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Mountain View Elementary outlines plan to raise third-grade ELA scores, reduce chronic absenteeism
Summary
Mountain View Elementary Principal LaSandra Ness presented a school improvement plan that seeks to lift third-grade SBA ELA outcomes to 57.7% next year through targeted interventions, Sunrise Scholars morning sessions and student goal-setting, and to reduce chronic absenteeism through weekly monitoring and monthly in-class celebrations.
LaSandra Ness, Mountain View Elementary’s principal, told the Shelton School District board that staff have identified targeted interventions and student groups they believe can be moved to higher proficiency levels and set an ambitious ELA goal for next year.
"We have roughly a little bit over 500 students and a little bit over 60 staff," Ness said, noting the school’s student composition and needs: roughly 70% free or reduced-price lunch, about 30% students with individualized education programs and nearly 1% identified as highly capable.
Ness reviewed outcomes from the 2024 school year. Mountain View’s third-grade students met the SBA ELA target at 34.2% last year, below a previously set goal of 42%. For the coming year, the school set a target of 57.7% and described a package of steps intended to reach it: teacher-led data dives to identify 7–12 students per class who could move to level 3 or 4, the Sunrise Scholars intervention at 7:45 a.m. for word-work and comprehension, regular interim assessments (MAPs, DIBELS), monthly data-team meetings and student-facing goal graphs for literacy growth.
On attendance, Ness said the school aims to increase the share of students attending 90% or more of the school year from 364 to 424 by June through weekly attendance monitoring, staff calls to families after two absences in a week, and monthly classroom celebrations (e.g., otter pops, pencils, bracelets) for students with low monthly absences.
Why it matters: Mountain View serves a high-need population and is focusing on aligned, data-driven interventions and family engagement to improve both literacy and attendance — two measures the administration and the board identified as critical to longer-term student success.
Board members praised the Sunrise Scholars program and classroom-based celebrations and asked about links between attendance initiatives and family supports. Ness said staff use an attendance tracker at conferences to show families how absences accumulate and that the school pairs attendance work with targeted literacy conferences and celebrations to reinforce positive patterns.
Ending: Ness invited board members and community members to attend a Veterans Day assembly on Nov. 7 where additional student essays and recognitions will be presented.
