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State board hears Project Momentum results as many schools exit improvement status
Summary
AD staff briefed the board on Project Momentum Arizona, a school-improvement framework of six 'gears'; staff reported that many schools and subgroups exited improvement status and that math and ELA negative trends declined after implementation.
Arizona Department of Education officials Michelle Udall and Natasha Camp presented Project Momentum Arizona, a six-gear school-improvement framework the department uses to guide supports for schools identified for additional help. The framework focuses first on aligning instruction to essential standards, measuring learning evidence, and improving instruction; later gears cover intervention, differentiation, and sharing successful practices.
Udall and Camp said the department assigns district coaches and principal partners to provide ongoing expert guidance, supports 90-day implementation cycles and balanced assessment systems, and has been offering the Nav'i assessment suite to provide real-time standards-aligned data for teachers. AD officials reported results they described as meaningful: between a baseline year and the first year of implementation, schools receiving high levels of support reduced the share showing negative ELA trends from 57% to 52% and reduced negative math trends from 62% to 44%. From 2022 to 2025, most CSI-designated schools exited that lowest-5% designation; AD reported 79% exit among CSI schools and similar exit rates across other targeted categories.
Board members asked about coordination with county superintendents, alignment with K–3 literacy diagnostics and the MAU reading requirements, and whether principal professional learning would sustain instructional change. AD said it will explore greater county-superintendent involvement, that Nav'i is standards-based and available K–12 but does not replace diagnostic screeners used for MAU, and that principal partners and the Principal Leadership Academy are intended to build leadership capacity to sustain change.
Several members highlighted progress in predominantly Native-serving districts, where AD reported large percentage gains in math proficiency in several districts; AD cautioned that dramatic percent changes reflect rises from very low baselines and that continued work is required.
The briefing ended with board appreciation and direction to continue coordination across agency units and to provide additional performance detail to board members on request.
