Board adds science as a proposed goal, narrows target options and asks staff to refine SEL measures

The Los Angeles Unified School District board moved toward three substantive decisions at its Jan. 14 retreat: add a science goal to the 2026–2030 strategic plan, adopt a grade‑band approach for literacy and numeracy targets, and ask staff to develop concrete, implementable options for measuring social‑emotional learning (SEL).

Several board members said elementary science should be elevated to a district goal after staff presented low science scores and uneven programming. "If we had to add an additional goal, science would be one that I think we need to highlight," a board member said during the discussion. Staff noted social studies is an instructional priority but lacks a widely used statewide assessment comparable to Smarter Balanced, complicating its use as a district goal.

On academic targets, staff explained options for measuring literacy: keep third‑grade Distance From Standard (DFS) only; expand to multiple grade bands (3–5, 6–8, and 11); or aggregate grades 3–11 into a single metric. Board members generally favored separating grade bands (for example 3–5 and 6–8 for literacy) to preserve actionable diagnostic insight while reserving high‑school readiness measures (A–G with C or better) for the secondary goal. Several breakout groups reported preliminary consensus that for middle school (grades 6–8) the most ambitious option—moving to DFS = 0 (at‑standard) by 2030—was desirable; elementary targets drew more mixed views between DFS = 0 and moderately positive DFS targets.

SEL measurement remained unresolved. Staff reported strong SEL instruction at scale (90% of schools report tier‑1 instruction) but very low portfolio uptake (portfolio uploads and teacher support were limited: 137 teachers engaged in the pilot upload vs. a target of thousands). Board members asked staff to return with options that could include: improved portfolio processes and teacher training, using existing marks/work‑habits as proxy measures, or refined school‑experience survey items. "We need a goal that measures student demonstration of skills, not only adult instruction or perception," one board member said.

Next steps: staff will (a) draft language and operational options to add science as a district goal, (b) model target scenarios for literacy and numeracy (including cohort/growth options and grade‑band approaches), and (c) present multiple SEL measurement alternatives for board review ahead of the June package that will include the LCAP and budget alignment.

Why it matters: The board—s decisions about which domains to make goals, how to measure progress and what targets to set will determine resource priorities, accountability and public reporting through 2030.