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Mill Valley board hears parents and staff push earlier, targeted math support as district plans math adoption
Summary
Parents urged earlier targeted math instruction and optional homework while the district presented LCAP outcomes and pledged a focused elementary math adoption for 2026–27; trustees and staff debated scheduling limits that now favor literacy interventions and outlined pilots for math supports.
At its regular meeting, the Mill Valley School District Board of Trustees heard public comment urging the district to expand early, targeted math instruction and to consider optional math homework beginning in first grade.
Satie Wilhelm, a former high-school math teacher and Mill Valley parent, told trustees she supports the district's upcoming math-curriculum pilot but urged targeted small-group math intervention “starting in first grade” and said targeted learning decisions should be individualized rather than applied by grade. Wilhelm also recommended optional math homework to reinforce basics and keep parents connected to classroom learning.
Bella Caswell, a parent at Mill Valley Middle School, asked the board to provide a “bridge” for current sixth- and seventh-graders who will not benefit from the district’s new elementary curriculum until later, recommending expansion of middle-school targeted learning and academic workshops while the rollout continues.
The parent comments came during a longer Local Control and Accountability Plan presentation by district staff. Kate, presenting the LCAP year‑2 results, reviewed gains in English language arts and local literacy measures, the district’s adoption timeline and actions to support unduplicated learners, and the planned math adoption for 2026–27. Officials also described systemwide assessment changes, including adoption of DIBBLES for K–5 literacy progress monitoring and additional instructional coaches (TOSAs) and counselors.
Dr. Kaufman, who led parts of the LCAP presentation and discussion, acknowledged persistent subgroup disparities and said the district has prioritized structured literacy first because “if kids are fully literate by third grade, fourth and fifth grade might look differently,” adding that math adoption will be the district’s next major focus. She described constraints in the current schedule that make it difficult to provide simultaneous dedicated TLLL intervention time in both reading and math, and the district’s strategy to pilot math intervention programs in selected sites before adoption.
On assessment and data integration, staff said state test scores are in the district analytics system but that local measures (for example, MCLASS/DIBBLES) are not yet fully integrated into Aries Analytics, limiting a real-time, multi-measure early-warning view.
Board members pressed staff on persistent gaps in subgroup outcomes and on whether the current TLLL (targeted learning) model can flex to offer math support where needed. District staff said they have piloted intervention curricula in a few classrooms and will weigh expanding targeted math instruction where DIBBLES or other progress monitoring shows the need.
What’s next: the LCAP will return for formal adoption at the board’s next meeting; district staff said they will continue math pilots and bring recommendations on middle-school bridging supports and any schedule changes needed to allow targeted interventions in both subjects.
Sources: public comments from Satie Wilhelm and Bella Caswell; LCAP presentation and Q&A led by Kate and Dr. Kaufman during the district’s board meeting.
