Volume 22, No. 3 | October 2, 2018
Changes Coming to State School Report Card
Parents will see new information and a new accountability system when the annual school report cards are released by the Illinois State Board of Education in October.

The state has rewritten the accountability system with the goal of creating reports that are informative, fair and non-punitive as part of the new federal law Every Student Succeeds Act, which replaced No Child Left Behind, said Dr. Larry Hewitt, superintendent.

The new accountability system will include measures of academic achievement and school quality. Each school will also receive a tier designation of 1 to 4 based on performance in both of those categories.

Academic achievement will be based on Language Arts and Math scores on the PARCC taken in spring 2018 in grades 3-8, and English Learners’ proficiency as tested on the ACCESS assessment. New this year, student growth from the previous year will also be measured.

Student performance will be measured overall and for any subgroups of more than 20 students per school. Previously, subgroups were identified by 30 or more students per school. Subgroups include five major ethnic groups, economically disadvantaged students, students with disabilities and English Learners.

These core academic indicators will make up 75% of each school’s overall rating.

The other 25% of the school’s overall rating will be based on school quality and student success measures. The measures include the results from state-designed “Five Essentials Survey” on school climate and culture and a school’s chronic absenteeism rate. The survey is taken by parents, staff and students in sixth through eighth grade. The school’s chronic absenteeism rate is calculated by the percentage of students who miss 10 percent or more of the school year with excused or unexcused absences. This will include students who travel out of the country to visit relatives but will exclude medically certified home/hospital instruction.

Finally, the two areas will be tallied for a summative designation of Tier 1 to 4 for every school.

Additional changes and measures are planned for next year and beyond.
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New State
Report Card
Tier Designations

Tier 1, Exemplary: No underperforming subgroups, PARCC scores in the top 10 percent of schools statewide.

Tier 2, Commendable: No subgroups performing lower than the lowest 5 percent of “all students” and whose performance is not in the top 10 percent of all schools statewide.

Tier 3, Underperforming:  One or more subgroups is performing at or below the lowest 5 percent of the “all students” groups in Title I schools.

Tier 4, Lowest Performing: Lowest-performing 5 percent of Title I schools in the state.
Teachers Demonstrate Power of Standards-Based Grading
Three teams of teachers presented classroom examples on implementing standards-based grading to board members and parents.

The junior high is transitioning to a new model of reporting students’ academic performance that focuses on a student’s understanding of academic concepts and learning behaviors. 
“This is a major paradigm shift,” said Scott Meek, Northbrook Junior High Principal. “We truly want to focus on learning -- it’s more than just a letter grade at the top of the paper.”


At right, sixth-grade math teacher Meghan Henry explains learning targets and self-assessments to students in class.
New Orchestra Director Joins Music Department
An orchestra director with 10 years of experience is joining the staff to support increased enrollment in the program.

Dominique Radtke has joined the District 28 staff effective today! He comes to Northbrook from the East Maine School District 63, where he has been a director since 2008.

Mr. Radtke earned a master’s degree in music education and educational leadership from VanderCook College and Concordia University. While orchestra director for District 63, Mr. Radtke grew the program from 50 students to 250. His experience, passion for the field and ability to engage students in the learning process are a great asset to our program.

Prior to 2005-06, the District 28 program had five orchestra teachers. The district reduced the staff to four directors because enrollment was expected to dip from 238 students in the coming years and a new small group lesson schedule allowed enough flexibility for four teachers to manage. Since 2006, however, orchestra enrollment has actually increased. There are 290 students enrolled this school year.

Adding Mr. Radtke will allow for the team to return to smaller group lessons in addition to providing much-needed assistance to the district’s largest group, third-grade beginning orchestra.
18-19 Budget Gets Slight Boost in Revenues
District 28’s 2018-19 budget of nearly $39 million benefits from slight increases in property development and the consumer price index as well as stable state revenues.

The $39 million spending budget is 3.83 percent higher than last year’s actual spending, excluding contingency and capital projects. The operating budget shows a surplus of $465,064 when contingencies, which are typically not spent, are excluded.

The Board of Education adopted the 2018-19 budget following a public hearing at the regular meeting Sept. 25.

A majority of the capital projects in the budget were completed before the new school year started. Projects included carpet replacement, a new emergency generator and fire safety doors at Northbrook Junior High, a room renovation at Westmoor School to accommodate a special education classroom, and fencing at Greenbriar School.

The bulk of expenses in the district’s operating budget are spent on staffing, with 80 percent going to salaries and benefits. New spending includes technology for the Learning First initiative and additional staffing expenses to administer special education services. The increased staffing cost will be offset by a reduction in tuition previously paid to the district’s special education cooperative. 
District Happenings
Outdoor Ed Continues Sixth-Grade Tradition
The NBJH Class of 2021 boarded buses on Wednesday, Sept. 26 for a three-day adventure and education experience at Camp Timber-Lee. While many districts have dropped this experience for students, it is a strong tradition here in District 28. Our GBN volunteers serve as the cabin chaperones and counselors while our dedicated team of teachers take on the 24-7 duty to make the experience possible. See more of the experience at #NBJHOE18 on Twitter or Facebook.
Students Turn Thoughts
Into Actions to Help Refugees
Seventh-grade students learned about the power of story in reading Alan Gratz’s book “Refugee” and experienced the power they have to impact the lives of others with a supply drive inspired by the book.

The seventh-grade team at Northbrook Junior High collected two carloads of personal supplies, toys, books, diapers, household cleaners and paper towels to help a refugee family. What started as a goal to collect enough for one locally sponsored refugee family will be enough to actually support 12 to 14 families, Language Arts teacher Mrs. Sarah Avallone said.

Watch students tell the story in the video at right.
Support Music Programs by Purchasing Wreath or Coffee

The Music Parents Club is holding its annual coffee and wreath sale through Oct. 5. High-quality holiday greenery and gift items are available. Funds raised through the sale support the music programs at District 28 schools. Complete this order form and submit to the Music Parents Club!.
Documentary Explores Growing Up in the Digital Age
District 28 will host a viewing of the documentary, "Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age” at 7 p.m. Oct. 11 at the District Office HOH Community Room, 1475 Maple Ave.

"Screenagers" is an award-winning film that explores the vulnerable corners of family life and struggles with social media, video games and academics. The film offers solutions on how educators and parents can help kids navigate the digital world.

A panel discussion will be held following the movie to apply lessons explored to our families and students. Parents and children in fifth grade or higher are invited to attend.
Read more about the movie at  screenagersmovie.com
Kindly RSVP if you plan to attend so we can accommodate everyone.
#TLC28
District 28’s official hashtag! You can search the hashtag on Twitter or Facebook to monitor posts from teachers, administrators and the district accounts. This hashtag helps us tell the story of Teaching, Learning and Caring in District 28.