A message from Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Justin Sisul
Dear District 58 parents and guardians,
I hope that this email finds you reflecting on wonderful spring break memories with your families. As many of you are hopefully aware, the District 58 window for the state-mandated PARCC assessment given to our 3rd-8th grade students opens upon our return to school (April 3rd), though most students will not begin the assessment until at least Wednesday, April 4th.
One month ago, I sent a detailed email explaining our district’s recent history with PARCC, as well as the rationale leading to our current approach to this year’s assessment, which can be found by clicking here. Today I write with a simple reminder that our children will be presented with this assessment in the coming days, and we will ask them - as we do with any task presented - to simply do their best.
You have likely seen communication from your child’s principals or teachers as we work collaboratively to create a positive energy around the PARCC assessment; while the assessment is mandated, our attitudes around the assessment are not. I believe and trust that our community can respect our collective responsibility as we encourage the sincere best efforts of District 58 students as they address PARCC. This assessment asks our students to invest their time and energy on tasks that can be challenging; we ask the same of our students in their daily learning. Our approach as parents and teachers - each of us serving as educators in our own roles - will determine whether the student experience is one of frustration or perseverance; one of pride or one of apathy.
If you have questions about this assessment, or about anything you may have heard or read about PARCC, I urge you to contact your building principal or to reach out to me directly. We are committed to sharing the most current information we have regarding PARCC, which comes to us directly from the Illinois State Board of Education. We are eager to partner with you as we support our students throughout the next several days and as always, I thank you for that partnership.
Sincerely,
Justin Sisul
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction