The District 58 Board of Education held its regular business meeting on Monday, June 13, 2016. Highlights from the meeting include:
Curriculum Committee Update:
Math, ELA and STEM committees
Several District 58 teachers and administrators were invited to provide the Board with a progress update on the District’s Math Committee; English-Language Arts (ELA) Committee; and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Committee.
District 58’s committees comprise teachers and administrators representing all schools and grade levels across the district. Some committees also include District 99 and library representation. The Math, ELA and STEM committees have existed for many years, and members meet regularly. Since the Common Core Standards were adopted in 2012, committees have focused on creating meaningful curriculum and identifying strong resources that align with the new standards. This process involves thoughtful discussions, thorough research and collaborative planning. Committee members regularly communicate committee progress and seek feedback at faculty and Board meetings.
The District expanded teacher membership on its curriculum committees during the 2015-16 school year to ensure stronger representation from every school and grade level. Based on staff feedback, the committees also slowed their progress this year to support thorough reviews and products that well-represented teacher needs and student learning targets, and prepared additional planning and professional development supports for staff.
STEM Committee Update:
The STEM Committee expanded their own understanding of the new Next Generation Science Standards and 3-dimensional planning process, and they began developing extra supports to guide teachers through these standards and process. They also worked to identify new tools that will be available to teachers next year to support their exploration of STEM and the 3-dimensional planning process within their classrooms. STEM Committee representatives also joined the new District Science Collaborative. The District Science Collaborative comprises teachers and administrators from about 1,000 Illinois schools who work together to develop best practices for Next Generation Science Standards implementation. Next year, the STEM Committee plans to continue District Science Collaborative work and partner with the Regional Office of Education to gain additional professional development. They also plan to continue their exploration of curriculum resources to further support this important curricular area.
ELA Committee Update:
ELA Committee members defined the District’s specific definition of curriculum, scope and sequence this year. This goal – while seemingly simple – led to powerful, impactful discussions regarding the District’s current ELA curriculum and needs moving forward. The committee reviewed ELA scope and sequence documents from a variety of outside school districts to gain insights on how other districts are handling the complex task of refining learning to align with the Common Core while still differentiating to ensure high levels of engagement and meet the needs of all students. Next year, they plan to develop and further align curriculum objectives. The committee will also work to identify, review and potentially pilot resources to meet the curriculum objectives.
Math Committee Update:
After thorough review and discussion of the definition, needs and goals of curriculum in the area of Math, the Math Committee agreed to use the Common Core State Standards as the primary driver of learning and curriculum organization. The committee also affirmed the District’s existing Math in Focus and Glencoe Common Core resources to analyze as a primary resource to address these standards. However, recognizing that not all standards are well-covered through these textbook series, the committee also committed to aligning additional resources, tools and intervention/enrichment curricula to support deeper learning within each standard.
In response to staff feedback regarding the District’s existing Curriculum Web App, the Math Committee developed a new Math Curriculum Blueprint, which will roll out in fall 2016. This dynamic blueprint organizes skills and lesson plans for teachers by topics with aligned resources and a flexible timeline so teachers can adjust as needed. The blueprint includes essential questions, supplementary materials and textbook correlations for each skill. It also includes links to related material covered in other grade levels to help teachers differentiate among a progression of skills to meet the needs of students.
“The blueprint offers continuity across all schools and provides a flexible timeline for teachers,” said Math Committee Member and Teacher Tracy Moriarty. “The blueprint will ensure students are getting the instruction to meet their needs.”
The blueprint has been shared at faculty meetings, and staff will receive additional thorough professional development regarding its use. The Math Committee plans to continue its work on the blueprint development this summer and fall. In addition, the Math Committee identified next steps in their collaborative work to include exploring methods for supporting students who need additional acceleration or remediation, learning about and developing common assessments, and helping teachers develop a greater understanding of best practices in mathematical learning, including depth in mathematics.
View the entire Curriculum Committee presentation.
Report Card Committee Update:
Elementary Report Card and Middle School Report Card Committees
District 58 formed the Elementary School Report Card Committee and the Middle School Report Card Committee this year to review and refine the District’s report cards at each level. These committees comprise administrators and staff from every school and grade level. They formed to address concerns raised over the District’s reporting systems and to make recommendations for improvements. Both Report Card Committees worked to refine these report cards, seeking additional parent input through a District Reporting Systems Survey.
Thanks to staff and parent feedback and the Committees’ reviews of best practices, in the 2016-17 school year, elementary report cards will continue to include information related to standards, non-academic factors such as work habits and social skills, and letter grades for grades 3-6 for reading, language arts/writing, science and social studies. The K-6 grade report cards in these content areas will look similar to previous years’ report cards.
A change will be made to the math report cards for the upcoming school year, though. The committee recommends discontinuing the print version of the longitudinal report card for math, and replacing it with a simpler version of standards-based reporting for the 2016-17 school year while the committee continues its work. The Elementary Report Card Committee will meet throughout the summer to continue refining the math section of the report card for next year and to plan for further teacher professional development.
For the 2016-17 school year, the middle school report card will contain letter grades in each subject, returning to the format from the 2014-15 school year. Progress reporting will include electronic access via PowerSchool to parents regarding student achievement.
Both Report Card Committees will continue their work throughout the 2016-17 school year and plan to recommend additional report card improvements to be implemented in the year following. They aim to develop a report card at each level that reports progress in relation to Common Core standards, accurately and clearly reflects student achievement, and communicates information in a manner that is easily understandable by students and parents. The Report Card Committees will develop draft report cards that meet the above criteria. The committees will gather feedback on the draft report cards from both teachers and parents during the 2016-17 school year, with the goal of implementing the revised report cards in the 2017-18 school year.
View the entire Report Card Committee presentation.
Superintendent’s Report:
Superintendent Dr. Kari Cremascoli thanked the Board for their support of the District’s many curriculum committees, and she shared information regarding student summer learning, the state’s budget crisis, summer facilities work and progress on the new Hillcrest playground. She also provided the Board with an update on expansion of the Optional Kindergarten Enrichment and Enhancement Program (OKEEP), considerations related to a demographic study to be conducted early next school year, and the potential for an upcoming Downers Grove government super retreat. Dr. Cremascoli thanked retiring Director of Buildings and Grounds Rick Bubula and outgoing Controller Dr. Jim Popernik for their many years of dedicated service to District 58. Finally, she shared with the Board and community the new “One Second Per Day in District 58” video, which captures the entire 2015-16 school year with one second per school day.
Business Report:
Controller Dr. Jim Popernik shared that the District receives 40 percent of its revenue in June. The state currently owes the District $800,000, and it does not seem likely that the District will receive this funding before the fiscal year ends June 30, creating a budget shortfall. It is unlikely that these funds will be received within the first month of the next fiscal year either. The District’s auditors will begin their annual work in District 58 next week.
He also reported that the state budget is a large concern and will impact the District’s cash flow. The state has not passed a budget, but several state budget proposals show District 58 losing about $1.5-2 million or more annually. As District 58 is tax capped, a funding loss of this size would have a significant and immediate impact on the District’s services.
Without a state budget, it is currently uncertain whether the state will provide public schools with any funding this upcoming school year. In total, District 58 currently receives nearly $5 million annually from the state. Thanks to strong fiscal responsibility, District 58 would still be able to operate next school year, even if the state does not provide funding; however the future will be uncertain without resolution to the state budget issues.
LRC Teacher Discussion:
The Board of Education engaged in a discussion regarding the District Learning Resource Center (LRC) teachers, in response to recent community input and concern.
Superintendent Dr. Kari Cremascoli shared that District 58 administrators and LRC teachers have worked to examine the LRC teacher’s role. This review began several years ago and is ongoing. Dr. Cremascoli also shared that District administrators annually review each job position and assignment to plan for staffing in the upcoming school year and ensure fiscal responsibility. These decisions and staffing plans are especially critical during uncertain budget times.
During the 2016-17 school year, two LRC teachers will share responsibilities among three District 58 schools. All students – including those attending the three schools affected – will continue to receive their weekly 30 minutes of LRC skills instruction and 15 minutes of LRC book checkout time, both led by the LRC teacher. In addition, all LRCs will remain open every day and staffed by a full-time LRC assistant, who can provide support services to students. All LRC teachers will continue to have designated planning time, collaboration time with classroom teachers and opportunities to support special research projects, book selection and student learning.
The Board of Education echoed support for the District’s decision regarding LRC teachers, commenting that they appreciated the District’s financial oversight and due diligence, while preserving all student services.
Other Board Actions:
- The Board formally recognized students who received the Presidential Academic Fitness Awards; the Illinois Math League Awards; and the Citizenship Awards.
- Policy Committee Chair Sallie Lupescu reported on the May 17 Policy Committee meeting. The committee recommended updated verbiage in Policy #5151 regarding book rental fees. The item was placed on the June agenda for first reading and will be placed on the July Board agenda for final approval. Lupescu also shared that the committee reviewed a potential Board Policy ambiguity regarding Board communications. This review is ongoing and will be continued at the next Policy Committee meeting.
- The Board received visitors who provided community input regarding LRC teacher assignments, curriculum development, report cards and OKEEP, among other topics.
- The Board approved several Recommendations for Action, including insurance renewal; working cash interest transfer; food service contract renewal; copier refresh; Knowledge Universe Education LLC (also known as Champions) contract renewal; and waste/recycling service contract approval. They also concluded second readings on policies 2030 and 5131 and adopted revisions to both.
- The Board welcomed new Lester Assistant Principal Katie Novosel. Ms. Novosel will begin work Aug. 1.
District 58 Board of Education members include: John Cooper, president; Doug Purcell, vice president; Roberta Diehl; Christopher Heppner; Sallie Lupescu; John Miller; and Elizabeth Sigale, with Dr. Kari Cremascoli, superintendent; and Pam Osika, board secretary.
View the complete Board of Education agenda and additional information.