District 25 leaders report mixed midyear assessment results; chronic absenteeism rises to about 18%

District 25 leadership reviewed midyear diagnostic data and progress monitoring during the February DLT meeting and reported mixed results: pockets of growth in mathematics and special education, incremental gains for some subgroups, but the district is not yet meeting its midyear growth targets.

The presenter said the district’s goal was roughly a 5% overall increase this year and 10% growth for subgroups; while some measures improved, those targets had not been met. The presenter noted that, when English-language-learners (children enrolled five months or less) are removed, approximately 79.8% of second-graders were reading on or above grade level, a figure district leaders said still leaves room to grow. The district emphasized decodable-text implementation, use of foundational reading programs and examining MTSS tiered interventions to ensure they are effective for students who receive tier 2 and tier 3 supports.

Multiple DLT members urged disaggregating the data by school and grade to find root causes. Sharnette (DLT member) said that aggregated district numbers can obscure school-level pockets of need and urged leaders to “peel the onion” for root-cause analysis. Rob (DLT member) and others reported seeing growth in math in some schools, and leaders said they will continue training and school-based coaching; the district is working with researcher/practitioner Wiley Blevins to support early-reading implementation.

Attendance was a separate concern. The presenter said overall daily attendance dipped from above 95% early in the year to just above 94% and that chronic absenteeism had climbed to nearly 18%. The meeting identified multiple contributing factors: seasonal illnesses among staff and students and, separately, families’ fear related to recent immigration enforcement coverage. Rob said targeted outreach to families in affected communities — including messaging from staff who share families’ languages — helped bring some students back. District staff said they have four attendance teachers assigned to make home visits and follow up on prolonged absences.

Central-office monitoring and compliance items were also discussed. Gus (school-improvement representative) told the DLT all District 25 CEPs (Comprehensive Educational Plans) were approved and available on iPlan; he urged schools to complete required DCP/iPlan progress-monitoring fields so central can avoid compliance-generated lists. He also confirmed there were no additional state-identified schools in the district under the latest accountability measures.

Why it matters: assessment results and attendance are primary drivers of instruction, staffing and resource decisions. DLT members asked for school-level disaggregation and continued progress-monitoring entries in iPlan; they directed attendance follow-up and parent outreach in areas with elevated chronic absenteeism.

Less-critical details: the district has about 6,500 students identified as English-language learners; summer rising application dates and program schedules were shared elsewhere in the meeting.