Community Unit School District 200 Board of Education Committee of the Whole met Oct. 26.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
The Committee of the Whole meeting for the month of October 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 Chris Crabtree at 7:00 PM.
ROLL CALL
Upon the roll being called, the following were present:
Board Members: Mrs. Chris Crabtree
Mr. Rob Hanlon
Mrs. Angela Blatner
Mrs. Susan Booton
Mr. Brad Paulsen
Absent: Mrs. Julie Kulovits
Mr. Dave Long
Also in Attendance:
Dr. Jeff Schuler, Superintendent
Dr. Charlie Kyle
Mrs. Erica Loiacono
Mrs. Melissa Murphy
Dr. Brian O’Keeffe
Dr. Chris Silagi
Mr. Jason Spencer
MOMENT OF SILENCE
Board President Crabtree asked for a moment of silence for Maximus Tomchak, the Wheaton North student that passed away earlier in the week. Thoughts are with the Wheaton North school community and the Tomchak family.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
President Crabtree led the Board in the Pledge of Allegiance.
SUSPEND THE RULES AND ADJOURN TO WORKSHOP SETTING
MOTION
Member Booton moved, Member Paulsen seconded to suspend the rules and adjourn to a workshop setting. Upon a roll call vote being taken the vote was: AYE 5, NAY 0. The motion carried 5-0.
Instruction
Vision 2026 Dashboard, Illinois School Report Card, and Learning Acceleration
In 2022, the Board of Education adopted a strategic plan titled, Vision 2026. The Vision 2026 strategic plan has two broad categories for goals - Academic Excellence and Operational Excellence. Underneath each goal, there are six strategies. To measure the progress of Vision 2026 strategies the district developed a dashboard. The dashboard includes metrics aligned with the Vision 2026 strategic plan. Yearly, the academic excellence metrics are updated and presented to the Board of Education.
At the meeting, the administration presented data including the following:
1) Math achievement for the Vision 2026 dashboard metrics
2) Reading/ELA achievement for the Vision 2026 dashboard metrics
3) High school achievement for the Vision 2026 dashboard metrics
4) An overview of the 2022 District 200 Illinois Report Card
This report also included specific information on how the learning acceleration plans have been informed by the data.
Mrs. Melissa Murphy, Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services, provided a PowerPoint Presentation – Vision 2026 District Dashboard, Illinois School Report Card, and Learning Acceleration, which included information on the following:
∙ Four Guiding Questions
o What can we learn from an analysis of K-8 academic achievement?
o What can we learn from an analysis of high school academic achievement?
o What can we learn from analyzing the Illinois School Report Card?
o How do these results inform our 2022-23 work plan and school improvement plan? What can we learn from an analysis of K-8 academic achievement?
∙ Grades 2-8 Demographic Makeup (for grades 2-5 and grades 6-8)
o Low income, IEP (individualized education program), ML (multilingual learners), Asian, Black, Hispanic, White, Two or More
∙ Dashboard Metrics: K-8 Math Achievement
o Early math achievement (K-1): FastBridge
o Math achievement (2-5): FastBridge
o Math achievement (6-8): FastBridge
o Students meeting target growth (K-8): FastBridge
o Math achievement (3-5): IAR
o Math achievement (6-8): IAR
∙ FastBridge Results
o Reports scores according to national percentiles
o Compare one student’s performance to that of a larger group
o Percentile – student scored as well as or better than that percent of students taking the test in that grade
o FastBridge – students scoring at or above 50% are at or above grade level expectations (this metric is used for the Vision 2026 dashboard)
∙ IAR Score Report
o IAR divides scores into 5 proficiency levels: level 5 (exceeded expectations), level 4 (met expectations), level 3 (approached expectations), level 2 (partially met expectations), level 1 (did not yet meet expectations)
∙ Note-Taking Document (for each of the metrics)
o What do you notice?, What do you wonder?, Celebrations, Concerns
∙ Grades 2-8 Math Achievement: FastBridge
o For grades 2-5 and 6-8 by demographic makeup
o Vision 2026 Goal ➢ +12%
∙ Grades 3-8 Math Achievement: IAR 2022
o For grades 2-5 and 6-8 by demographic makeup
∙ Grades 3-5 Math Achievement: IAR
o For 2019, 2021, and 2022 by demographic makeup
∙ Grades 3-5 Math Performance by Proficiency Level: IAR (Level 1-5)
o For grades 3, 4, and 5 for 2019 and 2022
∙ Grades 6-8 Math Achievement: IAR
o For 2019, 2021, and 2022 by demographic makeup
∙ Grades 6-8 Math Performance by Proficiency Level: IAR (Level 1-5)
o For grades 6, 7, and 8 for 2019 and 2022
∙ Dashboard Metrics: K-8 Reading/ELA Achievement
o Early Reading Achievement (K-1): FastBridge
o Reading Achievement (2-5): FastBridge
o Reading Achievement (6-8): FastBridge
o Students Meeting Targeted Growth (K-8): FastBridge
o ELA Achievement (3-5): IAR
o ELA Achievement (6-8): IAR
∙ Grades 2-8 Reading Achievement: FastBridge
o For grades 2-5 and 6-8 by demographic makeup
o Vision 2026 Goal ➢ +12%
∙ Grades 3-8 ELA Achievement: IAR
o For grades 3-5 and 6-8 by demographic makeup
∙ Grades 3-5 ELA Achievement: IAR
o For 2019, 2021, and 2022 by demographic makeup
∙ Grades 3-5 ELA Performance by Proficiency Level: IAR (Level 1-5)
o For grades 3, 4, and 5 for 2019 and 2022
∙ Grades 6-8 ELA Achievement: IAR
o For 2019, 2021, and 2022 by demographic makeup
∙ Grades 6-8 ELA Performance by Proficiency Level: IAR (Level 1-5)
o For grades 6, 7, and 8 for 2019 and 2022
∙ Middle School IAR Percentage Meets/Exceeds by ELA Component (Grades 6, 7, 8) o For reading: literacy, informational, vocabulary; and for written expression and writing conventions
What can we learn from an analysis of high school academic achievement?
∙ High School Metrics by grade level
o Grade 9: Incoming PSAT score from grade 8; PSAT 8/9, Freshmen on track
o Grade 10: PSAT 10 score
o Grade 11: PSAT to SAT growth finalized
o Grade 12: Graduation rate, advanced coursework, Math and English proficiency
∙ High School Demographic Makeup (for the class of 2022 and all high school)
o Low income, IEP (individualized education program), ML (multilingual learners), Asian, Black, Hispanic, White, Two or More
∙ Graduation Rate
o For 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022
∙ Graduation Rate (from 2018-19 to current)
o By demographic makeup for 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22
∙ Advanced Coursework
o Graduates that earn a “C” or higher in advanced coursework and/or earn an industry recognized credential
▪ Advanced Placement (AP), Dual Credit, Industry Recognized Credentials (new)
∙ Class of 2022: Advanced Coursework
o By demographic makeup
o Vision 2026 Goal ➢ +8%
∙ Math and English Proficiency
o College and Career Readiness Indicator measures % of seniors that meet proficiency targets for English and Math
o Students meet proficiency through an exam score or course grade
▪ Course options (“C” or higher): AP, Dual Credit, Transitional, Algebra II
▪ Exam Options: ACT, SAT, AP
∙ Class of 2022: Math Proficiency
o By demographic makeup
o Vision 2026 Goal ➢ +10%
∙ Class of 2022: English Proficiency
o By demographic makeup
o Vision 2026 Goal ➢ +10%
∙ PSAT to SAT Growth
o Students take the PSAT 8/9 twice, followed by PSAT 10, and SAT
o Growth over time can assist in tracking academic progress and preparation for postsecondary opportunities
o This is the first year we have growth from a cohort due to disrupted trend data
o The College Board gives students and parents a projected range of possible scores on the next test
o Vision 2026 Goal ➢ +10%
∙ PSAT to SAT Growth
o By demographic makeup
∙ Freshmen on Track
o A key predictor of high school success
o Students who finish 9th grade on track are almost 4x as likely to graduate from HS as students who are not on track
o State metric description: % of first-time 9th-grade students who earn at least five course credits without failing more than .5 course credits in core subjects (English, Math, Science, or Social Studies)
∙ Freshmen on Track
o For 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022
∙ Freshmen on Track (from 2018-19 to current)
o By demographic makeup for 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22
What can we learn from analyzing the Illinois Report Card?
∙ Annual Summative Designation
o Based on the school’s overall data for all accountability indicators, as well as data for individual student groups
o A school in “improvement status” remains there for four years
o This is the first time schools are receiving summative designation since 2019
∙ Summative Designations
o Exemplary, Commendable, Targeted, Comprehensive
∙ Elementary & Middle Schools
o Academic Indicators: English Language Arts (ELA) Growth, Math Growth, ELA Proficiency, Math Proficiency, Science Proficiency, English Learner Progress to Proficiency
o School Quality & Student Success Indicators: Chronic Absenteeism, Climate Survey
∙ High School
o Academic Indicators: ELA Proficiency, Math Proficiency, Science Proficiency, Graduation, English Learner Progress to Proficiency
o School Quality & Student Success Indicators: Chronic Absenteeism, Climate Survey, 9th-Graders on Track to Graduate
∙ CUSD 200 Summative Designations for 2022-23
o Exemplary: WNHS, Hawthorne
o Commendable: WWSHS, Edison, Franklin, Hubble, Monroe, Bower, Emerson, Johnson, Lincoln, Longfellow, Lowell, Madison, Pleasant Hill, Sandburg, Washington, Whittier, Wiesbrook
o Targeted Support: No CUSD 200 Schools
o Comprehensive Support: No CUSD 200 Schools
∙ IAR Growth
o Growth is measured by Mean Student Growth percentile
o A student’s progress is compared to peers who started out in the same place the year prior
o The state mean is always 50
o Growth percentiles above 50 indicate greater-than-average progress; below 50 indicate less than average progress
∙ Growth Percentile: IAR
o For D200 in 2019, in 2022, and the State Mean for both ELA and Math
∙ Performance Scatterplots
o Provide tools to compare the district to other unit districts in Illinois
o Scatterplots can be used to compare performance for all demographic groups
∙ Grade 11 Mathematics Scatterplot
o % Proficient % Low Income 2022
o Shows CUSD 200, Unit Districts in Illinois, and the state average
∙ Grade 11 ELA Scatterplot
o % Proficient % Low Income 2022
o Shows CUSD 200, Unit Districts in Illinois, and the state average
∙ Eighth Grade Students Enrolled in Algebra I
o Algebra I – described as a gateway course
o Students typically need to pass before moving onto HS (high school) level math and science courses
o Typical math course sequence: Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Pre-Calculus, Calculus
o Students passing Algebra I in 8th grade likely have the opportunity to take Calculus before they graduate (a prerequisite for college STEM majors and careers)
∙ Percentage of Eighth-Grade Students Enrolled in Algebra I
o For 2019 through 2022
∙ Equity Journey Continuum
o An informational tool to help districts view their data through the lens of equity
o Identifies gaps in student achievement, opportunities, and supports by analyzing data that districts already collect and report to ISBE.
o ISBE developed the tool using national research and examples from other states o The student learning portion of the continuum is based on data from 2018-19
o Steps along the continuum: 1) Large gaps in equity, 2) Moderate gaps, 3) Small gaps, 4) Minimal gaps
∙ Data Elements
o For Student Learning, Learning Conditions, Elevating Educators
∙ Journey Equity Continuum Steps
o Steps along the continuum represent the measurement of equity in students’ access to opportunities, practices, policies, and programming, as represented by district-level data
o State goals for data elements (for student learning, learning conditions, elevating, educators
∙ Equity Journey Continuum: Student Learning Steps for each of the student learning components:
o Participation in high-quality Pre-K, Student Performance, EL student progress to proficiency, on-time graduation rates, equitable access to high-quality & rigorous curricula, advanced academic programs
How do these results inform our 2022-23 work plan and school improvement plans? ∙ Vision 2026
o College and Career Readiness, Accelerating Learning, Balanced Assessment
∙ Vision 2026 – Learning Acceleration & Balanced Assessment System
o Learning Acceleration – a strategy used to address needs based on data
▪ about going forward and preparing students for success in the present with a focus on current grade-level standards
▪ Tier I (grade level learning) is a primary lever to accelerate learning
▪ Additional supports to students (Tier II and III) need to be contextualized within their subject, grade level, and curriculum
o Balanced Assessment System – allows the district to effectively monitor students achievement and growth
∙ Collective and Focused School Improvement
o Vision 2026 Strategies
➢ 2022-23 District Work Plan
➢ 2022-23 School Improvement Plans
∙ K-5 Learning Acceleration
o Implement Illustrative Math (IM) in grades K-5
o Pilot and adopt high-quality ELA curriculum in grades K-5
o School improvement plans include non-pilot teachers exploring ELA shifts, ensure Tier II interventions align with the IM resource, address foundational skills gaps
∙ 6-8 Learning Acceleration
o Pilot and adopt a high-quality math curriculum
o Engage in collaborative research to begin the curriculum work in ELA and Social Studies
o School improvement plans include focusing professional learning, assessments, and instruction on evidence-based reading and writing.
∙ College and Career Readiness
o Expand dual credit course offerings to support career pathways and other early college coursework opportunities
o Expand the number of students taking a fourth year of math with a focus on Transitional Math
o Support students enrolled at TCD in earning industry-recognized credentials o School improvement plans include a focus on support in Algebra II, PLC work for skills that make a difference for students on the SAT
∙ Balanced Assessment
o Implement FastBridge in grades K-8
o Select and implement a district analytical tool
o Develop a district framework for meaningful classroom assessment practices o School improvement plans include focusing on the IM assessments (K-5) and assessments from pilot resources (6-8) to prioritize learning needs.
∙ 2022-23 Federal Relief Funding
o Four different grant opportunities were made possible through different legislation
▪ ESSER I, ESSER II, ARP ESSER III, IDEA ARP
o D200 developed six priorities for grant dollars:
▪ Priority 1: Activities to Allow for the Full-Time Return to School
▪ Priority 2: Learning Acceleration Programming
▪ Priority 3: Social-Emotional Learning Supports
▪ Priority 4: Technology
▪ Priority 5: Curriculum Materials
▪ Priority 6: Facilities
∙ 2022-23 ESSER II (Priority Areas, Items, and Budget)
o Includes Items for Learning Acceleration and Curriculum Materials
∙ 2022-23 ARP ESSER III (Priority Areas, Items, and Budget)
o Includes Items for Learning Acceleration and Curriculum Materials
∙ 2022-23 IDEA ARP (Priority Areas, Items, and Budget)
o Includes Items for Learning Acceleration
There was additional information/comments on the following:
∙ When you develop a four-year strategic plan, this is to ensure there is alignment and consistency in the organization. Aligning strategies is important, but there is also a need to be agile about strategies.
∙ Board members were encouraged to jot down things seen in the data and things wondered as a result of the data – in the end, do we still see our strategy aligned as it has been mapped out? If not, where is there misalignment?
∙ Demographic information with the exact number of students was provided for the class of 2022, high school students, freshmen on track, grades 6-8, and grades 2-5.
∙ It was emphasized that over the last four years IAR has not been a consistent data point for the district, and there is no trend data:
o 2019 was the first year IAR was administered
o There was no state testing in 2020
o Only 78% of D200 students tested in 2021 (so only have a partial data set) o Had full participation in 2022
∙ IAR was originally based on the PARCC assessment; the same proficiency levels apply and kept the same cut score (750 = meeting standards).
∙ Concerning IAR data, 2019 and 2022 are more comparable, since 2021 only had 78% participation.
∙ Noted D200 has returned to the pre-pandemic achievement level in math for grades 3-5; and at every level (grades 3, 4, and 5) in 2022, there are more students exceeding in math than we did in 2019.
∙ The overall percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards in math for grades 6-8 in IAR is not where it was pre-pandemic (when comparing 2022 data to 2019), in particular in grades 7 and 8.
∙ Noted the presentation in 2019 when the leadership team addressed the work that needed to be done in math at the middle school level and was gearing up in 2020 and 2021 for the pilot that we are in now.
∙ A reminder to the Board that during the pandemic a change was made at the elementary level and started using a common digital resource “Zearn” for math. Zearn is a highly rated resource and had outstanding problem-solving present in those materials. This emphasizes the importance of high-quality instructional materials.
∙ Doing a pilot at the MS level now in math; using these materials will hopefully help drive improvement in those numbers. MTSS and Tier I core instruction – ensuring this has high quality instructional materials.
∙ For Grades 3-5 math achievement (IAR) – see this as a positive as all demographic groups (except for Asian) were either at or above where they were at in 2022 vs. 2019.
∙ Overall summary for math at the Elementary level – the outcome looks good and the growth looks accelerated; there is work to be done at the grades 6-8 level (MS).
∙ IAR data breaking down results into different categories of item types – the item types our middle school students were having the most difficulty with including those asking students to solve multiple problems with explanations. Having a resource that has more of these types of items for our students to see daily and included in assessments that students are seeing regularly, will benefit our teachers.
∙ Reading and ELA (English Language Arts) – it is specifically called two different things because FastBridge is a reading test and the IAR test is half reading and half writing.
∙ The number of ML (multi-lingual learners) in MS vs. Elementary levels – is almost double the level at the Elementary level vs. the MS level.
∙ For ELA in the Elementary space (grades 3-5), we are slightly down from pre-pandemic numbers from 2019 to 2022. The biggest difference is in 5th grade.
∙ The decrease in results at the MS level for ELA in grades 6-8 from 2019 to 2022, with the biggest difference being in 8th grade.
∙ The MS team has spent a significant amount of time looking at and talking about the IAR ELA test results by components – there is a sharp difference between the performance in reading and the performance in writing.
∙ The writing portion of the assessment is complex – this is a timed test and students are reading more than one passage, often three, on the same topic, and are asked to synthesize all three passages, and “write to a question”. All of this is being done on a device, as there is no option to take the test on paper.
∙ The need to give like experiences for students – an example being to provide answer boxes that expand as they are typing.
∙ The skill of evidence-based reading and writing is critically important for kids, and we can do better in this cross-curricular space.
∙ The PSAT scores for grades 8, 9, and 10 help influence PSAT to SAT growth for students.
∙ A reminder to the Board that the graduation rate is never going to be at 100% due to the Transition students not being considered graduates and the students moving into our schools with insufficient credits. We are responsible for anyone who enters our schools as a freshman in our numbers, even if they move out of the district.
∙ There is a change to the metric for “Advanced Coursework” this year. The change is to include those students who earn industry-recognized credentials as part of the advanced coursework metric.
∙ District 200 has increased the number of dual credit courses offered this school year.
∙ Industry Recognized Credentials – endorsement students receive saying they have a high level of skill to enter into the workforce. Currently, students earn this through TCD.
∙ AP Inspiring Excellence program at the HS level - identifies students and runs summer programming for AP coursework.
∙ Math and English Proficiency is a new metric with Vision 2026 and comes from the College and Career Readiness indicator that ISBE developed.
∙ Transitional Math Course - if the course is taken with D200 and the student earns a “C” or higher, they can go straight into credit-bearing coursework at a state college.
∙ District 200 currently does not have a Transitional Course for English, as the state has just developed this. D200 teams are working on this course.
∙ There is no equivalent to Algebra II in the English space.
∙ For Math Proficiency exam options – students can meet the criteria through an ACT or SAT score. If they meet this requirement, for math, the student must also be enrolled in a fourth year of math.
∙ Noted the Class of 2022 English Proficiency level was lower than Math, however, it was noted an equivalent like Algebra II was not offered, we did not have any dual-credit English coursework, and we do not have a Transitional English class.
∙ The District completed a study and worked with College Board to determine what adequate growth data was and set those growth measures.
∙ Noted the long-term trend data for Freshmen on Track metric. There was a strong focus by the HS teams from 2021 to 2022, including adding the academic interventionist position to each school, to focus on these students.
∙ For schools identified as “school improvement status” on the IL School Report Card, they must stay in that for four years, as they want you to be able to sustain the work long-term.
∙ IAR Growth makes up half of the indicator for the summative designation.
∙ D200 had above-average growth on the IAR in ELA from 2019 to 2022 (from 39% to 52%). The learning acceleration efforts are paying off.
∙ Scatterplots – live data is used; can change and filter the data by different demographic groups.
∙ For the scatterplot showing grade 11 SAT math % proficient, % low-income students in 2022, it was noted D200 is a high outlier for unit districts with similar demographics. For ELA, D200 is still a high outlier.
∙ The state set a higher cut score for SAT than College Board did.
∙ The Equity Journey Continuum is brand new this year but does not provide updated data. The data is from the 2018-19 school year (so four years old).
∙ Participation in high-quality Pre-K: the KIDS assessment is administered to our Kindergarteners within the first forty days of school.
∙ Student Performance: DLM – students in the most significant special education programs take this assessment.
∙ EL Student Progress to Proficiency: ACCESS Test – how our students are growing from year to year in EL language proficiency.
∙ On-Time Graduation Rates – noted this includes Transition students, who will not graduate on time per the state definition.
∙ The importance of the strategic plan being aligned with the district work plan and school improvement plans.
∙ ESSER II funds are used for salaries to support students in remote learning and in summer programming/learning acceleration, to purchase IM materials, and for subscriptions to credit recovery software.
∙ ARP ESSER II funds are used for the salaries and benefits for the multiple intervention positions at all levels that are playing a significant role in the District, and curricular purchases for MS math, elementary ELA materials, and math manipulatives (elementary).
∙ IDEA ARP funds are used for additional positions and interventions to support the work in math.
There were questions and/or additional discussion on the following:
∙ How do the changes to the 2022 IAR impact those results? Want to ensure we are comparing apples to apples. Believe the changes made in 2022 were typical of what they would make or have made in the past.
∙ Last year was the first year of math coaches at the middle school (MS) level.
∙ FastBridge data is from the spring of 2022. We did administer FastBridge three times last year to students in grades 2-8.
∙ The non-white, low-income student numbers fell quite a bit in grades 6-8 based on FastBridge data.
∙ Expected there to be a discrepancy between FastBridge and IAR, but not this significant. Based on this data, is FastBridge a good assessment of how our students are performing, if coming in lower on IAR?
∙ The need to be cautious in comparing two different assessments.
∙ FastBridge is an assessment given with data provided immediately (all items are computer scored). IAR has items that are hand-scored as well. Noted examples of problems for Both IAR and Illustrative Math (IM); IAR contains problems that require multiple explanations, while FastBridge does not. However, this information can be found in IM classroom assessments.
∙ Do not believe FastBridge leads us to think D200 students are performing better than other students in the state. Each of the assessments provides a different piece of valuable information. FastBridge is giving a more relevant comparison because it is a national norm of how kids are doing.
∙ To know how D200 students are doing relative to the state, we will have to see when the report cards from the state are officially released. Believe the state as a whole has not recovered from the 2019 levels.
∙ The District gets an early look at our data as it will appear on the report card, but we do not see state-level comparison until the report cards go live statewide.
∙ Regardless of which assessment, want to see from the starting point, and want to see performance increasing in both.
∙ Will not see another data set from IAR for an entire year. At least with FastBridge, will see a second data point in the middle of this school year, and again at the end of the year. This is more actionable data for the classroom teachers and teams.
∙ Illinois state testing and the inherent flaws, especially where they set their levels.
∙ Concern over the middle school data for those students that have now moved on to high school – how do we get those kids where they need to be? Move from a linear progression of skills (reading and math) and enter a pathway of courses aligned to where they want to be at the end of HS.
∙ Measuring four things for each student at the HS level – how did they transition into HS (were they successful in their freshman year), measuring their growth trajectory on SAT (from PSAT), measuring Math proficiency and English proficiency (both through multiple measures).
∙ Look at how are we challenging students with a rigorous sequence of courses. Which of our students are taking an early opportunity in HS and doing well? Students cannot get on the pathway and access early college opportunities unless they are accelerating.
∙ Added an academic intervention position at each HS last year to focus on the students that need to catch up and accelerate.
∙ At the HS level, there is no cap put on course experience.
∙ Bringing data to a team at each building to do a very deep dive into the numbers and the students that sit behind the numbers and what is being done specifically for those students to receive support and intervention. Providing some of this information to the board so they can see strategies and tactics in place.
∙ A particular concern for those students at the MS level that are heading into HS that need the additional support – implementing the strategies and tactics to target those students and ensure they are receiving the support needed.
∙ Are freshman math teachers (based on the 8th-grade data) finding there are holes in the foundation? If so, what are we doing for those students that need the support? And how does teacher feedback get back into the strategies?
∙ The 5th-grade students in 2019 are 8th-graders in 2022. The importance of the focus on MS math. That is why the math coaches were added at every building and are piloting a high quality instructional resource. Also noted this is seen statewide as students move from grades 3 – 8. There is information that tells us that we see a difference across Elementary and MS, and those students had a more disrupted experience than the elementary students did.
∙ Did we lose more than normal of those kids in the math fast-paced program from 5th to 8th grade? It is rare for kids to go out of the program and is not a trend we saw in D200.
∙ FastBridge does not look at writing. What does the District have that looks at writing? Is it mechanics or is it skills? Writing has been a challenge.
∙ PARCC – administered on paper or online? 2019 was the first year this was fully online.
∙ SAT and ACTs – online? A lot of standardized entry exams have moved online. Some AP (Advanced Placement) tests still provide an option of doing a handwritten paper essay. College Board is split on this.
∙ Teaching to a test – not an advocate of this, but it is important to help kids understand what they need as they show what they know on an assessment.
∙ The Vision 2026 goal of an 8% increase in the number of HS students who complete advanced coursework seems high. This will include the industry-recognized credentials and the expanded dual credit coursework, and believe this will create opportunities for some different groups of students.
∙ Students are required to take a fourth year of English at the HS level.
∙ The Transitional Math Course grade is only for Illinois State schools, and D200 developed this course in alignment with COD. Students who complete this course automatically pass the entry exam and are placed in a credit-bearing course.
∙ The state does track the percentage of advanced coursework. The state tracks the advanced coursework separate from the industry-recognized credentials. A Career Pathways report will be presented at the November meeting.
∙ Ultimately the goal is to graduate students that are ready for the next level of post-secondary experience, and there are multiple ways that a student can demonstrate they are ready for that experience.
∙ Concern over seeing zero ML (multilingual learner) students in the Class of 2022 English Proficiency numbers. Noted there were 49 ML students in the Class of 2022. The context was provided and the importance of a Transitional English Course was noted as being a gateway for ML students to be included in this number in the future.
∙ Senior year elective English courses – would be looking at adding a Transitional English course as an elective offering. COD has given guidance on the types of students the course would be targeted for. We are also looking at adding dual-credit courses in English.
∙ The students identified in Freshman on Track metric in 2021 – the academic interventionist worked with those students as well on credit recovery. Teams did a lot of winter, spring, and summer recovery work. Teachers signed up to support these students, along with the interventionist.
∙ The biggest demographic growth in the Freshmen on Track metric from 2021 to 2022 was in low-income, ML, black and Hispanic students.
∙ On the IL School Report Card, if a school is in the Targeted designation, you do have to write a plan, monitor, etc. There are no D200 schools in the Targeted or Comprehensive Designations.
∙ The percentage of students from Hawthorne that fall into the ML (multilingual learners) category. Hawthorne is a Title I school, and do not believe they have a bilingual program this year.
∙ The number one indicator of student achievement is poverty level. It is hard to compare D200 with some benchmark districts that have different low-income percentages and demographics.
∙ The value of looking at the one unit district above D200 – who are they, what are they doing, etc.? In the live version of the scatterplots, you can identify the district. In some cases, the high outliers are very specific magnet schools.
∙ Clarification on the scatterplot data – it is not just the performance of our 11th-grade low income students. This shows the aggregate performance of all 11th-grade students that took the test.
∙ Any of the scatterplots – reporting out the aggregate performance of all students, while allowing you to pull out a specific metric and compare it to some of the demographics that are typically correlated to academic achievement on a test.
∙ The scatterplot data is important for the community to see and put into context, as it includes data with all of the other unit districts in the state.
∙ Concern over the definition of the metric for on-time graduation rates on the Equity Journey Continuum, since this includes D200 Transition students (who do not graduate “on time” by the state’s definition).
∙ Concern over the Equity Journey Continuum results since they are from 2018-19, and do not reflect any work that has been done in the District over the last four years. However, differences are seen over the levels of performance (in demographic information) in other data points that have been reviewed.
∙ Closing specific gaps on the continuum – how that is being addressed as it relates to the school improvement plans. The strategy has always been to lift every student up. The task is to look student by student and give each one what they need to create conditions allowing them to elevate. FastBridge will help with this as students are assessed three times per year and growth data will be provided for each student.
∙ This presentation will relate to a complicated budget discussion in two summers. The overall enrollment decline and the potential impact on staffing numbers. The overall staff headcount is up primarily due to staff that are devoted to some of our special population programs – ML program, increase in special education students.
∙ Ages 3 to Kindergarten – seeing increased needs of students. Will this require additional staff in those areas? Are we identifying kids in the 3-5 age range to benefit from services?
∙ Gathering information for an upcoming presentation on the current Kindergarten situation – half-day vs. full-day percentages (five years ago vs. current).
∙ The enrollment at Jefferson ECC is substantially higher than projections (students qualifying for early intervention services). There is also a longer waitlist on the tuition-paying side for Jefferson. Noted the head start program classrooms have moved from Jefferson to other D200 building locations due to the number of students enrolled at Jefferson.
∙ Early Learning Collaborative and ensuring through outreach families are going through screenings and identifying students with needs earlier.
∙ PARCC vs. IAR state tests. Seeking information on how IAR differs from what PARCC was.
∙ ELA Coaches in the MS space – MS principals have talked about this, especially with the curricular work the district wants to do. Are there other needs being expressed by experts in our buildings as we begin to look at staffing for next year?
The Board expressed appreciation for the COW (Committee of the Whole) discussions and board members were encouraged to advise the administration if there were topics they would like a deeper dive into discussed at a future COW.
PUBLIC COMMENTS – Agenda Items & Non-Agenda Items
None
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION
There being no further business to come before the Board in Open Session, Member Booton moved, Member Blatner seconded to adjourn the meeting. Upon a voice call being taken, all were in favor The motion carried 5-0.
The meeting adjourned at 9:15 PM.
https://www.cusd200.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=22857&dataid=37725&FileName=Minutes%20Oct%2026%202022%20COW.pdf
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