Warren Twp. staff outline Bronx "Big Picture" visit and urge restoring graduation credit requirements

Warren Township High School staff on March 18 told the Board of Education about a recent visit to Fannie Lou Hamer High School in the Bronx and pressed the board to restore more graduation-credit requirements and make advisory and support programs credit-bearing.

The presentations and follow-up discussion centered on Big Picture Learning schools’ advisor system, project-based “real world” learning, and how restoring elective/credit requirements could reduce the number of students who disengage because they no longer need credits to graduate.

Counselor Jen Skahill, who performs credit checks for junior and senior students, told the board, “Any student I’ve ever had in May of their senior year who has not met graduation requirements and who has not graduated, it’s because they have failed a core class. I have never ever ever had a student not meet graduation requirements because they didn’t have enough elective credits.” Skahill said 80% of the district’s incoming juniors had already met the current minimal elective requirement at the sending campus but argued that raising requirements would not harm graduation rates while expanding students’ opportunities.

Teacher and trip participant Michelle Faschetti said the staff delegation was prompted in part by concerns that a 2020 reduction in district graduation requirements left many upperclassmen with “a lot of free time” and weakened relationships between students and adults. Faschetti said the staff survey included in the board packet reflected teachers’ desire to return to a higher-credit framework or to attach required time in advisory-style programs to credit.

Heather Connor, lead English teacher at the Almond campus, warned that the current setup allows students to remain enrolled in required slots without engaging: “We’re starting to hear things like, I don’t need this class to graduate, so I’m not going to take the test. Head goes down. Chromebook shuts. Attendance becomes a problem because I don’t need it to graduate.” Connor and others urged that advisory and support structures be credit-bearing so they carry the same expectations as traditional classes.

The staff described elements of the Bronx school the board delegation visited: advisories of roughly 15 students that act as long-term “second family” advisors; daily advisory meetings; portfolio-driven graduation requirements; internship opportunities tied to community partners; and project-based learning that takes students off campus to work with local organizations. Sean Smith identified himself during the presentation as “a math teacher and instructional coach at the Almond campus.” Other presenters included Ashley Westerwood (dean, Almond campus), Yolanda Fulton (dean), Kyle Arnold (counselor), Erica Lloydman (counselor, O’Plaine campus), and Greg Janzick (lead teacher, O’Plaine campus).

Board members and staff discussed next steps. Superintendent-level staff said they plan additional site visits (a group is scheduled to visit San Diego later in March) and to convene design teams to develop a proposal. The district expects to present any course or graduation-requirement proposals to the board in October as part of the regular course-approval cycle; if approved, implementation could be targeted for the 2026–27 school year.

Votes at a glance - Consent agenda (personnel recommendations #75–83, payment of bills dated 03/18/2025 in the amount of $5,159,618.05, executive-session minutes kept closed for specified dates, destruction of verbatim recordings, Illinois High School Association membership renewal for 2025–26, and approval of a five-year copier lease with Image Systems and Business Solutions) — Motion carried, roll call 7–0. - Student fees for 2025–26 (includes $1 increase to technology fee) — Motion carried, roll call 7–0. - Resolution in support of Illinois Vision 2030 — Motion carried, roll call 7–0. - First-and-final reading of district board policies updating Title IX regulations — Motion carried, roll call 7–0. - Developer donation agreement with Cayet Enterprises — Motion carried, roll call 7–0.

Board members said they value the staff work but want to ensure any credit restoration or advisory model is implemented with quality and care. Several board members urged that the ad hoc committee that has been studying graduation requirements reconvene or that design teams continue meeting to produce a detailed, credit-bearing proposal.

The presentations and discussion emphasized three recurring themes staff said they observed at the visited schools and want to adapt locally: relationships (advisory as sustained adult connections), relevance (internships and community-based projects), and rigor (credit-bearing work and demonstrable mastery for graduation). Staff asked the board for direction to continue design work and returned to the board several concrete suggestions, including making advisory credit-bearing and expanding elective offerings and student supports during the school day so students who lack outside advocacy receive the same opportunities as students with active family support.

Board members encouraged continued study and asked staff to return with formal proposals during the regular course-proposal calendar. No change to district graduation requirements was adopted at the March 18 meeting.

Ending Superintendent staff said more visits and internal design work are planned; the board asked staff to return with a formal recommendation for any change to graduation requirements or for any new credit-bearing advisories as part of the fall course-proposal process.