At the December Board of Education Meeting, Deputy Superintendent Mark Thompson presented the first annual Priority Student Outcomes (PSOs) report, alongside an overview of the district’s 2024-2025 state performance results. Together, the reports provide a comprehensive look at student achievement, highlighting progress, transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement.
At the state level, Visalia Unified demonstrated measurable growth in both English Language Arts and Mathematics on the 2025 California School Dashboard, as released by the California Department of Education, which measures distance from standard. In English Language Arts, the district increased its average, outpacing statewide growth. In Mathematics, performance also improved year over year.
Key Results from the 2025 Dashboard:
English Language Arts: +9.3 points overall
Mathematics: +5.9 points overall
ELA Growth by Student Group:
Hispanic students: +10 points
Socioeconomically disadvantaged students: +10.2 points
English Learners: +4.8 points
Students with disabilities: +12.6 points
Math Growth by Student Group:
Hispanic students: +6.9 points
Socioeconomically disadvantaged students: +6.2 points
English Learners: +3.4 points
Students with disabilities: +4.3 points
In addition to state accountability systems, the Visalia Board of Education intentionally adopted locally defined Priority Student Outcomes, to monitor student progress using multiple indicators aligned to long-term goals, instructional priorities, and student experiences across grade levels.
The data presented reflects “Year 0” of the district’s five-year strategic plan Visalia Forward 2030: A Community Driven Blueprint for the Future that was adopted last year. The district’s three Priority Student Outcomes are measured through 12 specific metrics, and the report shows growth across all areas compared to the multi-year baselines established by the Board.
Some Key Highlights Include:
College and Career Readiness: +9 points
A-G Readiness (Grades 9–12): +6 points from grade 9 through graduation
K–6 Reading Growth: All student groups showed a 5-point increase from start to end of year
Reading Milestones: +5 in students meeting grade-level benchmarks
When asked what he attributed to the early gains, Superintendent Shrum responded, “While the plan is in its first year of implementation, we’ve known what’s important for our students to succeed and had already begun implementing several core strategies last year.”
“While state data is important and holds us accountable at a larger scale, having local accountability allows us to keep an eye on how things are going before state data is released,” added Board President Todd Oto, Ed.d. “Measuring the process quarterly and a public report twice a year holds us accountable to our families who expect to see progress every year.”
Priority Student Outcomes are monitored quarterly and reported publicly to the Board twice a year. If a goal is met early and sustained, the Board will come together to set a new target based on progress. To view the strategic plan and full reporting schedule visit https://www.vusd.org/forward-