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Fourteen ‘intensive’ Mesa schools show widespread progress after targeted improvement cycle
Summary
District staff and principals reported measurable gains across the 14 schools identified for intensive support; math pass rates improved at 11 of 14 schools, and all campuses showed growth on at least one below‑proficiency metric after a coordinated cycle of root‑cause analysis, action planning and coaching.
District teaching-and-learning staff told the governing board that focused school‑improvement work last year produced improvements across most schools the district labeled “intensive.” The effort combined data analysis, root-cause work, unit and intentional planning, and coaching to lift Tier‑1 instruction.
“We created intentional planning documents and used walk‑through feedback so teachers could improve tier‑1 delivery,” said Annie Ergison, principal at Redbird Elementary, summarizing the campus approach. She described regular planning time, focused walkthroughs by administrators and coaches, and teacher feedback cycles that developed “a culture of learning” among staff.
At Poston Junior High, principal Mike Rapira said teams broke down departmental silos and used a dedicated intervention window for reteach. “We created smaller cohorts of students so that we could really focus in on knowing each individual student by name and serving them by strength and need,” Rapira said.
District staff reported the following headline results for the 14 intensive schools: five schools met the ELA pass-rate goal and three more showed progress (57% of schools improving on ELA pass rates); 11 schools met the math pass-rate goal and two more made progress (about 93% of schools improving or meeting the math target); and all 14 schools showed growth on below‑proficiency measures in one or both subjects.
How it worked: schools performed a multi-step process — data diagnosis, SMART goals, a five‑why root‑cause analysis, a theory of action, an action plan with owners and dates, and resource alignment (people and Title funding). District directors and specialists joined planning sessions, provided targeted feedback and used a one‑point rubric so schools could track progress between steps. After initial piloting with the intensive schools, the district scaled the model to all K–8 campuses in late winter.
Next steps: district staff said they will continue intensive coaching and will deepen the work through a Project Momentum cohort of 10 campuses this year that will focus on collaborative teams, backward design and standards‑aligned instruction. The district will also expand professional learning and continue to align instructional coaches and related services to campuses.
