Santa Rita Union Elementary reports midyear academic, English‑learner and student‑support data; outlines mental‑health and attendance steps

Santa Rita Union Elementary School District staff presented a midyear review of student performance and support work at a board workshop, reporting modest winter diagnostic gains at some sites while noting continued gaps in math and among students multiple years behind grade level.

Becky Moore, assistant superintendent of educational services, told trustees the presentation was a “midyear check” ahead of spring summative assessments and that some of the instructional interventions being used this year only started this fall. Moore said last spring’s statewide dashboard showed 26 percent of district students met or exceeded standards in English language arts and 15 percent met or exceeded standards in math. She emphasized that the dashboard figures are prior‑year summative results and that the district is tracking i‑Ready local diagnostics to measure current year progress.

Moore described school‑level variation: McKinnon and New Republic each have multiple special day class (SDC) placements and lower percentages meeting standard; JGMS showed gains in math; and Santa Rita Elementary had relatively low midyear placement but notable growth from fall to winter on the district i‑Ready winter diagnostic. “I think that shows that the work that Santa Rita is doing this year is having an impact on student growth,” Moore said.

District staff explained how i‑Ready measures both “midpoint” progress (typical growth toward grade‑level benchmarks) and the distance from standard (how far a student is behind grade level). Moore and a trustee noted that a student who makes “typical growth” may still be multiple grade levels behind, and the district uses stretch‑growth targets for students who need to make more than one year’s growth in a year.

English learners and reclassification

The district reported 1,315 English learners currently enrolled. Moore said 219 English learners also have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), 55 are newcomers, 49 are long‑term ELs…