Curriculum in the Hermosa Beach City School District is California State standards aligned, rigorous, relevant, and engaging to students.  The core curriculum is articulated across grade levels and whenever possible, integrates skills and knowledge across subject matter lines.  The entire school community understands the purpose and use of content standards. 

Classroom instruction includes multiple strategies tailored to the needs of individual students.  Classroom lessons provide opportunities for children to learn using depth and complexity.  They are designed to engage students in purposeful work that has a clear end in view.  Instruction provides support for students who are not meeting district standards and challenges those students who greatly exceed them.  Technology is integrated within and across grade levels.  Opportunities are provided for all members of the school community to help support the instruction of their students. 

The school community is results focused, with assessment a seamless component of the instructional process.  Student achievement data includes multiple measures and regular, periodic, standards-based examination of student work, and yearly state standardized tests in grades 3 - 8.  Classroom and school wide data is disaggregate so that there is a clear picture of how all children are performing.  School wide disaggregate data is accessible to all members of the school community.  Teachers have access to a wide range of assessment strategies and data to modify curriculum and instruction as needed in order to improve student achievement of the standards.  Students understand and participate in assessment strategies in grade level appropriate ways.

The District’s special needs populations (Special Education, English Language Learners, and students identified as at-risk for retention) have access to the core curriculum and appropriate accelerated interventions aimed at helping them meet content standards.  We provide active and early assessment with identification and intervention for at-risk and special needs students.  The entire school community works together to reduce the response time between assessment and intervention and to design and provide successful interventions. 

We are proud of our high standards for student achievement and the continuous improvement of our program through attention to the exploration and implementation of research-based strategies.

• English-Language Development Standards for Public Schools
• Language Arts - Adopted December 1997
• Mathematics - Adopted December 1997
• History-Social Science - Adopted October 1998
• Science - Adopted October 1998
• Physical Education_Model Content Standards.pdf (PDF; 2.45MB; 76pp.) Adopted January 2005
• Career Technical Education, Adopted May 2005.pdf (PDF; 1.58MB; 441pp.)

Note: The following areas are covered in Technology Education Grades 6 - 8
• Building Trades and Construction
• Energy and Utilities Industry
• Engineering and Design Industry
• Manufacturing and Product Development
• Transportation Industry Sector

• Visual and Performing Arts, Adopted January 2001.pdf (PDF; 1.7MB; 172pp.)