Da Vinci Schools
Minutes
Da Vinci Schools: L.A. County Special Board Meeting (RISE High)
Date and Time
Thursday July 3, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Location
201 N. Douglas Street El Segundo, CA
Additional Teleconference Locations:
4941 W. 137th Place Hawthorne, CA 90250
1514 Engracia Avenue Torrance, CA 90501
192 Country Club Drive Avila Beach, CA 93424
Da Vinci Schools: L.A. County ("DVLAC") welcomes your participation at its Board meetings. The purpose of a public meeting of the Board of Directors ("Board") is to conduct the affairs of DVLAC in public. Your participation assures us of continuing community interest in our schools. To assist you in speaking/participating in our meetings, the following guidelines are provided:
- Teleconferencing will be held through Zoom. Join the Zoom Meeting at https://davincischools-org.zoom.us/j/98478280544 Meeting ID: 984 7828 0544, or dial (669) 444-9171.
- Agendas are available to all audience members online at https://dvrise.davincischools.org.
- Audience members who wish may speak on any agenda items or under the general category of "Public Comments," which is time set aside for members of the audience to raise issues not specifically on the agenda. However, due to public meeting laws, the Board can only listen to your issue, not respond or take action. These presentations are limited to three (3) minutes and total time allotted to non-agenda items will not exceed fifteen (15) minutes. Non-English speakers who use a translator shall have six (6) minutes in which to address the Board.
- The Board may give direction to staff to respond to your concern or you may be offered the option of returning with a citizen-requested item.
- The chair will recognize such individuals who wish to speak on a specific agenda item at the appropriate time. When addressing the Board, speakers are requested to adhere to the time limits set forth, and to not repeat remarks made by those who preceded them.
- Any public records relating to an agenda item for an open session of the Board which are distributed to all, or a majority of all, of the Board members shall be available for public inspection at 201 N. Douglas Street, El Segundo, CA 90245, during Business Office operating hours. For more information call the CEO's office at 310-725-5800.
The agenda and documents in the agenda packet will be made available, if requested, in appropriate alternative formats to any person with a disability as required by the ADA, 42 USC section 12132, and the federal rules and regulations adopted in implementation thereof. To request a disability-related modification or accommodation, including auxiliary aids or services, you must contact Da Vinci Schools: L.A. County (201 N. Douglas Street, El Segundo, CA) at 310-725-5800, ext. 1351 at least 48 hours before a regular meeting, and at least 12 hours before a special meeting. (Government Code § 54954.2(a)(1).)
Trustees Present
C. McCullough, C. Taylor (remote), L. Jennings, T. Johnstone (remote)
Trustees Absent
None
Guests Present
M. Wunder (remote), N. Lara, S. Ehuan-Avila, V. Bravo
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
B.
Record Attendance and Guests
C.
Approval of Agenda
D.
Public Comments
II. Information: Board Comments and/or Administrative Reports
A.
Presentation on RISE Eligibility for Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS) program
Naomi Lara led a discussion on applying for Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS) for RISE. The objective is to seek approval of our intent to apply for the DASS program, which allows alternative schools to be evaluated using modified metrics on the California (CA) Dashboard, the state's accountability system. While DASS schools are now evaluated on the same indicators as traditional schools (Academics, Chronic Absenteeism, College/Career Readiness, etc.), the program offers more appropriate methods of measurement. This is crucial given our previous application was denied in 2022, and the DASS program exists specifically to provide these necessary alternative metrics.
The key benefits of DASS status include significant modifications to how student success is measured. Unlike traditional schools that use a four-to-five-year graduation cohort, DASS schools can use a more flexible single-year cohort. Furthermore, DASS expands the definition of a graduate to include students who complete their education via:
- A standard diploma
- A High School Equivalency Certificate (e.g., GED, HiSET, CHSPE)
- An adult education diploma
- Early graduation (Grade 11)
- A Special Education Certificate of Completion
To be eligible for DASS, at least 70% of the school’s total enrollment must consist of high-risk students, defined as those who are expelled, suspended, wards of the court, pregnant/parenting, recovered dropouts, habitually truant, credit deficient (defined as not having earned enough credits for their age or grade level, as noted by Lida Jennings for clarity), or have experienced significant enrollment gaps, high transiency, foster care, or homelessness. It’s important to note that students at a traditional school may also be credit deficient due to needing to retake a class, but in the context of DASS, the term emphasizes those significantly behind in credits relative to their expected progress toward graduation.
To be counted in the graduation rate, a student must be enrolled for a cumulative 90 days, or 30 days if they are a Foster or Homeless youth.
Our current data shows that a technical analysis, which assigns only one primary eligibility reason per student, indicates 9.1% of our students do not meet DASS criteria. However, this masks the true numbers, as a deeper look reveals many students meet multiple high-risk criteria. This fact strengthens our position that RISE is an appropriate candidate for the DASS program.
No Public Comments.