Background & Context
The San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools (SBCSS) operates a unique educational model: its Independent Learning Academy (ILA) functions as its own district within the county, delivering services to 33 local districts. ILA serves a highly diverse and transient student population, including youth in juvenile hall, credit recovery programs, and students facing expulsion, detention, or moderate to severe disabilities.
Each year, ILA reaches over 2,000 students, most of whom remain enrolled for only 60 to 90 days. This brief enrollment window, particularly at juvenile facilities where students may stay just 2–3 days, demands rapid, effective, and personalized instruction. The special education program serves students from preschool through age 22 and beyond, including post-graduation and transitional support.
At the start of the school year, SBCSS set a focused goal: to ensure teachers could quickly identify English learners (ELs) and deliver designated ELD (English Language Development) time, with personalized, skill-based instruction that accelerates reclassification.
The Challenge
Despite their dedication, educators at SBCSS faced significant barriers when it came to supporting MLL (Multilingual Language Learner) students:
- Fragmented visibility into who their English learners were
- Teachers juggling multiple grades and subjects in one classroom
- Competing priorities (special education, behavioral needs, etc.)
- A lack of consistent systems to track, monitor, and support MLLs
- ELPAC testing was externally managed, creating disconnects and limiting actionable insight
As a result, MLLs were frequently overlooked, not receiving the personalized attention needed to reach Level 4 on the ELPAC or achieve reclassification. A previously adopted program required teachers to build lessons manually, a time-consuming process that ultimately led to low engagement and inconsistent use.
The Search for a Better Solution
When SBCSS evaluated another K–12 platform, they quickly realized it wasn’t a fit. Their students, often self-directed and rapidly transitioning in and out of the system, required a flexible, immediately responsive solution.
This led them to Summit K12. After a second, targeted demo, the team recognized Summit K12’s ability to:
- Generate personalized learning plans directly from ELPAC scores
- Provide immediate, actionable instruction without requiring full diagnostic testing
- Scale support across grade levels and diverse student needs
Unlike previous tools, Summit K12 offered content that was ready-to-use, engaging, and individualized, a game-changer for teachers managing high volumes of students with varying needs.
The Solution
Why Summit K12 Stood Out
Summit K12 offered exactly what SBCSS needed: a simple, adaptive platform that supports students immediately, whether they are enrolled for 90 days or 2. Teachers embraced the pre-built lessons, and students could engage with content aligned to their exact skill level and language proficiency.
Implementation: A Journey of Adaptation
The initial rollout wasn’t without hurdles. Late rostering and rigid benchmark testing windows clashed with ILA’s high-mobility model. Students weren’t enrolled long enough to complete all four domain assessments, which originally delayed their personalized instruction.
However, Summit K12 proved to be highly responsive to feedback. Key adjustments, like using ELPAC scores to generate learning plans and streamlining rostering by grade level, transformed the implementation process. These changes made onboarding smoother and ensured continuity even as students moved across sites.
"The individualization for each student and them being able to work at their own pace on what they need specifically—that’s been the best feature.” - Jennifer Johnston, SBCSS
Most Impactful Features
- Immediate personalization based on ELPAC data
- Self-paced learning for students to target their unique areas of need
- Teacher-ready whole group lessons that saved time and boosted engagement
- Intuitive dashboards for tracking progress and reclassification readiness
Ongoing Partnership and Support
The Summit K12 team provided exceptional support, with prompt responses via email or text, proactive check-ins, and personalized guidance. Their commitment to adapting the platform for SBCSS’s nontraditional environment made a lasting impression.