Tolleson Union board hears WestEd curriculum review and three-year plan to align standards and assessments

Tolleson Union High School District staff presented a district-wide curriculum update Tuesday, reporting that a WestEd review completed in 2023–24 recommended deeper curriculum alignment and a multi-year plan to raise student outcomes.

Why it matters: The review and follow-up work shape classroom instruction, assessments and intervention strategies across the district’s five high schools. Staff said the work is intended to improve graduation rates, growth and college- and career-readiness metrics.

What staff presented Dr. Aaron Shorts, executive director of school leadership, introduced the curriculum update and invited instructional coordinators and teachers to share progress. Staff said the WestEd review began in August 2023 and continued through May 2024 and produced multiple recommendations; the board presentation focused on Recommendation 2, the curriculum work.

District staff described a three-year implementation plan. Year 1 emphasized identifying “essential standards” across content areas; staff said all content areas identified essential standards at the end of the first year. Year 2 focused on intervention planning: the district is working on “how we will respond to students who do not master those essential standards.” Presenters described building scope-and-sequence documents, refining unit organization, developing performance assessments (including writing assessments), and aligning end-of-course assessments and finals to Arizona standards and to district expectations.

Wendy Davie, director of educational data and innovation, presented historical state data and described how the district will use graduation, growth and college- and career-readiness indicators to monitor progress. Davie told the board that a recent state legislative change (referred to in the presentation as House Bill 2402) provided a waiver affecting assignment of letter grades for 2021 as the state recovered from the pandemic; she said the district will use multiple indicators, including cohort graduation rates, to track improvement.

Teachers and coordinators who contributed said they focused this summer on reordering curriculum to match essential standards, creating multiple-choice and performance assessments aligned to those standards, and reviewing whether assessments measure both content and the skill elements of standards. One presenter noted continuity in the district’s curriculum team as enabling sustained progress compared with systems that experience high staff turnover.

Inclusion and special programs Presenters said the work includes English learners (EL), students receiving special education services (ESS), and students across all settings; the goal is to ensure equitable access to the aligned curriculum. A staff member described an ESS-focused team that collaborates with general education to provide access to core resources and aligned assessments.

Questions and next steps Board members and the superintendent were invited to ask questions after the presentation; staff opened the floor to issues and said the district will continue work on interventions and professional learning communities. Staff thanked teachers and coordinators and asked those present to stand to be recognized.

Ending The district framed the work as an ongoing, multi-year effort to improve outcomes through standards alignment, assessment refinement and targeted interventions; staff said further updates will be delivered as implementation continues.