Dr. Deborah Gonzalez, superintendent of the Phoenix Elementary District, introduced the board to interim Goal 3, which sets a target to raise English‑learner proficiency on the Arizona English Language Learner Assessment (AZELLA) from a 32% baseline in August 2023 to 50% by August 2028.

"This is our goal that is set to improve the proficiency levels ... that it will increase from 32% on August 2023 to 50% by August 2028," Dr. Gonzalez told the governing board. District staff said the work will focus on embedding language instruction in daily classroom practice rather than only in pull‑out services.

District presentations explained interim targets for reading and writing. For early grades the district uses AIMSweb Plus benchmarks and for grades 4–8 the i‑Ready reading diagnostic. Staff reported a 35% improvement figure in a recent window of reading benchmarks, while cautioning that norming and assessment timing affect interpretation of short‑term gains.

Presenters described professional development and curricular strategies being scaled across schools, including targeted interventions by EL interventionists, structured academic dialogues, coaching for teachers and administrators, and a rollout of writing scaffolds ahead of the AZELLA testing window that opens Jan. 26. Staff said some schools will show slower early gains because they are receiving newly consolidated student populations and high numbers of students with multiple needs (EL plus special education). The district plans to return with updated interim results in a subsequent presentation.

Board members thanked the language acquisition and intervention teams for early‑year work but noted the meeting lost quorum before questions could be taken; district staff said they will re‑agendize discussion and provide additional data in the next update.