Board adopts flexible Expanded Learning plan; principals report MTSS gains and attendance improvements
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Summary
Trustees adopted an updated ELOP plan that moves the district to a flexible district‑led after‑school framework and heard MTSS presentations from several schools showing gains in math and declines in suspension and chronic absenteeism at multiple sites.
The Moreno Valley Unified School District board unanimously adopted an updated Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP) plan on Jan. 27 that shifts the district from listing individual vendors to a district‑led, program‑strand framework and centralizes operational safety standards.
Nick Stearns, director of Enrichment and Expanded Learning, told the board the plan uses the California Department of Education's November 2024 template and allows the district to "plug in the best partners" (CTE, VAPA, STEM, athletics) without needing to rewrite the compliance plan for each new provider. He said the update also establishes a district operations manual with unified safety protocols and enables permissive expansion to grades 7–12 provided TK–6 capacity and no wait lists are maintained.
Trustees then heard a district MTSS (Multi‑Tiered System of Supports) presentation and site reports from principals at Armada, Cloverdale, Edgemont, Badger Springs, Palm Middle and Sunnymead. The district highlights included a 3.8‑point increase in math and declines in suspension (0.7%) and chronic absenteeism (1.4%) districtwide; several individual schools reported much larger gains (for example, Edgemont reported a 32.8‑point increase in ELA). Principals credited focused small‑group instruction, increased intervention staffing (AmeriCorps, tutors, intervention teachers), robust ISP attendance recovery efforts, and restorative practices.
Board members pressed site leaders on counselor staffing and tier‑2/tier‑3 behavioral supports; several trustees urged ensuring full‑time counselors at high‑need sites. Principals acknowledged staffing needs and said targeted solutions (ISP completion campaigns, Saturday school, parent outreach and student mentorship) helped reduce chronic absenteeism and suspension recidivism.
The board framed the ELOP and MTSS work as linked: after‑school and enrichment opportunities expand access to interventions and belonging, while MTSS highlights site‑level instructional and attendance practices that drive academic gains. Trustees approved the ELOP plan and thanked principals for the MTSS data presentations.