C-STEM is a vital program that prepares our students for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. By engaging them in coding, robotics, mathematics, and problem-solving, we are developing their critical thinking skills, creativity, and collaboration. These are the skills that will make them successful in college, career, and life.
--- Dr. Alfonso Jiménez, Superintendent, Hacienda La Puente Unified School District, CA
Webinar: Transformative Learning in K-12 Math with C-STEM
Wednesday, February 5, 2025 from 11am-12pm
This webinar "Transformative Learning in K-12 Math with C-STEM," sponsored by the California Department of Education and UC Davis C-STEM Center, highlighted the outstanding work of Hacienda La Puente Unified School District. The panelists included Nancy Loera, a member of the HLPUSD Board; Alfonso Jiménez, Ed.D., Superintendent; Dr. Rosa Perez-Isiah, Assistant Superintendent of Education Services; Joanne Chan, Coordinator of Education Services; and teachers Imelda Rodriguez and Kien To, previous recipients of the C-STEM Teacher of the Year award. The webinar was moderated by Mary Nicely, the Chief Deputy Superintendent of the California Department of Education. The panelists shared their C-STEM journey and successes, as well as how the district school board, administrators, and teachers working together to transform Math and STEAM education with coding and robotics through both academic and summer programs. The dedication of C-STEM teachers, combined with strong leadership and support from HLPUSD board, has led to an impressive transformation in student outcomes.
Success Story: C-STEM Math Program Produces 344% Improvement in 6th Grade Students Meeting or Exceeding State Math Standards
Hear the teachers themselves talk about their work and results in the above video (starting at the 29:13 mark)
A 6th Grade Math class in Hacienda La Puente USD, taught by Mr. Kien To, showed an incredible year-over-year improvement in math scores on the state test when using the C-STEM Program. As 5th graders in 2022-2023, only 16% of the students met or exceeded the expected standard on the state test. The next year, the same students were 6th graders in a C-STEM math class, and 71% of the students met or exceeded the state standards at the end of the year. Of the students in the class, 94% are Hispanic or Latino. And one RSP student in the class improved from Not Met Standards to Exceeded Standards. The increase from 16% to 71% represents a 344% increase in students meeting or exceeding the standard!

Success Story: C-STEM Math Program Produces 77.5% Improvement in 3rd Grade NWEA MAP Math Scores in One Semester
Mrs. Imelda Rodriguez's 2023-2024 3rd grade class observed similar improvements. After the implementation of the C-STEM program, 60% of students met or exceeded the state math standard. Average NWEA scores over the year increased from 52% to 78%, showing a 26% increase in scores for the class. In Mrs. Rodriguez's 3rd grade class the following year (2024-2025), average scores improved by 77.5% in just one semester. At the beginning of Fall 2024, the class average was only 40%, compared to Winter 2025, where the average was 71%!
Through the implementation of the C-STEM program and the hard work and dedication of Mrs. Rodriguez and her class, students were able to improve their test scores and demonstrate significant achievements.



(More C-STEM Math Success Stories can be found here.)
View HLPUSD C-STEM Connection Fall 2024 Newsletter
Los Altos Elementary School Hacienda La Puente USD Received the C-STEM Distinguished School Award in 2024
Success Story: Los Altos Elementary School in Hacienda La Puente USD Reached Nearly 100% Homework Completion Rate in Distance Learning During the Pandemic
For distance learning during the pandemic, the C-STEM work was the most successful work we did with our students. Completion rates with the C-STEM curriculum were near 100% in classes compared to most other assignments, which would vary from 30 to 70% completion.
— Rosalie Sinapi, Principal, Los Altos Elementary School
I like how I can use the curriculum to integrate coding and hands-on math to bring math alive for the students …Fun, exciting, and lots of opportunities for kids to learn from their mistakes.
— Catherine Ouellette, K-2 Teacher, Lassalette Elementary School
Hacienda La Puente Unified School District (HLPUSD) has been successfully implementing the C-STEM program since 2019. Hacienda La Puente is a district of 17,000 students in the Los Angeles area, with 78% of its students being Hispanic/Latinx and another 15% Asian. Approximately three-quarters of the student population is eligible for a free or reduced-fee lunch program. The district began the C-STEM program at the middle school and high school levels and found it “engaging” and “very rewarding” for their students, helping build their math skills and confidence. It therefore expanded the program to the elementary level during the 2020-2021 school year, with 23 teachers participating.
Assistant Superintendent Fancher is “very pleased with the rigor and hands-on nature of the program” and notes that the district’s “goal is to provide all of our students with 13 years of integrated hands-on learning of math with coding and robotics.” They are therefore adding 26 additional teachers to the C-STEM program in the 2021-2022 academic year.
Los Altos Elementary School has a success story on engaging student learning during the pandemic. In 2020-21, the C-STEM Mathematics with Robotics and CS/STEAM with Robotics curriculum was implemented in all classrooms from kindergarten through second grade, as well as one fifth grade class. Nine Los Altos teachers attended C-STEM’s online summer professional development classes, along with other teachers from the district, with follow-up PD sessions and ongoing support from the C-STEM Center during the school year. Teachers also participated as panelists and presenters at the 2020 C-STEM Annual Conference and the 2021 C-STEM Symposium.
During the 2020-21 school year about 270 students at Los Alto Elementary learned Math/CS/STEAM using the C-STEM program. Principal Rosalie Sinapi of Los Altos Elementary noted the significant improvement in student engagement and motivation: “For distance learning during the pandemic, the C-STEM work was the most successful work we did with our students. Completion rates with the C-STEM curriculum were near 100% in classes compared to most other assignments, which would vary from 30 to 70% completion. The teachers were able to hook students virtually, and although our students did not get to hold the robot hardware themselves during the distance learning, they cheered and found success in remotely sending their code to teachers who would demonstrate how the program looked and what the robots could do for the students. The C-STEM experience has transformed the lives of our students during the hardest year we have had in education. It gets them excited about learning math and problem-solving skills. It was the highlight of the year!“
Los Altos Elementary will be building on this success by expanding its C-STEM program to the third grade level for the 2021-22 school year. And district-wide, Assistant Superintendent Fancher looks forward “to continue transforming our traditional math curriculum into hands-on integrated math education with computing at the elementary level.”
The video below on Transforming K-2 Math/CS/STEAM Education with Coding and Robotics shows how the program engages and motivates both students and teachers, even at the lowest grade levels and in a distance learning context, and with the capability of learning in both English and Spanish:
And this companion video below shows how they are using the program in their upper grades to close the achievement gap: