District reports CAASPP gains for students with economic need; staff point to attendance and targeted supports

District assessment staff presented preliminary 2024 CAASPP results on Sept. 19, reporting notable gains among students identified as coming from families with economic need and urging continued focus on absenteeism and multilingual supports.

David (assessment staff) told the San Mateo‑Foster City School District Board that the share of economically disadvantaged students meeting or exceeding standards rose substantially this spring, including roughly an 8‑percentage‑point jump in math. "We've seen an 8 percentage point gain even while the number of students in this group has climbed approximately 600 students," he said, noting the district excludes newcomers (in the country less than 12 months) from some English-language measures.

The superintendent said the district's disaggregated data show improvements few other Peninsula districts are reporting so far. "Very few in the state of California have results that look like this," he said, while cautioning that the full state dashboard remains embargoed and public release could adjust comparisons.

Board members asked whether the improvements simply reflect recovery from pandemic learning loss or represent replicable strategy. Staff pointed to multiple elements: investment in foundational literacy and teacher training, expanded early‑childhood programs, intensified math pathways in middle grades and a concentrated effort to reduce chronic absenteeism. District staff emphasized chronic absenteeism as a major determinant for the lower‑performing subgroup and said work to reduce missed days is central to sustaining gains.

Trustees asked for pre‑pandemic comparisons and cross‑district benchmarking once embargoed data are public; staff said they will return with updated comparisons and noted the district's data tools (a Tableau dashboard) allow principals to identify students by performance band and tailor interventions.

The board did not take formal action on the CAASPP data; staff said auditors and the state's public release will allow more external comparisons in the coming weeks.