SFUSD progress reports show mixed third‑grade literacy and variable middle‑grade math implementation
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Summary
District staff reported mixed results for Goal 1 (third‑grade literacy) and early implementation data for Goal 2 (grade‑8 math). Presenters highlighted gains in K‑1, gaps in academic ownership and use of decodable texts, and the need for stronger coaching and site conditions.
District researchers presented progress monitoring reports for literacy (Goal 1) and math (Goal 2), showing a complex picture of early curriculum adoption: some positive gains in kindergarten and first grade, but persistent gaps in third‑grade reading outcomes and in student academic ownership across grades.
Jess Reyes of Research, Planning & Assessment said the report draws on winter STAR results, teacher surveys and external learning walks. Moon Hak Kim and colleagues described progress in foundational skills and increases in teacher use of adopted materials, but they highlighted low scores on indicators tied to students’ “academic ownership” — opportunities for students to explain reasoning, practice with decodable text and engage in text‑dependent questioning. “We have seen growth in some measures, but there is significant growth needed within academic ownership,” Moon Hak Kim said.
Staff told the board professional development, coaching, and clearer implementation protocols are next steps. Devon (RPA) described plans to codify coaching cycles, increase principal and coach collaboration and strengthen lesson internalization routines. Presenters said the district has expanded purchases of decodable texts and intends to make independent practice a stronger focus of professional learning.
Commissioners pressed staff on operational details. Commissioner Fisher and others probed whether the curriculum was high quality but inconsistently implemented; staff responded that the curriculum is the “floor, not the ceiling,” and that stronger coaching and site‑level enabling conditions are required for material use to translate into practice.
The presentation also covered the role of absenteeism and chronic attendance loss; staff noted district analysis linking lower attendance to reduced proficiency and flagged an estimated multi‑million‑hour loss of instruction compared with pre‑pandemic levels. Board members asked for follow‑up reporting on coaching quality indicators, attendance interventions and measures the district will use to judge whether teacher practice is changing as a result of coaching.
The workshop set the stage for the later Goal 2 policy discussions on math placement and algebra access.