After its release late last year, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) Board of Education recently took a detailed look at findings on the 2024 California School Dashboard.
At its Feb. 6 meeting, SMMUSD Director of Assessment, Research and Evaluation Patrick Miller walked the board through Dashboard findings, annual indicators of student success across areas like testing scores, English learner progress and graduation rates. Miller stated that the Dashboard had “very positive indicators,” including an increase or maintaining of performance in most areas.
The one area that dropped from a “green” score (indicating high performance) to a “yellow” score (indicating medium performance) was in English Learner Progress, with a decline of 6.9% of current EL students making progress toward English proficiency or maintaining the highest level.
Although the level dropped in the EL metric, the district is still ahead of the state, with the SMMUSD’s EL students at a 56.6% progression rate compared to the state average of 45.7% students making progress. Miller added that there were no declines in current EL students in English Language Arts or Math test scores, which was a cause for celebration.
Another small success was in Chronic Absenteeism, which declined 3.7% from Kindergarten through 8th Grade. Chronic Absenteeism, defined as students who miss 10% or more of the school year, is now at 13.4% from K-8, the best score the district has ever received on the Dashboard. Miller said there is still “lots of work to do” in the area to get to the “green” level, which would be anywhere below 10%.
The board will meet again on Thursday with a wide range of agenda items, including two regarding Measure QS funding. Measure QS, also known as the Santa Monica Schools Repair/Improvement Bond Measure, is $495 million in general obligation bonds that was approved by local voters this past November.
On Thursday, the board will adopt a resolution authorizing the issuance and sale of Measure QS bonds in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $200 million. A separate item will see the awarding of a contract for the Samohi Student Services Building project, an endeavor poised to use Measure QS funding.
Moving from Samohi to middle school campuses, the board will look to approve a new district position Thursday, that being the Middle School Sports Coordinator. SMMUSD staff recommends one coordinator for the Santa Monica middle school sports program, now in its third year, and one for the Malibu program which is in its second.
Middle school students have been participating in sports like flag football and basketball, and district staff desire a transition from the current contracted services model of operation to a more permanent position.
“As parent and student interest continues to grow, so do expectations for expanded access, program quality, and overall student experience … there is a need for a broader vision that fosters community partnerships, aligns program outcomes with student needs, and ensures equitable access to sports opportunities for middle school students in both Santa Monica and Malibu,” SMMUSD staff wrote.
Another burgeoning sports program will be recognized by the board via a Memorandum or Understanding with the Santa Monica Boys & Girls Club Healthy Lifestyles Sports Program. The Boys & Girls Club program, now in its third year, will provide “high quality sports with robust social-emotional growth coaching practices” for at least one school year.
