District leaders outline math ‘incomplete’ remediation effort after winter term; 89% of students who used program passed

Del Oro High School and district staff reported to the Placer Union High School District board that an intensive winter-break and early‑spring intervention helped many students who finished a term with math incompletes demonstrate proficiency and move on to the next course.

Assistant principal Nick Zuerwas and instructional staff described a short-term campaign that started after the fall term: teachers identified students with incompletes in Integrated Math (I‑Math) courses, staff uploaded targeted ALEKS practice modules aligned to the missing proficiencies, and the district set aside intervention time (learning-commons blocks and flex periods) staffed by administrators and trained student tutors.

"We uploaded all 116 students who had gotten an incomplete in math into ALEKS classes and then initiated communication with those students and families so that they could use winter break to practice the skills," said a district math lead presenting the timeline. Staff said 67 of those students logged in over winter break, then spent sessions in the learning commons in early spring with peer tutors and teachers. The board heard teacher testimony that the ALEKS modules and in-person reteach sessions allowed students to rehearse specific skills; teachers said the model reduced workload pressure by centralizing make-up work outside individual classrooms.

Del Oro staff reported that, for the fall‑to‑spring cycle described, 103 students who had incompletes completed the work and earned a grade of C or better — an 89 percent conversion rate for the incompletes the district targeted. Students and tutors gave first‑person accounts: Peyton Spalding, a Del Oro sophomore, said she completed modules and testing in the learning commons and passed modules with scores in the 90s. A student tutor said peer-to-peer help was “incredibly rewarding” and often more relatable to struggling classmates.

Teachers told the board they still face scheduling and instructional challenges in the district’s 4x4 schedule model, where a rapidly paced 18‑week term can leave students behind; several trustees asked district staff to track longer‑term outcomes for students who completed incompletes to see whether they stay on pace in subsequent math courses. District staff said they plan to expand summer remediation and prepare more SBAC/ALEKS‑aligned modules for broader use.

The board did not take action on the instructional presentation that night, but trustees praised the collaboration among teachers, counselors, tutors and administrators. Staff said they will return with follow-up data tracking the academic progress of students who used the intervention.