The District 58 Board of Education held its winter Curriculum Workshop on Monday, Feb. 24, 2020. View the agenda and presentation links. Listen to the meeting audio.
Highlights from the meeting include:
Curriculum Workshop Mini-Workshops
District 58 teachers and administrators led five 10-minute presentations on different curricular topics. The Board and audience broke into small groups and rotated among the presentations.
Elementary Math Preview: Kingsley teachers Matt Dennis and Haley O’Reilly previewed the Bridges math 
curriculum for grades K-5, which the District will fully implement in fall 2020 (along with Big Ideas Math for grades 6-8). Mr. Dennis and Ms. O’Reilly both serve on the District’s Math Committee, whose members collaboratively researched, piloted and selected the new math resources. They shared their experiences piloting the new resources in their classrooms, highlighting how the new resources help students better connect abstract math concepts to real-life applications. View their presentation.
Elementary English-Language Arts: Elementary teachers Tara Fulton (Belle Aire), Andrew Kupisch (Henry 
Puffer), Louise Modine (Whittier) and Mark White (Henry Puffer) demonstrated the inquiry projects elementary students create using the Benchmark Advance English-language arts curriculum resource. Inquiry projects can take different forms, but they’re often innovative and student-driven research projects that encourage students to learn about a subject in a more creative and immersive way. Examples include a shark tank project, an invention convention, and a class project that researched solutions to problems within their school community.
“Inquiry projects provide an opportunity for students to use skills that they acquired within our daily instruction in a much more creative, unique and open-ended way,” Mr. White said. View the presentation.
Elementary Physical Education and Fitness: Physical education teachers Max Gilbert (Hillcrest) and Joe 
Perillo (Kingsley) demonstrated how they leverage technology to enhance fitness instruction and better follow state standards. Students use Polar GoFit physical activity trackers to individually assess their fitness progress. This encourages students to focus on their individual fitness goals, instead of comparing their progress with peers. During the workshop, the Board and visitors participated in a brief circuit exercise, with volunteers wearing Polar GoFits. Participants could see, in real time, how their heart rates were responding to the exercise. View the presentation.
Middle School Science*: Herrick Science and Physical Education Teacher Brad Burgess described what 
middle school science looks like each day. District 58 launched the new IQWST middle school science curriculum (and the TCI elementary science curriculum) in fall 2019. IQWST aligns with state standards and contains four units: chemistry, life science, earth science and physical science. It is thematic based, giving students many opportunities to use the Science and Engineering Practices, conduct experiments and develop scientific explanations. During the demo, the Board and guests conducted a quick chemical reaction experiment that replicated the process students follow in class.
*This description contains a couple of updates from the originally-published Board Briefs. “Brian Burgess” was corrected to “Brad Burgess” and the description of IQWST was updated to better reflect current scientific terminology. We regret these errors!
Middle School Social Emotional Learning: O’Neill English-Language Arts Teacher Robyn Panico shared 
how middle school incorporates social-emotional learning (SEL) into its daily curriculum. Middle schoolers have regular SEL lessons, which are reinforced during daily homebase. Common SEL topics include the middle school transition (seventh grade), high school preparation (eighth grade), managing friendships/relationships, conflict resolution and goal-setting. SEL lessons often include an activity, a video, a discussion and an individualized reflection. The School Board and visitors participated in a sample SEL lesson on SMART goals to gain a more immersive understanding of the SEL curriculum.
Winter Data Snapshot Update
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Justin Sisul updated the Board on winter MAP assessment data. District 58 contacted NWEA, the company that administers the MAP test, in early January with concerns regarding the accuracy of some winter MAP growth projection data. NWEA assured District 58 that the data was correct, so District 58 presented its winter MAP data to the Board at the Jan. 13 meeting. However, last month NWEA acknowledged that they had, in fact, made a calculation error and some students’ growth projection data were incorrect. District 58 emailed all grade K-8 parents regarding this NWEA error on Feb. 10 and corrected the growth projection information on SQUIRREL. NWEA’s error only affected some student growth projections, and did not impact RIT scores or achievement data. View the presentation.
Extended Public Comment
The Board invited community members to ask questions and engage in a two-way dialogue during a special extended public comment at the conclusion of the meeting. Three District 58 parents and one community member participated in this opportunity, asking questions about and making comments regarding: the allocated length of art instruction in District 58; the use of social-emotional learning assessment tools; academic achievement gaps, particularly among low-income students; and the District’s usage of substitute teachers and whether the Professional Learning Mondays program could decrease this usage.
Upcoming Events
- Tuesday, March 3 at 4 p.m.: Board Tour and PTA Meeting at Herrick
- Thursday, March 5 at 6 p.m.: Special Board Meeting at the ASC
- Friday, March 6 at 7 a.m.: Financial Advisory Committee Meeting at the ASC
- Monday, March 9 at 7 p.m.: Regular Board Meeting at Village Hall
District 58 Board of Education members are: Darren Hughes, president; Gregory Harris, vice president; Kirat Doshi, Emily Hanus, Steven Olczyk, Jill Samonte and Tracy Weiner, with Dr. Kevin Russell, superintendent; and Melissa Jerves, board secretary.