Desert Learning Academy: A Personalized Educational Experience

Desert Learning Academy (DLA), established in 2015, stands as a tuition-free online school within the Palm Springs Unified School District. It offers an alternative educational path for students in Southeast Riverside County and beyond. DLA provides a virtual/blended environment with alternatives to traditional brick-and-mortar schools in the Coachella Valley. Students from local school districts and nearby counties, spanning grades K-12, can enroll.

Mission and Values

The core mission of the Desert Learning Academy is to deliver a high-quality, personalized educational experience. This mission focuses on preparing every student for their post K-12 choices. The academy fosters a collaborative community that employs research-based technologies and instructional practices to ensure the growth of students' emotional, physical, and social needs.

DLA aims to equip students to compete in the global economy by fostering problem-solving skills to address issues and barriers to learning. Students are encouraged to think critically, to identify presented issues, and respond with in-depth analysis.

The academy also emphasizes collaborative skills. Students learn to work together over distances to resolve problems, adapt to team roles, and produce valid, relevant products. Furthermore, DLA cultivates adaptability, enabling students to think flexibly, embrace change, and utilize a variety of tools to solve new problems. The school encourages students to take risks, learn from failures, and persevere, rewarding effort and resilience. Communication skills are also a focal point, with students learning to communicate effectively with peers, teachers, and community members, and to present academic content in work-related contexts.

Personalized Learning Approach

Desert Learning Academy's personalized learning program is designed to cultivate a positive mindset around school and learning. Teachers mentor and coach students in academic areas where they need support, addressing both educational and personal challenges. Personalized learning experiences are tailored to each student's learning goals and academic needs, with teachers monitoring progress daily. The teacher monitors student progress daily through Acellus. Students contact the teacher for assistance and the teacher contacts the students and parents based on the alerts the teacher receives from Acellus.

Parents and guardians play a crucial role in this process by providing at-home structures to guide their student's progress. The teacher communicates with the parents several times a week, informing them of their child's progress or where their child should be.

Hybrid (Hy-Flex) Schedule

To address the evolving needs of families, Desert Learning Academy Middle School has implemented a flexible hybrid (Hy-Flex) schedule for students in 7th-8th grade. Students participate in this schedule based on their academic needs.

Support Systems and Interventions

DLA provides various support systems to ensure student success. Students come at least one day for direct instruction and many students come for additional days to receive instruction and support from the teacher. The special education services student with IEPs up to four days a week. Teachers are monitor students’ progress daily through the Edgenuity group progress reporting system. These results drive teacher intervention system. All students come in for a minimum of one full day per week. Interventions are built in during lab times in the daily schedule. Students are also taught to take ownership of their own learning so that they readily ask for the help during these lab times.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday lab times are necessary for students on the higher tier levels. During this time their Foundations classes are monitored, tests are proctored and quizzes are remediated. Friday is also a crucial time for ensuring students master skills and standards. Tier 2-4 students are required to attend. During this time ELA and Math content specialists work with students individually, in small groups, and by grade level. The Special Education teacher is also there from 10:20-11:15 to service students with IEPs.

The teachers evaluate student progress through the student progress reporting in Edgenuity. The report displays the student progress by class. Teachers use this to insure that student know their own progress and know how to assign the student time to be on campus for directed support in the resource lab.

During the intake process student take a Math pre-assessment. This assessment allows for the teachers and counselor to put in place math supports. Students that are not at grade level in this assessment are given support courses to fill in the gaps and a means to intervention. Students in special education are provided the same level and intervention.

Enrollment Characteristics and Required Skills

Succeeding in an online learning environment requires a different skill set compared to traditional face-to-face classes. Online students must possess:

Strong typing skills
Excellent organizational and time management abilities
Independence and self-direction
The ability to stay on task while working from home
Proficiency in managing assignment due dates
Proactiveness in seeking help when needed

Parent/guardian support is vital for online students. Parents must be aware of online requirements, monitor work habits and progress, and ensure appropriate technology access at all times.

Students need daily access to a computer with a high-speed internet connection and a processor capable of downloading/uploading streaming video and large multimedia files. The computer should be equipped with a word processor, web browser, speakers, and a USB headset with microphone.

Additional Programs

The Desert Learning Academy (DLA) offers support to two other district programs including the Rebound program for 6th through 8th grade students that have been placed at Desert Learning Academy (DLA) by suspended expulsions process and also host home/hospital instruction.

Middle School Program Highlights

Desert Learning Academy Middle School emphasizes:

High Expectations: Academic support is a priority. The program provides support for parents and students, with parent/guardian support appointments available throughout the week. The online content is blended with in-class, direct instruction from highly qualified teachers. The courses engage students through media-rich instruction, interactive labs, and online content.
Goal Setting: Each child is paired with a Lead Teacher to motivate and guide them, helping them set daily, weekly, and long-term goals.
Meeting the Needs of the Whole Child: Students can eat lunch with their peers, participate in cooperative group activities, conduct hands-on Science experiments, go on field trips, and be a part of Art, PE and Leadership classes. Teachers work with parent/guardians to determine what is the best instructional model.
Community: DLA strives to provide a place where students feel wanted, safe, and a part of something great, fostering healthy peer relationships in a fun environment. Students whose families want their children to participate with other students will be able to come to campus.

Rankings and Performance

Desert Learning Academy is ranked #10,823 in the National Rankings. Schools are ranked on their performance on state-required tests, graduation and how well they prepare students for college.

#1,129 in California High Schools
#109 in Riverside, CA Metro Area High Schools
#5 in Palm Springs Unified School District High Schools

Mathematics Proficiency is at 8%.

Percentage of Underserved Students Who Are Proficient: 26.1%
Percentage of Non-Underserved Students Who Are Proficient: 33.3%
Gap Between School and State Among Underserved Students: -0.8%

The College Readiness (district average) is 16.6.Proficiency (district average):

Reading: 52%
Mathematics: 17%
Science: 21%

The Graduation Rate is 79% (well below state median). There are 21 Full-Time Equivalent Teachers.

Location

Desert Learning Academy is located at 2248 East Ramon Rd., Palm Springs, California 92264.

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