Newark Unified reports districtwide gains in state assessments; leaders outline next steps

Newark Unified School District presented district assessment results and next steps at its Oct. 21 board meeting, highlighting gains across state assessments and targeted plans to close opportunity gaps.

Assistant Superintendent Karen Howard told the board that, for 2024–25, 49% of students met or exceeded grade‑level standards in English language arts — a 5 percentage‑point increase from the prior year — and that district math performance reached 39% meeting or exceeding standards. Howard framed the results as the district’s first across‑the‑board growth since the 2015–16 school year and credited site leadership, teacher collaboration and targeted supports.

“Newark Unified made growth in all three administered assessments,” Howard said, pointing to gains in ELA and math and noting progress for several student groups. She reported particular growth among African American and Hispanic students and highlighted site wins at BGI, Schilling, Lincoln and Newark Middle.

Howard also reviewed multilingual learner progress: ELPAC scores showed more students reaching reclassification readiness (the proportion scoring a 4 rose from 11% to 14%), and long‑term English learners reclassified increased from 39 to 66 students. She noted some subgroup declines — for example a slight dip in ELA for English learners and some students with IEPs — and recommended continued targeted interventions.

Kennedy Elementary principal Louis Lindsay provided a school spotlight: Kennedy’s enrollment has fallen from about 450 to a projected 398 for 2025–26; the school reported increases in ELA and math in several grades, a reduction in chronic absenteeism, and plans to expand early literacy supports, small‑group intervention and after‑school enrichment including a choir funded by Prop 28.

Board members praised staff and teachers for gains while asking detailed questions about intervention time within the school day, I‑Ready participation rates, and strategies to reduce chronic absenteeism, particularly in TK. Howard and site leaders described small‑group instruction, EL liaison supports, parent outreach, data chats and plans for additional diagnostic pilots at the high school.

What happens next: Staff will continue grade‑level data chats, root‑cause analysis, and implementation of targeted interventions; the district will present additional details and the WASC report to the board and community in coming weeks.