News From the June Board Meeting
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New Materials Will Enhance English Language Arts
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A new junior high language arts resource being implemented next year will increase rigor and strengthen evidence-based reading and writing.
The resource, Amplify, will provide teachers with a rich variety of high-interest articles and accompanying writing challenges for students that encourage literary analysis and critical thinking. The program also includes key grammar components and writing conventions that students will practice through unit study and daily work.
Junior high language arts teachers Velvet Thomas, Michael LaCerra, and English Learner teacher Nicole Gas joined Stephanie Smith, director of learning, and Dr. Kris Raitzer, assistant superintendent, in presenting the new program to the Board.
"The process included six months of thinking through strengths and needs in the current program. We have passionate readers and writers. The average NWEA Map score for our graduating 8th-grade class is at the college level,” Dr. Raitzer said. “We wanted to maintain the strengths of our current model while increasing opportunities for evidence-based reading and writing,” which is a key component of Common Core Learning Standards. Many assessments, including NWEA/MAP, Illinois Assessment of Readiness, and PSAT 8/9, which is used for high school placement, are based on those standards.
A key to a successful literacy experience, Mr. LaCerra said, is keeping students interested and motivated. The content of Amplify offers a great variety of non-fiction texts.
“It would take me a lifetime to gather all of those materials on my own and put them together in a way to promote the best conversations,” Ms. Thomas said.
In addition to new texts, the program includes multiple layers of formative and summative assessments. There are different levels of instruction to provide common experiences for all levels of students and a variety of assessments for teachers to use to provide students with specific feedback on their writing and thinking.
All junior high language arts teachers participated in training for Amplify. Learning Teams are meeting throughout the summer to outline their new units. Professional learning will continue next year and beyond.
The Language Arts team will provide a follow-up review of implementation mid-year.
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Math Program Review Continues Through the Summer
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Over 1,200 hours have been invested in the math program review since May 20, with more than 80 staff members contributing to curriculum work, participating in professional learning, or leading professional learning sessions.
Many revisions and enhancements will be ready for teachers and students this August. Additionally, the program will continue to be studied next year, which will result in additional changes that will be implemented in the fall of 2020.
The goal is to more specifically align curriculum with the Common Core Standards and the tests that rely on that content, such as NWEA MAP, Illinois Assessment of Readiness, and PSAT 8/9, which is used for high school placement.
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2018-19 Projects Reflect Continuous Improvement
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The Board of Education approved a new strategic plan in April 2018. With a refreshed mission, vision and values, the work of the district for the past year was tied to five goals: Student Achievement, Learning Environment, Work Environment, Family & Community Connections, and Resources.
Superintendent Dr. Larry Hewitt provided a year-end report on the progress of each goal.
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Board Appoints New Director of Learning
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An educational leader with a background in curriculum development and gifted education has been appointed as the Director of Learning.
Michelle Jackson comes to Northbrook from Deerfield, where she was a principal at Walden Elementary School. She began her administrative experience as an assistant principal and coordinator of the talented and gifted program for grades k-8 at Oak Grove School. She started her career at Grove Avenue School in Barrington, where she taught in grades three, four, and five for eight years. She has experience leading curriculum review cycles and designing professional development for teachers, as well as having a strong understanding of differentiation. She also led the implementation of the “Leader in Me” program to support school-wide social-emotional learning.
Ms. Jackson received a master’s degree in educational organization and leadership from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies in curriculum and instruction from National-Louis University. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, also from the University of Illinois.
She is replacing Stephanie Smith, who is returning to the classroom to teach sixth-grade language arts at Northbrook Junior High.
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Teacher Evaluation Process Tied to State Law
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The Board of Education invited John Fester, the district’s attorney, to provide an overview of the teacher evaluation process.
Mr. Fester, who works with the firm Scariano, Himes & Petrarca, said every public school system in the state is governed by the Performance Evaluation Reform Act. Every school district is required by the state to form a committee consisting of an equal number of the district’s teachers and administrators to develop and oversee the plan.
The other 30 percent of a teacher’s evaluation is tied to student growth based on pre and post-test data.
The state law requires that 70 percent of a teacher’s evaluation is based on professional practice as defined by a research-based framework. The framework includes lesson planning, classroom management, lesson delivery, professionalism, strength and weaknesses. Most districts in the state, including District 28, use the Charlotte Danielson framework.
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Meadowbrook School, Door Security Part of Summer Work
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Renovation of Meadowbrook School that will transform the look of the interior began as students were leaving the building for summer break.
Teachers and staff packed up the entire contents of their classrooms into boxes. In just over 48 hours, all of the boxes and furniture were packed into the gyms so that demolition could begin.
Carpet and cabinetry were torn out throughout the school. The building was sealed off in sections to remove old floor tile with asbestos mastic. Work will continue this month to install new carpeting and cabinetry and replace plumbing and electrical where needed. Fresh paint will bring a new, clean look to the building. Each corridor of classrooms will have a different accent color.
Security improvements will be included in the renovation, adding electronic locks to the main office doors. This will restrict access to the main hall only to those who have checked in and are buzzed in by the main office.
The complete renovation project is projected to cost just over $1 million.
New Door Locks Improve Security
As part of summer life-safety work at the schools, electronic locks will be installed to the interior doors in the main offices at Northbrook Junior High and Westmoor School. The locks will restrict visitors’ access to the main hallway. This will require visitors to get buzzed through the door to the main hallway after they have been checked in by the main office. This will complete door security renovations for all district schools.
Above: Classrooms will have fresh paint, cabinets and carpet. Each wing will use a difference accent color.
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Board Considers Transparency Measures
The Board of Education heard information about increasing transparency relating to meetings. An analysis of 19 surrounding districts, which the district uses as benchmarks for a variety of topics, shows that four districts have a practice of video recording meetings, one district audio records meetings, which are posted for public review. There are equipment and ongoing staff costs as well as ADA compliance steps to consider. The board members asked for additional information next month.
The board also agreed to make some board presentations and other agenda items from the Board packet available to the public at the start of the meeting by posting it on the Board of Education page on the website.
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Summer Bustling With Activity
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It may be summer break, but the school district has been bustling with activity, as students participate in summer school enrichment classes at the junior high and Westmoor School and teachers participate in summer learning, learning team meetings, homework bank work and curriculum reviews. Professional learning sessions continue into August. Summer school ends July 3.
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Students in Ms. Gikunoo's "Globetrotters" class researched destinations around the world. Then she used a green screen to take pictures of students in their destination of choice. (above)
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STAY CONNECTED TO WHAT'S HAPPENING IN DISTRICT 28!
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#TLC28 #Innovate28
District 28’s official hashtags! You can search the hashtag on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram to monitor posts from teachers, administrators and the district accounts. These hashtags help us tell the story of Teaching, Learning and Caring in District 28 and the innovative teaching and learning around Learning First.
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