District staff report progress for English learners but warn of chronic absenteeism and suspensions; parents push for outreach

District staff and parent leaders met in a multilingual-community session to review winter assessment results for English learners and discuss ways to increase parent participation and supports for students struggling with academic English.

Julie, a district staff member who presented the assessment slides, said the district—s winter data show more students moving into higher proficiency categories in reading and math compared with fall. "La meta número uno es de resultados académicos altos para todos. El segundo es equidad y acceso para todos nuestros estudiantes," Julie said, summarizing the district goals and the monitoring on the California dashboard.

The meeting focused on a subgroup often called "long-term English learners" —students who have received English-learning services for several years but have not yet been redesignated as proficient. Julie said the district is tracking those students closely and…