DeKalb CUSD 428 staff told the board Tuesday that a midyear review of the districts strategic plan shows early signs of improvement in literacy and notable gains in the high school freshman-on-track indicator, a strong predictor of on-time graduation.

Dr. Nall and teaching-and-learning staff said the districts rollout of multidisciplinary units (MDUs) in elementary language classes appears correlated with improved assessment outcomes for the cohort that first received MDUs in third grade. Presenters said the group shifted from about 55% of students scoring in the lowest band toward roughly the low-to-mid 40s percentile band after two years of implementation.

"The first year of implementation for anything can be a little bit rocky...we're excited that they appear to be making up some ground," Dr. Nall said. Jill Springer, elementary humanities manager, said the district is coupling stronger decoding instruction with efforts to foster students desire to read.

"We need to start looking at how do we grow readers who enjoy reading for pleasure and for information gathering," Springer said, noting plans to revive a community-literacy program that links public libraries, classroom teachers and school libraries.

Staff also shared the results of a district home-reading survey: among families of students who are meeting or exceeding grade-level reading benchmarks, two-thirds reported their children read for fun at least daily; staff said family reading habits and mothers education level were strong correlates in the analysis.

At the high school, staff highlighted Freshman-on-Track, the measure that predicts graduation likelihood. Presenters said the districts rate moved from about 63% in spring 2022 to roughly 85% in the most recent fall measurement (the number is provisional until all semester measures are finalized). District staff credited interventions including extended learning opportunities, data huddles, reentry plans and targeted case management.

The presentation also covered other strategic-plan areas: the dual-language programs role in narrowing opportunity gaps for economically disadvantaged students; stable suspension rates but continuing racial/ethnic disparities staff said they are working to reduce; and middle- and high-school curriculum pilots and planned adoptions.

District staff said the work will continue through professional development, classroom coaching and partnerships with Northern Illinois University and Kishwaukee College for expanded dual-credit and STEAM programming.

Staffers invited the board and public to review materials posted on BoardDocs and said cabinet members will return with additional, unit-level updates later this year.