Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the English Learners topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District reports interim gains for English learners; board adopts progress monitoring report
Summary
Phoenix Elementary District trustees adopted an interim progress report showing English learners made measurable proficiency gains on interim assessments, and staff described targeted curriculum and interventions used to reach the goal.
Phoenix Elementary School District Superintendent Dr. Gonzales told the governing board on Feb. 18 that the district met its interim targets for English learners, and the board voted to adopt the student-outcomes progress monitoring report tracking Board Goal 3.
The report—presented to the board by district assessment staff and school leaders—shows the district hit its interim target for students receiving English language services to improve at least one English-language proficiency level on interim assessments administered in August and again in January. "We exceeded our target of 27%. We hit 30%," Dr. Lloyd said during the presentation, referring to the December/January reading benchmark results.
Why it matters: Board Goal 3 tracks growth for students receiving English language services with a five-year target (increase from 32% proficiency in August 2023 to 50% by August 2028). Interim success on the goal indicates the district's current interventions are having measurable short-term effect ahead of the full AZELLA results later in the year.
District staff described multiple inputs they say contributed to the gains: targeted EL interventionists on campuses, newly developed curriculum maps aligned to English language proficiency standards, interim assessments in multiple domains, and professional collaboration among interventionists across schools. The presentations said the district used AIMSweb Plus for kindergarten and first grade and the i-Ready reading diagnostic for grades 2–8 to screen and measure interim growth; AZELLA remains the summative measure.
Principal Travis of Garth Elementary detailed classroom-level implementation of a new 3D English curriculum and showed before-and-after student writing examples the school used to illustrate gains in sentence structure, transitional phrases and organization. Staff said the curriculum emphasizes reading, writing, speaking and listening with built-in checks that mimic AZELLA item types.
Presenters also noted remaining gaps. Staff said most disaggregated groups met interim targets, but the African American subgroup did not meet acceleration expectations on one of the measures. District leaders flagged students who receive both English language services and exceptional student services (special education) as a subgroup requiring further study to determine appropriate identification and supports.
Board discussion emphasized celebration of the work while noting areas for continued focus. Board President Jessica Bueno moved to adopt the student outcomes progress monitoring report for Board Interim Goal 3; Vice President Carmen Trujillo seconded. Roll-call votes were recorded as: Jessica Bueno — Aye; Erica De La Rosa — Aye; Carmen Trujillo — Aye; Erica O'Valle — Aye. The motion carried.
Staff and board members described next steps: continue interim monitoring ahead of AZELLA in May, expand targeted curriculum resources, and analyze ESS identification overlaps with EL status to fine-tune interventions.
The presentation included comments from a student representative of the Superintendent's Student Leadership Advisory Council. "I really enjoy being a part of the superintendent's student leadership advisory council," Samantha Huzzah said, describing student-facing digital citizenship work that district leaders cited as part of broader student engagement efforts.
The board adopted the progress monitoring report during the meeting; district staff will return with additional monitoring data later in the school year.
