Galesburg Reporter

Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Committee of the Whole met Oct. 29

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

Call to Order: President Arvanitis called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.

Board of Education Members

Present – Mrs. Athena Arvanitis, President; Mrs. Elizabeth Hosler, Vice-President; Mrs. Courtenae Trautmann, Secretary; Mrs. Kelly Asseff; Mrs. Kara Caforio; Mr. Jim Collins; Dr. Kelly Henry

Absent – none

President Arvanitis stated there are 7 board members present, 0 board member absent, a quorum is present.

Administration

Present - Dr. Keisha Campbell, Superintendent; Mrs. Tonya Daniels, Chief of Staff & Communications; Mr. Rudy Gomez, Exec. Dir. Technology; Ms. Kerry Leuschel, Asst. Superintendent of School Leadership; Mrs. Katie Lyons, Asst. Superintendent of Teaching & Learning; Dr. Kevin Rubenstein, Asst. Superintendent of Student Services; Dr. Joe Schumacher, Asst. Superintendent of Human Resources; Mr. Chris Whelton, Asst. Superintendent of Finance & Operations

Absent – none

Pledge of Allegiance: Board members led those present in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Public Comments: There were no public comments.

Reports and Presentations

Results from State and National Assessments

Dr. Campbell opened the first Committee of the Whole meeting of the school year, focusing on last spring’s State and National Assessments and the annual Illinois Report Card summative designations. She emphasized that this presentation is part of a continuous cycle of data inquiry aimed at understanding school progress and success. The data will be publicly available on the Illinois Report Card website tomorrow, October 30, 2024, and will also be shared at the State of the District presentation that evening.

Dr. Campbell stated how the meeting would be structured into four parts:

1. Board Reflection: Members reflected on the impact of their decisions from the previous school year.

2. Presentation of Data: The district-wide Summative Designation Data was presented, covering state assessments, absenteeism, graduation rates, and progress toward proficiency.

3. Discussion and Analysis: The Board engaged in discussions about the presented data.

4. Individual School Data Analysis: Members analyzed data from individual schools to evaluate alignment with board priorities and past and current decisions.

The evening would conclude with reflections on how current decisions could positively influence student outcomes for the ongoing school year.

Reflection on SY2023-2024 Impact

Dr. Campbell asked the Board to take a few minutes to reacquaint themselves with last year’s priorities related to student success and learning environments, encouraging them to reflect on highlights from the previous year.

The following reflections were shared from each of the table groups:

• Increased education staffing in specific areas, such as the dual language program.

• Approval of curricular resources and alignment with professional learning initiatives.

• Changes made to the middle school schedule.

• Attention to chronic absenteeism and its impact on various schools and levels.

• Mental health grant.

• Implementation of Project Lead the Way courses for grades K-5.

• Expansion of the Special Olympics program at York.

Dr. Campbell explained how summative designations are determined, emphasizing the significant shifts in measures used in schools over the past several years:

• Until 2017, the focus was primarily on proficiency, aiming to get every school and student past a singular benchmark based on tests taken on a single day. These benchmarks were typically lower and rewarded schools with strong initial achievement.

• In 2018, following the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act, the approach shifted to using multiple measures, emphasizing student growth. School improvement efforts became centered on ensuring that all students made progress.

• Although accountability measures were absent during the pandemic, summative designations have since resumed, with no major changes in subsequent years.

Dr. Campbell noted that this year, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is considering potential revisions to the criteria for summative designations for the upcoming year and beyond. She outlined the four summative designation categories: exemplary, commendable, targeted support, and comprehensive/intensive support, proudly reporting that all schools have achieved either exemplary or commendable status.

Additionally, during the September board meeting, the administration presented its intentional work aligned with the strategic priority of creating a positive learning environment. This data is used for progress monitoring and to implement strategic actions to meet goals and objectives. Dr. Campbell highlighted the 5 Essential Survey as one of the resources used, noting an increase in the percentage of respondents completing surveys across all schools. She also reported an increase in students meeting expected progress toward language proficiency at all grade levels and announced a decrease in the percentage of students chronically absent across every grade level last year.

Dr. Campbell introduced Ms. Kerry Leuschel, Assistant Superintendent of School Leadership, who discussed the summative designation criteria for York High School. She noted a slight increase in the composite graduation rate, which accounts for 50% of the overall score, particularly benefiting specific student groups.

Ms. Leuschel addressed the Freshmen On Track status, indicating no significant change this year but a large percentage of freshmen remain on track for graduation. She reported that York met ISBE benchmarks for science proficiency in 11th grade and mentioned a decrease in SAT benchmark performance, while still achieving maximum points.

She emphasized the importance of monitoring progress over time and highlighted improvements in English Language Arts and math proficiency. Additionally, Ms. Leuschel praised the success of York's AP program, which received recognition from the College Board for both Gold and Access awards due to high participation rates on AP exams.

Finally, she shared positive trends in elementary and middle school data, noting increased proficiency rates in ELA and math. For more detailed information, please refer to the BoardDocs presentation.

Dr. Campbell gave the board five minutes to reflect on their observations and questions. The table groups shared several insights:

Noticings:

• Significant growth in IAR results over four years: ELA proficiency increased by 26% and math by 16%.

• Increased participation in AP classes, resulting in higher pass rates and more options for students.

• While the target for SAT growth was met, only 50% of students are meeting that, indicating a missed opportunity for growth, and how we are going to address that.

Wonderings:

• What will the science portion of the ACT look like, and will it align with the current curriculum?

• How many students have participated in SAT prep classes, and what impact has this had on their test success?

• Will we see a difference in next year's data now that full-year science and social studies are implemented in middle school?

Dr. Campbell introduced Mrs. Katie Lyons, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, who emphasized the importance of intentionality in ongoing learning and the need to monitor progress at specific benchmarks.

Mrs. Lyons reviewed proficiency data for current freshmen, noting a nearly 30% increase in ELA and an 18% increase in math since 5th grade. She also highlighted the progress of current 8th graders, with a 23% increase in ELA and a 20% increase in math since 4th grade. Additionally, she discussed significant growth in the dual language program, particularly in Spanish speaking and listening skills.

For more detailed information, please refer to BoardDocs for the full presentation.

Committee of the Whole: Data Discussion Protocol

Dr. Campbell explained that the next portion of the meeting would involve a close examination of the data. Dr. Rubenstein provided an overview of the Donuts packet that had been distributed, explaining how to read and interpret the graphs included. Each group was assigned specific schools, and Dr. Campbell outlined a three-phase process for their analysis.

In Phase 1, the groups focused on the question, what facts do you see? She emphasized that they should observe the data without interpreting or analyzing it—simply noting what the data presents. After seven minutes, they moved on to Phase 2, where they considered what does the data suggest? What assumptions do we make about schools, students, and learning? Finally, in Phase 3, the groups reflected on what did we learn from the data and the collective input of one another?

The following reflections were shared from each of the table groups:

Group A (Hawthorne, Edison, Field, Sandburg, and York):

• Noted a decrease in chronic absenteeism at York and expressed hope for continued improvement.

• Discussed the positive trajectory for Edison and improvements in data.

• Identified a decrease in a couple of growth areas at Field.

• Recognized growth at Sandburg and the impact of new leadership over the past year.

• Considered the relationship between growth and proficiency

• Questioned if a school has a lot of growth one year, do we expect them to have significant growth the following year?

 Group B (Jackson, Jefferson, Lincoln, Bryan, York):

• Most schools are meeting proficiency targets, but there is significant opportunity for growth in math and ELA.

• The focus should be on ensuring students meet their growth projections moving forward.

• Discussed learning from schools with higher and lower growth rates to narrow gaps.

• Considered variables that may impact outcomes, such as building transitions, new leadership, etc.

 Group C (Emerson, Fischer, Churchville, York):

• Significant growth was observed in both math and ELA.

• Churchville, Fischer, and Emerson achieved 10-20% growth while staying on target in most other categories.

• EL populations either remained stable or experienced slight increases.

• Curricular changes at Fischer have positively impacted student outcomes.

• Intentional leadership at Fischer has contributed to a decrease in chronic absenteeism, as students are motivated to attend.

• At Emerson, EL specialists are having a positive impact.

• The Wit and Wisdom pilot program, along with supportive professional development, are making a difference at Churchville.

• York's data suggests improvements in chronic absenteeism and EL progress, though there is still work to be done. ELA and math proficiency targets have been met at York.

Dr. Campbell thanked everyone for their engagement in the data analysis and the rich conversations that followed. She emphasized the district's commitment to continuous improvement. While the data reflects last year's performance, the district is already well into the 2024-25 school year. Efforts will continue to align practices to ensure that alignment effectively reaches each classroom, fostering a rich and robust learning environment for all students.

Key Take-Away Board Reflections:

Dr. Campbell introduced Board President Athena Arvanitis to lead the team in a final moment of reflection. President Arvanitis asked the board members to consider the priorities outlined in the district's strategic plan and to identify which ones they want to prioritize. She encouraged them to think about the following questions:

• How did our actions during the 2023-2024 school year impact our summative designations?

• How will the Board of Education prioritize the 2024-2025 district-wide priority objectives?

• Are there additional areas of focus that should be added based on the 2023-2024 data?

The board discussed these questions, and President Arvanitis summarized their thoughts with the following points:

• Identifying practices that are working in some classrooms and schools and finding ways to share that knowledge to create similar experiences for more students.

• Addressing absenteeism as a priority area.

• Considering the switch from SAT to ACT and its impact on students, as well as how student growth will be tracked and measured over time.

• Focusing on math proficiency.

President Arvanitis noted that following the ELA audit conducted a few years ago, the district experienced an almost immediate positive impact on learning and proficiency in ELA. She reminded everyone that the math audit was completed just last year, and there is hope for a similar pace of change in the math curriculum.

She concluded by thanking everyone for their time and reminded them of the State of the District presentation on October 30 at 7 PM at York High School.

Board Communications: There was no board communications.

Upcoming Meetings

- November 6, 2024 Finance and Operation Committee Meeting at 5:30 p.m. -District 205 Center, Rooms 215 & 216

- November 19, 2024 Board of Education Meeting, 7:00 p.m.–District 205 Center, Rooms 215, 216, & 217

Adjournment - End of Meeting: The meeting was adjourned at 7:18 p.m.

https://go.boarddocs.com/il/elmhurst/Board.nsf/Public