School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)

McDowell Elementary School Plan for Student Achievement (2026-27)

Each year, our School Site Council, made up of parents and staff, reviews our data and sets goals for the year ahead. Here are the highlights of McDowell's plan for this school year.

Stronger reading and math for every student: Our goal is for all students to grow by at least 5 points a year in English language arts and math on the California School Dashboard. Students who need extra help will receive personalized practice through i-Ready, small-group support in class, and free after-school tutoring in reading and math, offered in 6-week cycles from September through April. We're adding a new reading intervention program starting in grades 4-6, buying new books in English and Spanish for both our Dual Language Immersion and English programs, and increasing our librarian's hours so every class gets regular library and research time. Teachers will get more coaching and time to plan together around student progress.

Students with disabilities: We aim to raise reading and math results for students with disabilities by at least 5 points a year. Their ELA results improved substantially last year, and we'll build on that with small-group support from trained instructional assistants and teacher training to meet each student's learning needs.

English learners: We want English learners to keep growing in reading, writing, and math, and to make steady progress toward English fluency and reclassification. Teachers will receive training in language development, writing instruction, and the use of data to plan lessons, with support from a bilingual reading specialist.

Attendance and belonging: Chronic absenteeism dropped from 27.7% in 2023 to 23.5% in 2025, and we're working to cut it to 12.7%. We also aim to bring suspensions down from 3.4% to 1.6%. We'll keep building on what's working: positive behavior supports and recognition; family outreach through our Family Resource Center; interpretation at every meeting and event; and McDowell University, a parent education series with the Petaluma Adult School that includes childcare and food. We also plan to add after-school clubs such as robotics, theater, student leadership, and e-sports. In 2025, 82% of students said they feel engaged at school, up from 65% in 2023.

The School Site Council approved the plan on April 28, 2026, and the Board of Education approved it on May 12, 2026.