La Jolla ISD officials told the districtoard of Trustees at a regular meeting that district accountability and STA(R)-era results fell in the most recent cycle and described a multi-pronged plan to raise student outcomes.

Superintendent Sorensen and Dr. Little, the districthief of academics and school leadership, presented the results and the district
ction plan, saying the districtell to a final accountability score of 78 (a C) from 84 (a B) the previous year and that the decline reflects lingering effects from COVID-era learning loss and uneven implementation of new curricula.

Why it matters: Board members were shown campus- and grade-level STAR data that, district leaders said, reveal declining percentages of students meeting grade-level expectations in multiple tested subjects and grade spans. District leaders said the losses require an urgent, coherent response across curriculum, classroom practice and school leadership.

Most important facts
- The districtinal score for the accountability cycle presented was 78 (C), down from 84 (B) the prior year. Dr. Little said the district
chievement score was 74, academic growth 61, domain 2b (relative performance) 82 and closing-the-gaps 69; the final rating is the weighted combination of those measures.
- Third-grade reading "meets" was cited at 45 percent in 2024 and at 41 percent in the latest year (a four-point drop), Dr. Little said. The district missed its third-grade reading target of 42 percent by one point.
- Math and high-school measures also declined in many grades; the districtell short of a math target of 36 percent (ending at 35), and district college/career measures (CCMR) fell from about 92 percent to about 90 percent.
- Two campuses remained at an F rating (Seguin and Garza); Garza rose from a 53 to a 59 but remained an F, officials said. Seven campuses showed year-over-year improvement, including Camarena Elementary, which earned or maintained an A and all distinctions.

What leaders said
- Dr. Little, chief of academics and school leadership, summarized the data and framed the decline as the result of multiple years of sliding performance and implementation issues after COVID: "We are not there yet."
- Superintendent Sorensen told the board, "We own the dip," adding the district acted intentionally last year when it adopted new curricula and instructional expectations: "This isn't something that we are experimenting on children."
- Principal Herrera of Palm View High School and Miss Crespo described coaching and system-learning work the district pursued (including a leadership visit to a Harvard program) and said change requires time and supports for staff.

Planned actions and timeline
- Managed instructional foundation and lesson structure: District leaders described a clearly articulated lesson structure (activate student learning, explicit instruction, interactive and independent practice, demonstration of learning and closure) and said HQIM (high-quality instructional materials) must be taught with "implementation integrity" not just fidelity to materials.
- Frequent common assessments and spot checks: The district will use common unit assessments and conduct regular spot checks so leadership and teachers can identify gaps and respond during the school year rather than only at year end.
- Central-office and principal coaching: Central-office teams will visit campuses six times per year to monitor instruction on consistent metrics; principals will receive calibrated feedback to coach teachers.
- Tiered supports: The district said supports will be differentiated by campus need (more intensive interventions for the highest-need campuses) and that coaches and curricular partners will work alongside teachers.

Evidence and limits
- Officials repeatedly cautioned that some 2025 values were preliminary estimates (TAPR/estimated STAR results) and final TAPR data would be available in October or November. When a precise number was not available in the presentation, officials said it was "estimated" or "not final."
- Dr. Little acknowledged the district had over-relied on supplemental digital resources last year (Lexia, Zearn, Mathia), sometimes substituting those programs for teacher-led small-group instruction; the district plans to rebalance time so teachers provide the essential small-group work.

Voices from the meeting
- Superintendent Sorensen: "We own the dip."
- Dr. Little (chief of academics and school leadership): "We are not there yet."
- Principal Herrera (Palm View High School): described the "elbow" chart metaphor of moving from doing the wrong things well to doing the right things well.

Next steps and board oversight
- The district said it will present further details, including how it will differentiate supports by campus quartile, at future board meetings and will report progress to the board as central-office teams complete their six reviews each year.
- TEA conservator Dr. Diana Barrera told the board she provides oversight ("oversight, not supervision") and that exit criteria for governance, finance and academics include dozens of discrete activities; the TEA document shows many items "in progress" and noted one academics measure (eliminating campuses rated below a C) as off track.

Ending note
Board members thanked district leaders for transparency and for a five-year strategic plan intended to guide work toward higher ratings and deeper student readiness; leaders emphasized this was a multi-year turnaround effort, not a short-term change of tactics.