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Superintendent highlights ELA gains, warns 30% of current third graders are multiyear chronically absent
Summary
At the May 28 Trenton Board of Education meeting Superintendent Earl presented a trimester-2 update noting ELA growth on the I‑Ready diagnostic, a districtwide device rollout and a concerning finding that about 30% of current third graders have been chronically absent across multiple years.
Trenton — Superintendent Earl told the Trenton Board of Education on May 28 that the district is seeing measurable ELA growth on its new I‑Ready diagnostic but continues to lag in math and must sharpen interventions.
“We learned that over 30 percent of current third graders are multiyear chronically absent students,” Earl said, calling the finding “striking” and saying the district will develop targeted strategies to intervene earlier.
Earl framed the update as a mix of successes and remaining gaps. He said I‑Ready winter-to-winter comparisons show categories of 5% or greater growth for many students and that a full-year comparison will be available June 12. But he cautioned that math performance “doesn't move as well,” and said the district will prioritize literacy because it underpins understanding across subjects.
The superintendent also described instructional initiatives and pilots: a K–3 Orton‑Gillingham reading pilot set to begin June 8 for special-education teachers and continued expansion of project‑based learning, highlighted by a kindergarten “roller‑coaster” design project shown to the board.
On operations and support, Earl said the district completed a large device deployment of iPads and MacBooks and restructured IT staffing for tier‑2 support, setting a 90% uptime goal and reporting a 25% reduction in help-desk tickets for wide-scale outages. He credited technology staff for improving responsiveness and said the focus now is on using devices for instruction rather than just distribution.
Earl also outlined community engagement results: a ParentConnect event that grew from about 25 attendees at an earlier session to an event with 63 staff, 15 community partners and additional families; and kindergarten registration of 491 students so far, with enrollment continuing through June.
Board members pressed for more detail on the absenteeism finding. Earl said the 30% figure referred specifically to current third graders who had been chronically absent in K–2, that the data were collected this year, and that the district convened a student‑attendance task force and is increasing care‑team meetings to address root causes.
The board asked for follow-up and more granular plans. Earl said the district will produce a strategy within roughly a month and that next steps will include community partners and earlier interventions targeting families before school entry.
The board received Earl’s trimester‑2 presentation as an information item; no formal action on attendance policy was taken at the meeting. The district indicated it will report additional analysis and planned interventions at future meetings.
