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Carlsbad Unified says midyear LCAP metrics show modest gains; multilingual learners and MTSS singled out
Summary
District staff told the board the midyear LCAP review shows modest overall assessment gains — STAR reading up ~2%, math ~1% — and credit MTSS systems and multilingual‑learner interventions for targeted improvements; trustees asked for subgroup breakdowns and clarity on sustaining programs when one‑time grants sunset.
Carlsbad Unified officials presented a midyear update on the district's Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) on Feb. 11, telling trustees the district is generally on track to meet year‑end targets but that staff will need to prioritize sustainment as some grant funding sunsets.
Dr. Brian Brockett, who led the presentation, said the district's STAR assessments show overall progress from fall to winter with "about a 2%" increase in reading proficiency and a roughly 1% increase in math proficiency at midyear. Brockett said those interim assessments serve as a proxy for state exams and give the district confidence it's on pace for targets trustees set.
"We have targets of growth and on place to meet those targets," Brockett said, adding that the district is on track in several success indicators including college and career readiness.
District leaders credited a combination of professional development, MTSS (Multi‑Tiered System of Supports) implementation and targeted multilingual‑learner interventions for gains. Director Kimberly Fuentes said targeted review windows and goal setting for English learners helped increase the English Learner Progress Indicator (ELPI) to 54% and move the district from an orange to a green performance band for ML progress.
"This early progress reflects our intentional fall and winter review windows," Fuentes said, noting reclassification practices and teacher coaching as key steps.
Michael Ecker, who described MTSS implementation, said the district has shifted toward data‑driven intervention cycles, lesson‑study classroom observations and site‑level MTSS teachers who function as instructional partners. He said interventions are now preceded by evidence and are tracked to avoid premature referrals to special education.
Trustees used the presentation to press for more disaggregated information: they asked for overlap counts among subgroups (for example, the intersection of socioeconomically disadvantaged students and homelessness) and for breakdowns that show how much growth represented movement from the lowest categories (1→2) versus movement into meeting standards (2→3 or 3→4 in STAR categories). Brockett said staff can provide those numbers as a follow‑up.
Trustees also raised sustainability questions about programs funded with one‑time grants. Board members noted the A‑G grant and other COVID‑era funds that helped expand counselors and intervention sections may not be ongoing. Staff said new and proposed block grants (including a large block grant referenced in discussion and a roughly $600,000 learning recovery emergency allocation) could fill some gaps but that priorities will have to be set in upcoming budget and LCAP development cycles.
Next steps: staff will return with requested subgroup breakdowns and a clearer plan for prioritizing LCAP actions and expenditures in the FY27 budget process.
