Alachua County schools report mixed summer ESY outcomes; board calls for stronger attendance push

Alachua County Public Schools staff told the school board at a Sept. 16 workshop that the district's 2025 extended school year (ESY) and credit-recovery programs produced uneven results, and board members urged staff to provide more student-level data and to develop an attendance campaign for the new school year.

"Our ESY program this summer kept our students engaged, reinforced core skills, and ensured continuation of learning to prevent summer slide," said Dr. McClooney, the curriculum presenter, as she summarized the districtwide effort that concentrated on literacy and targeted supports for exceptional education and English learners.

Board members and staff focused on three practical concerns: the district's stated key performance indicators (KPIs) versus actual outcomes; the relatively low percentage of third graders who earned "good cause" promotion after ESY; and attendance and follow-up for students who still require promotion or credit recovery.

What staff presented Dr. McClooney told the board ESY operated for 15 instructional days with an intensive literacy focus for elementary students, supplemental STEAM activities at non-Title I sites and credit-recovery ("CROP") options for middle and high school students. Teachers received districtwide ESY preplanning training on UFLI instruction, accommodations and technology.

Staff reported participation and outcomes on several KPIs (goals listed by the district) and the district's measured results: - Voluntary prekindergarten (June 11'July 31, Duval Early Learning Academy and Williger Elementary): KPI goal 75% at or above the 40th percentile; 60% met the benchmark. - State-mandated prekindergarten summer bridge (June 16'July 29): 67% of participants demonstrated at least a 50% increase on alphabet-knowledge measures. - Third-grade reading camp (mandated for third graders who had not met promotion requirements): KPI goal 75% good-cause promotion; 33% earned good-cause promotion at the end of ESY. Additional students later earned level 2 or higher on the July FAST assessment, bringing the district's total promotion rate to 65% when those results were included, staff said. - Title I extended school year (grades 1'2): KPI sought 100% of students to increase ISIP scale score by 5 points; 58% met the benchmark. - Kindergarten extended program: KPI 100% increase target; 63% met it. - STEAM (Childs, Hidden Oak, Meadowbrook, Talbot): KPI 100% increase target; 60% met it. - Middle school CROP: 196 students participated and earned a combined total of 147 half credits during the ESY period; adult high school co-enrollment served 403 students who earned 309 half credits. Staff reported 77% of participants earned a half credit with a C or higher.

Questions from the board and requested follow-up Board members asked for disaggregated data connecting promotion and credit outcomes to attendance, site-by-site participation and demographic information. Mr. Vu asked how staff planned to improve practice to meet KPIs and whether follow-up would be provided in workshops or in individual meetings; staff said they planned individual follow-ups and additional internal planning before returning with recommendations.

Dr. Rockwell questioned the KPI targets themselves, saying, "100% is perfection. Expecting that just seems like setting yourself up to not meet your own goals," and recommended comparing goal-setting approaches with other districts as the district establishes benchmarks for future summers.

Several board members pressed for school-level details about retained third graders. Staff said families were notified and that students could continue to test for promotion through Nov. 1; staff also said schools made phone calls, emails and letters to encourage participation and offered make-up or assessment-only opportunities for students who could not attend ESY.

Attendance campaign and next steps Multiple board members urged the district to develop a yearlong attendance campaign. A board member suggested charging Dr. Patton and the central team with creating an attendance initiative that would be launched during the school year; staff acknowledged the recommendation and said they would discuss campaign details with principals and communications staff.

Staff committed to provide more detailed enrollment and attendance cross-tabs, school-by-school promotion counts, and a full list of students promoted after the start of the school year. Board members asked for those data to be shared at a future data dialogue or as part of upcoming workshops and individual briefings.

Why it matters Third-grade promotion and credit recovery affect students' trajectories for promotion and graduation, and district leaders said the ESY effort provided a first year of internally consistent data to inform future targets and program design. Board members emphasized that improving summer and yearlong attendance and clarifying measurable, realistic KPIs should be priorities for the district going forward.

Staff thanked teachers, administrators, transportation and food-service staff for running ESY and said the district will use this year's data as a baseline for refining KPIs and operations in future summers.