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Claremont Unified board approves updated equity action plan after data presentation
Summary
The board approved the 2025-26 updates to Claremont Unified's Equity Action Plan after a presentation showing gains in several student groups and a new "distance from standard" metric; trustees asked how the metric is used in classroom planning.
Claremont Unified School District trustees approved updates to the district's 2023'27 Equity Action Plan for 2025'26 following a presentation by Dr. Natalie Taylor Barbiera, the district's director of educational services.
Dr. Taylor Barbiera told the board the plan uses multiple measures, including CAASPP results and a new "distance from standard" metric that shows how far groups are from meeting state benchmarks. "A 3% growth in meeting or exceeding standards on CAASPP is what we have listed as our goal," she said, and noted the district made more than 3% growth in English language arts in 2025 and over 1% in math. She highlighted that CUSD's equity analysis rose to 60% blue-or-green measures on the California dashboard in 2025, up from 33% in 2023.
The presentation called out progress for Hispanic/Latino students, students with disabilities and students experiencing homelessness. Dr. Taylor Barbiera said the district will continue site-level supports and professional learning, and she described plans to host advisory groups for LGBTQ+ students and to form an advisory council for Black students and families.
Trustees pressed on technical details. Trustee Richard O'Neil asked whether the distance-from-standard metric relies on standard error and cut points; Dr. Taylor Barbiera replied that "the state does" apply a robust formula and that the district pays close attention to cut points and margins when interpreting trends. Trustee Catherine Dunn asked for a brief description of the "Genius" initiative at San Antonio High School; Dr. Taylor Barbiera explained it is a county-hosted professional development collaborative with funding and UCLA support focused on addressing chronic absenteeism and translating intensive PD back to school sites.
Following the discussion, Trustee Catherine Dunn moved to approve the 2025'26 updates to the equity action plan; Cheryl Fiello seconded, student board members provided advisory votes, and the full board approved the motion by voice vote.
The district said the Equity Advisory Council will continue meetings, monitor related grants (including anti-bias and restorative-practices grants), and track metrics to guide instruction and site supports. The action directs staff to continue implementing targeted strategies and reporting back to the board as data become available.
