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SFUSD presents California Dashboard data; board presses for faster action on chronic absenteeism and achievement gaps
Summary
District staff presented the 2018–19 local accountability summary and preliminary California Dashboard projections. Presenters highlighted modest SBAC gains, steady enrollment (~53,000), and bright spots at several schools, while commissioners pressed for clearer plans on rising chronic absenteeism and persistent gaps for African‑American, Pacific Islander and English learner students.
District research staff presented a multi‑year summary of SFUSD outcomes on Oct. 15 and told the Board of Education that statewide California Dashboard results will be released in mid‑December.
"Student enrollment at SFUSD has continued to be approximately 53,000 in the last 3 years," said a district presenter during the annual accountability briefing. Presenters reported that, for the 2018–19 year, the five‑year SBAC trend shows 56% of students meeting or exceeding ELA standards and 51% meeting or exceeding in math, and they noted several "bright spot" schools with double‑digit gains in proficiency.
The presentation disaggregated results. Staff highlighted gains for foster youth and students experiencing homelessness but acknowledged persistent opportunity gaps: African‑American students were described as far below district averages in proficiency and chronic absenteeism for African‑American students rose from about 30% two years ago to 39% this year, a trend that several commissioners called "urgent." Ritu Khanna, chief of research, planning and assessment, said staff are using reading‑inventory data and school‑level interventions to identify interim progress measures and to support schools with targeted supports.
Board members pressed for more disaggregated reporting by language for English learners, a standardized approach to surveying families of chronically absent students, and faster, scalable adoption of practices from "bright spot" schools. Commissioner Maliga raised concerns that some site data may be misreported and asked staff to examine reporting defaults and the district’s resolved‑ethnicity process; staff explained state reporting rules for resolved ethnicity and noted schools can access more detailed self‑reported categories.
The board did not take final votes related to the dashboard at this meeting; commissioners requested follow‑up reports with: (1) a concrete plan and timeline on chronic absenteeism interventions, (2) language‑level disaggregation for EL students, and (3) examples of replicable practices drawn from high‑performing sites.
