Building Capacity and Coherence in Napa Valley USD

The educators and administrators of Napa Valley Unified School District (NVUSD) embarked on an essential dual mission when they joined the On Track collaboration two years ago: to dramatically expand college readiness by strengthening the A-G pipeline, and simultaneously building an internal system that could learn, adapt, and drive continuous improvement. Their ultimate aspiration was to ensure every student had the option of college and that every teacher was equipped with the tools to realize that goal.

While the aspiration was clear, the initial path was complicated. NVUSD’s teams faced systemic obstacles, including an outdated strategic plan and a nascent culture of data usage that limited shared analysis. Attempts at large-scale change often met with staff resistance, resulting in fragmentation and a lack of instructional coherence between middle and high school sites. Progress felt slow, demonstrating a critical need to embed new practices into the district’s core operating system.

Working with California Education Partners, the district began by aligning its foundation. The launch of a new Strategic Plan was immediately followed by the institution of Data Dialogues—structured routines where teams analyzed student performance and set actionable, data-based goals.

The instructional focus zeroed in on high-leverage practices: educators used proficiency scales for each standard as a lens to ensure accurate rigor in their assessments and lessons. This process was tied to the analysis of student work to plan reteach and retake cycles that proactively monitored and supported student learning. To make these practices stick, NVUSD administrators aligned site expectations and grading policies, shifting weight toward summative assessments with guaranteed retakes—a critical change that reinforced a growth mindset.

This systemic coherence created an inflection point. After a slow start, the district saw accelerated student outcomes in the second year. High school students achieved over 11 points of growth in English Language Arts and over 7 points of growth in Math (SBAC, meeting or exceeding standards).

Crucially, the cultural landscape shifted: where new initiatives once met with push-back, NVUSD now sees teachers leaning into the new way of working, showing an openness to learn from each other and try out new things. NVUSD is no longer just implementing a program; it has institutionalized the capacity to drive and sustain significant academic acceleration.