MVLA officials report steady AP gains, highlight gaps for English learners and students with disabilities

Terry, a district presenter, told the Mountain View–Los Altos Union High School District Board of Trustees the district is “flying high in the blue category of preparing our students for college and career,” citing California Dashboard indicators that combine AP participation, A–G completion, CTE pathway completers, and other measures.

The California Dashboard snapshot, Terry said, shows increases in several measures but also persistent gaps. “We have 3 subpopulations that are in the orange — our Latino population, our long‑term English learners, and our students with disabilities,” Terry said, and noted those groups receive targeted interventions.

Why it matters: The Dashboard colors are a shorthand for complex two‑year comparisons that weigh absolute scores and year‑to‑year improvement. Board members pressed staff for specifics about which student groups are being left behind and what the district will change this year to narrow disparities.

District data presented by Terry showed AP participation and pass rates rising over the past five years: a greater share of students take AP exams and the share passing with scores of 3 or higher has increased. “The fact that we’re increasing the number of students taking AP tests and exams, and equally, the number of students passing, is a big accolade,” Terry said, while also warning against encouraging students to take more APs than they can balance.

At the same time, Terry reported that only about 41 percent of designated English learners made progress toward proficiency on the ELPAC this year — students move from one level to the next — and long‑term English learners (LTELs) make progress at lower rates. “We have roughly around 33, 34 percent of our LTELs making progress,” Terry said, describing LTELs as students who have not reclassified after six or more years in U.S. schools.

Board members asked for more disaggregated and comparative data. One trustee requested opt‑out rates for SBAC testing by subgroup, noting: “If the problem is that we’re not testing 90 percent of students with disabilities and that’s why we’re getting dinged, that’s a different problem than if we are testing them and they’re scoring low.” Terry replied that opt‑out breakdowns will be available after testing concludes in late spring.

Staff described several near‑term actions: modifying test schedules to reduce opt‑outs, teaching students to use embedded test supports, and expanding professional development around “constructing meaning,” a language routines approach used districtwide. For English learners, staff said methods include vertical alignment of ELD instructional materials and pulling LTELs into targeted tutorial time to prepare for the ELPAC oral/listening passages.

On multi‑tiered systems of support (MTSS) and co‑teaching, staff reported expansion of co‑taught classes to provide access to A–G courses for students with disabilities. A trustee asked whether the district has enough co‑taught sections to allow students with disabilities to meet A–G graduation requirements; staff said they will return with counts and recommended next steps, and emphasized that quantity alone does not guarantee quality.

In the midyear Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) update, Eric — who presented the district’s midyear LCAP snapshot — said the two district goals are to “cultivate an inclusive classroom that fosters respect [and] equitable learning” and to “strengthen MTSS to enhance academic success and career readiness.” Eric described the midyear report as a progress snapshot; some metrics and expenditures remain incomplete because the year is not finished.

Trustees asked for clarified targets and for staff to revise desired outcomes where the district has already exceeded initial year‑by‑year goals. Eric said staff will update targets in the full end‑of‑year LCAP presented in June.

Board members and staff agreed on follow‑up items: provide opt‑out rates by subgroup after SBAC, return with counts of co‑taught sections and plans for ensuring those classes support A–G completion, and supply the LCAP midyear metrics with revised targets where warranted.

Ending: District leaders characterized the results as mixed — strong districtwide indicators and AP outcomes alongside clear, concentrated gaps for LTELs and students with disabilities — and committed to returning with more disaggregated evidence and specific implementation plans in spring and at the June LCAP adoption.