Community Unit School District 200 Board Committee of the Whole met Feb. 25.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
The Committee of the Whole meeting for the month of February of the Board of Education of Community Unit School District 200, DuPage County, Illinois, was called to order at the School Service Center, 130 W Park Ave, Wheaton, IL, by Board President Rob Hanlon, on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 7:00 PM.
ROLL CALL
Upon the roll being called, the following were present:
Board Members: Mr. Rob Hanlon
Ms. Julie Kulovits
Mr. Dave Long
Ms. Angela Blatner
Ms. Katy Ebbesen
Mr. Erik Hjerpe
Mr. John Rutledge
Also in Attendance: Dr. Jeff Schuler, Superintendent
Ms. Alyssa Barry
Ms. Melissa Murphy
Dr. Brian O’Keeffe
Dr. Chris Silagi
Mr. Jason Spencer
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Board Member Erik Hjerpe led the Board in the Pledge of Allegiance.
SUSPEND THE RULES AND ADJOURN TO A WORKSHOP SETTING
MOTION
Member Kulovits moved, Member Rutledge seconded to suspend the rules and adjourn to a workshop setting. Upon a roll call vote being taken the vote was: AYE 7, NAY 0. The motion carried 7-0.
Instruction
Vision 2026 Educational Services Spotlight: New Learning Opportunities
The Vision 2026 Strategic Plan has had a focus on accelerating student learning and preparing students for college and careers. While significant work has been completed in these areas over the last four years, the district continues to have work plan goals in these areas this year. Specifically, the work plan identified the following tasks for this year: Learning Acceleration: Accelerating student growth in Math through data-based school improvement work and targeted phase 4 curriculum work, and College and Career Readiness: Begin curriculum work connected to the Career-Connected Learning Framework.
Ms. Melissa Murphy, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, and the CUSD 200 team presented an overview of two new learning opportunities for students that are being piloted this year. The first learning opportunity presented was about our new Internship Course. Educational Services staff – Mr. Ian Smith, Mr. Evan James, and Ms. Tiffany Marconi- joined Ms. Murphy for this presentation. The second half of the presentation was about Basic Math Facts Classwide Intervention. The Presentation on the Educational Services Spotlight: New Learning Opportunities included information on the following:
● Goals for Tonight – provide an overview of two new learning opportunities for CUSD 200 students tied to our Vision 2026 Strategic Plan. Both of these opportunities are in a pilot phase.
○ Learning Opportunity 1: Internship Course (Vision 2026 Work Plan: Begin curriculum work connected to the Career-Connected Learning Framework)
○ Learning Opportunity 2: Basic Math Facts Classwide Intervention (Vision 2026 Work Plan: Accelerating student growth in Math through data-based school improvement work and targeted phase 4 curriculum work)
Learning Opportunity 1: Internship Course
● Guiding Questions for Learning Opportunity 1
○ What is Career-Connected Learning and what does it look like in CUSD 200? ○ What additional grant funding did CUSD 200 receive to support Career-Connected Learning?
○ What is the internship course and how is it advancing Career-Connected Learning? What is Career-Connected Learning and what does it look like in CUSD 200?
● Career-Connected Learning Framework – the progression of career learning we would like to have in our schools, starting in the middle schools and working through our high schools
○ Career Awareness (Grades 6-12)
○ Career Exploration (Grades 6-12)
○ Career Preparation (Grades 9-12)
○ Career Training (Grades 10-12)
○ Goals and aspirations of what students should be exposed to and supported to at various grade levels
● Current Career-Connected Learning Opportunities
○ Four-year plan (via SchooLinks)
○ Field trips
○ Guest speakers
○ Career Interest Inventory (Grades 8-12)
○ Job shadowing
○ Intentionally building experiences into the middle school electives curriculum updates
○ Internship opportunities within capstone courses: Introduction to Teaching I and II, Broadcast Media, Social Media Marketing, and Multiple programs at TCD
○ New internship course
● Connecting Local Businesses & Students Flyer
○ Ways to Get Involved Today
○ Career Pathways
○ Vision and Mission
What additional grant funding did CUSD 200 receive to support Career-Connected Learning?
● Internship Grant
○ In-School and Out-of-School Youth Services Grant – funded through DuPage County, administered by WorkNet DuPage, and the requirement for the students to meet certain subgroup criteria
○ Submitted the application with a request for $120,000 to establish a High School Career Internship Program – learned of this July 2nd, due August 4th
○ The Educational Services Department took the lead on the application process with support from other administrators
○ Very comprehensive list application process covering every aspect of how the internship program will be structured – staff roles, community partners, curricular information, student support information, proposed budget, district finances ○ The final grant application was 162 pages
○ Officially awarded the grant on September 30th – funding was increased to $200,000 to allow for a coordinator at each campus, and the funds were allocated for salaries and student transportation
○ The positions were posted with a second semester start date
○ There was a lot of required paperwork, but we are up and running thanks to the hard work of our internship coordinators
What is the internship course and how is it advancing Career-Connected Learning?
● Career Internship Groundwork
○ Work-based learning designation online course completion (December 2025)
○ Student enrollment and registration informational session: interest form, counselor audit of credits and graduation requirements, one-on-one interviews with the coordinators
○ Securing partnerships: career pathways opportunities for local business survey, Wheaton Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Wheaton Association
● Career Internship Courses
○ Course Format – Weeks 1-6 (Foundational): 100% in-class instruction; Weeks 7+ (Blended): In-person – minimum one day per week
○ Internship Format – Goal: a minimum of 30 hours of on-site workplace experience ○ Student Support – Career Coach: ongoing support for one year post-graduation to bridge the transition to the workforce or post-secondary education; site visits, resources, transportation
● Career Internship Curriculum Overview and Student Support
○ Curriculum Overview – Unit 1: Getting/Seeking a job, Unit 2: Starting a new job, Unit 3: On-the-job attitudes, skills, and behaviors using ISBE’s cross-sector essential employability competencies
○ Skill Development – resume writing, peer/staff editing, mock interviews (experience from DCs and admin), current/former student internship panel (tips for success, Q&A, etc), WIOA $10,000 – technical training
● Preparing for the Career Internship Opportunity
○ Sample letter and resume
● Career Internship Impact
○ Feedback from our partners about the students in the class
● Wheaton North Career Internship Placements
● Wheaton Warrenville South Career Internship Placements
Questions/Discussion
There was additional information/comments on the following:
● The Ed Services Department usually gives an update to the Board at the February Committee of the Whole on some of the strategic work projects for the year.
● The staff members assisting with the presentation include Mr. Smith, Director of High School Instruction, who has been instrumental in moving the career pathways work forward in District 200; Ms. Marconi, a Career Internship Coordinator from WWSHS, who helped get our Intro to Teaching Education Pathway up and running; and Mr. James, a Career Internship Coordinator from WNHS, who will be the new Director for Career Pathways beginning next school year.
● Last year, a team of teachers, administrators, and students helped develop the Career-Connected Learning Framework. The staff members assisting with tonight’s presentation were a part of that work.
● There are items in the goals and aspirations section of the framework that we have not yet had the opportunity to build, and they will be a focus of Vision 2030.
● Collaborated with our Career Pathways Advisory Council this year to update the flyer connecting local businesses and students. The District aimed to secure 50 partnerships this year, and we have now achieved 54.
● When applying for the internship grant, it was believed that the two high schools would need to share one internship coordinator. Since the District received more than the requested amount, it made it possible to have an internship coordinator at each of the two high school campuses.
● DuPage County aims to keep this ongoing and supported for as long as possible.
● The District has received significant support from other districts offering internships.
● The intentional focus on high schools in workforce development.
● This program/class was not even available in the course catalog for the semester; it was launched through these resources and the grant that was received in the fall. The goal was to take advantage of the funding opportunity and build an infrastructure to launch this and provide targeted support to students who did not see an opportunity or a pathway to work.
● The District viewed this as a pilot opportunity, and it was recommended to start small.
● The Board was reminded that the District has other funding sources that do the same thing, such as Title I funds, Title III, IDEA, and other programs across the district that support a very targeted group of students.
● The two internship coordinators have accomplished a great deal in a very short time period to provide new experiences for our students. This has been a collaborative effort across both sides of town.
● The Work-Based Learning Designation Online Course, which was required to be completed by both Internship Coordinators, was offered in collaboration between the IL State Board of Education (ISBE) and NIU’s CTE project and took approximately 2 months to complete.
● Current enrollment in the course shows that WWS has 12 students and WN has 15. The registration process involved reviewing juniors and seniors with a strong passion toward a specific career. This process also included meeting with students to discuss their potential post-secondary plans.
● There was overwhelming support from local communities to make this possible for students.
● It was emphasized that, as a career coach, the coordinators are expected to keep in contact with the students participating in the class for a year to assist them in transitioning to the workforce or post-secondary education.
● ISBE’s Essential Employability Skills and Competencies, and what is included in this list.
● Self-advocacy is a key aspect of students’ confidence in communicating with business professionals.
● Students are preparing a pitch and practicing job interview skills with department chairs and school administrators to gather feedback and build their confidence.
There were questions and/or additional discussion on the following:
● The WorkNet DuPage organization – what they do, how they are funded, and how the grant process has operated.
● District 203 is funding its own internship program.
● Students must meet specific criteria, including being low-income or at-risk. This grant is not for all students, but we aim to get it running and then expand once a program is established.
● Internships for students who are not low-income include those provided through specific courses (Intro to Teaching I and II, Broadcast Media, Social Media Marketing) and various programs at TCD.
● The 54 partnership contacts are not only for this class or students who meet this criteria; instead, they can be used in several different ways.
● What the District is seeking in business partnerships—specifically listed on the flyer—includes volunteering as a classroom guest speaker, participating in a potential Career Day, offering job shadowing opportunities, hiring students to work, and taking on a student as an intern or apprentice.
● There is concern about limiting the class to those who meet certain criteria, with the hope that once it is operational, it can be expanded to all students. There are also worries about targeting low-income students and having them choose this course over other options.
● The district’s percentage of low-income residents is just below 30%.
● Details of the grant related to the students, and noting that if we choose to expand the offering to students who do not meet the criteria, we would need to add personnel and funding for this.
● The number of students participating in internships, both within and outside this class.
● Existing internships in the district and the percentage that meet the class criteria.
● The interest form for the class – suggestion to send to all juniors and seniors to gauge if there is significant interest from the broader school community.
● Internship work hours are flexible if the students have conflicts.
● Multilingual students can participate in the program/class.
● All 27 students in the program are placed, but not all have begun their on-site work due to partnership schedules.
● These internships are unpaid.
● How to take advantage of the partnerships not only for the students in this course, but for all students. Do not want to waste opportunities.
● Opportunities with local police or fire departments.
● ISBE’s criteria for awarding high school credit for internship programs.
● Career awareness trajectory and opportunities for students – noted Exploremore Days at the elementary level and the presentation to the District PTA council.
● College of DuPage (COD) and its summer programming—utilizing some of the already developed resources to improve our programs. Also, noted the resources available at the Technology Center of DuPage (TCD).
● Using the grant to develop a program for the District. Thank you to everyone for their hard work and to our partners for their commitment to collaborating with us.
Learning Opportunity 2: Basic Math Facts Classwide Intervention
● Goals for Tonight – provide an overview of two new learning opportunities for CUSD 200 students tied to our Vision 2026 Strategic Plan. Both of these opportunities are in a pilot phase.
○ Learning Opportunity 1: Internship Course (Vision 2026 Work Plan: Begin curriculum work connected to the Career-Connected Learning Framework)
○ Learning Opportunity 2: Basic Math Facts Classwide Intervention (Vision 2026 Work Plan: Accelerating student growth in Math through data-based school improvement work and targeted phase 4 curriculum work)
● Guiding Questions for Learning Opportunity 2
○ What is phase 4 curriculum work in CUSD 200?
○ What is fluency in mathematics? How does it support future success in mathematics?
○ How is the current elementary math fact fluency pilot strengthening foundational numeracy and preparing students for long-term academic success?
○ What are the next steps for this work?
What is phase 4 curriculum work in CUSD 200?
● Elementary Math Curriculum Implementation – 2022-23: Illustrative Math (IM) was first implemented in K-5 classrooms and ESSER funds supported the expansion of math coaches and interventionists
○ With this implementation, both common instructional materials and common time for math instruction were implemented (60 minutes for the core lesson from IM for all students and 30 minutes called the Fluency Block. This is the time where some students receive math interventions)
○ The focus for implementation since 2022-23 has been on the core instruction during the 60-minute block and on instructional materials for students identified for interventions
● Curriculum Implementation Framework
○ Phase I – Research (Professional learning, Establish an instructional vision, Review materials, Select materials to pilot)
○ Phase II – Pilot and Select (Pilot materials, Select materials to adopt)
○ Phase III – Prepare to Launch (Training, Develop local implementation materials)
○ Phase IV – Teach and Learn (Continued support through 3 pillars: coach, plan, train, Monitor data, Seek feedback, Adjust plan, Annually reset)
● Drivers of Phase 4 Curriculum Work in Math
○ Data: Although math proficiency and growth results have improved with the adoption of IM, math has been an area of focus for all elementary and middle school buildings for school improvement efforts
○ Teacher Feedback: Staff have shared that there is a need for clarity on instruction for the fluency block
○ School Improvement Efforts: During the 2024-25 school year, some elementary schools created School Improvement plans targeting math fact fluency
○ Intervention: Coaches continue to be involved in strengthening our interventions to create coherent experiences to core instruction and support student needs
What is fluency in mathematics? How does it support future success in mathematics?
● 5 Strands of Math Proficiency for Math Instruction and Student Success – all strands reinforce each other and develop iteratively throughout K-12
○ Conceptual Understanding, Procedural Fluency, Problem Solving, Adaptive Reasoning, Productive Disposition
● Procedural Fluency – Skill in carrying out procedures flexibly, accurately, and efficiently
○ Components – Efficiency, Flexibility, Accuracy
Open Session Minutes – February 25, 2026 Page 6
○ Actions – Selects an appropriate strategy, Solves in a reasonable amount of time, Trades out or adapts strategy, Applies a strategy to a new problem type, Completes steps accurately, Gets correct answer
● Basic Fact Fluency > Computational Fluency > Procedural Fluency
● State Standards for Basic Fact Fluency for Grades K-8 – Standard and expected fluency by grade level
How is the current elementary math fact fluency pilot strengthening foundational numeracy and preparing students for long-term academic success?
● EAB Research – Bridging the Foundational Math Knowledge Gap – ensuring all students can achieve math success
● EAB The Voice of the Superintendent Survey (2025 edition)
○ How Superintendents rate the urgency of accelerating growth in Math – 68.9% very urgent; 28.7% mildly/moderately urgent; 2.5% not urgent
○ Percentage of Superintendents who rate accelerating growth in math as “very urgent” by subgroups – including student enrollment, locale, and % of students qualifying for free or reduced price lunch
○ United in trying to accelerate growth in Math – every subgroup of Superintendents cited Math as the most urgent issue in 2025
● Math Leadership Lab: Fine-Tune Math Decision Making and Operationalize Math Skill Recovery
○ EAB held four sessions from August to November
○ Five CUSD 200 leaders were involved in these sessions
○ These sessions were about strategic leadership and the research
○ EAB did not provide instructional materials
○ Materials were locally developed by coaches, and additional instructional materials were vetted by coaches and purchased for the pilot
● Research Points to “Priority” Skills
○ Skills that lead to arithmetic fluency strongly predict future success: High-quality studies show that arithmetic fluency strongly predicts later math performance in fractions, algebra, and problem solving
○ Mastery of early skills unlock cognitive resources for advanced math – early number sense, arithmetic fluency, freed cognitive resources, intermediate math skills, and advanced math success
● Basic Facts Pilot
○ All elementary schools are involved in the pilot
○ The pilot includes 14 teachers from grades 2-5
○ It began on February 9 and will conclude when this class reaches proficiency for their grade-level fluency standards
○ Staff participated in two training sessions, were provided instructional materials, and had an opportunity to be subbed out to collaboratively plan with their coach
● Time for the Basic Facts Fluency Focus
○ Core Instruction (60 minutes) + Classwide Intervention (15 minutes)
○ The basic facts pilot is taking place during the fluency block for 15 minutes ○ Since we are recovering skills from previous grade levels, this is considered an intervention
○ Since the entire class is receiving the instruction, it is considered a “classwide intervention.”
● Research-Based Instructional Approach – Acquisition > Fluency > Generalization ○ EAB’s research highlighted the instructional hierarchy for learning basic facts
○ The instructional hierarchy is a linear three-step process
○ This is being used by our pilot teachers
○ Coaches developed materials and selected other instructional materials to purchase for the pilot
● Data-Driven Approach
○ Addition and subtraction has five modules
○ Multiplication has six modules
○ Division has two modules
○ Teachers determine which module to start on based on an assessment
○ If less than 50% of the class reaches the acquisition target for the module skills, the classwide intervention approach is used
○ Each week, students are assessed to determine if they move to the fluency stage or a new module
What are the next steps for this work?
● Principals observe and debrief with Ed Services team on February 20
● Optional Google Meets for check-in with pilot teachers on March 10 and April 16
● Collect student feedback
● Analyze FastBridge Automath data and progress monitoring data
● Half-day debrief meeting with all pilot teachers on May 8
● Determine next steps for implementation with feedback from coaches and pilot teachers Questions/Discussion
There was additional information/comments on the following:
● This is also in the pilot phase and is directly tied to the workplan and Vision 2026.
● The importance of Phase IV (Teach and Learn) in a curriculum implementation framework, as we continue engaging with staff to identify the supports needed to strengthen our programming.
● We continually review our data to identify areas of focus, which guide the development of the workplan each year.
● Although the district has seen improvements in math academic results, they have not achieved the same level of progress as ELA. This is why we continue to prioritize math, especially at the elementary and middle school levels.
● The five strands of math proficiency from the National Research Council, Adding It Up (2001), remain essential and foundational to math education.
● A discussion with the teachers working on the pilot about students’ experiences in their math classrooms, especially with the shift to IM, was excellent. It was noted that the area of procedural fluency needs more attention.
● While the ultimate goal is procedural fluency, the first step is mastering basic fact fluency.
● The pilot’s focus is on the standards for grades K-3.
● The EAB research on bridging the foundational math knowledge gap set us on a path to understand how to do this work effectively and identify the top areas where they should focus their time and support for school districts. Math achievement—accelerating math—was one of the key areas released this year.
● Number sense begins long before kids walk through the doors of our schools. We continue to support that in the primary grades. The elementary years focus on arithmetic fluency and automatic recall of facts. This requires a strong foundation for students to achieve long-term success.
● When students reach higher levels of math, having difficulty with basic facts strains their working memory and increases their cognitive load. Our middle and high school staff identified this as an area needing improvement.
● Emphasized that the coaches were essential to this pilot work—they spent several months developing the instructional materials.
● Shared real pictures from District 200 pilot classrooms on the acquisition, fluency, and generalization aspects of the instructional approach.
● The importance of coaches in reading and math, interventionists, multilingual and PACE specialists, special education teachers, and all other factors affecting student learning; and how this relates to class sections and enrollments for next year. At the elementary level, a key part of that process is balancing resources to offer the best student experience for our kids while maintaining other resources that positively influence student learning and their overall experience.
There were questions and/or additional discussion on the following:
● Clarification of grade-level tables for basic fact fluency standards.
● Classwide intervention – how does this work in practice? Noted the students who do not need intervention and how to prevent them from becoming bored. Pilot teachers are being thoughtful and trying different approaches as they figure out how to spend the fifteen minutes with those students.
● How the classwide intervention fits into the overall intervention plan for the next few years. The MTSS tiered approach places the classwide intervention between Tier 1 and Tier 2. Additionally, we do not expect this classwide intervention to last throughout the school year; it is intended as a short-term strategy to develop specific skills.
● Appreciation for willingness to pilot new initiatives. Concern about how to maximize the potential of students who already have those skills while supporting students who need additional help.
● Has the district explored AI-adaptive learning in this space to tailor skill progression to students’ needs? There have been discussions about how we could use AI in a tutoring environment. This is in the exploratory phase.
● If the pilot results are positive, this will serve as a supplement to IM, and the implementation plan will be built on the demonstrated needs of individual classrooms.
PUBLIC COMMENTS – Agenda Items & Non-Agenda Items
None
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION
There being no further business to come before the Board in Open Session, Member Long moved, Member Kulovits seconded to adjourn the meeting. Upon a voice call being taken, all were in favor. The motion carried 7-0.
The meeting adjourned at 8:19 PM.
https://www.cusd200.org/documents/board-of-education/meeting-minutes/444822
