The William S. Hart Union High School District received a presentation highlighting the annual mid-year report of the Local Control Accountability Plan during Wednesday’s governing board meeting.
In the presentation it showed that junior high and high schools are showing improvement and further closing the achievement gap. The presentation was given by Jan Daisher, the district’s director of special programs and professional development.
Some metrics were up to date with the newest information, while others were in progress or remained unknown during the time of the presentation.
For English common assessments the mid-year update was currently in progress to be measured, but the average percentage from grades 7-9 averaged at 75% to 81%, which is proficient.
For science, eighth graders averaged from 64% to 85% proficient. Math was not measured during the presentation.
“We are actively monitoring our student’s reading abilities using the IXL supplemental program and the district benchmark exams that reflect the skills necessary for students to be successful in the state assessments,” Daisher said.
For the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress tests, students scored in the green for English language arts, math and science.
The Hart district also measures graduation rate, advanced placement course enrollment, and other factors into the LCAP.
According to the presentation, there was a graduation rate of 96.8%, which was labeled as Blue on the dashboard, the highest level for the LCAP. Green is the second highest.
In 2025, 996 seniors completed the career technical education program compared to 600 in 2023. The district saw an increase in students enrolled in AP courses and AP exam pass rates.
The report said 5,792 seniors enrolled into AP courses and 64.2% of those students passed their AP Exams in 2025. In 2023, 5,191 students were enrolled in AP courses and 59% were reported to have passed their exams, according to the presentation. Daisher also stated that the 9,250 AP tests have been ordered for a total of 4,711 students, which is a new record for the district.
Chronic absenteeism, which reflects the number of students who were absent more than 10% of the school year, also saw an improvement in 2025.
In 2023, for junior highs, the absenteeism baseline was reported to be at 15.2% and districtwide it was 18.3%. In the 2023 update, for junior highs, that number dropped to 11.5% and district wide to 14.2%.
Daisher credited the district’s efforts in encouraging students to come to school with their campaigns for “all students to be present and the positive attendance rewards program,” she said.
Suspension and expulsion numbers also showed a decrease from 2023 to 2025 with the increased efforts to provide other means of correction and restorative practice as often as possible, Daisher said.
The suspension rate was reported at 525 for the 2025 mid-year review, which was a decrease to the reported 726 in 2023. In 2023 the district saw 27 expulsions and in 2025 there were eight, the presentation stated.
Actions taken to support student success were additional math teaching sections, school counselors, and supplemental library books. Other targeted support for students who generate LCAP supplemental funds included intervention and academic support, 55 bilingual instructional assistants, and professional development in diverse student populations.
Daisher said examples of the district focus on professional development include providing “topics to build up the leadership capacity of our teachers and principals through the collaborative work in teams of teacher leaders on each campus. Looking at student performance data and common assessments in order to increase academic achievement.Building thinking classrooms in mathematics and how to use (artificial intelligence) to make teaching practices more efficient and save time providing feedback for student learning.”
In the midyear review the Hart district reported academic progress and increased social-emotional and behavioral support. Some focus areas for improvement are in attendance,literacy and math skills, according to the presentation.
