District 57 presents spring 2025 academic, social-emotional data; spotlights kindergarten dip and chronic absenteeism

District 57 staff presented the district's spring 2025 academic and social-emotional learning (SEL) data at the July 17 board meeting, highlighting steady math performance, a notable drop in kindergarten reading scores, improved growth among Hispanic students and ongoing concerns about chronic absenteeism and student safety indicators.

“Achievement percentiles for each grade continue to be well above the national average,” the presentation said while noting that district kindergarten reading scores have dipped over the last three years; staff referenced an implementation focus on foundational literacy and targeted professional learning for kindergarten teachers to address the decline.

Key academic points presented by the district included: - Reading: About 60 percent of students met or exceeded projected fall-to-spring growth in reading this year (up from 57.8 percent last year). Staff said Hispanic students showed improvement (from 48 percent last year to 55.56 percent this year). District staff also flagged lower growth for multilingual learners in reading and reported that 57.52 percent of low-income students met growth targets (up from 46.9 percent). - Math: The district reported continued strong achievement and growth in math. Roughly 78 percent of students met or exceeded projected growth percentiles in math this year, a figure the presenters said is consistent with recent years and shows gains for Hispanic students. - Kindergarten: Staff said the district is providing targeted professional learning in phonemic awareness, letter-sound correspondence and small-group instruction and is planning for work related to a move to full-day kindergarten.

On SEL and safety metrics, the district reported: - MySABERS: Staff described the student self-report survey as a diagnostic tool used to identify students in need of support; presenters cautioned the measure is new (one year of data) and described the aim as maintaining protective indicators rather than producing steady year-to-year gains. - Bullying and incident reporting: The district reported founded bullying incidents concentrated at Lincoln (7 incidents), Fairview (3) and Lions Park (1). Staff emphasized that incidents not meeting the legal definition of bullying are still addressed through supervision, safety plans or social-work supports. - Threat assessments and suspensions: The district reviewed its use of the Virginia Student Threat Assessment model and reported that most assessments were categorized at the lowest level; staff said the district held several higher-level assessments and that Mount Prospect Police Department is engaged for the highest-level incidents. The presentation referenced multiple threat assessments during the year (the meeting record discussed 38 assessments during Q&A) and three out-of-school suspensions (two at Lincoln, one at Lions Park). - Attendance: Chronic absenteeism (students missing 10 percent or more of school days) was reported at roughly 11 percent districtwide, with higher rates at Westbrook and Lincoln; staff said January is a recurring high-risk period and described targeted interventions and data-driven supports, including summer bridge and booster groups. - Extracurriculars: Staff reported fewer staff-sponsored clubs and activities at Lions Park and Westbrook compared with Fairview and recommended exploring partnerships (for example, with the Mount Prospect Public Library) and PTO support to expand offerings.

Board members asked for follow-up data on causes of the kindergarten dip, clarification of measures used by the receiving high school (District 214) for ninth-grade placement and more longitudinal reporting on threat assessments and SEL trends. The presenters said they will return in the fall with refined goals, additional disaggregated analyses and updates on curriculum pilots and interventions.