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District reports incremental gains in early-grade math; middle-years progress remains uneven
Summary
Board received progress-monitoring reports on elementary third-grade math and middle-years math. Staff described interventions, coaching changes and collaborative planning; targets for some interim goals were identified as ambitious and board members asked for continued focus and resources
The Phoenix Elementary School District No. 1 governing board received progress-monitoring reports on elementary and middle-school mathematics goals and approved both reports.
The district framed two linked objectives: (1) increase third-grade AASA math pass rates from 29% (Aug. 2023 baseline) toward a 54% target by 2028, and (2) increase eighth-grade AASA pass rates toward a 38% target by 2028. Staff described incremental gains and strategies to accelerate progress, including expanded instructional coaching, more purposeful small-group intervention (Tier 2), curriculum fidelity and teacher collaboration.
Why it matters: both early-grade numeracy and middle-years mathematics are cited in the board’s strategic goals as key levers for long-term student outcomes. District staff said improving teacher capacity and ensuring consistent use of the adopted curriculum are priorities to lift student achievement across grades.
Elementary and early grades: Dr. Gonzalez and district leaders reported third-grade results rising from 29% to 32% on the AASA; the district has set interim fall-to-winter targets and emphasized math discourse, vocabulary routines and scaffolded small-group instruction. Dr. Lloyd, presenting on focus schools Emerson and Lowell, said the fall diagnostic shows low counts of students on grade but argued that small cohorts make percentage gains possible by moving one or two students: "On average, over the last 3 years, we had about 13% increase across the entire district over the last 3 years. So I do think this is within reach for us this year," he said.
Staff actions include revising the master-teacher role into instructional coaches, targeted professional development (including a "math boot camp" during fall break), coordinated work between math and special education coaches and structured collaborative team meetings for data analysis and planning.
Middle years: the report for middle-school math (board goal 5) showed more varied results. Presenters said some cohorts, particularly at Capital and Herrera, have doubled their fall starting percentages compared with prior years (for example, a cohort rising from 6% to 13% on the initial benchmark), but district leaders cautioned that the 2028 targets for those cohorts are ambitious and in some cases outside historical year-to-year gains. The district emphasized coaching in classrooms, lesson-study groups for middle-school math teachers and targeted interventions for students below grade level.
Board reaction and next steps: several board members asked whether interim percentage targets are realistic; staff explained the targets were set to push accelerated improvement but acknowledged some site targets are ambitious given recent trends. The board approved the progress-monitoring reports for board goal 2 (early grades) and board goal 5 (middle years) and directed staff to continue implementing coaching, intervention and curriculum coherence strategies. Staff said they will continue to bring updated benchmark data to future meetings.
