​On Saturday, October 13, 2018, Irvine Public Schools Foundation (IPSF) hosted its 9th Annual Spirit of Excellence Gala at KIA Motors America. With over 300 guests in attendance, including a mix of civic and business leaders as well as individual community members, the event raised more than $770,000. Funds raised will help fund critical programs and classroom support for Irvine Unified School District (IUSD).
 
The evening also celebrated the accomplishments of three individuals whose education in Irvine set the stage for their future success. Honorees each received the Spirit of Excellence Award in their respective fields, in recognition of their achievements.
 
“We are so honored to have the opportunity to showcase the talent and achievements of both current and former students that have become the hallmark of Irvine Unified School District,” explains Neda Eaton, President and CEO of Irvine Public Schools Foundation. “Our annual gala is a shining example of how community support of education can effect real change for our young people. We are proud to facilitate public-private partnerships that provide innovative programs and opportunities to inspire students to follow their dreams and make the world a better a place.”
 
These honorees included:

• Spirit of Excellence in Music — Andy Dodd, Award winning writer and producer of over 50 million albums sold worldwide (Woodbridge High School, Class of 1995)
• Spirit of Excellence in Athletics — Benny Feilhaber, Major League Soccer midfielder for Los Angeles Football Club, USA National Team (Northwood High School, Class of 2003)
• Spirit of Excellence in Service — Colonel Craig Allton, Highly decorated United States Air Force Security Forces Officer (University High School, Class of 1987)

 
The evening began with a red carpet arrival, cocktail reception and silent auction, featuring more than 60 exclusive items. Coveted items in the auction included a wine trip to Bordeaux, France donated by Total Wine and More, a chef's tasting dinner at ARC restaurant, and autographed sports memorabilia from such notable athletes as four-time NBA MVP, Lebron James, and NHL All-Star, Ryan Getzlaf.
 
The evening featured a moving musical performance by Sylvia Ruszat, senior at Woodbridge High School, and Fiori Lee, 6th grader at Alderwood Elementary, who sang “Who I am,” written by honoree, Andy Dodd. A live auction during dinner featured six amazing experiences, including a Neiman Marcus Couture and Car Collective package, a dream getaway experience to Mexico, and a private pop-up dinner with Chef Dee Nguyen of Break of Dawn.
 
“The success of the 2018 Spirit of Excellence Gala is a testament to the unwavering support the Irvine community has for education,” said Eaton. “Our sponsors and gala committee showed tremendous leadership, which resulted in our most successful event yet. The funds raised will make an impact in the educational experience of over 35,000 students in our community.”
 
FivePoint was the presenting sponsor for the ninth consecutive year. Other corporate sponsors included GoogleFiber, Kading Briggs LLP, BrightView, FUTEK and Neiman Marcus, Fashion Island.

By Irvine City News staff

Standardized test results are out for California students who participated in the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress tests last spring. For the third year in a row, Irvine Unified School District ranks second highest in the state among public school districts with 25,000 or more students, based on test results where students met or exceeded the standards in English Language Arts/Literacy (ELA) and Mathematics. 

Scores for the tests are separated into four levels of achievement: standards exceeded, met, nearly met and not met. 

Among IUSD students taking the tests, 77 percent met or exceeded the state standards in English Language Arts and Literacy, while 74 percent of test-takers met or exceeded standards in Mathematics 
IUSD state standardized assessment scores have outperformed both California (50% English and 39% math) and Orange County 58% English 49% Math) score averages. 

“There are many reasons to be proud of our outstanding IUSD students,” says IUSD Board of Education President Sharon Wallin. “These results highlight our special partnership between our dedicated and talented students, families, teachers and staff.” 

The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress was administered in the spring to more than 3 million students in grades 3 to 8 and 11. It is a computer-adaptive assessment that bases follow-up questions on students’ answers in real time. 

This is the fourth year of the computer-based tests, which use California’s challenging academic standards and ask students to write clearly, think critically, and solve complex problems, as they will need to do in college and 21st-century careers. The tests are designed to provide information on each student’s progress on state standards. 

IUSD students in grades three through eight and grade 11 participated in the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) tests in ELA and Mathematics last spring.  

The scores are just one of many measures of student performance, IUSD officials point out. The results help enhance the district’s understanding of each student’s needs and help improve student learning. 

“IUSD is guided by its Continuous Improvement Efforts, which are designed to develop critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration and other learning outcomes also found in state standards,” says IUSD Superintendent Terry Walker. “Building these essential capacities in our students has been an integral focus of IUSD’s educational mission and vision since its inception. The district will continue to leverage limited resources to maximize collaboration and connections with our students, parents, staff and community partners, as we strive to develop well rounded students, who are college and career ready in an ever changing and competitive world.” 

The test scores will make up a key ingredient of the California School Dashboard, a new system for evaluating school performance. The California Department of Education will use the test results in conjunction with graduation rates, suspension and absenteeism figures, college and career readiness data, and other measures to determine if school districts and individual schools are meeting progress outlooks. 
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IUSD will use the scores to better understand each student’s learning and help the district to continue to improve upon the high-quality instruction we provide. The scores will not be used to determine student advancement to the next grade level or as the sole piece of information when making academic decisions about students, according to the district. 

IUSD officials suggest that assessment scores should be recognized as only one measure when evaluating student learning; they provide some but not all information about a student’s knowledge and skills. Results from tests should be reviewed in combination with other measures, such as in-class assignments, classroom tests, and teacher input.  ​

By Irvine City News staff

Irvine Barclay Theatre and Irvine Unified School District (IUSD) announced the continuation of a thriving collaborative arts partnership for the upcoming Barclay season. The educational outreach program ArtsReach will provide creative and educational experiences to more than 2,000 IUSD students during the upcoming school year.  

“This is one of the many great partnerships that sets IUSD apart from other school districts, especially in arts education,” said Brad Van Patten, IUSD Arts Coordinator. “ArtsReach offers our students the opportunity to further develop their interest in and passion for the arts.” 

Stressing hands-on interaction with professional artists and access to meaningful main-stage performances, ArtsReach activities include performance attendance, pre- and post-performance Q&A’s, master classes, in-school workshops, lecture/demonstrations, behind-the-scenes tours, artist interviews and “family days.” In addition, the Barclay provides teachers with support and training materials. 
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The 2018/19 ArtsReach programs include: 
 
•On October 2, 2018, 500 high school students will be treated to a behind-the-scenes treat as the winner of nine Grammy awards and a Pulitzer Prize in music, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra sound check and prepare for their performance on stage. An interactive Q&A dialogue will follow the sound check 
 
•On October 19, 2018, young jazz prodigy Grace Kelly and a band member will play a selection of jazz tunes and share her life story with 300 junior high students in the audience. Kelly will also interact with the students, answer questions and provide professional advice
 
•In January 2019, 800 students will participate in JazzReach, a program that teaches kids about music, the icons of jazz, and jazz’s place in American history 
 
•On March 25, 2019, Irvine’s most-talented young jazz artists will own the Barclay stage for a night. The five high-school jazz ensembles will meet for dynamic music making with special guest artists 
 
•On April 16, 2019, the Barclay will host IUSD’s 33rd Annual Teacher of the Year Awards that will honor 40 top IUSD instructors among their peers. 


ArtsReach is designed to foster a greater appreciation, awareness and understanding of a variety of art forms. These activities are specifically aimed at serving students from grade school through university, and individuals from diverse geographic, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds.  

“The Irvine Unified School District is a valued partner and we are thrilled to be in a position to give back to Irvine youth,” said Barclay President Jerry Mandel. “The ongoing outreach activities we offer these students are transformative in positively impacting their lives and broadening their appreciation for the arts.” 
 ​

By Irvine City News staff

The national accolades for UCI continue to accrue, as U.S. News & World Report rated the university the 7th best public university in the country. UCI also came in at No. 33 overall for public and private American universities in the 2019 Best Colleges Rankings.  

In a sign of the continuing strength of the state of California, the six schools that rank higher than UCI among public universities are:  
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1. UCLA  
2. UC Berkeley  
3. University of Virginia  
4. University of Michigan  
5. UC Santa Barbara  
6. University of North Carolina 

The rankings of 7th for public university and 33rd overall are the highest ever for UCI since the publication began reviewing colleges back in 1983. UCI had ranked 9th among public universities in the previous three years of the annual rankings. 

“We are delighted that UCI has once again been recognized as one of the premier universities in the nation,” said UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman. “This year’s rankings – which are the highest in our entire history – are testament to the extraordinary contributions made every day by our outstanding faculty, staff, students and Anteater community.” 

The rankings are based on 16 measures of academic excellence. Evaluators considered 1,608 institutions this year. 

The U.S. News report also ranked UCI 35th in business in the country and 43rd in engineering for undergraduate programs. 

U.S. News also reviews and ranks the best colleges for veterans. UCI placed 13th among all U.S. universities, a jump of three spots over last year. This recognition follows UCI being named a top veteran-friendly school in the summer 2018 issue of U.S. Veterans Magazine. 

The prestigious U.S. News rankings are just the latest in good news at UCI. As reported in recent issues of Irvine City News, UCI ranks third on Money magazine’s 2018 list of the best colleges in the U.S. for its accessible, high-quality education and alumni success; Forbes named UCI No. 4 on its America’s Best Value Colleges list, and UCI tops The New York Times College Access Index of U.S. universities “doing the most for the American dream” for its commitment to upward mobility. ​