William S. Hart Union High School District, Golden Valley High School and La Mesa Junior High School were all named winners of the 2022 California Pivotal Practice  Award for creatively overcoming Covid-19 challenges during the 2020/21 school year.

A component of the California Department of Education California School Recognition Program, the CAPP Program is being utilized by California in 2022 in place of the California Distinguished Schools Program. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, state law has suspended the reporting of state and local indicators on the 2020 and 2021 California School Dashboard.

The Hart District was recognized under the Distribution of Technology category for its “Integration of Educational Technology” when it provided 6,327 Chromebooks at no cost to students across the district. And to help those computers connect to the internet, hotspots were also distributed to households with little or no internet, again at no cost to the families, so students could take part in online learning.

Both La Mesa’s and Golden Valley’s pivotal practice target area was Social Emotional Well Being of Students. By using Capturing Kids Hearts training and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, both schools were able to celebrate the academic as well as social-emotional progress of the whole child. This allowed “teachers to connect authentically with students, even in a virtual environment.

In addition to the Social Emotional Well-Being of Students and Distribution of Technology categories, The CDE also recognized schools and districts in Student Engagement and Nutrition Services.