At the Mountain View–Los Altos board meeting on Sept. 29, district staff presented three informational reports: ninth‑grade math placement data (compliance with Senate Bill 359), an annual review of AP participation and results, and an update on A‑G completion and graduation rates. Trustees and staff discussed pathways, inequities and possible interventions including summer support for students who need preparatory work before high school.

Associate Superintendent Terry Faught presented the math placement report, which the district compiled at the six‑week mark. Faught said the highest‑enrolled freshman course was Algebra II Honors (about 30% of freshmen) and a close second was Algebra I (about 29%). Disaggregation showed that Algebra II Honors enrollment is concentrated among Asian and white students, while Algebra I includes a higher proportion of minority students.

“Part of our work … is to ensure that our math students are appropriately placed,” Faught said, describing the district’s eighth‑grade articulation process with middle schools and early‑term formative assessments that allow teachers to advance students whose placement appears inappropriate.

Faught also reported compliance work under Senate Bill 359 and described that integrated and co‑taught classes have increased. He noted that the number of students in specialized SAI math classes has decreased as co‑teaching increased, and promised the board follow‑up data on the number of co‑taught sections.

The presentation on college and career readiness covered AP access and outcomes, A‑G completion and graduation. Key figures included:
- AP testers: 2,132 students took AP exams out of 3,229 students in grades 10–12 (about 66%); average exams per tester rose toward 2.5.
- AP exam outcomes: 5,375 exams were administered and 93% scored 3 or higher, yielding 4,986 exams with passing scores.
- A‑G completion: district A‑G completion rose to 82% from 78% the prior year; notable subgroup changes included an 11‑point rise for students with disabilities, a 5‑point increase for AVID students and a 3‑point decline for low‑income students.
- Graduation: overall graduation rate reported at 98.4%; Faught noted the need to interpret newcomer and AB 2121 cases (students who may require a fifth year) carefully because state dashboard reporting can temporarily depress year‑to‑year percentages.

Faught identified common A‑G bottlenecks: math (students failing to complete three years of math at a C or better), English (some juniors/seniors receiving a D and not retaking for grade recovery), and world language completion. He recommended stronger earlier monitoring and interventions so counselors and teachers can offer remediation or summer/alternative options before students reach their senior year.

Trustees asked when early intervention should occur. Terry Faught and site staff said interventions begin in ninth grade: low GPA, D/F patterns and early warning signs should trigger supports. Trustees also discussed expanding remedial or preparatory summer offerings. Trustee Catherine suggested a summer “math camp” or boot camp focused on basic numeracy and algebra readiness; trustees asked staff to explore feasibility and potential costs and locations such as middle‑school campuses.

Board members and staff discussed AP participation and pressure to take multiple AP courses. Faught said district counseling uses time‑budget worksheets and parent/student counseling to discourage students from overloading, but acknowledged peer and parental pressure remains a challenge.

Ending: Staff will provide follow‑up data on co‑taught sections, more detailed analysis of students missing a‑g credits (including the roughly 34 seniors who were a semester short), and an estimate for a summer preparatory program; trustees asked for options and cost estimates for agenda consideration.