Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Assessment Goals topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Flossmoor SD 161 discusses goals, standards‑based grading and winter assessments amid chronic‑absenteeism concerns
Summary
At a special meeting, the board's learning and instruction committee and district staff presented draft district goals, the implementation status of standards‑based grading, winter MAP/NWEA and AIMSweb results, and attendance data showing chronic-absenteeism improvements from peak COVID levels but continuing challenges.
Flossmoor School District 161 board members, administrators and staff discussed draft strategic goals, standards‑based grading implementation and winter assessment results during committee reports and a winter assessment update presented at a special board meeting.
The learning and instruction committee reported progress on goal-setting discussions and a focus on mathematics instruction, including interest in the Metro Chicago Math Initiative (MCMI) as a professional-development partner. Board members and staff described MCMI as intensive math professional development the district hopes to use to improve instruction and long-term student outcomes.
Superintendent's report and construction updates: The superintendent reported no closures during a winter weather advisory and highlighted the district's recent STEAM night (more than 200 attendees) and the Heather Hill office construction project, for which ground-breaking was scheduled for Monday, March 3. Staff identified contractors and architects involved in the construction phase and said fencing and communications to neighbors were in place ahead of summer work.
Winter-assessment and standards‑based grading findings: Staff presented winter NWEA (MAP) and AIMSweb benchmarks and first-year grade distributions under standards‑based grading. Key points included: - Standards-based grading is in its first year at the elementary level for ELA and math and across core subjects at the junior high; staff said the initiative is changing how teachers define, assess and reteach standards. - Winter MAP (NWEA) results show several grade levels at or above national winter norms; district staff highlighted positive signs in early grades and a noticeable dip in specific middle-school grades (sixth and eighth) that merit targeted instructional work. - AIMSweb and other benchmark data are being used to refine intervention groups and MTSS tiers; staff reported kindergarten and first-grade progress in early-literacy and numeracy benchmarks.
Attendance and discipline data: Staff presented attendance and discipline trends and noted: - Chronic-absence historical context: the district's chronic absenteeism rate peaked at 26.9% in 2022, was 24% in 2023 and finished 2024 at 20.6%. - As of the winter reporting window, Parker Junior High's chronic-absence rate was about 17% (midpoint in the reporting window); staff emphasized that the district is focusing on preventing students from exceeding the 18‑day chronic-absence threshold. - In-school suspensions increased while out-of-school suspensions declined at Parker; staff framed some in-school suspensions as opportunities for reteaching and restorative approaches (increased dean and social-work supports were cited). - The district uses multiple attendance interventions, from family outreach and school celebrations to targeted referrals and required Summer Academy invitations for students with significant absences.
Board feedback and next steps: Board members urged clear, measurable targets for the district's goals and recommended limiting the number of top-line goals so the district can focus (several board members suggested two to four major goals). The board asked staff to circulate clearer definitions with any community survey and recommended aligning partnerships (for example, with MCMI or Project Lead The Way) to whatever strategic priorities the board ultimately adopts.
Why it matters: Standards-based grading, coherent year-long plans and focused professional development are intended to align district instruction and assessment so that improvement in MAP/IAR and state assessments is sustainable. The district flagged chronic absenteeism as an immediate barrier to progress; staff said many short-term absences relate to illness but that a subset of students require deeper outreach and supports.
Ending: Staff will return to the board with further refined goal language, additional assessment cycles, and school-level updates (end-of-year SIP updates from Western Avenue and Parker Junior High, and then elementary SIPs) ahead of spring state testing.
