Quincy Reporter

Community Consolidated School District 181 Board of Education Academic Success Committee met Oct. 24.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

Call to Order

The Academic Success Committee meeting of the Board of Education of Community Consolidated School District 181, DuPage and Cook Counties, Illinois, was called to order by Grace Shin, Board Member, and Committee Chair, at 12:00 p.m. on October 24, 2023.

On roll call, the following members were present: William Cotter and Grace Shin.

Also present: Dr. Kathy Robinson, Dr. Dana Bergthold, Kristin Reingruber, Dr. Hector Garcia, Sara Clary, Chaidan Leshinski, and Jake Wertz.

Guests: Board member Sinead Duffy.

Pledge of Allegiance

Grace Shin led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Approval of Minutes

Grace Shin made a motion to approve the minutes from the September 7, 2023, Academic Success Committee meeting. William Cotter seconded the motion. All in favor, the motion carried.

Mr. Cotter noted that he left the September 7, 2023, ASC meeting at 1:15 p.m.

Public Comment

No public comment.

Discussion Topics

Summer Math Bridge Review 2023

Dr. Robinson shared a review of the math bridge program by course and format.

Dr. Robinson shared that the summer Math Bridge (MB) courses were developed for students in grades 3-8 who are recommended to accelerate their math pathway within District 181 based on approved placement criteria. Each course provides in-depth instruction, practice, and assessment for standards needed to bridge to an advanced or accelerated math pathway, she said.

The summer Bridge courses were taught in person with a virtual option. In addition to in-person and virtual, Bridge A and 5A had a third option to complete a Bridge packet. All students enrolled in Bridge courses, regardless of format, were required to take the (in-person) end-of-bridge assessment and pass with an 80% or higher. The Bridge courses were held two hours per day. Each course was offered in multiple formats The students had access to print and digital materials when completing the coursework.

Dr. Robinson said that the summative assessment must be passed with 80% or higher and one retake would be allowed. Any student who scored below 80% did not move into the advanced or accelerated math course in the fall.

Dr. Robinson said that each bridge course includes instruction in the priority standards that develop the major concepts and needed prerequisite skills for the next level course, advanced or accelerated math. In 2023, 11 courses were offered resulting in an increase in total Bridge enrollment.

Dr. Robinson then reviewed the structure of the courses and how the hours changed slightly to accommodate the Juneteenth holiday by allowing asynchronous work.

Dr. Robinson shared that there were a larger number of retakes because there were more students invited this year, some being the first-time receiving Bridge instruction. Also, there were younger students and several who were not used to a summative assessment (covering multiple standards). She offered some possible solutions such as a study guide with specific content to study.

Dr. Robinson commented that after observing the student retakes she noted that some students did not prepare well the first time, some completed the packet early in the summer, and did not review the material. Many students commented that they had changed their method of preparation for the retake.

Per a question, Dr. Robison said that they want to provide the students with an opportunity to see what they know. She clarified that no one was allowed to take it a third time.

Summer 2024 Program Dates

Dr. Robinson shared the Summer 2024 Program Dates:

● Summer Math Bridge

○ June 6-28, 2024

○ If a student qualifies to move into an advanced or accelerated math course, Summer Math Bridge course attendance is required.

○ A change in math course will be granted to qualifying students who attend bridge and successfully pass the assessment with at least an 80%

● Summer Learning, ESY, Time to Shine, and Math Camp

○ June 10-28, 2024

Math/A-ELA/ACE Placement Criteria

Kristin Reingruber, Director of Assessment, Instruction, and Evaluation, said that the Department of Learning annually provides a math trajectory that flows from Kindergarten through eighth grade and then into D86 HS level courses and placement criteria for approval based on student performance in courses. Ms. Reingruber shared that when making student placement decisions it is imperative to take multiple measures into consideration to determine correct placement. Correct placement of students into Math, ELA, or ACE courses that are challenging, yet not frustrating, is key to building a solid foundation in core content areas. When developing placement criteria, the District reviews multiple measures including

● historical placement criteria

● bridge course student performance

● student achievement (trimester/quarter grades)

● additional assistance/support needed

● need for a retake of unit assessments

● data on students who move out of courses during the school year

● feedback from Subject Area Committee members/teachers

Recommended Updates

Ms. Reingruber shared the recommendations for enhancements to the 2024-2025 placement process.

● While percentiles remain unchanged, RIT scores were updated to reflect percentiles for the week of MAP administration

○ Fall = 3 weeks (vs. 4 in 22-23)

○ Winter = 16 weeks ○ Spring = 32 weeks (vs. 30 in 22-23)

● Enhance the placement process with a “preliminary consideration” for students who are “on track” to qualify by the end of the year

○ Math - Met fall and winter MAP. The common assessment percentage is above the end-of year target.

○ A-ELA/ACE - Mid-year qualification based on fall and winter MAP scores. Extension and enrichment activities were provided during the second half of the year, with a placement change the following fall.

Courses and Placement Criteria

Ms. Reingruber noted that the Department of Learning is recommending that all courses remain the same. A formal recommendation will be made with placement in November.

Initial Placement Criteria

● Math Placement

○ One pathway for placement (2 of 3 MAP scores, district common assessment average, and successful completion of bridge assessment w/80% or higher)

● A-ELA Placement

○ One pathway for placement (2 of 3 MAP scores, Placement Writing Assessment - PWA)

■ 7th-8th integrates a readiness score

● ACE Placement

○ One pathway for placement (2 of 3 MAP scores, Placement Writing Assessment - PWA)

■ 7th-8th integrates a common assessment average and a readiness score

Integrated appeals process

● CogAT

○ Math - Nonverbal and Quantitative composite standard age score

○ A-ELA and ACE - Verbal standard age score

● Additional SPRING data points for consideration

○ Math - End of Course assessment

○ A-ELA and ACE - Placement Literature Assessment (PLA)

● The appeals committee reviews multiple data points when evaluating students for final placement decisions.

Placement Timeline:

● October 2023

○ Preliminary discussions with CIACC, SACs, and ASC regarding placement procedure and criteria.

● November 2023

○ Make a recommendation to ASC and BoE for Math, A-ELA, and ACE placement process and bridge course.

● December 2023

○ Parent night for families regarding the placement process and bridge course

■ 2nd-grade families

■ NEW D181 families

■ Those who have not been through the process

● January 2024

○ Preliminary bridge placement consideration - communication with families regarding tentative qualification for the summer 2024 math bridge course

● Spring 2024

○ Revise bridge assessments and course resources where needed

● May 2024

○ Communication of 2024-25 placement qualifications and bridge course registration

It was noted that a parent informational night on placement will be offered in December 2023. Preliminary Bridge communication will occur in January and in May the final placement recommendations will be made.

Ms. Shin clarified that the District will keep the caveat that the score needs to be the same for spring. She also noted that a student will still need 2 of 3 MAP scores.

Mr. Cotter said that the placement chart includes key terms to help explain what ACE and A-ELA stand for.

PWA Data Review and Mid-Year Qualifications

Ms. Reingruber explained that the Placement Writing Assessment (PWA), is administered yearly to all D181 fifth-grade students, and is one component utilized in sixth-grade placement for Advanced English Language Arts (A-ELA) and Affective Cognitive Enrichment (ACE).

Ms. Reingruber shared that the Placement Writing Assessment is:

● Designed as a pre-assessment by William & Mary University

● Measures prerequisite skills necessary to be successful in the middle school A-ELA and ACE courses

● Aligned to Common Core State Standards for writing and for literature. The rubric assesses each student’s ability to use claim and opinion writing, support, elaboration, and conclusion.

The PWA is an in-person assessment administered over the course of two days and is scored by multiple teachers from grades five and six.

2021-2023 PWA Data Review

● The student average PWA score was 16.5 in 2021, increasing to 16.9 in 2022 and 2023.

● The percentage of students passing the PWA with a score of at least 20 was 42% in 2021, 35% in 2022, and 39% in 2023. When including scores of 18 and 19, the percentage of students passing the PWA increased to 45% in 2021, 27% in 2022, and 43% in 2023.

Ms. Shin commented on the improvement in writing across the District.

District-level Committee Updates:

The Department of Learning updated the committee on the District-level Committee meetings.

Mr. Cotter commented on the Blue Ribbon process.

Public Comment

Sinead Duffy, Clarendon Hills Middle School parent, and Clarendon Hills resident commended the Department of Learning on how they have developed a data-driven approach, provided rich programming, conducted a placement process revision, enhancements to summer Bridge, and specific RTI

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 1:23 p.m.

https://go.boarddocs.com/il/hccsdil/Board.nsf/files/CXBMS65C3A22/$file/2023_10_12_ASC_Minutes.pdf