Preliminary ACCESS results show district gains in English‑learner progress, department reports

Department staff presented preliminary results from the 2025 ACCESS English language proficiency assessment and said the district saw progress in multiple domains and in progress-target measures.

"This year, we have seen slight increases in the average in every single domain," said the ML department lead, reporting that the district tested 5,795 students on regular ACCESS and 98 on alternate ACCESS, with a preliminary participation rate of 94 percent expected to rise to about 98–99 percent when final results are posted in the summer.

The presentation explained DESE calculates individual progress targets for each student; district-level results reported for the meeting showed 38.7 percent of K–8 EL students met their targets (up from 31.4 percent in 2024), exceeding the district accountability target of 33 percent. At the high school level, 12 percent of EL students met their targets (up from 8.8 percent in 2024) against a target of 10.1 percent.

DESE exit criteria for redesignation were cited: an overall score of 4.2 and a literacy score of 3.9 (reading + writing). The district reported 8.1 percent of EL students met exit criteria this year (up from 6 percent). K–8 exit rate was 8.8 percent (up 2.3 points) while the high school exit rate was 2.4 percent (up 0.5 points).

Department staff said schools that declined will be studied to identify causes and that professional development and sheltered English immersion strategies are planned to strengthen instruction for newcomers and across content areas. Final ACCESS scores will be published by DESE in August.