SFUSD reports modest gains in college-and-career readiness, highlights early-warning interventions

District staff presented the progress-monitoring report for Goal 3 (college and career readiness), citing a two-point increase in the districtwide readiness measure and outlining targeted strategies for ninth- and tenth-grade students.

"We have moved up to 60 percent so 60 percent of our 20 25 graduates graduated with a marker of being college and or career ready," said Patrick West, executive director of college and career readiness, citing the composite metric that combines grades, AP/dual-enrollment coursework and standardized results.

Staff described the district's early-warning indicator work and a focus on ninth- and tenth-grade interventions that include coordinated care teams, off-track conferences, expanded credit-recovery options and professional learning for math teachers. Davina Goldwasser, assistant superintendent for high school and college-and-career readiness, said the EWI focal group had 24% exit the marker so far this year as staff pursue a June target of 28%.

The presentation also highlighted curriculum and assessment work: high-school STAR (math) proficiency rose from 38% to 39% compared with last year, and staff said they are preparing a multi-year instructional audit and a potential curriculum adoption to bolster high-school instruction.

Board members asked for disaggregated outcome data by focal populations, for clearer resource linkages between staffing decisions and student supports, and for a plan to sustain promising pilots — especially credit recovery and tutoring supports — if external grants expire.