The District 58 Board of Education held a Curriculum Workshop and Special Meeting on Monday, Oct. 28 at Henry Puffer School. View the agenda. View the meeting video.
District 58 Strategic Plan
District 58 launched a new Strategic Plan last school year that focuses on five goal areas. District 58’s central office administrators provided the Board with an overview on each goal, as well as related action steps planned for 2024-25. District 58’s five strategic goals are:
- Goal 1: Focusing on Learning (Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction)
- Goal 2: Connecting with the Community (Communication)
- Goal 3: Securing the Future (Finance and Facilities)
- Goal 4: Building for Success (Implementing the New PK-5 and 6-8 Models)
- Goal 5: Cultivating Talent (Maximizing the Potential of Students, Staff, and Families)
District 58 presents formal Strategic Plan progress updates during District Leadership Team meetings. These updates are also posted on the Strategic Plan webpage for transparency and accountability.
2023-24 Year-End Assessment Data
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Liz Ehrhart shared an overview of 2023-24 year-end Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) and Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) testing data. District 58 partners with ECRA, an education strategic planning firm, to analyze student assessment data. District 58 administrators and staff use assessment data to inform individual student instruction and interventions.
Key findings from the overview include:
- District 58 students overall showed higher than expected growth in English-language arts (ELA) and expected growth in math on the spring IAR. Ehrhart attributed the high ELA growth to the ELA curriculum resource pilot that took place last school year and the related work that staff completed to ensure the ELA curriculum was directly aligned with the learning standards.
- All individual District 58 schools, grade levels and student groups achieved expected or higher than expected growth in both ELA and math on the spring IAR.
- District 58 students overall achieved expected growth in reading and math on the spring MAP test. Most individual grade levels achieved expected growth in both subject areas, with a few achieving lower than expected and unsatisfactory levels, particularly in math at the intermediate and middle school levels. With this report in mind, Ehrhart said District 58 has begun its curricular review for grade 6-8 math and is exploring current practices in math instruction to ensure it’s meeting all student needs.
- All District 58 grade levels met or exceeded their projected benchmark on the IAR.
School Improvement Plans
Every District 58 school annually develops a school improvement plan informed by spring assessment data. Schools typically set three goals. This year, school goals relate to ELA implementation, the Zones of Regulation social-emotional learning resource implementation, and goals specific to each school’s assessment data.
All school improvement plans are shared with the Board, building staff and PTA, as well as posted on each school’s website. School improvement plans are also shared during the “school spotlight” portion of each Board regular business meeting during the school year.
Illinois Report Card
The Illinois State Board of Education released its annual Illinois Report Card for every Illinois public school on Wednesday, Oct. 30. The report card shows how schools are doing on a range of educational goals and assigns each school a summative designation. This designation is based on a variety of factors, including student growth on test scores, proficiency, absenteeism and climate survey results. Ehrhart outlined how the designations are calculated and weighted and the designation process. The report cards will be reviewed at the Board’s Nov. 11 regular business meeting. The community can view report cards at www.illinoisreportcard.com and on www.dg58.org.
Special Programs
Assistant Superintendent for Special Services Jessica Stewart introduced the District’s special programs to the Board, noting how she is proud of District 58’s commitment to serving all students, including students with special needs. She also shared how District 58 uses a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) to ensure all students, including students with special needs, receive appropriate interventions.
District 58’s special programs include:
- Behavioral, Emotional and Social Training (BEST) Program
- Developmental Learning Program (DLP)
- Reaching Independence through Structured Education (RISE) Program
- Grove Children’s Preschool
Ms. Stewart presented graphs that showed how participation in the District’s special programs has grown over the past 10 years. At the same time, fewer District 58 students have been outplaced. An outplacement occurs when a student has a significant need that cannot be supported through an in-district program, and instead, the student attends school at a specialized building outside the district. These specialized buildings provide critical educational services, and District 58 appreciates their availability for students who need it. However, not only do outplacements separate students from their home school district, they are also very costly for District 58.
In closing, staff members from each special program led small group presentations, sharing an overview of their program with the Board and audience.
District Committee Updates
Ms. Ehrhart and Curriculum Coordinators Dr. Christine Priester and Sandy Cristobal shared curriculum committee and program updates for the following:
- ELA Committee
- Grade 6-8 Math Committee
- MTSS Subcommittee
- Gifted Committee
- Dual Language Program
Upcoming Events
- Monday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m.: Regular Board Meeting at the Downers Grove Civic Center
District 58 Board of Education members are: Darren Hughes, president; Gregory Harris, vice president; Kirat Doshi, Melissa Ellis, Emily Hanus, Steven Olczyk and Tracy Weiner, with Dr. Kevin Russell, superintendent; and Melissa Jerves, board secretary.