District reports double-digit gains in ELA, small math gains and reclassification progress

Assistant Superintendent Bustani presented the district’s latest STAR assessment and related data, reporting year-over-year gains in English language arts and improvements in math and attendance.

District-wide, STAR English language arts performance rose to 48.3% of students meeting standards (a 10 percentage-point increase compared with Spring 2023), while mathematics reached 38.7% meeting standards (a 3.7-point increase). Bustani highlighted notable grade-level gains — double-digit increases in certain grades including third and eighth grade math — and said targeted interventions have reduced the share of students in the lowest-performance bands.

Bustani also reported that 187 students who were previously classified as English learners were reclassified after meeting proficiency benchmarks. The student services team noted a 9.33-point decrease in chronic absenteeism and a 1.73% increase in average daily attendance, which the district ties to targeted outreach and supports.

Board members asked how reading instruction is being embedded into math and other content areas; district leaders said next steps include a robust reading-culture campaign and professional development to increase the volume and quality of reading instruction across subjects so students can better access math vocabulary and problem solving.

Trustee McBride praised the apparent rapid improvement under current leadership, noting that multi-year gains came sooner than expected. The district said it will continue monitoring STAR and CASP (CAASPP) indicators and report progress to the board.