CLIMB: Castaic Learning Initiative for Mastery and Beyond

The Castaic Learning Initiative for Mastery and Beyond (CLIMB) is a districtwide effort focused on ensuring that every student masters grade-level standards and is prepared for future academic success.

The work began in November 2024 through a Baseline Systems Study conducted in partnership with educational improvement experts. The study examined student outcomes across all four schools and identified the systems and conditions that most strongly influenced student success, particularly for our most vulnerable learners. The study helped district and school leaders answer three critical questions:

• What is our current student success profile?
• What systems best explain our student outcomes?
• What can we do to accelerate student success?

One of the key findings from the study was the need for stronger curriculum alignment across the district and a clearer definition of the level of rigor students must demonstrate to meet grade-level expectations. In response, the district launched CLIMB as a long-term improvement initiative designed to create consistency, collaboration, and high expectations for all students.

During the 2025–2026 school year, teachers worked collaboratively in district grade-level teams to identify essential standards in English Language Arts (grades K–8) and Mathematics (grades 7–8). Teams then established a common understanding of the minimum level of rigor, or "floor," that every student must achieve to demonstrate proficiency. Teachers developed a yearlong assessment matrix that organized these standards into five instructional cycles and created common formative assessments to measure student learning throughout the year.

Beginning in the 2026–2027 school year, teachers across the district will implement these instructional cycles. Approximately every 25–30 instructional days, students will complete common formative assessments aligned to the essential standards. Following each assessment cycle, district grade-level teams will meet to analyze student data, celebrate successes, identify areas for growth, adjust instruction, and plan targeted supports to ensure all students continue progressing toward mastery.  In the spring of 2027, we will begin to replicate this process for mathematics in grades K-6.

CLIMB reflects our commitment to continuous improvement, collaborative professional learning, and high-quality instruction. By aligning curriculum, assessment, and instructional practices across the district, we are building a system that ensures every student has access to rigorous learning experiences and the support needed to achieve proficiency and beyond.

Our ultimate goal is simple: every student, in every classroom, mastering grade-level standards at the level of rigor required for success in school, college, career, and life.