San Cayetano Elementary School leaders told the Santa Cruz Valley Unified District governing board on Jan. 14 that a drop in the school's state letter grade reflects lower proficiency levels and higher chronic absenteeism, and described a multi-pronged plan to accelerate student growth.

The school’s presenter, identified in the meeting as Miss Sandria, described minimally proficient rates that drove the lower score and said staff will prioritize moving students from “minimally proficient to proficient.” Sarah Boswell, the district’s new instructional coach, was introduced during the presentation and credited with helping teachers adopt new curriculum and practices.

School leaders said the decline centres on two measurable areas: proficiency and significant growth (acceleration). The presentation showed many students categorized as minimally proficient and noted chronic absenteeism jumped sharply year to year. The presenter said the school did not receive points for the acceleration metric because the minimally proficient percentage rose from 57% to about 61% compared with the previous year.

To address the issues, leaders described several actions already underway or planned: adopting a new ELA curriculum and a new math curriculum that the staff said is now in its third year of use; scheduling dedicated two‑hour data team meetings and two‑hour, assessment‑specific data days to produce action steps for classroom practice; implementing prescriptive reading interventions tied to DIBELS/Amplify; creating a yearlong intervention schedule with no cancellations; adopting “stretch” growth goals in I‑Ready (more ambitious than typical annual growth); expanding tutoring by skill across grades; and shifting family engagement events (for example, combining Title I information with a Reading Under the Stars evening) to give parents tools to support early reading.

The presenter also acknowledged teacher turnover — including multiple teacher changes in a single fifth‑grade classroom last year — and said turnover affected continuity and instruction. Board members and the presenter discussed supports for new and early‑career teachers. Superintendent‑level staff described a planned new TLA (teacher leadership/assistance) position focused on first‑ and second‑year teachers and long‑term substitutes to provide coaching and reduce churn; board members said they had supported the new job description earlier.

Board members asked about teacher buy‑in, turnover rates and MAP/I‑Ready data. The presenter said the school is emphasizing early grades (K–2) to build foundational reading skills, and that progress monitoring and prescriptive intervention have already produced gains in kindergarten. The presenter noted parents and staff have been engaged through site council and family events and that site staff share midyear data with families and teachers.

The board did not take an action vote on the presentation; it was received as information. School leaders asked for continued board support and invited members to visit the site as the interventions continue.

Board members praised the presentation and encouraged continuation of the new practices and family engagement strategies.