Troy City School District cites math gains, lays out plan to reduce chronic absenteeism

John, the district superintendent, opened the presentation by saying the board had asked for an update on both assessment results and chronic absenteeism and framed the district's work around its mission to "graduate all our students college- and career-ready." John said statewide testing was disrupted during the pandemic and that the 2021-22 results established a new baseline for year-over-year comparisons.

The superintendent highlighted district assessment trends: math proficiency rose nearly 9% year over year to about 44% districtwide, while statewide math efficiency stood near 52%. "Our math scores really, really jumped," John said, noting School 16 scored roughly 65% in math and School 2 rose from 19% to 38%.

The presentation balanced proficiency metrics with growth-focused measures. John emphasized the district's Multiple Measure Index (MMI), in which principals and instructional coaches analyze classroom- and student-level data to target interventions. "A proficiency assessment doesn't always capture growth," a district staff member added, describing how coaches use adaptive tools and data teams to refine instruction.

On attendance, John described district goal #4: reduce chronically absent students (the state defines chronic absence as missing 10% of the school year, about 18 days) by two percentage points. He provided recent figures: the district chronic-absence rate was about 42.5% two years ago and fell to about 39% in 2022-23; the district's daily attendance rate tracks near 88.76%.

To address absenteeism, the district will expand school-based attendance committees, deploy attendance liaisons and specialists, use home visits and transportation supports, and provide monthly attendance reports rather than single-day snapshots. "We're doing a lot to try to improve this attendance," John said, noting some schools have cut their chronic-absence rates substantially (School 18 down from 36% to 27%).

The district's improvement strategy centers on three instructional priorities: smaller class sizes, embedded coaching and instructional supports, and access to high-quality curriculum and materials. Staff described ongoing investments in a four-year curriculum review cycle, professional development (including Moss Flower and Eureka Math-aligned work), and expanded library resources.

The superintendent and staff also described social-emotional supports and grants that will complement academic work: a Stronger Connections grant to provide mentors to about one-third of students; continuation and expansion of student mental-health services and small-group interventions; restorative-practices training; and use of therapy dogs in several schools to support student well-being.

Looking ahead, the district plans to continue monthly reporting on attendance and to return updates to the board. John said staff will continue targeted reviews with principals to understand drops in ELA proficiency and to sustain gains in math. The board approved routine business later in the meeting and asked staff to provide additional data in coming months.

The board was scheduled to meet again at School 16 on October 16; staff will bring updated monthly attendance reports and any follow-up analyses requested by board members.