Mountain View Elementary reports mixed gains, fourth‑grade decline and absenteeism concerns

Mountain View Elementary officials presented site performance data to the Santa Cruz Valley Unified School District board on Dec. 9, outlining targeted interventions, professional learning community work and measurable goals after a year of mixed results.

Site leaders said the school set a goal to increase the share of proficient students — citing a prior average near 23% with a target to reach 29% and ultimately return to the low‑30s. They described action steps including focused PLCs, increased early intervention minutes for kindergarten and third grade, and staff training in ELA and math instruction.

The presentation included specific points of concern. Administrators reported that fourth‑grade proficiency declined sharply, from about 61% to 33%, and flagged chronic absenteeism as an ongoing problem: the chronic absenteeism rate was reported as roughly 37.39% the prior year and increased to about 40.81%. Presenters described a newly implemented flow chart of standard operating procedures that sets defined interventions and follow‑up at thresholds of absence and tardiness; they said incentives and weekly monitoring accompany outreach to families.

Attendance in early December was reported at 96.6% for the month’s first week, a data point site staff cited as encouraging but preliminary. The site also noted that student‑growth percentile measures remained above the filtered K‑8 trend line and that the school would pursue an A+ School of Excellence site visit next year.

Trustees praised staff for the work and suggested continued emphasis on reading comprehension and targeted strategies (think–pair–share; explicit sentence frames) to support English‑language learners and general achievement. Superintendent Verdugo and trustees recommended continuing site visits, monitoring the attendance initiative and returning with updates on the school’s progress.