By Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

At the October 3 Claremont Unified School District Board of Education meeting, staff and students from Mountain View and Sumner Danbury elementary schools highlighted their respective goals and planned actions to improve academic achievement for the 2024-2025 school year.

The presentations were in accordance with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act which requires schools to develop an a

Mountain View Elementary School’s teacher on special assignment Jessica Valdez, right, speaks to the Claremont Unified School District Board of Education during its October 3 meeting. Helping to deliver Mountain View’s annual school plan for student achievement were Principal Briana Hawkins, far left, kindergarten student Roque Peña, 5, and school site council president Michelle Peña. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo

Mountain View

Principal Briana Hawkins, the school’s teacher on special assignment, Jessica Valdez, school site council president, Michelle Peña, and kindergarten student, Roque Peña, 5, delivered the presentation.

Last year, school staff aimed to increase students’ proficiency in English language arts from 46% to 51% overall as measured by the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, or CAASPP, but only 41% of students met or exceeded schoolwide standards. The school hopes to return to that 46% ELA proficiency through various teaching strategies outlined in the SPSA.

Its second goal of increasing students’ grasp of mathematics standards was also not met. While staff had hoped to increase students’ proficiency from 40% to 45% in the subject, just 43.4% met or exceeded standards according to the SPSA report. Mountain View staff hope to raise student proficiency from 43.4% to 48% by implementing a Go Math! curriculum and providing an after-school math and literacy camp, among other initiatives.

Finally, Mountain View’s goal to “increase schoolwide implementation of PBIS in all three tiers to a minimum of 90% as measured by the sitewide PBIS Tiered Fidelity Inventory administered in May 2024,” as read in the SPSA, was partially met. PBIS refers to “positive behavioral interventions and supports.”

The report stated that “schoolwide implementation of PBIS increased to 97% in Tier 1, 96% in Tier II, and 71% in Tier III.” The school seeks to maintain or increase PBIS implementation in all three tiers to a 90% minimum.

Additional goals include decreasing the rate of chronic absenteeism from 12.6% to 10% by the end of the school year and increasing the English learner reclassification rate from zero to 10%.

Sumner Danbury

Sumner Principal Elisabeth Jones and Danbury Principal Eduardo Acevedo, in addition to Sumner fifth grader Emalee Vasquez, 10, and Danbury sixth grader Jerry Morrison, 11, presented the school’s plan. Sumner’s goals are measured using CAASPP, while Danbury’s goals are measured using the Student Annual Needs Determination Inventory (SANDI).

Sumner projected students’ proficiency in ELA to increase from 44.1% to 50%, but only achieved an increase to 44.5%. Sumner hopes to raise proficiency to 49.5% by providing teachers with Orton-Gillingham and iReady trainings among other strategies.

Danbury’s goal of having 56% of students demonstrate at least an 8% growth in ELA proficiency was met. The SPSA report read that “58% of students demonstrated a minimum of 8.24% growth within their current level of English language arts proficiency.” Danbury’s updated goal aims for 60% of students demonstrate an 8% growth in ELA proficiency.

Sumner hoped to increase students’ mathematics proficiency from 44.1% to 50%, but instead experienced a slight decrease to 43.7%. To reach its new goal of 48.7%, Sumner will utilize the Reflex Math curriculum and other initiatives, according to the SPSA plan.

Danbury’s SANDI math goal, for at least 55% of students to demonstrate at least a 7% growth in area, exceeded the mark. According to the report, “57% of students demonstrated 8.72% growth within their current level of mathematics proficiency.”

The school hopes to further improve.

“The percentage of students demonstrating a minimum of 59% growth within their current level of mathematics proficiency will be no less than 8%, as measured by the mathematics subtest of the SANDI,” the SPSA report read.

Finally, Sumner Danbury’s PBIS-centered goal of having evidence of coping skills throughout the school, as measured by a 10% decrease in office discipline referrals, was partially met.

“Coping skills were visible throughout classrooms and the school as measured by a 5% decrease in office discipline referrals,” the SPSA report read. “Sumner Danbury will increase schoolwide implementation of PBIS in all three Tiers from 85% to 90% as measured by the sitewide PBIS Tiered Fidelity Inventory administered in May 2025.”

One additional goal included increasing English learner students’ ELA proficiency from 11.1% to 16.1% at Sumner.

The next meeting of the CUSD Board of Education is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, October 17 at the Richard S. Kirkendall Education Center, 170 W. San Jose Ave., Claremont.