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ISAT cut score changes overshadow report cards
Schools face concern over raised bar on performance levels
The recent release of the annual state school report card, designed to share information about the performance and operation of local schools, has a new look intended to provide “greater transparency.” But because statewide exam cut scores were raised on the ISAT test given to students in grades 3-8, changes to the report card format and content may be overshadowed by that fact that many schools have more failing students than in previous years.
The report cards are usually made public in late October, and this year is no exception as ISBE released them to the public on Oct. 31 at illinoisreportcard.com. That website provides access, as well, to a PowerPoint presentation and 90-second video explaining the new report card and how to use it, along with a list of descriptors or definitions of key terms used by the report card.
A panel at the Joint Annual Conference on Friday will explore “Generating Positive PR with the new School Report Card.”
The Illinois State Board of Education warned all districts in January that student scores would see a substantial drop this year, even if students actually made gains from the year before in real terms.
The state maintains that the higher performance levels provide a more accurate and earlier indication of how prepared students are for college and career, and that the new standards for the lower grade levels will better align with the expectations for 11th graders who take the Prairie State Achievement Exam (PSAE).
“By raising the ISAT cut scores in reading and math, we’ve seen the expected drop in student performance, but this drop does not reflect on students as a group or individuals. We raised the bar on performance levels,” said State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch. “We needed to raise our expectations at the elementary level so that students are on track for high school and eventually prepared to succeed in college, career and daily life. As we map student performance over time on the new performance levels we’re seeing steady growth.”
The changes in the “redesigned and improved” report card itself are intended to provide a more complete picture of learning and school life for parents and communities.
“The redesigned report card represents more than a cosmetic change,” said Koch. “It reflects comprehensive changes under way in Illinois to ensure students meet higher expectations and that schools and the state more closely monitor and report student progress and growth.”
Among the most noticeable changes are the following:
• At-a-glance information about school performance, school climate and learning conditions
• Easily-digestible data on school awards, special programs of study, advanced coursework, and extracurricular programs
• Measures of student college and career readiness
• Multiple measures of success that show information beyond just test scores
• A growth model reflecting how much academic progress students have demonstrated from one year to the next in reading and math
Illinois House Bill 605, which became law in 2012, laid the framework for the new report cards, which also take into account comprehensive learning standards and assessment changes in Illinois.
Some of those new sources for data include the Common Core State Standards for learning, intended to provide “consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn,” and new assessments aligned to it; plus learning standards in English language arts and math; higher performance expectations on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test; “Growth Model Value Tables,” intended to enlighten the public about school and district progress beyond academic achievement; and summary information from the Illinois 5Essentials Survey on school climate and learning conditions.
Different community education groups including the Governor’s Illinois P-20 Council, the Illinois Parent Teacher Association, state teachers’ unions, and school district superintendents collaborated on the new report card. Federal “Race to the Top” funds covered the cost of the new design.
Many local school district representatives said they support the redesigned report cards because they equip parents and others with useful information and are more user-friendly for them.
Skokie School District 68 Superintendent Frances McTague said the report cards are more graphic and colorful in presenting important survey information and other data.
“It has a broader look, and a lot of the most immediately noticeable change people see is that information is conveyed in a graphic form,” she said in an ISBE press release.
Unfortunately, the expected 25 to 30 percent decrease in the level of local district test scores, a decrease resulting entirely from the state’s change in scoring, may get much more attention.
The ISBE had previously released At-a-Glance templates of the new report cards. To help school leaders and the public better understand how the report cards work, the Elementary School, High School, and District templates were posted in late October on the new website, http://www.illinoisreportcard.com.
Decision not to rate or rank schools lauded by school leaders
The state will not publish district-by-district results of its ambitious 5Essentials survey that gathered both factual responses and opinion about public school environments.
Parents and taxpayers can see partial results in late October — based on answers to survey questions by more than 1 million students, teachers and parents. The state will not, however, release school ratings based on anonymous opinions about how schools and principals perform compared to their peers.
A critic of the decision, the Chicago Tribune, charged that the state is concealing information that would add some context and explanation about how well schools and principals perform compared to their peers.
The Illinois State Board of Education’s decision to withhold that information, which was revealed to districts in early October, came after months of criticism from school administrators. Administrators saw preliminary results in June and expressed concerns about the fairness of some of the questions and about comparative information in the survey.
Administrators said there are shortcomings to the ratings, including inclusion of several items, or questions, that were not applicable statewide. There were concerns, as well, about pejorative words and colors used to portray results for schools. The color red, for example, was questioned, as was the word “weak,” which the survey instrument offered up in describing results.
Administrators said anonymous opinion might potentially impact evaluations of principals, an unfair use of the results of a survey that was intended to help schools improve.
State Superintendent Koch explained the decision not to release ratings was made to stay true to that original school-improvement purpose: “As we worked to come to a resolution this year, we have focused on the fact that this survey is designed as a tool for guiding school improvement planning. We know that 20 years of research from this study within CPS 299 shows that schools that focus on the 5Essentials and show strong results on the survey measures have a higher likelihood of improving student outcomes.
“We are concerned that if we fully release the 5Essentials this year it will undermine its long-term use by administrators to help them make decisions on how best to improve school climate. This year, we will report the student and teacher survey response rates on the state-produced School Report Card and we will also provide a link on the report card to the survey questions and school-wide responses,” Koch explained.
“Following the release of the School Report Card, we will produce detail reports on the 5Essentials for each school and district to serve as a starting point for school improvement planning and work with administrators so they understand how to interpret and use the reports,” Koch added.
Those in the education community were generally supportive of the decision announced by Koch.
“I think ISBE made a very thoughtful and prudent decision not to use the survey to rate or rank schools,” added IASB Executive Director Roger Eddy.
State seeks input from schools on education budget preparation
State education agency leaders are once again urging local school leaders and community members to weigh in on what education needs should be a priority as they prepare the Fiscal Year 2015 K-12 education budget. The Illinois State Board of Education is also encouraging citizens to share their opinions and ideas regarding the state’s current funding formula as the board works with a Senate committee tasked with evaluating the formula and education funding.
ISBE’s Finance and Audit Committee hosted the first of five public hearings immediately following the Oct. 23 board meeting at Carbondale Community High School in Carbondale. The board will submit its FY 2015 education budget recommendation by January to the Governor and General Assembly.
“One of the board’s crucial roles is to be a strong advocate for sufficient funding for K-12 education and ensure each and every student in the state is prepared for the rigors of college and careers,” said State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch. “At a time of renewed interest in examining how schools are funded in Illinois, the board believes that significant changes are needed to improve the quality of education for the state’s two million public school students.” Koch made his comment in a press release published on the ISBE website.
In addition to developing the FY 2015 state education budget, ISBE is assisting the Senate Education Funding Advisory Committee as it works to study the current method of distributing state funding to school districts. The Advisory Committee, co-chaired by Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, and Sen. Dave Luechtefeld, R- Okawville, aims to propose a state education funding system that provides adequate, equitable, transparent and accountable distribution of funds to school districts that will prepare students for achievement and success after high school.
Testimony from the FY 2015 budget hearings regarding the funding formula will be shared with the Senate committee as it works to recommend a more equitable method of distributing available resources to schools. The committee is charged with having a proposal ready for the full General Assembly by next February.
As part of its work to support the Senate Education Funding Advisory Committee, the Board has developed a “white paper” to help drive the discussion and provide background and context. The Board has also developed a set of five key principles that should be considered as any recommendations for changing how education is financed are developed. Participants can access a copy of that “white paper” as well as the Board’s transmittal letter outlining its principles at http://www.isbe.net/EFAC/default.htm .
Budgeting for results
Consistent with The National Advisory Council on State and Local Budgeting principles, Illinois requires state agencies to use a ”Budgeting for Results” model to establish spending priorities, meet goals and deliver excellent services and value to taxpayers. To meet the Budgeting for Results requirements, budget hearing participants are asked to provide the following information when presenting their FY 2015 budget requests to the ISBE Finance and Audit Committee:
• Outcomes: What outcomes will the funding allotment achieve?
• Measures: What are the measurable results of these outcomes?
• Value: What is the value of the outcomes?
• Historicals: What outcomes have been achieved in the past?
• Moving forward: How does the organization plan to improve the value of services it provides using funding and other resources?
Budgeting for Results calls on every state agency to make the case for its budget based on its ability to successfully deliver results and value to Illinoisans.
Those unable to attend one of the five public hearings are encouraged to email any guidance or feedback to ISBE at: ISBEFY15@isbe.net. The public budget hearings for Fiscal Year 2015 will be conducted at the follow dates and locations:
Tuesday, Nov. 12, 4 to 6 p.m., Champaign , Champaign Public Library.
Thursday, Nov. 14, 4 to 6 p.m., Grayslake, College of Lake County, Auditorium.
Wednesday, Nov. 20, 4 to 6 p.m., Macomb, Macomb High School Library.
Friday, Nov. 22, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Chicago, Thompson Center, Conference Room 16-503.
ISBE’s Finance and Audit Committee conducts public hearings each year to gather opinions about local districts’ education needs and priorities as they prepare the following year’s education budget.
Eddy co-chairs panel reviewing mandates to schools
IASB Executive Director Roger Eddy is helping to head up a new implementation review committee for state leaders, one charged with reviewing state education mandates and initiatives.
The review panel, formed at Eddy’s suggestion, held its first meeting on Oct. 2 to begin to look into the implementation of recent key Illinois state education initiatives.
According to Eddy, “The panel will establish a process to solicit stakeholder input into its review of education initiatives and mandates, identifying challenges to implementation, and offering suggestions to enhance implementation.”
Its parent group, the P-20 Council, is a larger statewide panel established by the legislature in 2009 to foster collaboration among state agencies, schools, community groups, employers, taxpayers, and families.
The Council itself aims to “identify the reforms needed to develop a seamless and sustainable statewide system of quality education and support.” The “P” in the name represents Preschool and “20” stands for grade 20, meaning education after college.
Review committee leaders said they will coordinate with other education leaders to plan the review. The review committee will then issue an annual report describing its activities, major findings and recommendations.
But first the co-chairs of the P-20 Implementation Review Committee will develop a work plan in consultation with the Chair of the P-20 Council. The plan will be submitted for review and feedback at a meeting of the full P-20 Council.
The mission of the Council then is to deliberate and make recommendations to the governor, the Illinois General Assembly, and state agencies for developing a seamless and sustainable statewide system of quality education and support, according to the Council’s mission statement.
“The goal of the P-20 Council is to increase the proportion of Illinoisans with high-quality degrees and credentials to 60 percent by the year 2025,” Eddy said.
Today, only about 41 percent of the state’s nearly 7 million working-age adults (25-64 years old) hold at least a two-year degree.
For more information and to follow the review panel’s progress, visit: http://www2.illinois.gov/gov/P20/Pages/IRC.aspx .
Two board members, one school board, among ‘Those Who Excel’
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) singled out two school board members and one school board for outstanding service to schools in the 39th annual Those Who Excel/Teacher of the Year banquet on Oct. 19 in Normal.
Receiving the Award of Recognition were board members: Susan DeRonne, Recognition, Elmhurst CUSD 205, and Michael Skala, Recognition, Consolidated School District 158, Algonquin. In addition, the entire school board of Waukegan CUSD 60 won the Award of Recognition for its exemplary work as a team.
The superintendents honored, and their awards and school districts, were: Robert Lupo, Recognition, Ridgewood Community High School District 234, Norridge; Jane Westerhold, Excellence, Des Plaines CCSD 62; James Stelter, Recognition, Bensenville Elementary School District 2; and Thomas Mahoney, Merit, Oregon CUSD 220.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to publicly recognize these unsung heroes and thank them for their efforts on behalf of Illinois’ students.” said State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch.
Candidates are nominated by their local school districts or members of their communities. The nomination includes a brief biography of the nominee, his or her philosophy of education, professional development, community involvement and views on the state’s most pressing educational needs. Letters of recommendation are required.
A committee of peers, organized through the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), chooses the award winners. The committee represents statewide education organizations and includes former award winners.
The categories for recognition are:
• Classroom teacher
• School administrator
• Student support personnel
• Educational service personnel
• School board member and/or community volunteer
• Teams, which recognizes groups of teachers and/or administrators; citizen committees; civic organizations; parent organizations; school boards; booster clubs; and others that have a significant impact on teaching and learning in a school or district.
• Early Career Educator
State education officials honored more than 180 of Illinois’ outstanding educators at the annual banquet in Normal this year, including 46 recipients of the Award of Excellence, 55 recipients of the Award of Merit, 80 recipients of the Award of Recognition, and one outstanding Early Career Educator. A complete list of award recipients can be found online at: http://www.isbe.net/news/pdf/those-who-excel-list13-14.pdf.
Impact of federal shutdown not great on schools, with few exceptions
The federal government’s so-called shutdown that began Oct. 1 and ended Oct. 17 did not have a great impact on Illinois education, with a few isolated exceptions.
For example, one Illinois school district could not continue contract negotiations with its teachers union because a federal mediator was on furlough.
When the U.S. government partially shut down, the action laid off some of the federal workers handling local labor union issues – leading to effects on regional contract negotiations between Arlington Heights SD 25 and the Arlington Teachers’ Association. Both sides had been preparing for a mediation session originally scheduled for Oct. 2, a session that was canceled.
In an email just ahead of that date, school board President David Page told the Chicago Tribune that, should the partial shutdown continue to Oct. 16, “...then we won’t have the federal mediator to run our negotiation, so the meeting will have to be rescheduled after he gets back to work.”
The school district that enrolls 5,100 students has been engaged in contract negotiations since March with the local union representing 485 teachers. The teachers’ previous contract expired in August, when mediation was announced.
Another example of the impact on Illinois education was the temporary closing on Oct. 7 of thirteen Head Start centers in northern Illinois operated by Two Rivers Head Start Agency. The closing came because of a “glitch” in their grant funding systems that blocked the pre-kindergarten program centers from accessing grant funds to pay teachers and staff, a problem that could have been corrected quickly if not for the furloughs of administrative Head Start staff resulting from the shutdown.
Meanwhile, Head Start classes in Quincy and most other places reportedly had enough funding to operate until about the end of October, after which classes would likely have been canceled.
Julie Schuckman, director of the Early Childhood Center in Quincy, said the federal budgeting cycle actually helped Head Start classes continue for a little while.
“We get our funding each quarter, but we’ve got enough (money) to keep Head Start going for a while, maybe as much as four weeks,” Schuckman told the Quincy Herald-Whig in comments published Oct. 1.
Head Start contact offices, however, were closed starting Oct. 1. Schuckman and other program staff members usually call those offices should any questions or problems arise.
New threat of teacher strikes appearing so far in just one Illinois school district
While no school district has experienced a strike this year, the threat of strikes has appeared in two districts. The latest intent-to-strike notices were filed around a still unsettled contract dispute in Altamont CUSD 10, and a recently settled contract dispute in Champaign CUSD 4.
Thus, the only school district that remains on notice is Altamont CUSD 10 , located in IASB’s Wabash Valley Division, with a bargaining unit that includes 60 IEA teachers. Notice was filed in the district on Sep. 12.
The Champaign district and union representing teachers reached a tentative contract agreement that was announced shortly before 1 a.m. on Oct. 8. Officials had no comment.
Teachers voted “overwhelmingly” on Oct. 8 to authorize a strike.
Also settled recently were contracts in two other districts, namely:
Harlem SD 122 , Machesney Park; Bargaining Unit Size: 534 IFT Local 540; Notice filed July 23, settled Aug. 18.
DeKalb CUSD 428 ,Bargaining Unit Size: 402 DeKalb Classroom teachers (DCTA, IFT); Notice filed Aug. 8, settled Aug. 27.
Source: Newspaper reports, and Illinois Association of School Administrators: http://www.iasaedu.org/pdf/Notice%20of%20Intent%20FY%202014.pdf .
Democracy workshop offers tips on balancing public interests
What’s public about public schools and about public education other than its funding?” That is the question keynote speaker Del Burns put to an audience of public school leaders Oct. 2 at IASB’s Southwestern Division Fall Dinner Meeting in Belleville.
Burns led a lively, interactive discussion, asking audience members to choose sides on some divisive public policy questions. Questions ranged from whether students should be required to wear uniforms and whether students should be allowed to wear U.S. flag t-shirts, to whether schools should teach about religion and what they should teach about it.
An education consultant and former district superintendent of Wake County, N.C., Public Schools, Burns concluded that demonstration by asking “Who’s right?” His answer? Everyone is right on all of these issues, in that everyone is sincerely representing the legitimate values of public good that comprise the “public” in public schools. Indeed, he said, such representation is the purpose of school boards.
“Why do we ask citizens to serve on school boards to govern public schools, instead of leaving it to education professionals?” he asked. Americans educate children for a number of reasons, Burns said, but foremost among them is “to preserve our nation and its democratic republic.”
Yet, he said, our nation’s current debate and discussion about public education often focuses more on education as an economic good rather than as a public, democratic good. This focus, according to Burns, encourages us to see public schooling mainly as an investment of mere money, to emphasize measurables such as student achievement, to seek to privatize public schools, or to operate in line with market principles.
But while economic considerations and benefits may be discerned in public education, he said, it is not primarily an economic enterprise. “Perpetuating our democracy is the primary purpose,” Burns reiterated.
Public education serves to shape students’ character and develop their potential by satisfying the core public values of liberty, equality, community, and prosperity, Burns stressed. For example, he said, in satisfying the public value of liberty, they help perpetuate a nation of free individuals dedicated to self-government and capable of exercising rights, freedoms, and choice responsibly.
The public schools thus preserve and pass on knowledge about what it means to be an American.
In terms of the core value of community, public schools extend the boundaries of home and help socialize children and teens to assume roles and responsibilities as adults, he said.
In terms of the core value of equality, public schools serve as the “great equalizer” in our society. They include everybody, equalize opportunity for education, teach kids fair play and tolerance, model fairness in treating people justly, and nourish an acceptance of differences in preparing students for life in an increasingly diverse society, Burns said.
In terms of the core value of prosperity, public schools prepare each young person they enroll to be economically self-sufficient in a competitive national and global market economy. And they teach future producers, employers and consumers to balance individual self-interest with concern for the general welfare.
In short, American public education encompasses multiple goals, and on any issue at any given time, some individual school board members will perceive some goals as more important than others, Burns said. But there are natural tensions between the core values, he said, and he identified liberty and equality at opposite poles, along with the opposites of prosperity and community.
He then provided a slide show quiz on various public policy questions, asking his audience to identify the foremost core values arising under each issue facing school boards.
Burns concluded by noting his address was based on a book he co-authored with Philip Boyle, a public leadership education and consulting practitioner dedicated to improving public decision making and democratic governance. The book, Preserving the Public in Public Schools: Visions, Values, Conflicts and Choices, is available from IASB’s online bookstore at: https://www.iasb.com/shop .
National advocacy the aim of D.C. event for school board members
Board members can join their peers from across the country at the National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) National School Boards Advocacy Institute (formerly the Federal Relations Network Conference) in Washington, D.C., Feb. 2-4, 2014.
NSBA has said it aims to provide a broader-based, more dynamic advocacy event in this national advocacy institute. Programming changes are to include nationally recognized speakers, sessions with more interaction rather than only lecture-style presentations, and substantial programming for information and skill building around public advocacy. As with the FRN Conference of past years, the Institute will still end with a day on Capitol Hill to lobby members of Congress.
“Anyone who is interested should stop by the legislative booth at our Joint Annual Conference to discuss this event and participation in our federal advocacy program,” said IASB Governmental Relations Director Susan Hilton.
Ranks of Academy Fellows swell with 13 additional board members
Thirteen board members have become School Board LeaderShop Academy Fellows in 2013. This honor was recognized at division dinner meetings this fall and brings to 43 the number of living school board members who have achieved Fellow status since the program began in 2005.
The School Board LeaderShop Academy promotes and recognizes board members’ continuous learning and professional development. Some programs are offered every other year to accommodate board turnover following the biennial election. Other programs are offered every year.
The board members honored as fellows at meetings this year are:
Sam Chellino, Richland SD 88A, Feb. 16, 2013, Three Rivers Division
Jill Ringenberg, Prophetstown-Lyndon- Tampico CUSD 3, May 26, 2013, Northwest
Julie Starasinich, Richland SD 88A, Crest Hill, Feb. 15, 2013, Three Rivers
Robert Friend, Glenbard THSD 87, Glen Ellyn, Feb. 15, 2013, DuPage
Karen Anderson, Columbia CUSD 4, Columbia, Feb. 16, 2013, Southwestern
Mary Ganiere, Ottawa ESD 141, Dec. 1, 2012, Starved Rock
Bill Harrison, Wheeling CCSD 21, Nov. 16, 2012, North Cook
Elizabeth Johnson-Lovett, Winnebago CUSD 323, Nov. 16, 2012, Northwest
Trena Glenn, Olympia CUSD 16, May 31, 2013, Corn Belt
Jerry Kinney, Monmouth-Roseville CUSD 238, Nov. 12, 2012, Western
Kelly Nowak, Geneva CUSD 304, Nov. 16, 2012, Kishwaukee
Generoso D. Marquez, Shiloh Village SD 85, Feb. 23, 2013, Southwestern
Cathy Piehl, Indian Prairie CUSD 204, May 17, 2013, DuPage
As board members work their way through the School Board LeaderShop curriculum, they earn and maintain membership in the Academy. Admission to Academy membership requires completion of three School Board LeaderShop programs. At least two of these must be from the core curriculum and one of those must be the district governance overview. The third program may be either a core or an elective offering.
Academy membership is maintained by completing at least one additional program (either core or elective) over a two-year period. Upon the completion of seven core and five elective programs, members will be recognized as Academy Fellows. Member Emeritus designation is for those board members who retire from or leave their boards while maintaining a Fellowship designation.
Academy members are recognized for their commitment to continuous learning in various ways. Upon admission to the Academy, members receive a LeaderShop Academy pen. They also receive a plaque recognizing their achievement and are invited to serve in advisory and/or mentoring positions around effective governance issues. The names of Members Emeritus are displayed on a permanent honor roll displayed at IASB and they are offered a lifelong subscription to IASB publications.
Master Board Member status recognized for 502 leaders
IASB handed out Master Board Member awards to 502 school board members at division dinner meetings this fall, five more awards than were presented last year. Board members received awards for reaching Level I (59 award winners) and/or Level II (65 winners), both awards that precede the Master Board Member status.
A total of 73 individual board members achieved Master Board Member status for the first time this past year, and 218 were recognized for maintaining their status.
The awards are designed to recognize board members for the time and effort they devote to self-improvement and leadership activities in various IASB and/or NSBA activities within and beyond their local districts.
Each of these activities is assigned from 5 to 30 Master Board Member credits, depending upon the time commitment involved. Credits are cumulative and individuals are recognized at different milestones as they acquire these points.
Individuals receiving the Level I designation have accumulated at least 60 credits. Those receiving the Level II designation have 130 credits or more. Individuals reaching the 200-credit level receive the Master Board Member designation. Thereafter, the MBM designation is maintained by accumulating 50 additional credits each year.
Participation in the program is self-reported by board members, via data available at IASB’s Members-Only website, http://members.iasb.com. That is the place where program participants can go to view participation in relevant activities, and track their progress in the program.
The pertinent forms and individual database information can be found on the Members-Only site under the tab, “Your IASB Involvement” at the top of the home page.
Forms are available for each school year going back to 1999-2000 and are provided in portable document format (PDF).
Burgeson of Geneva wins Holly Jack award for board secretaries
The winner of the Holly Jack Outstanding Service Award for 2013 is Pam Burgeson, superintendent’s administrative assistant for Geneva CUSD 304 in Geneva.
Burgeson has been with Geneva 304 since 1981 and has served four superintendents as well as countless board members. Her hours outside of work are spent at community fundraisers, rolling up her sleeves with other parents at school events and celebrating everything Geneva with neighbors and residents.
John F. Murphy, superintendent in Geneva CUSD 304 from 1990 until his retirement in 2002, says of Burgeson: “I believe that in Pamela Burgeson I am introducing one of Illinois’ champions for public education in general and for the school community in Geneva in particular. I have had the privilege to have interacted with Holly Jack in my several years as a superintendent in our State. Pam Burgeson is cut from the same cloth.”
Burgeson has served on and supported the Geneva High School Arts Boosters, Music Boosters, All-Sports Boosters, and the Geneva Academic Foundation. She is a Chamber of Commerce Christmas Walk volunteer and an active member of her church. In 2007 her school district nominated her for the Kane County Support Staff Person of the Year.
There were a total of 35 nominees, and the decision reportedly was a tough one for the six reviewers. The winner will receive the award at the Joint Annual Conference during the Third General Session.
Two contests at Conference among IASB Centennial observances
The 100-year history of the Illinois Association of School Boards is being celebrated throughout the 2013 calendar year. Various activities and events have been planned to observe this milestone, including three contests that will be conducted in online, live and print formats.
Beginning Nov. 1, IASB will post an online-exclusive trivia contest, “Centennial Challenge Dot Com.”
It will test navigation skills in a series of 20 questions that involve IASB history and services. The contest will be conducted entirely online, and prizes selected from IASB’s Online Bookstore and Online Learning Center.
Details for this contest were just announced on Nov. 1 at https://www.iasb.com/centennial/.
In addition to “Centennial Challenge Dot Com,” the Association will host a drawing at the 2013 Joint Annual Conference. Visitors to the IASB Information Room will be invited to enter the drawing for a chance to win a “Centennial Collection” package of all the IASB Centennial commemorative gifts that will be on sale at the conference bookstore.
This package includes an IASB beverage coaster set, ceramic mug, beverage cloth koozie, pedometer, visor, yardstick, license plate holder, key chain, holiday ornament, and baby bib (“My Grandpa/Grandma is a Illinois School Board Member.”)
The IASB Information Room will be open Friday, Nov. 22, and Saturday, Nov. 23, at the Joint Annual Conference. It is located in the Comiskey Room, concourse level, of the Hyatt Regency West Tower. Two winners will be chosen each day from the “Centennial Collection” entries submitted at this location.
A final Centennial activity, a crossword puzzle, is located in print; specifically in the November-December issue of The Illinois School Board Journal. There are no prizes, but an answer key to the puzzle is also published in this issue of The Journal.
“We hope that these activities add some fun to the centennial,” said James Russell, IASB associate executive director of communications and production services. “We want to try to involve everyone in some way or another. Our history is really part of the history of local school boards. We thank our members for participating in the celebration of their Association.”
Centennial photo booth located in Exhibit Hall to snap free District photos
As you enjoy all of the IASB Centennial activities at this year’s conference, be sure to visit the Centennial Photo Booth in the Exhibit Hall.
School board members and school district staff are invited to stop by the photo booth and have their district photo taken. There is no charge for this sitting. Photos will be posted online after the conference at this website: http://hannahrussellphotography.pass.us/iasbcentennial .
Visitors who have their photo taken in front of the special IASB Centennial backdrop will be able to view and share your photo socially and on your mobile device. Share your Centennial photo with friends and family, or send it to your district website or district Facebook page. Let everyone know that you and your district were part of IASB’s special 100-year anniversary event.
Come join the celebration. Be part of IASB’s 100-year history. Bring your colleagues and have your school district photo taken at the Centennial Photo Booth. Remember, it’s free and it’s fun!
Booth 604-606 is located in the Riverside Center, Hyatt Regency East Tower. Exhibit Hall hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
The Centennial Photo Booth is just one of the special events planned for the 2013 Joint Annual Conference to celebrate the Association history. Watch the IASB website for more details. Announcements will also be made at conference and in the official Conference Program.
Conference goers urged to share opinions of event via brief online survey
Those attending the 2013 Joint Annual Conference are invited to share their opinions of their conference experience in an online evaluation survey.
The brief survey, which asks questions ranging from the ease of the registration process to the quality of programs and exhibits, will be posted Monday, Nov. 25. The link to this survey can be found at https://www.iasb.com/JAC13 .
The survey’s purpose is to get a “large overview” of conference attendee perceptions, as well as to provide the association with information that may aid in planning conference panel sessions and other events in the future, according to Dean Langdon, IASB associate executive director for board development and TAG.
The survey will be closed on Dec. 31.
Speakers to sign books at Conference bookstore
Tony Wagner, recently named the first Innovation Education Fellow at the Technology & Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard University, will be among the authors signing books at the 2013 Joint Annual Conference bookstore.
Wagner, the Second General Session speaker on Nov. 23, is the author of The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World, as well as The Global Achievement Gap .
He is scheduled to meet visitors in the conference bookstore and sign books for purchase beginning at 10 a.m., immediately following his general session presentation.
The bookstore, to feature nearly 3,000 titles, will be located on the Grand Ballroom Foyer level of the Hyatt East Tower. It will be open 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; and 8 to 10 a.m. Sunday.
Here is the list of book signings by date, time, author and book title:
Friday, Nov. 22
10 a.m., Patrick J. Anderson, The Kid in the Purple Pants: Structured Approaches to Educating Underprivileged Students
Noon – 3 p.m., Maureen Hughes, Sins of the South and The Countess and The Mob
1 – 3 p.m., Tim Pletkovich, editor, Civil War Fathers: Sons of the Civil War in WWII
1 p.m., Jim Burgett, The Art of School Boarding
1 p.m., Ray Lauk, Fuel for Learning
1 p.m., Michael Davros,Greeks in Chicago
5 p.m., David Warlick,First General Session Speaker, Cultivating Your Personal Learning Network
Saturday, Nov. 23
9 a.m., Patrick J. Anderson, The Kid in the Purple Pants: Structured Approaches to Educating Underprivileged Students
9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Maureen Hughes, Sins of the South and The Countess and The Mob
9:30 a.m., Tim Pletkovich, editor, Civil War Fathers: Sons of the Civil War in WWII
9:30 a.m., Jim Fritts, Essentials of Illinois School Finance, Sixth Edition; and editor, Good School Maintenance, Fourth Edition
9:30 a.m., Ray Lauk, Fuel for Learning
9:30 a.m., Jim Burgett, The Art of School Boarding
9:30 – 10:30 a.m., Michael Davros, Greeks in Chicago
10 a.m., Tony Wagner, Second General Session Speaker, Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change The World as well as The Global Achievement Gap
11 a.m., Brian D. Schwartz, Illinois Law in the School Office
12:30 p.m., Michael Davros, Greeks in Chicago
Attendees can build their own personal planner
to ease Conference preparation
Participants now have a tool to plan how they will spend their time at the three-day Joint Annual Conference. In addition to the Preview available on the IASB public website at: https://www.iasb.com/jac13/pdfs/conferencepreview.pdf, IASB members also can now use a tool to build their own personal planner online to fill in, download, print out, and take to Chicago.
This online tool was posted in late October on IASB’s Members-Only website at http://members.iasb.com . Once logged in, users should click on the annual conference tab across the top.
The calendar will show all conference events by day and type, listing them in chronological order. Selection is done by checking a box for each desired event.
Division governing board meetings seek participants
to help set future agendas
One of the features of IASB division meetings is that local board members help to determine the programs for these events. Members help to plan some IASB division dinner meetings at their winter and summer governing meetings.
In some divisions, the membership delegates to an executive committee the responsibility to work with the field services director to identify topics of interest in that division. In other divisions, governing board meetings are held. This winter, several governing meetings are scheduled. For a current list of the meetings visit online at: https://www.iasb.com/calendar/ .
Conference registration numbers up but it’s not
too late to register, attend
With the 2013 Joint Annual Conference just two weeks away, planners say the event is shaping up to be bigger than last year. In fact, registration of board members and administrators is up from the totals of last year—but it is still not too late to register.
There are 128 more board members, for example, with the number registered increasing from 3,171 one year ago, to 3,299 today. Registration is up for other groups, as well, including superintendents.
The total of all registrants is at 8,676, up from 8,479 last year.
The cost for school officials to register is $415 per person. The registration form, is available at https://www.iasb.com/jac13/registration.cfm . Registrations from now until Conference will be processed onsite at the Hyatt, Grand Ballroom Foyer, Conference Registration Desk.
Barrington D220 forges partnership with Comcast,
other firms on technology program
Barrington Unit District 220 and its community and corporate partners recently announced details of a ground-breaking technology program aimed to be a model for the rest of the state and nation.
Project Horsepower — named for the school district’s Bronco mascot — will provide home Internet service at no cost to low-income families, namely those who qualify for the federal free- and reduced-price lunch program.
The district’s main partner in the program is Comcast, along with Netgear and the Barrington Area Development Council.
“I really think there are ways to replicate this in many areas of the state,” said Thomas Leonard, District 220 superintendent.
Leonard said Comcast will be making its low-cost Internet Essentials broadband service available to the district for $9.95 per month for each connection, including free installation.
But purchase of Internet Essentials ordinarily only offers one hard-wired connection to one computer. So if more than one person wants to use that home access, it usually would be impossible. This roadblock would ordinarily present a real problem when a school has a couple of kids in the same family. And, although the $9.95 deal may seem like a good one, it is still hard for some families to defray this newly added expense.
So District 220 has worked with the cable provider and local businesses to eliminate the $9.95 monthly charge for participating families in the 20 communities the school district serves.
In addition, school district administrators were able to arrange for donation of free routers from another corporate partner, Netgear, thus allowing the service to be wireless. That is a necessity for using the IPADS and MAC AIRS devices that the district has begun providing to kids in the program.
Wi-Fi routers will be donated to the approximately 700 families in the district who qualify for Free and Reduced-Price Lunches. And the Barrington Area Development Council will raise funds from local businesses to pay Comcast fees as a service to the community.
“Project Horsepower came out of a need that we saw a couple of years ago,” Leonard notes. “About 18 percent of our 9,000 students did not have home Internet access, and for us to go into the digital age and serve those kids, they all needed to have that access,” he added.
School board member and superintendent survey
summarized in new Journal stories
Providing a snapshot of what school board members and school district superintendents are thinking, the newest issue of The Illinois School Board Journal examines newly released survey results.
Readers will learn about the growing number of hours board members and superintendents spend on their jobs, for example, and how long they have served in their respective school districts.
Also featured in the November/December issue of the Journal are some comparisons with similar survey instruments over the years, dating back two decades in IASB’s 100-year history.
Energy grants offered
School energy efficiency grant and school maintenance grant applications remain open for submissions. The grant process opened on Sep. 23, to remain open until Nov. 27. For this round, there is $50 million available, allowing over 800 districts a maintenance grant. The governor has released $20 million for the Energy Efficiency Grant. For energy efficiency grants, contact Debbie Hemberger at 217/785-8779, or go online to http://www.isbe.net/sbss/ee_grants.htm. For maintenance grants, contact Kimberly Beach at 217/785-8779 or go to http://www.isbe.net/sbss/smp_grants.htm.
Green school awards
The ISBE has launched the Illinois Green Ribbon Schools Award program, recognizing schools or districts for leading the way to sustainability and environmental education. ISBE has streamlined the process and will accept applications from schools that have integrated best practices in healthy school environments and environmental education. It will announce winners in late December. Applications are online at http://isbe.net/green_ribbon/default.htm. They can be submitted online or to the ISBE office in Springfield by Nov. 15.
Library grants offered
Applications are being accepted for the FY14 School District Library Grant. Information is at http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/grants/ schoolpercapgrant.html . “FY14 SDLP Per Capita Grant – ( School District Office Location)” must be in the subject line. The deadline is Nov. 22. For information, contact Robert Jones at rjones1@ilsos.net or 217/785-1168 or Becky Hunter at bhunter1@ilsos.net or 217/782-7849.
Board Members Day
Here’s a reminder that Nov. 15, 2013, is designated as “School Board Members Day” throughout Illinois. For more information, contact IASB. Information about the observance is available online at: https://www.iasb.com/sbmd.cfm.
Constitution mailing
Upcoming IASB mailings following the Joint Annual Conference will include the 2013 IASB Constitution and Position Statements booklet. Both the IASB Constitution and the Association’s official position statements are products of the IASB Delegate Assembly, which meets at the conference. IASB operates within the framework of its Constitution, and lobbies on behalf of its position statements.
Centennial souvenirs
The Joint Annual Conference bookstore will prominently feature souvenirs to commemorate IASB’s centennial in 2013. Souvenirs will include: a drink koozie, $3; ceramic mug, $5; a four-piece square stoneware coaster set with wooden holder, $25; key chain, $2; pedometer, $6.50; yardstick, $2; visor, $7.95; license plate holder, $2; baby bib, (featuring the phrase “My grandpa/grandma is a school board member”), $5.95; ornament, $11.95. Items not sold at the conference bookstore will be offered for sale at IASB’s online bookstore.
Law clerk volunteer
IASB’s latest law clerk is Brennan McLoughlin, a recent graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law in Urbana/ Champaign. Originally from New York, he now lives on the northern Indiana-Illinois border.
Aurora (Oct. 4, BeaconNews) Seventh-grade students at West Aurora’s Jewel Middle School are learning Chinese. They are among the 90 gifted middle school students in West Aurora taking a high school-level world language class online in Spanish, French, Latin, German, or Chinese, using software the district bought to expand language offerings. The gifted program selects the top 30 students per grade level and groups them to provide them with more rigorous coursework. The online program worked so well in junior high school that the district brought it to West Aurora High School, which started offering Japanese, Latin and Chinese this year and now has 26 students enrolled — more than the school expected. “Kids really, really like using the program,” said Julie Esparza, who coordinates the district’s gifted and talented program. In mid-September, Esparza and a co-worker won an award for their work from K12, the Virginia-based company that provides the online language-learning program.
Chicago (Oct. 3, Chicago Sun-Times) Catholic school enrollment is up for the first time since 1965 across the Chicago region, according to the Archdiocese of Chicago. This represents a reversal of nearly 50 years of declining student enrollment in Catholic schools, said the superintendent of the archdiocese’ schools. The number of students attending parochial elementary schools in Chicago has increased by more than 1,300 students over the past four years and, in total, about 84,000 students attend such schools, according to figures provided by the archdiocese. Enrollment at Catholic elementary schools in suburban Lake and Cook counties is also on the rise, the Archdiocese reports.
Decatur (Oct.4, Decatur Herald and Review) Individual learning plans are the key for kids who excel despite special needs, according to educators in an essential skills program at Decatur’s Harris School. Kids work as a group but also on individual skills as dictated by their Individual Education Plans ( IEPs). The Macon- Piatt Special Education District covers 13 school districts and 1,344 square miles, serving 2,966 students with IEPs. Federal and state laws require districts to offer “free and appropriate” public education to kids with special needs in the least restrictive environment.
Pinckneyville (Oct. 4, The Southern) Lt. Governor Sheila Simon is out trying to make sure today’s students will have a better understanding of mathematics with a new integrated math curriculum. Simon and the Illinois State Board of Education released the state’s first sixth- through twelfth-grade math curriculum in May and urged middle and high schools state wide to implement the new courses this fall. Simon visited one of the schools that have adopted the program, Pinckneyville High School, on Oct. 3. She said the program is about the students’ future and helping them have the tools to compete for college and beyond. It covers all facets of mathematics. Students would not take algebra one year and geometry the next; instead, the different mathematics are integrated. Simon said she likes to see that the program is working and that schools are not mandated to adopt it.
Sherman (Oct. 4, The State Journal-Register) Sherman’s “walking school bus” encourages a healthy lifestyle. It began in April 2012 with help from $29,490 in two federal Safe Routes to School grants that Williamsville CUSD 15 received. The program is designed to encourage more students to walk or bike to school. Each morning, if it’s not raining or below 40 degrees, board secretary Sandra Walden leads a group of students from two subdivisions on their walk to school. Health benefits aside, studies show it helps kids be more alert throughout the day, she said. Grant money helped to purchase safety items, and safety-education materials for classrooms and libraries. Equally important was a $231,000 grant the village of Sherman received from the program to put in new sidewalks along streets leading to the schools.
Springfield (Oct 1, The State Journal-Register) Lanphier High School in Springfield District 186 is making plans for life after a multimillion dollar federal grant. In its third and final year of operating with a school improvement grant, the school has begun planning how it can sustain its progress after the grant money goes away soon. District-wide conversations with board members and administrators were set to begin at an Oct. 7 board meeting with an update on progress. The grant allowed for extra faculty and a longer school day for targeted enrichment, both of which could be reduced or eliminated. It also provided for new literacy initiatives, extra tutoring and added Advanced Placement courses. Once ranked as a low-performing high school, Lanphier’s standardized test scores have jumped and attendance has improved since the grant.
Statewide (Sep. 30, The Daily Herald) Some schools let kids and parents anonymously report bullying online. Online forms that allow for it are helping officials at some suburban schools deal with a problem that’s been in the national spotlight. Grayslake North and Grayslake Central high schools, Highland Middle in Libertyville and the schools in Carpentersville-based Community Unit District 300 are among those with bullying forms on their websites, typically in prominent positions. Some allow the forms to be completed anonymously.
November 21 – IASB Board of Directors’ Meeting, Chicago
November 22 – Chicago Schools Tour, Chicago
November 22-24 – IASB/IASA/
IASBO Joint Annual Conference, Chicago
November 22 – Illinois Council of School Attorneys’ 27th Annual Seminar on School Law, For school attorneys only, Chicago
November 24 – IASB Board of Directors’ Meeting, Chicago
December 3 – Blackhawk Division Winter Governing Committee Meeting, Geneseo
December 4 – Central IL Valley Division Winter Governing Committee Meeting, East Peoria
December 4 – Kaskaskia Division Winter Governing Committee Meeting, Greenville
December 10 – Two Rivers Division Winter Governing Committee Meeting, Jacksonville
January 9 – Shawnee Division Winter Governing Meeting , Marion
January 11 – Professional Development Leadership Training and Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PDLT and PERA ) , Joliet
January 21-22 – IASB/IASA/Professional Advancement Seminar , Springfield
For more current information, see www.iasb.com/calendar/