures. CRT identifies that these power structures are based on white privilege and white supremacy, which perpetuates the marginalization of people of color. CRT also rejects the traditions of liberalism and meritocracy. Legal discourse says that the law is neutral and colorblind, however, CRT challenges this legal “truth” by examining liberalism and meritocracy as a vehicle for self-interest, power, and privilege.”

Why is it important to understand Critical Race Theory?

Although once a theory taught primarily in graduate schools, CRT has gained momentum in nearly every aspect of our lives from news reports, to workplaces, and now into public education. The New York Times explains that, “Critical race theorists reject the philosophy of color blindness. Proponents of this movement claim there are stark racial disparities that have persisted in the United States despite decades of civil rights reforms, and that racist hierarchies are enforced, even among people with good intentions.”

The only proposed solution is to dismantle the entire system. This has become a popular philosophy among professionals in education, which if implemented, will have a significant impact on our children.

When CRT argues that racism is entrenched into all systems in American Society, we should expect that solutions to correct the “racist system” are already in motion.

What impact does CRT have on students?

Dismantling the education system involves eliminating standards of achievement. This means that when students under-perform or over-perform in the public education system, it is due to “structural racism”. It is no longer about the core learning standards and skills such as reading, writing, arithmetic, follow through, practice, studying, and meeting deadlines. CRT involves creating “equity,” which is not to be confused with “equality”.

Do we want to deprive students of classical literature, philosophy or engineering in the name of “equity”?

 In order to achieve “equity,” CRT asserts that educational standards must be reduced to the lowest common denominator. Any opportunity for advanced study would create an unequal outcome. K-12 Public Education was widely accepted on the premise that it would be the great equalizer for opportunity. It is essential to maintain academic integrity.

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is the plan developed by the Department of Education and the CDC for schools to implement a program for the overall social wellness of children and tailor public education by addressing the needs of the “whole child”.

The Center of Disease Control says the education, public health, and school health sectors have each called for greater alignment that includes, integration and collaboration between education leaders and health sectors to improve each child’s cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development.

Prior to 2016, there were a defined set of standards used by teachers to observe a child’s well-being. But with the passing of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015, those standards became broad and subjective. The federal government now expects teachers to act as amateur social workers in their students’ lives.

U.S. Department of Education will work with states and districts to begin implementing the new law.

What are the problematic issues with the broad implementation of SEL?

• There are NO measurable metrics for the standards of achievement in SEL.

• SEL Programs expensive.

• SEL Program take significant time away from the classroom instruction.

• School employees are mandatory CPS reporters, and parents risk false accusations of child abuse.

• Student data is stored and used in ways that could violate FERPA Privacy Laws.

• SEL Programs are founded on Critical Race Theory and Collectivism.

Take a look at this short video explaining Social-Emotional Learning in K-12 Education

Palos Verdes Unified School District has been on a steady academic decline since 2012, with its largest drop in 2018-2019 before the COVID pandemic shutdowns. The latest available test data is from 2018-2019, and PVPUSD is ranked 121st.

*Schooldigger calculates school rankings based on test scores released by the Ca. Department of Education.

These rankings were last updated on January 8, 2022, and are based on the most recent test scores available. The data is from the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education and the California Department of Education. For more information about the ranking process, please see the Ranking FAQ. Details about the methodology are here.

Palos Verdes Peninsula High School

Source: 2017-2018 (latest school year available) NCES, CA Dept. of Education

What are we seeing at PVPUSD High School level?

Palos Verdes Peninsula High School has seen a decline in test rankings since 2017. According to the chart, Peninsula High School ranked the highest in 2014. Currently, the once highly-ranked High School is ranked 698 out of the 9,659 schools in CA.

Another source has Peninsula High School ranked 62nd in 2016-17, but as of 2018-2019 they were ranked 97th.

US News places Peninsula High School at 42nd in California, when in 2014 they were ranked 26th in the state.

This data requires parents to face the hard truth that PVPUSD is not performing at the level it should be. Parents should be concerned with the decline in the academic standards and demand answers from the School Board.

Palos Verdes High School

Source: 2017-2018 (latest school year available) NCES, CA Dept. of Education

Palos Verdes High School has the most significant decline in academic rankings. According to the chart above, PV High School is ranked 4,847 out of 9,659 schools.

Another source has Palos Verdes High ranked 169th in 2012-2013, but has recently dropped to 496th in 2018-2019. If we compare 2018 to 2019 academic school years, PVHS dropped more than 200 spots from 283 to 496!

US News recently ranked Palos Verdes High School 246 in California falling from 30 in 2014.

The time to look at this data seriously is now, and ask ourselves the tough questions:

• Why have our high schools’ rankings drastically dropped each year?  

• Why is there such a huge discrepancy between our two high schools?  

• What is our district and school board doing to reverse the decline in the schools?

• Are we focusing on reading, writing and math or is the district focusing its efforts elsewhere?

2022 School Board Candidate, Jenny Handjian, shares these same concerns with the School Board: