July 12, 2012

Board Member:

RE: PROGRESS TOWARD MEETING DISTRICT ACADEMIC GOALS IN 2011-2012

AND ACADEMIC GOALS FOR 2012-2014

When Thomas Edison was asked why he was so prolific an inventor, he replied that it was a result of

the "multiplier effect." The “multiplier effect” happened when he placed his team of inventors near

each other to encourage them to consult with one another so that each member of the team benefited

from the collective group (Schmoker, 2000). Effective school leadership creates the right environment

to build a strong learning culture among staff by providing the necessary resources and setting in place

for the proper structures and processes. School leaders help build an environment where collaboration

and continual professional learning can flourish. District 211 students need the right balance of

knowledge, skills and 21st century competencies. Students graduating require the ability to

communicate effectively, to collaborate with others and to apply critical thinking skills and creativity

to solve projects and dilemmas.

Within the Professional Learning Team (PLT) framework, District 211 faculty and staff draw upon the

multiplier effect in our continued focus on accelerating academic achievement for all students through

a continuous improvement model. Mike Schmoker, one of the nation’s leading school improvement researchers, states that “the information we collect and analyze should help us to understand and improve

instructional processes that help get better results.” Teachers work together to continuously improve both

student learning and their own teaching by constantly monitoring student performance and adjusting

instruction for those students not meeting standards. PLTs establish clear and measureable goals linked to

District academic goals. During established meeting times, PLTs are analyzing student data on common

formative and summative assessments to determine specific and timely academic interventions and make

adjustments to instructional techniques.

Two areas to monitor the academic progress of students include: attainment of identified outcomes and

growth. These interrelated aspects of student improvement provide a complete and comprehensive

assessment of student achievement. The District goals for the current year - and for future years –

include goals for both attainment and growth.

Attainment is an indication of a student’s performance on identified outcomes at a particular point in

time. The percentage of students meeting a benchmark provides information about the learning

students have “attained” at the time they take the test.

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Growth, on the other hand, is a measure over time. In other words, growth measures how much or how

far a student or group of students progresses over a defined period or compares student performance to

their own growth standard based on prior performance. Growth measures are important because they

are meaningful in understanding not only what students have learned, but how quickly they are

learning the skills and concepts. Growth measures, combined with attainment measures, provide a

more complete picture of students’ learning.

District academic goals use multiple measures to indicate progress toward meeting the District goals.

In using multiple measures, including both attainment and growth, one can obtain a clearer picture of

student achievement over time at the District and school level. The District goals demonstrate our

commitment to the importance of tracking evidence of student learning. When assessment results are

used as a barometer to measure the strength of learning and as a compass to show the direction of

future action, all participants in the process become learners. Assessment results are used to make

issues of quality part of everyday conversations in schools and to guide instructional improvements.

This report summarizes the student performance data collected relative to the multiple measures

identified in the 2011-2012 Academic Goals. Accelerating academic achievement for all students is

based on the four District goals: 1) All students will meet standards; 2) All students will demonstrate

academic growth; 3) Student enrollment in more rigorous courses will increase; and 4) All students

will demonstrate college-readiness. In each instance, the identified goals and targets will be listed

followed by a summary of data collected relative to the defined outcome measures. Monitoring of

multiple measure indicators provides important guidance to review progress during the current school

year and to identify target areas for continued improvement during the upcoming school year.

In addition, this report establishes the District academic goals for the next two school years. The

Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) does not release assessment data until the fall of each year.

As a result, we do not yet possess the full assessment data on the statewide Prairie State Achievement

Examination (PSAE) test until weeks or months after we set the goals for the next year. In order to

account for this issue of timing and to ensure that the school improvement actions can be directly

linked to the assessment results that they impacted, we are moving to adopt a two-year goal cycle. A

two-year goal cycle enables us to review the assessment data, develop and implement programs and

initiatives, and complete the evaluation cycle with the next set of assessment data released the

following fall. This two-year goal implementation cycle provides the time to address both student

attainment of goals and their individual growth over time from one test administration to another. The

goals serve as a guide for teachers and administrators indicating what should be emphasized

instructionally and defining how the District should gauge success. After reviewing last year’s

academic performance data and identifying strengths and weaknesses, the District goals have been

created based on our analysis of current strengths and weaknesses, as well as the Illinois State Board

of Education’s accountability measures for all Illinois schools.

District 211’s mission and instructional vision drive the goals to accelerate academic achievement for

all students. With stated objectives and goals, we will continue to monitor and evaluate systematically

the established measures to develop and implement interventions and replicate success across the

District. District 211 will continue to turn knowledge into action with a clear instructional vision that

is data-driven to focus on preparing students to be college and career ready.

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Academic Goals 2011-2012

Accelerate Academic Achievement of All Students

Underlying Beliefs:

1. Each student graduating from Township High School District 211 should have options for college and career pursuits.

2. The communication skills and mathematics knowledge required for entry into college or vocational post-high school endeavors are increasingly similar and provide a common target of

standards to be learned.

3. In order to be competitive in a global economy, students must obtain 21st century skills. These include the ability to think critically, solve problems, communicate and listen effectively, access

and analyze information, apply knowledge, become self-learners, and collaborate effectively

with others.

Definitions:

A. EXPLORE Score: The test scores a student achieved on the EXPLORE test during the student’s eighth grade year.

B. PLAN Score: The test scores a student achieved on the PLAN test taken during the fall semester of the student’s sophomore year.

C. ACT Score: The test scores a student achieved on the ACT test taken during the spring semester of the student’s junior year as part of the District-administered state required PSAE

test.

D. Designated Subgroup: All students, White, Black, Hispanic Asian, Multiracial, LEP, IEP, and Economically Disadvantaged as defined by AYP.

E. Developmental Course: Courses ending in 0 or a 1 within the District 211 curriculum. F. Accelerated Course: Courses ending in 8 or 9 within the District 211 curriculum.

Goal One: All Students Will Meet Standards

A. For those courses that have established common District critical learning standards and a benchmark assessment, 100% of students will demonstrate that they meet or exceed the

defined CLS standards for the course by the end of the 2011-2012 school year.

Goal Two: All Students Will Demonstrate Academic Growth

A. 100% of students will achieve the expected growth rate of two points on the English, reading and mathematics subtests when comparing students’ EXPLORE scores with the scores

obtained on the PLAN test.

B. 100% of students will achieve the expected growth rate of two points on the English, reading, and mathematics subtests when comparing student’s PLAN scores with the scores obtained on

the ACT test.

C. 100% of students will achieve an increase of five points on the English, reading and mathematics subtests when comparing students’ EXPLORE scores with the scores obtained on

the ACT test.

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D. 100% of students taking the MAP reading test will increase their scores by the yearly expected growth rate, according to the technical manual of the MAP test, when compared to their MAP

reading test score obtained in the spring of 2012 to their score obtained in the spring of 2011.

E. 100% of students taking the ACCESS test will increase their scores on the composite and literacy scores by the yearly expected growth rate, according to the technical manual of the

ACCESS test, when comparing the scores obtained in 2012 to the scores obtained in 2011.

Goal Three: Student Enrollment in More Rigorous Courses Will Increase

A. The percentage of students in each subgroup participating in at least one Advanced Placement course will increase when comparing the class of 2012 to the class of 2011.

B. The percentage of students in each subgroup participating in Advanced Placement tests will increase when comparing the class of 2012 with the class of 2011.

C. The percentage of students in each subgroup enrolled in developmental courses will decrease when comparing the class of 2012 with the class of 2011.

D. The percentage of students in each subgroup enrolled in accelerated courses will increase when comparing the class of 2012 with the class of 2011.

Goal Four: All Students will Demonstrate College-Readiness

A. The percentage of students in each designated subgroup reaching or exceeding the college readiness standard for English (15) and mathematics (19) on the PLAN test will increase

compared to the percentage of the same students who had reached the college readiness

benchmark for English (13) and mathematics (17) on the EXPLORE test.

B. The percentage of students in each designated subgroup reaching or exceeding the college readiness standard for English (18) and mathematics (22) on the ACT test will increase

compared to the percentage of the same students who had reached the college readiness

benchmark for reading and mathematics on the PLAN test.

C. The percentage of students in each designated subgroup reaching or exceeding the college readiness standard for English (18) and mathematics (22) on the ACT will increase compared

to the percentage of the same students who had reached the college readiness benchmark for

English (13) and mathematics (17) on the EXPLORE test.

D. The percentage of students in each designated subgroup reaching or exceeding a composite score of 19 on the ACT test for the class of 2012 will increase compared to the percentage

reaching or exceeding a composite score of 19 for the class of 2011.

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Goal One: All Students Will Meet Standards

The effort to ensure that every student masters the content and skills represented by the critical

learning standards falls to every department and teacher. This represents a shift in focus from what is

taught to students to what is learned by students. Thomas Guskey, national education consultant,

stated, “When teachers’ classroom assessments become an integral part of the instructional process

and a central ingredient in their efforts to help students learn, the benefits of assessment for both

students and teachers will be boundless.” Professional learning teams develop meaningful

assessments tied to the critical learning standards, which provide the evidence of student attainment of

the standards. Resulting data are collected, examined, reported and used to improve instruction

through the professional learning teams on the School Improvement Documentation Site. The

reporting site includes both the results of the common District-wide benchmark assessment and the

common formative assessments linked to course critical learning standards.

The table below indicates the progress made by each department to develop the District-wide course

critical learning standards and to develop a District-wide summative assessment linked to those

standards. The boxes highlighted in green indicate they have completed their work and will now be

monitoring for improvement. The boxes shaded yellow indicate that the department is within 10% of

completing the work. Eleven of the 15 departments have completed course critical learning standards.

The remaining four departments are at least 68% completed. The core departments first focused on

their major course offerings and are now focusing on elective courses that may run as a single section.

Seven of the 15 departments have developed District-wide summative assessments for all courses. An

additional six departments are at least 80% complete. The progress made on achieving this goal is the

direct result of the time provided to the professional learning teams in each school during the morning

sessions to develop common assessments, create rubrics, engage in collaborative scoring, and review

assessment results. Each department will administer a District-wide summative assessment linked to

the course critical learning standards to students in each course during the 2012-2013 school year.

Curricular Department

Percentage of Courses with

Established District-wide

Critical Learning Standards

Percentage of Courses with District-

wide Summative Assessments Linked

to Critical Learning Standards

Applied Technology 100% 95%

Art 100% 100%

Business Education 95% 95%

Driver Education 100% 100%

English 68% 67%

ESL 100% 100%

Family and Consumer Sciences 95% 89%

Health 100% 100%

Mathematics 100% 100%

Music 100% 100%

Physical Education 100% 70%

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Goal Two: All Students Will Demonstrate Academic Growth The District’s second goal for 2011-2012 was directed toward individual student improvement. The goal

was for all students to demonstrate the expected level of academic growth on any number of assessments

used across the District. The list of assessments includes the Educational Planning and Assessment

System (EPAS) - which includes the EXPLORE, PLAN and ACT with the addition of the English subtest with the subtests of reading and mathematics; the MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) test in

reading; and the ACCESS (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State to State) test

for English language learners. The ACCESS test is designed to measure English language proficiency.

The final growth measurement evaluates the percentages of students meeting the ISBE growth target

of 0.5 or achieving the maximum score of 6.0 on the ACCESS composite score.

Evaluating student growth provides one component of the comprehensive picture of student learning.

It provides an accurate picture of individual student achievement because it looks at where students

started and where they ended. The graph below indicates the percentage of students who achieved the

expected growth rate of two points or more on the English, reading and mathematics subtests when

comparing students’ EXPLORE scores with the scores obtained on the PLAN test and then on the

ACT test. Students complete the EXPLORE test during eighth grade, the PLAN test in October of

tenth grade and the ACT test in April of eleventh grade.

The percentages of students achieving the expected growth rate increased for each subtest from

EXPLORE to PLAN and from EXPLORE to ACT. The green bars below indicate that two-thirds or

more of the class of 2012 met the target growth rate from PLAN to ACT. The blue bars below indicate

more than two-thirds of the class of 2012 achieved the ACT expected growth rate from EXPLORE to

ACT.

The percentage of students achieving the four-point expected growth between the EXPLORE English subtest and the ACT English subtest increased by 6.78% compared to the same

students achieving the two-point expected growth on the EXPLORE English subtest to the

PLAN test.

The percentage of students achieving the four-point expected growth between the EXPLORE reading subtest to the ACT reading subtest increased by 6.47% compared to the same students

achieving the two-point expected growth to the PLAN test.

The mathematics subtest had the highest percentage of students meeting the growth goal between PLAN and ACT, 70.54%. The percentage of students meeting the growth goal

increased by 17.21% on the mathematics subtest compared to the percentage of students

achieving the two-point growth on the mathematics subtest between EXPLORE and ACT.

Curricular Department

Percentage of Courses with

Established District-wide

Critical Learning Standards

Percentage of Courses with District-

wide Summative Assessments Linked

to Critical Learning Standards

Science 100% 90%

Social Studies 84% 84%

Special Education 100% 80%

World Language 100% 100%

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The percentage of students achieving the District 211 goal of a five-point growth from EXPLORE to

ACT is approximately 60%. Though the expected growth from EXPLORE to PLAN and from PLAN

to ACT is approximately two points each respectively, District 211 monitored the percentage of

students achieving a growth rate of at least five points. Overall, the highest percentage of students

achieving the five-point growth goal occurred on the reading subtest with 62.35% of the students.

61.88% 64.59%

53.33%

67.38% 66.85% 70.54% 68.66% 71.06% 69.28%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

100.00%

English Reading Mathematics

Percentage of Class of 2012 Students Achieving the Expected Growth Rate

EXPLORE to PLAN (2 pt. gowth) PLAN to ACT (2 pt. growth) Explore to ACT (4 pt. growth)

59.70% 62.35% 58.87%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

100.00%

English Reading Mathematics

Percentage of Class of 2012 Students Achieving a Five-Point Growth from

EXPLORE to ACT

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The purpose of the MAP assessment series is to identify gaps in learning. The target population for

the MAP assessment is students who have been identified based on their eighth grade EXPLORE

reading score as needing additional reading support. This would include students enrolled in

developmental English courses, special education courses and English as a second language courses.

After each test window, teachers are able to see which skill sets each student needs to develop. With

the results, teachers can differentiate instruction to maximize growth by implementing interventions

and strategies to meet each student’s needs. The District goal is for 100% of students taking the MAP

reading test to increase their scores by the yearly expected growth rate, according to the technical

manual of the MAP test, when comparing their MAP reading test score obtained in the spring of 2012

to their score obtained in the spring of 2011. Forty-six percent of ninth grade students met the

expected growth rate from spring to spring. Forty-two percent of tenth grade students met the

expected growth from spring to spring.

During January and February, District 211 English language learners participate in the Assessing

Comprehension and Communication in English (ACCESS) test. The State of Illinois requires that all

students with limited English language skills participate in the ACCESS test each year. English

language proficiency is tested in the areas of Social and Instructional Language, English Language

Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. The percentage of English language learners who

demonstrated either a 0.5 point increase in composite score from the previous test year or who

achieved the maximum composite score of a 6.0 is 71.02%.

Goal Three: Student Enrollment in More Rigorous Courses Will Increase

The District’s third goal is to continue the trend increasing the number of students enrolling in more

rigorous courses and decreasing the percentage of students enrolled in developmental courses. By

enrolling students in more rigorous courses, District 211 will continue to challenge students and

expand their opportunities. The data indicates a positive trend in enrolling more students in accelerated

courses and enrolling fewer students in developmental courses. That positive trend must continue.

The first two parts of the District’s third goal focus on student enrollment in Advanced Placement

coursework and the percentage of students participating in the Advanced Placement test program when

comparing the class of 2012 to the class of 2011. The second two parts of the goal focus on the

percentage of students enrolled in developmental courses decreasing and the percentages of students

enrolled in accelerated coursework increasing.

The next graph indicates that the percentage of students enrolled in at least one Advanced Placement

course during senior year increased for the class of 2012 as compared to the class of 2011.

The class of 2012 had 2.3% more of its graduating class enrolled in at least one Advanced Placement course during senior compared to the class of 2011.

The Asian subgroup population has the highest percentage of students enrolled in at least one Advanced Placement course with 74.8%.

The greatest growth was experienced by the Asian, Hispanic, and LEP subgroups.

Over 25% of the class of 2012 was enrolled in three or more Advanced Placement courses.

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The graph below depicts the percentage of students from the graduating class of 2011 compared to the

graduating class of 2012 enrolled in developmental courses during their senior year. Overall, the

percentage of students enrolled in developmental courses did increase slightly. Over the last four

years, the percentage of students enrolled in developmental courses consistently has been reduced

from nearly 22% to 15.6% and, eventually, the percentage of students in developmental courses will

plateau.

The percentage of Hispanic students enrolled in developmental courses decreased by 3.2%.

The economically disadvantaged subgroup enrolled in developmental courses decreased by 1.0%.

The percentage of Asian students enrolled in developmental courses decreased by 1.9%.

41.10% 43.40%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

100.00%

Percentage of Students Enrolled in at Least One Advanced

Placement Course During the Senior Year

Class of 2011 Class of 2012

15.10% 15.60%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

100.00%

Percentage of Students Enrolled in Developmental Courses

During Their Senior Year

Class of 2011 Class of 2012

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The graph below depicts the percentage of students from the graduating class of 2011 compared to the

graduating class of 2012 enrolled in accelerated courses during their senior year. The percentage of

students enrolled in accelerated courses includes Advanced Placement courses. The percentage of the

class of 2012 students enrolled in accelerated courses increased from the class of 2011.

The class of 2012 Asian population has the greatest percentage of students enrolled in accelerated coursework with 75.5%.

The following subgroups increased when comparing graduating classes: all, white, Asian, limited English proficient, and economically disadvantaged.

The graph below indicates the student course placement acceleration for the class of 2012 and the

continued efforts to accelerate students at each level from the beginning of their freshman year until

enrollment in their senior year. During ninth grade, 31.2% of the class of 2012 was enrolled in at least

one accelerated course. By the time this same class of students reached their senior year, the

percentage of student enrollment in at least one accelerated course increased by 13.6%. District 211

has a positive trend in its attempts to enroll more students in accelerated courses and to enroll fewer

students in developmental courses. The class of 2012 had 44.8% of students enrolled in at least one

accelerated course during their senior year, which is over two percentage points higher than the class

of 2011.

42.60% 44.80%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

100.00%

Percentage of Students Enrolled in Accelerated Courses

During Their Senior Year

Class of 2011 Class of 2012

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Goal Four: All Students will Demonstrate College Readiness

The fourth goal is for all students to demonstrate college readiness. This is determined by the

percentage of students meeting the ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks. ACT determined the

minimum score on each subtest required for students to have a high probability of success in credit-

bearing college courses in English, social sciences, college algebra or biology. The college readiness

benchmarks are established for each test within the EPAS system. Table 1 indicates the ACT College

Readiness Benchmarks on the subtests for all EPAS assessments.

Table 1: ACT College Readiness Benchmark Scores on the English and Mathematics Subtests.

EXPLORE PLAN ACT

English 13 15 18

Mathematics 17 19 22

Though the ACT-expected growth is two points between each test, the college readiness benchmark

scores increase by more than two points from PLAN to ACT on both the English and mathematics

subtests.

Based on the Stanford study, “Improving College Performance and Retention the Easy Way:

Unpacking the ACT Exam,” the English and mathematics subtests of the ACT effectively predict

student success in college. The next graph indicates the class of 2012 students achieving the English

and mathematics college readiness benchmark. Approximately four percent more students met the

English college readiness benchmark on the PLAN compared to on the EXPLORE. The class of 2012

had 71.35% of the students achieving the English college readiness benchmark on the ACT.

2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012

Percentage of Students Enrolled in

Developmental Courses20.0% 20.7% 16.5% 15.6%

Percentage of Students Enrolled in

Regular Level Courses48.8% 43.0% 45.0% 39.7%

Percentage of Students Enrolled in

Accelerated Courses31.2% 36.3% 38.6% 44.8%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

Class of 2012 Student Course Placement Acceleration

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Seventy-one percent of students in the class of 2012 met the English college readiness benchmark on the ACT.

The percentage of students achieving the English college readiness benchmark increased for seven out of the eight subgroups.

Sixty percent of students in the class of 2012 met the mathematics college readiness benchmark on the ACT.

Six out of the eight subgroups had an increase in the percentage of students achieving the mathematics college readiness benchmark.

Overall, the percentage of students in the class of 2012 achieving the mathematics college readiness benchmark on the ACT test increased by 10% compared to the PLAN test.

Comparing the percentage of students meeting the college readiness benchmark on the EXPLORE test

to the ACT test both on the English and mathematics subtest, there was a decrease in the percentage of

students achieving the college readiness benchmark. ACT reported a national decreasing trend line

from the class of 2008 to the class of 2012 for the percentage of students achieving the English college

readiness benchmark on the ACT, as well. Nationally, ACT reports that the percentage of students

achieving the mathematics college readiness benchmark has remained flat during that same timeframe.

The national average for the students achieving the English and mathematics college readiness

benchmark is 66% and 45% respectively. The state average for the students achieving the English and

mathematics college readiness benchmark for the class of 2012 is 57% and 40% respectively. District

211 students exceed the national percentage of students meeting the English and mathematics college

readiness benchmark by 5% and 15% respectively, and the state percentage by 14% and 20%

respectively.

77.72 81.01

71.35 63.75

50.17

60.07

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

EXPLORE PLAN ACT EXPLORE PLAN ACT

English Mathematics

Class of 2012 Percentage of Students Achieving the College

Readiness Benchmark on the EXPLORE, PLAN and ACT

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A composite score of 19 on the ACT opens the door for entry into several Illinois state universities and

colleges, when combined with other considerations such as grade point average. The composite score

is the average of the four ACT test scores: English, reading, mathematics and science. The District

data indicate that the percentage of students achieving the composite score of 19 increased from the

previous graduating class for the following AYP subgroups: Asian, Hispanic and economically

disadvantaged.

The percentage of Hispanic students achieving the composite score of 19 had the highest increase of 7.07%.

The percentage of students in the economically disadvantaged subgroup reached a new high of 46.57% students achieving the composite score of 19.

In addition to students achieving the ACT college readiness benchmark, successful completion of

Advancement Placement coursework and dual credit courses are also an indication of college

readiness. Advanced Placement and dual enrollment are two programs that allow high school students

to earn college credits. The recent growth of these programs has been unprecedented. Table 2 below

indicates the number of dual credit opportunities that have been expanded for students within the last

twelve months. Table 3 is the dual credit opportunities offered to students at a non-District 211 site.

Table 2: Dual Credit Courses offered to Students at a District 211 Site

Current Opportunities Starting Fall 2012

Health Career Exploration and Medical Terminology Spanish 4

Certified Nursing Assistant Entrepreneurship

Digital Electronics Fashion Independent Study

Quantitative Literacy Fashion Retail Merchandising

Accounting Child Development

Multivariable Calculus Chemistry of Foods

Building Construction

Art credit by review

73.99 74.1

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Class of 2011 Class of 2012

Percentage of Class of 2012 Students Achieving a

Composite Score of 19 on the ACT

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Table 3: Dual Credit Courses offered to Students at a Non-District 211 Site

Current Opportunities

Cisco Networking Basics Health Care Today

Refrigeration/Heating Technology Basic Nursing Assistant

Heating Principles Health Occupations Observational Internship

Heating Cooling Controls Fashion Practicum

Refrigeration Principles Food Services Management 1

Advanced Control Systems Pro Start 2 Internship

Introduction to Criminal Justice Food Service Management 2

Introduction to Forensics Pro Start 3 & 4 Internship

Introduction to Corrections American Sign Language

Introduction to Fire Science Emergency Management

Fire Behavior & Combustion Cosmetology 1 (held at Empire School of Beauty)

Graphic Arts 1 Cosmetology 2 (held at Empire School of Beauty)

Graphic Arts 2 Nail Technology (held at Image Design)

Graphic Arts 1 & 2

In addition to students having the opportunity to earn dual college credit prior to graduating high

school, students have the opportunity to earn industry certifications. Students who have industry

certifications prior to applying for post-high school jobs have an advantage over other applicants who

have not earned industry certifications. Table 4 provides the current list of certifications; District 211

continues to look for additional opportunities for students to earn industry credits.

Table 4: Industry Certifications Available for Students

Current Opportunities Course

Microsoft Specialist (MOS) certifications: available in Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

B162 Computers Skills and Application

B163 Computer Skills and Advanced Application

Food Service Sanitation H333 Chemistry of Foods

Certified Nursing Assistant R314 Certified Nurse Assistant

A+ T277 Computer Repair

National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation certification

T437 NATEF Automotive Independent Study 3

T487 NATEF Automotive Independent Study 4

Child Development Associate H253 Child Development H254 Preschool Lab

H455 Elementary Education Internship

Instructional Vision and the Cycle of Continuous Improvement

Progress was made in achieving the four District goals to accelerate academic achievement of all

students in 2011-2012. According to Mike Schmoker, “Success of any organization is contingent

upon clear, commonly defined goals. A well-articulated focus unleashes individual and collective

energy. And a common focus clarifies understanding, accelerates communication, and promotes

persistence and collective purpose.” The cycle of continuous school improvement is to: create a

vision, gather data related to that vision, analyze the data, plan the work of the District to align with

the vision, implement the strategies and action steps outlined in the plan and gather data to measure

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the impact of the interventions. District 211 faculty and staff are committed to a clear and constant

instructional focus which enables learners to achieve individual academic accomplishments.

The five-year instructional vision was presented to the Board at its meeting held on November 10,

2011 and aligns with the proposed goals for 2012-2013 and 2013-2014. Consistent with the goals

outlined for the next two years, the vision incorporates an emphasis on preparing students for both

college and career readiness; employs data-driven decisions regarding student performance relative to

local, state and federal standards; calls for increasing rigor; and directs efforts to narrow the

achievement gap among different student subgroups. Through these combined school improvement

action plans, students will continue to make meaning of what they are learning by applying that

knowledge to new situations in school and transferring the knowledge gained to college or career

experiences in the future.

A balanced and multiple measures assessment system provides the catalyst for student learning and for

reflective instructional practices. School success depends upon how effectively we select, define, and

measure progress and how well we focus effort toward the goals which serve as a guide for teachers

indicating what should be emphasized instructionally and defining how we should gauge our

performance or success.

Defining Characteristics of the District Academic Goals for 2012-2014

The District academic goals for the 2012-2014 school years continue to emphasize accelerating

academic achievement for all students with a focus on: 1) Student learning and growth; 2) High school

standards attainment; 3) High school graduation rate; and 4) College and career readiness. The

proposed goals continue to target both areas of student growth and the measurement of skills attained.

The goals established for 2012-2014 also reflect significant changes in the ISBE accountability

system. In February 2012, the ISBE approved a comprehensive waiver application to the federal

government in relation to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. The ISBE has moved away from

using the AYP criteria being one-hundred percent of students meeting state standards by 2014 to a

more realistic and achievable measure of progress of student achievement over time. The ISBE has

replaced “the outdated one-size-fits-all approach of NCLB legislation with a new system that stresses

high expectations of students and schools, as well as statewide support, innovation and flexibility to

reach benchmarks.” The focus of the new accountability system is the Multiple Measures Index

consisting of four main categories: Outcomes, Achievement, Progress and Context. The outcome

category specifically addresses the high school graduation rate. The achievement category focuses on

the percentage of students meeting standards in mathematics, reading and science on the PSAE and

ACT assessment series. The student progress category includes growth on the ACT assessment series

and on the ACCESS assessment for English language learners. Though the “context” category is

considered a bonus by ISBE, District 211 finds it important to increase the percentage of students

enrolled in accelerated and dual credit courses.

District 211 will monitor the attainment and growth of each category which is reflected in the 2012-

2014 Academic Goals. School improvement efforts will examine and review the evidence of student

achievement through data collection and analysis.

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Academic Goals for 2012-2014

Goal 1: Students will demonstrate academic growth in high school.

Indicators:

Students will demonstrate academic growth as measured by increased placement in more rigorous academic courses and decreased placement in developmental courses.

Students will demonstrate levels of growth commensurate with the national average as measured by annual administration of exams within the EPAS series. It is estimated that

students will exhibit an overall increase of four points between EXPLORE and ACT

assessments delineated as a two-point increase between each assessment.

English language learners will demonstrate increased proficiency in the English language as measured by the annual administration of the ACCESS assessment.

Goal 2: Students will demonstrate attainment of knowledge and skills defined within local, state

and national high school standards.

Indicators:

Courses will have defined Critical Learning Standards aligned to the Illinois State Learning Standards and the Common Core.

Courses will have formative and benchmark assessments aligned to the course Critical Learning Standards. Proficiency levels for benchmark assessments will be determined; student

performance on all assessments and standards will be monitored within the Professional

Learning Team and Professional Learning Community.

Students will demonstrate attainment of the Critical Learning Standards for each course in which they are enrolled.

Goal 3: Students will demonstrate on-time graduation from high school.

Indicators:

Students - regardless of income-level, race or educational background - will meet all requirements to earn a District 211 diploma.

Goal 4: Students will demonstrate college and career readiness while in high school.

Indicators:

Students will demonstrate college readiness as measured by increased participation in Advanced Placement courses.

Students will demonstrate college and career readiness as measured by enrollment and completion rates for dual credit courses.

Students will meet or exceed the college-readiness benchmarks in English, mathematics, reading and science as measured by the EXPLORE (grade 9), PLAN (grade 10), and ACT

(grade 11) assessments.

Students will meet or exceed the defined Illinois state standards in reading and mathematics on the PSAE or IAA assessments administered in grade 11.

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Shared Time for Professional Learning Communities

The progress made during the past year was supported significantly by time that was made available to

teachers and administrators to conduct the work of the professional learning communities during the

morning work sessions. These sessions provided an ongoing platform and opportunities for principals

and school instructional leaders to pursue academic improvement strategies with their entire faculty on

an ongoing basis. The principals were unanimous in their depiction of the shared work sessions as the

cornerstone to the development and implementation of instructional and curricular innovation by the

entire faculty.

Sustainable continuous improvements are made by the members of the professional learning

communities working together. Through their collaborative, collective work, the faculty and staff

create ongoing learning for both students and faculty. As national education consultant Richard

DuFour writes, “The very essence of a professional learning community is a focus on and a

commitment to the learning of each student.” District 211 focuses on ensuring that students will

know or be able to demonstrate the critical learning standards by analyzing academic performance

data to guide instruction and to determine academic interventions, closing the achievement gap and

increasing student proficiency on standards resulting in students transferring the skills required to be

successful beyond high school.

Clearly written critical learning standards provide a focus for curriculum, assessment and

instruction. To ensure that the critical learning standards are clearly written, teachers will engage in a

process of “unwrapping the standards,” which is breaking down individual critical learning standards

into their component parts of content (what students should know and be able to do), context (how

students use the content) and endurance (students’ independent and deep understanding of the

content). This process of “unwrapping the standards” identifies what students will know and be able

to do when they have mastered a critical learning standard. According to Larry Ainsworth, a

colleague of Doug Reeves and Executive Director of Professional Development at the Leadership and

Learning Center, “Unwrapped standards provide clarity as to what students must know and be able to

do. When teachers take the time to analyze each standard and identify its essential concepts and skills,

the result is more effective instructional planning, assessment and student learning.” The work of the

professional learning teams in 2012-2013 will include the unwrapping of the critical learning standards

in each course. This is the groundwork for common formative and summative assessments of each

critical learning standard. The critical learning standards must be “unwrapped” to ensure that what is

taught and assessed is strictly aligned to the critical learning standards, ACT College Readiness

Standards and the Common Core Standards. Most importantly, the professional learning team

members will identify and define what all students should know and understand so that students are

able to recognize the universal issues, patterns and significance of what they are studying. In order to

organize learning so that students move toward independent application and deep understanding of the

content, teachers will “unwrap” the critical learning standards, develop essential questions of those

standards to assess students’ mastery of the critical learning standards, and design teaching and

learning activities to promote greater student learning.

I am recommending that the District adopt a similar plan of ten morning work sessions during 2012-

2013 to allow shared time for the professional learning communities to conduct their work toward

achieving each of the District’s academic goals. If approved, each morning work session would be 90

minutes in length. The student’s daily class schedule would start on these days following the work

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sessions at 9:10 a.m. for early-start schools and at 9:50 a.m. for late-start schools. The Transportation

schedules would be modified accordingly. Each principal and department chair will report on the

morning work session accomplishments during each round of curriculum committee meetings.

Provision of documentation and artifacts regarding the use of the morning work sessions to

accomplish the 2012-2014 academic targets would be included as part of the principal’s evaluation.

SUGGESTED MOTION:

That the Board of Education adopt the District academic goals for 2012-2014 as proposed and

authorize the Superintendent to approve ten morning work sessions, each of which would be 90

minutes, on the following Tuesdays: September 18, 2012; October 2, 2012; October 16, 2012;

October 30, 2012; November 20, 2012; December 4, 2012; February 12, 2013; March 12, 2013; April

16, 2013; and April 30, 2013.

Nancy N. Robb

Superintendent