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Board hears attendance gains and AzELLA gains; public commenters urge sharper action on proficiency and virtual access
Summary
Mesa Public Schools reported modest improvements in average daily attendance and in AzELLA outcomes for English‑learner students, while public commenters pressed the board for a more decisive plan to improve overall proficiency in core subjects and for better access to virtual meetings and district communications.
District leaders told trustees Tuesday that average daily attendance and English‑learner proficiency as measured by the Arizona English Language Learner Assessment (AzELLA) showed incremental improvements, and trustees discussed strategies to continue the gains.
Chief academic staff reported that average daily attendance (ADA) has crept upward over the past two years and that chronic absenteeism measures — the share of students absent 10% or more and those absent 18 days or more — have declined slightly. Presenters cautioned that moving district‑wide percentages is slow when a system serves tens of thousands of students and said staff are focusing on engagement, sense of belonging and school‑level interventions.
On AzELLA, district officials reported gradual increases in the share of English‑learner students advancing one or more proficiency levels and a rise in the number reclassifying as proficient. Staff credited targeted professional learning, additional certified EL supports and family‑focused programming, including community‑education adult English classes and a family‑literacy program in Title I schools.
Public comment preceding the presentations reflected community concern about low proficiency levels. Mark Kimball, a community member, told the board that "over 60 percent" of students lack proficiency in ELA and math and only "18 percent" of high‑schoolers are proficient in Arizona science; he urged the board to produce "a decisive plan" and called for stronger accountability. Other commenters thanked retiring Superintendent Dr. Forliss for her service and commended improvements in community engagement.
Trustees asked staff for additional disaggregated data and for follow‑up analyses to understand whether chronically absent students who miss substantial time are nonetheless advancing in courses. Trustees also discussed the role of parent groups and school‑level attendance teams in outreach and interventions and asked staff to coordinate messaging through parent councils and family support specialists.
District staff said attendance work is being embedded in school priorities and will be part of school‑level performance indicators and administrative expectations for the coming year. Trustees asked for continued attention to attendance interventions, parent engagement and measures that link attendance improvements to academic outcomes.
Provenance: - topicintro: transcript block s=10131.735 — "Our presentation tonight is on attendance linking to our board goals of increasing proficiency and graduation rates." - topfinish: transcript block s=11316.715 — "Thank you all. Thank you Doctor. Gibbs. We appreciate it, you being here."
