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District 62 reports mixed academic gains, plans new curricula and assessments
Summary
District 62 presented spring-to-fall growth data showing notable gains in early grades, persistent opportunity gaps for multilingual learners and students with IEPs, and plans to pilot new curricula and adopt I-Ready for districtwide assessment.
District 62 officials reported July 21 that students showed measurable academic growth from fall to spring in math and reading but that significant opportunity gaps remain for multilingual learners and students with individualized education programs.
At the Board of Education meeting Amy Segel, assistant superintendent for instructional services, said districtwide math growth was “over 10%” in the youngest grades and that first- and second-grade students showed the largest gains. Segel said kindergarten performance dipped slightly but attributed that to differences between fall and spring assessments.
Segel said third- through eighth-grade MAP assessment results also showed gains overall but smaller than in primary grades, with a notable dip in the sixth-grade cohort. On reading, FastBridge measures for K–2 rose from 51% to 56% of students meeting grade-level expectations overall; first grade showed particularly strong gains after receiving systematic phonics instruction since kindergarten, she said.
Segel emphasized the district’s continuing focus on multilingual learners and students with IEPs, noting those groups “represent our largest opportunity gaps in District 62.” She said both groups made growth in several grades but remain substantially behind their peers.
To address gaps, Segel said the district will pilot new middle-school math curricular resources this year with full implementation planned next fall and will adopt an updated primary curriculum with more tiered tasks and differentiation. She also announced the district will move to a single universal screener, I-Ready, for next year to provide more actionable data and individualized learning pathways.
Segel said the district will reallocate some interventionists and adjust schedules to support implementation and will prioritize early intervention for students at or below the 10th percentile in reading. She said buildings will develop family-engagement plans around literacy and that professional learning will focus on structured literacy across preschool through eighth grade.
Board members pressed for building-level breakdowns and for causes behind midlevel dips. Segel said principals and site teams will review student-level data and that the district will return with further analysis.
The district did not propose a motion at the meeting tied to these changes; Segel described planned pilots, staff reallocations, and an assessment change rather than board-level actions.
