Strategic Goal 1

Progress Update June 2019: The Curriculum Council has reached consensus on the following definition of “rigor” as it relates to preK-8 academic instruction:

• Rigor is achieved when students are motivated to persevere and inspired to take ownership of their learning experiences.  Rigorous experiences engage students in a productive struggle that moves them toward deeper understanding, resulting in the ability to apply their learning, knowledge and skills to new situations.

Progress Update March 2019: The Curriculum Council reviewed multiple pieces of research around the concept of “rigor” and began to identify commonly accepted characteristics of rigorous instruction. The council will revisit the topic with the intent of resolving a definition of the concept as it relates to instruction in District 58.

Progress Update December 2018: The Curriculum Council will begin this discussion at its Dec. 12, 2018 meeting.

• Rigorous instruction is valued, understood and pursued.
• Opportunities for open and honest reflection on current practices are created.
• Areas for growth in our current instructional strategies are collaboratively identified and pursued by administrators and teachers.
• Professional learning, curricular goals and resources support and align to rigorous instruction.

June 2020 Progress Update: In the past three months, we have created a remote learning plan for 5,000 students that demonstrates our commitment to the pursuit of rigorous instruction; we have provided opportunities for remote professional learning and support for teachers to support this plan.  We have also provided consistent opportunities to receive feedback via surveys of all stakeholder groups – staff, families and students (in grades 3-8) during this time.  The initial feedback received in April informed revisions to our plan in May, and the quantity of that feedback has been significant. 

March 2020 Progress Update: District-wide efforts and systems continue to support these targets as we continue to solicit feedback from all professional learning opportunities and committee meetings; we are working in each of our curricular areas and district-wide to articulate areas for growth and areas of celebration.  This is an area that will never be “complete” but will be part of ongoing review of our communication and actions.

December 2019 Progress Update: In the fall of 2019, we focused on the rigor of our assessments and questioning, particularly as they relate to the rigor of the state-mandated assessments. Our administrative and teaching teams have spent time reflecting on assessment practices, their purpose and their accuracy in communicating student growth and achievement. We continue to review standardized assessment data as we review ongoing opportunities for growth. Honest reflection opportunities continue with open dialogue at all meetings and exit slips that ask open-ended questions.

September 2019 Progress Update: We are looking forward to the ongoing work of our committees and councils and intend to continue based upon the areas of focus identified in the spring. We will continue the use of exit slips to provide feedback after all meetings.

June 2019 Progress Update: At the conclusion of each curriculum committee meeting this school year, members were asked to identify areas of focus for the 2019-20 school year; similarly, the administrative team is asked annually at this time of year to consider areas of focus for professional learning in the coming school year.  These collaborative steps will create the goals and intended outcomes of professional learning in the coming year. Feedback forms and meeting exit slips continue to be used, with an intention to review and revise these forms in conjunction with the work of the various working groups.

March 2019 Progress Update: Three councils now meet with each exit slip recognizing continued open, honest discussions.  Both the Professional Learning Council and the Curriculum Council have made recommendations thus far regarding the first steps to take that will enhance the professional learning opportunities for staff and provide additional curricular resources in specific disciplines (science and math).

December 2018 Progress Update: The Curriculum Council has met twice and the Professional Learning Council has met once; both council groups have begun with open, honest reflection on current practices and the current state of District 58’s curriculum and professional learning opportunities.  Future meetings will lead to specific recommendations around areas for growth and future direction.

• Establish a process to clarify the definition of curricular goals and outcomes as part of the curricular committee, including and incorporating the “Portrait of a Graduate.”
• Establish a process to clarify the definitions and instructional models for district specialized educational programs.
• Develop a consistent outcome format/structure of the district curricular committees.
• Establish a review process for curriculum committee outcomes, possibly utilizing the Curriculum Council for this purpose.
• Establish a specific procedure to review and ensure vertical alignment, particularly at natural transition years (PreK-K, Elementary-Middle School, Middle School-High School).

June 2020 Progress Update: Due to COVID-19 and the suspension of in-person learning, the Curriculum Council has not met since the last update. Our work will continue in the fall of 2020 (virtually or otherwise) and we expect to be back on track with discussions around the Portrait of a Graduate.

March 2020 Progress Update: The Curriculum Council is deeply involved in discussion around vertical alignment, with this topic as a major focus of our May 2020 meeting. Their initial conversations around this topic have acknowledged that vertical alignment is connected to the “portrait of a graduate” concept, so it is likely that these two pieces will be the next focal point of the Curriculum Council’s work.

December 2019 Progress Update: The Curriculum Council met once this fall and affirmed the outline for our curricular review process, including a calendar that identifies target years for that process to be initiated. This process combines the positive steps that have been taken by current committees, and is likewise informing the next steps of those committees. The completion of this task is the culmination of a year of intensive work, and addresses bullets 2 and 3 in their entirety. We began discussion of the “Portrait of a Graduate” aspect of the Strategic Plan and look forward to initiating discussions on vertical alignment this year.

September 2019 Progress Update: The Curriculum Council has developed a draft outline for curricular review, including steps that would be taken on a regular (annual) basis as well as steps that would be taken to initiate a formal review process by committee, with the potential for resource adoption. This process includes the identification of general goals and outcomes as well as specific outcomes based on the initial steps of review. While elements of this process are already being implemented in our Math and Social Studies curriculum committees, based upon continued commentary and dialogue with the Curriculum Council, the final process outline will be shared in the 2019-20 school year, including the incorporation of the “Portrait of a Graduate.”

June 2019 Progress Update: The Curriculum Council has developed a draft outline for curricular review, including steps that would be taken on a regular (annual) basis as well as steps that would be taken to initiate a formal review process by committee, with the potential for resource adoption. This process includes the identification of general goals and outcomes as well as specific outcomes based on the initial steps of review. While elements of this process are already being implemented in our Math and Social Studies curriculum committees, based upon continued commentary and dialogue with the Curriculum Council, the final process outline will be shared in the 2019-20 school year, including the incorporation of the “Portrait of a Graduate.”

March 2019 Progress Update: The Curriculum Council is working diligently to develop a consistent format/structure for curricular committees, with potential outcomes identified, while recognizing that there may be some variation based on the content area of each specific committee. The council is on track to complete this work by mid-year of the 2019-20 school year.

December 2018 Progress Update: While much of this has not yet been formally initiated, the Curriculum Council has begun to discuss the format and structure of district curriculum committees, with a goal of standardizing portions of the process district-wide while recognizing that the specific content areas (and associated pedagogy) causes certain elements of each committee’s purview to be approached with an unique lens.

• Review current research on delivery models as it relates to overall student success.
• Establish District standards of best practices in instructional programming across all environments.
• Develop an implementation plan with appropriate training and time allocated.

June 2020 Progress Update: Due to COVID-19 and the suspension of in-person learning, the Curriculum Council has not met since the last update. Our work will continue in the fall of 2020 (virtually or otherwise) and we expect to be back on course with our continued work in this area.

March 2020 Progress Update: Conversations continue around best practice in instructional programming at several levels; the implementation plans are a part of the Curriculum Council work, and the best practices in specific content-area pedagogy are a part of the curriculum implementation process. The Instructional Model Review Council continues to read, research, review and discuss instructional practices to build a solid background as we consider how to articulate district standards of best practice in instructional programming.

December 2019 Progress Update: The Instructional Model Review Council has met twice this fall. While our work last year focused on exploring the middle school model, we have now broadened our focus to talk about instructional models in each classroom across the district. Our work centers around articulating quality instruction and those elements that have the greatest impact on student achievement; members are currently exploring the research and work of John Hattie, Carol Ann Tomlinson and others in an effort to build a consistent foundational background that will ultimately guide our conversations around standards for district practice across environments.

September 2019 Progress Update: The Instructional Model Review Council has not met since the June 2019 progress update but looks forward to meeting this school year to continue their work focused on instructional programming.

June 2019 Progress Update: The Instructional Model Review Council held five meetings this year and spent considerable time reviewing research, local data and curriculum configurations, and discussing the implications of all of these when considering both the academic and social-emotional/developmental needs of young adolescents.  The council concluded that the feasibility of a 6th-8th grade middle school model in District 58 should be considered, provided that the elements that are found to meet the needs of young adolescents are also considered as a part of any middle school model. The Council recognizes that it has accomplished high-level work, but as a true instructional model moves all the way to the granular level of implementation, there is much more work to be done for this group.

March 2019 Progress Update: The Instructional  Model Review Council met for the first time in February, and will meet three more times prior to May.  This group, comprised of parents, teachers and administrators, will look at research and local data around the instructional, social-emotional and community impact of various instructional models, with an early emphasis on grade 6-8 vs. grade 7-8 middle schools.  We will join this council’s work with the Facility Planning Council later this spring.

December 2018 Progress Update: A new group will be formed in conjunction with the work of Goal 3 to earnestly explore the educational implications of a 6-8 middle school vs. a 7-8 middle school, with the hope of making a value- and research-based recommendation in the spring.

• Define, articulate and annually review the short-term and long-term professional learning goals for District 58.
• Develop a process for accessing professional learning opportunities outside of the District.
• Ensure the development of learning goals both with District direction and teacher initiative.
• Create systems to identify, support and encourage teacher leadership of professional learning opportunities.
• Create opportunities for teachers to connect with each other and outside resources in pursuit of professional learning.

June 2020 Progress Update: The Professional Learning Council and administrative team continue to develop professional learning goals for the 2020-21 school year based upon curricular initiatives and teacher feedback; professional learning will also be determined based upon the construction of the opening of school based upon current health department guidance. We expect to have small groups working over the summer to consider the needs of our staff if we continue with any components of remote learning.

March 2020 Progress Update: The Board and community were provided with an update on professional learning in District 58 that included parent and teacher feedback on our systems; we can acknowledge that there have been some tremendous successes with our new model and also areas that we will continue to reflect upon and revise. The administrative team will be developing our professional learning outline and calendar for the 2020-21 school year and presenting it to various groups for feedback over the course of the next several weeks.

December 2019 Progress Update: The Professional Learning Council has essentially completed this work; because of the newness of the Professional Learning Mondays model, we hesitate to mark this *complete* until we have this year to review the effectiveness of the model. The administrative team, with input through the collaborative processes of each district committee and council, establishes broad learning targets for the year. Reading through the previous updates highlights the opportunities for accessing professional learning outside of District 58 for teachers as well as the balance of teacher-initiated and district/building-initiated professional learning targets. Teachers are regularly encouraged to share professional learning sessions with their colleagues formally and informally, notably at the Dec. 2 Institute Day, where a number of teachers are offering sessions for other staff to attend.

September 2019 Progress Update: The development of the Professional Learning Model for 2019-20 accomplishes many of these strategies. The early student release on Mondays provides certified staff in grades K-8 with 90 minutes of dedicated professional learning time each Monday that school is in session. These Mondays will be balanced between district-directed (where the district administration creates the agenda), building-directed (where the building administration creates the agenda) and teacher-directed (where teachers themselves have the ability to identify and direct their own learning). The development of this plan will outline specific district and building goals as well as allow for teacher initiative. We will review this model with feedback from teachers, administrators and parents throughout the 2019-20 school year and will revise the process as necessary based upon that feedback.

June 2019 Progress Update: The development of the Professional Learning Model for 2019-20 accomplishes many of these strategies. The early student release on Mondays provides certified staff in grades K-8 with 90 minutes of dedicated professional learning time each Monday that school is in session. These Mondays will be balanced between district-directed (where the district administration creates the agenda), building-directed (where the building administration creates the agenda) and teacher-directed (where teachers themselves have the ability to identify and direct their own learning). The development of this plan will outline specific district and building goals as well as allow for teacher initiative. We will review this model with feedback from teachers, administrators and parents throughout the 2019-20 school year and will revise the process as necessary based upon that feedback.

March 2019 Progress Update: District administrators created a professional learning proposal based on the work of the Professional Learning Council and with input from District faculty and administration. The proposal recommends that District 58 create consistent professional learning time for certified staff, enabling them to meet the targets of this Strategic Plan strategy. At the February Board meeting, District administration presented this proposal to the Board.

December 2018 Progress Update: Teachers are now able to apply for up to two professional leave days, to be used to attend conferences or other professional learning opportunities outside of District 58. The Professional Learning Council at its first meeting began conversations around both goals and opportunities for District 58’s professional learning practices, and looks forward to coming to more concrete recommendations at subsequent meetings this year.  Both the Professional Learning Council and the Curriculum Council have recognized the need for increased professional learning time within the District calendar without impacting classroom instruction.

I. Curricular areas addressed include but are not limited to Math, English/Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Art, Music, P.E., Social-Emotional Learning.

II. Curricular development shall address alignment of district specialized educational programs (i.e., gifted, special education, English learner)

• Identify and assess the current status of all district curricula (comprehensive list of all programs).
• Review the results of the analysis to identify areas of prioritization.
• Develop a timeline for review, adoption and implementation/professional learning for each curricular area.

March 2020 Progress Update: The Council has established a calendar and process for curricular review that extends to the year 2030 (with some assumptions made in the timeline.) This is presented in two formats and will be made available on our Strategic Plan website.  The Curriculum Council also compared the current status of district curricula from October 2018 to February 2020 and noted the significant progress that has been made in several areas.

December 2019 Progress Update: The Curriculum Council has affirmed a timeline for many curricular areas; the last step toward completion is to identify curricular review targets for each curricular area across the district. Alignment with District-specialized programs is a component of the established curricular review process that has been determined by the Curriculum Council.

September 2019 Progress Update: The progress noted in Objective 1.2a is connected to this objective.  Our short-term calendar has been defined (Science adoption in 2019-20; Math pilot in 2019-20 with potential adoption in 2020-21; Social Studies potential pilot in 2020-21 with potential adoption in 2021-22.)  All of the “potential” language in the previous sentence recognizes that any commitment to pilot or adoption is the result of committee work or recommendation and ultimate Board action. As the process for curricular review has reached draft form, so has a long-term calendar that reflects that process.  The Curriculum Council recognizes the need to establish a regular review cycle, but also acknowledges the need to stagger the potential future adoption of new curricular resources. A 10-to-12-year curriculum calendar will be finalized in the 2019-20 school year.

June 2019 Progress Update: The progress noted in Objective 1.2a is connected to this objective.  Our short-term calendar has been defined (Science adoption in 2019-20; Math pilot in 2019-20 with potential adoption in 2020-21; Social Studies potential pilot in 2020-21 with potential adoption in 2021-22.)  All of the “potential” language in the previous sentence recognizes that any commitment to pilot or adoption is the result of committee work or recommendation and ultimate Board action. As the process for curricular review has reached draft form, so has a long-term calendar that reflects that process.  The Curriculum Council recognizes the need to establish a regular review cycle, but also acknowledges the need to stagger the potential future adoption of new curricular resources. A 10-to-12-year curriculum calendar will be finalized in the 2019-20 school year.

March 2019 Progress Update: The Curriculum Council is developing a process for regular curricular review and support (described under points “b” and “c” below.)  Once that process is established, it will inform a long-term timeline for curricular review.

December 2018 Progress Update: The Curriculum Council has identified and assessed the current district curricula, has worked to prioritize needs and expects to recommend a short-term (~2-3 year) timeline following its Dec. 12, 2018 meeting, with a long-term (~10 year) proposed timeline recommendation before the end of this school year.

• Develop a consistent process for each District committee to review and assess instructional resources to include core and supplemental materials, personnel, instructional tools and technology. 

December 2019 Progress Update: The work of the Curriculum Committee as noted in 1.2a has finalized the process that will ensure consistent review of each curricular area going forward, as well as a timeline. The process includes focus on core curricular materials, supplemental curricular materials, instructional tools and technology; the curriculum committees would not directly address staffing, but would rather communicate with district leadership if staffing concerns were identified for implementation.

September 2019 Progress Update: The progress toward this objective is similarly aligned with the Curriculum Council work that is outlined in 1.2a and 1.3a; the process to review and assess resources is embedded in the overall curricular review process, which is expected to be formally presented in the 2019-20 school year.

June 2019 Progress Update: The progress toward this objective is similarly aligned with the Curriculum Council work that is outlined in 1.2a and 1.3a; the process to review and assess resources is embedded in the overall curricular review process, which is expected to be formally presented in the 2019-20 school year.

March 2019 Progress Update: The Curriculum Council is working diligently to develop a process that will guide all curricular committee work around analysis, research, review, potential adoption, implementation and ongoing support for all curricular areas, recognizing that there may be slight variations based on the individual content areas. This process includes the specific review and adoption of curricular materials and the instructional tools and technology that accompany the curricular review and support.

December 2018 Progress Update: The Curriculum Council has reviewed our current practice as a significant component of building the timeline outlined above.  The Council’s ongoing work will eventually lead to a specific outline of resource adoption, aligned with the work in 1.2A.

• Develop an implementation process and timeline for all curricular resource adoptions.
• Develop support structures for parents to be available with all curricular resource adoptions.
• Develop a system to provide ongoing monitoring and support of implementation that ensures equitable access for all students.

June 2020 Progress Update: The implementation process is ongoing with our new math resource, and the pilot process is being followed as we approach potential new social studies resources.  The work of the Curriculum Council and the Superintendent’s Community Advisory Council has yielded a plan for a parent education series beginning in August 2020 and continuing throughout the year.  These plans will consider – and potentially adjust based upon – parent needs around remote learning.

March 2020 Progress Update: A series of parent education opportunities has been developed jointly by the Curriculum Council and Superintendent’s Community Advisory Council; these begin with the February 2020 Curriculum Workshop and continue with plans for the fall of 2020. These events will include in-person opportunities as well as digitally-available content for parents; once this first series of events has occurred, we hope to reflect upon their effectiveness and create a template to be followed annually.  Discussions around fidelity of implementation continue in multiple areas; the Curriculum Council has spent time defining that fidelity, and the Curriculum department is working on a series of tools for building administrators as they work to support curriculum implementation at each building.

December 2019 Progress Update: The implementation process is outlined in the established curricular review process; The Curriculum Council will continue to expand the details of that process to include specific checkpoints for monitoring and support. The Curriculum Council has discussed parent education/support structure and is in the process of developing opportunities for parents to further learn how to support their child(ren)’s learning experiences. There is crossover with the work of the Superintendent’s Community Advisory Council, which has also established a goal of establishing parent education opportunities; the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction is working with both groups to ensure consistency in our messaging to parents around student learning.

September 2019 Progress Update: The implementation and timeline processes are embedded in the full curricular review structure outlined elsewhere in Goal 1 updates. The Curriculum Council at its last meeting began to discuss the support structures for parents; we expect to refine a list of parental supports and begin to implement them in the 2019-20 school year. 

June 2019 Progress Update: The implementation and timeline processes are embedded in the full curricular review structure outlined elsewhere in Goal 1 updates. The Curriculum Council at its last meeting began to discuss the support structures for parents; we expect to refine a list of parental supports and begin to implement them in the 2019-20 school year.

March 2019 Progress Update: The Curriculum Council is working diligently to develop a process that will guide all curricular committee work around analysis, research, review, potential adoption, implementation and ongoing support for all curricular areas, recognizing that there may be slight variations based on the individual content areas.

December 2018 Progress Update: The English/Language Arts curriculum is in its first year of full implementation, and we are following a process for potential Science curriculum implementation in the 2019-20 school year, with training and learning opportunities for teachers that are already occurring.  By reflecting and soliciting feedback on these processes, we will continue to refine our implementation plans and strategies.