State test scores are a complicated subject for any school district and Denair Unified is no different. That
was clear during a presentation at the monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees on Thursday night.
Denair’s students – like their peers across the country – experienced varying degrees of what’s known as
“learning loss” in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic, when face-to-face instruction with teachers was
temporarily replaced by remote lessons via computers. In many ways, students have spent part of the
past four years trying to catch up, with some having more success than others.
Their performance on the standardized testing required by the state provides one measurement.
For instance, English and math scores from last spring finally are close to what they were districtwide
before COVID-19 shut everything down, Superintendent Terry Metzger told trustees. That’s one of the
positives in Denair’s overall performance, which reflects pockets of achievement as well as ongoing
challenges.
Metzger uses the test scores in two key ways – to track the performance of a particular group of
students (called a “cohort”) from year to year as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of programming at
different grade levels.
For example, 24% of third-graders in 2022-23 met standards in English. As fourth-graders last spring,
23% of them met standards. 
The biggest gain was among the 2022-23 sixth-graders, who went from 27% meeting standards to 36%
meeting standards as seventh-graders.
The largest decline also was in English, with 35% of the seventh-graders from two years ago meeting
standards but falling to just 19% of them meeting standards as eighth-graders.
“For the most part, once students meet standards on the state test, they continue to meet standards,”
Metzger explained. “If they don’t, their scores are typically close to meeting standards.”

As is the case in many California districts, math continues to be an issue among all students. Just 18% of
Denair’s students in grades 3-5 met standards in math last spring. The number dipped to 10% in grades
6-8 and 7% of 11 th -graders.
“Our students lose ground over time,” Metzger acknowledged. “We need to continue examining why
and providing the support students need to stay engaged when math gets harder.”
To address the ongoing challenges with math, Denair has partnered with the Stanislaus County Office of
Education this year to provide extensive training for teachers in math, including “deepening
understanding of the standards as we approach adoption of new math instructional materials next
year,” Metzger said.
By comparison, students continue to perform better in English. In grades 3-5, 24% met standards last
spring. The number rose to 29% in grades 6-8 and 37% of 11 th -graders.
Metzger also shared some good news regarding results on Advanced Placement (AP) exams last year for
college-bound students at Denair High. In AP Spanish, there was a 100% pass rate and in AP U.S. history,
the pass rate more than doubled (25% to 57%).
In other action Thursday, trustees:
 Heard a report from Denair Charter School Principal Jamie Pecot regarding a pilot program for
parents who homeschool their children. Instructor Betsy Clark has looked at other homeschool
programs in the region; in particular, kindergarten and first grade. Under the pilot program, a
DCA teacher meets for one hour a week with the parent. During the meeting, the teacher will
support the parent with educational resources and strategies. The teacher will continue to
provide an outline with a curriculum to the parent and will have time to spot check progress
with the student.
 Hired KW Recovery Lab Inc. of Turlock to provide athletic trainers for Denair sports teams for
the 2024-25 school year. The cost will be $175 per hour with a three-hour minimum per week
during the athletic season as determined by the athletic director and principal.
 Approved two trips involving Denair High students. The first is for a Friday Night Live Leadership
Conference in Anaheim on Oct. 19-20. FNL is a youth program that aims to promote healthy
lifestyles among high school-aged youth and encourage them to be active leaders in their
communities. Part of the conference includes a night in Disneyland. … The second trip will be for
12 students to attend the Tri-Rivers FFA Leadership Bootcamp at Camp Sylvester on Sept. 20-22.
 Swore in student board member Zach Christianson for his second term. He is a senior at Denair
High School.

Sept. 16, 2024

Contact: Breanne Aguiar, Denair High School principal

               (209) 632-9911 or baguiar@dusd.k12.ca.us

After rough start, Denair rallies for 44-23 victory
 

It wasn’t the beginning Anthony Armas or any Denair High football fan envisioned Friday night. The Coyotes were down 20-0 at home to Pajaro Valley of Watsonville before some people were even settled in their seats.

The visitors from Watsonville took the opening kickoff and drove for a touchdown, then capitalized on a Denair fumble to score another. The Grizzlies then recovered an onside kick to set up their third TD.

“They were up three touchdowns before we did anything. We had a really rough start,” summarized Armas.

Fortunately, for the Coyotes and their fans, plenty of time remained in the game. Spurred on by running back Alex Vargas, Denair cut Pajaro Valley’s lead to 23-14 by halftime. Then, with a resilient defense holding the Grizzlies scoreless in the second half, Denair scored 30 unanswered points to win going away 44-23.

“It was exciting. The kids had a great time. I was almost speechless after the game,” Armas admitted. “We were on one end of the emotional spectrum in the first quarter and then we were on the other end after the game.”

The victory gave the Coyotes to a 2-2 preseason record and a two-game winning streak heading into this week’s Southern League opener in Merced against Stone Valley Christian (2-1).

At halftime Friday, Armas reminded his team that they had plenty of time left and the ability to come from behind.

“As bad as we played, we were only down nine,” he said. “We talked on defense about doing our assignments, playing as a team and trusting the guys around you. On offense, we thought what we were doing was fine; we just can’t put the ball on the ground.”

Those sage bits of coaching wisdom proved prophetic in the final two quarters, when Denair’s defense rose to the occasion and Armas used some trickery of his own.

After the Coyotes had closed the gap to 23-21, he directed his kicker to “pooch” the ball on the kickoff into no man’s land — behind Pajaro Valley’s blockers and in front of its return man. Denair recovered and, with all the momentum now on the home sideline, scored another TD to take the lead for good. Later, the defense came through with a fumble recovery to set the Coyotes up for another score.

“We beat them up pretty good in the second half,” Armas said.

As good as Denair’s defense in the third and fourth quarters, it was the offense that really helped the Coyotes dig out of their early hole. And just like the previous game, it was Vargas who was the main man.

A week after scoring five TDs in a 54-35 victory over Bret Harte, he found the end zone four more times against Pajaro Valley. He finished the game with 20 carries for 103 yds and three scores on the ground and added another TD on a 5-yard pass from Derek Potter.

Vargas wasn’t alone, however. Jess Ruelas ran hard for 83 yards and a touchdown, Jayden Hensley added 72 yards on the ground, and Potter completed three of his six passes, including the TD to Vargas and a 37-yard strike to Austin Silva (which came after Denair had been flagged for three false start penalties in the previous four plays).

All in all, it was a satisfactory non-league schedule for Denair in Armas’ mind.

“I feel good about where we’re at, but we still have a lot of work to do,” he said.

Stone Ridge Christian – new to the Southern League this year – is a familiar opponent, nonetheless. The teams matched up in a scrimmage in August.

“They’re good,” Armas said. “They’ve got some athletes on both sides of the ball.”