Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the K 12 Schools topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Allen Elementary reports year‑over‑year growth in reading and math, outlines behavior and attendance strategies
Summary
Principal John Simpson presented Allen Elementary School—s 2024-25 School Improvement Plan, citing year‑over‑year increases in NWEA MAP reading and math growth, changes to discipline referrals, attendance incentives and targeted academic interventions.
John Simpson, principal at Allen Elementary School, told the Aurora East USD 131 Curriculum & Programs Committee on April 21 that the school saw year‑over‑year gains in both reading and math and outlined strategies tied to its 2024‑25 school improvement plan.
Simpson said 48 percent of students "had met or exceeded their growth goal in reading" and 56 percent "had met or exceeded their growth goal in math," and highlighted increases on NWEA MAP assessments across grades 1–5. He also reported that the school increased access exits from nine to 19 students and described reductions in office discipline referrals, citing both a 19 percent reduction in one part of the presentation and later noting a "60% decrease in office referrals" when describing administrative monitoring and positive referrals.
The school tied its equity goal to reductions in classroom office discipline referrals and described layered behavioral supports: universal Tier‑1 instruction through the Second Step curriculum, PBIS incentives (weekly raffles, classroom monthly incentives, Golden Ticket rewards and a monthly Star Student), and Tier‑2/Tier‑3 interventions such as check‑in/check‑out and targeted connections. Simpson said the office implemented positive referrals and celebrates students in the office with certificates and pictures for the school—s Dojo page.
On operations and attendance, Simpson said Allen set a target of a 93 percent average daily attendance rate by May 2025. He described daily monitoring by the attendance clerk and incentives including weekly raffle prizes (bikes, scooters, go‑karts), a carnival event for top classes and testing‑day pizza parties. Simpson also identified a partnership with Kane County Truancy Liaison Brooke Walter to support Tier‑3 families.
For student achievement, Simpson described root‑cause analysis of IAR and MAP data, targeted small‑group instruction, twice‑monthly common formative assessments (CFAs) driven by PLCs, and use of Pearson student readiness tools. He said math interventions included a math interventionist, MyPath practice monitoring (time on task, lessons completed/passed) and collaboration with I‑Ready partners on instructional frameworks and learning walks.
Board member Juan Cifuentes commented after the presentation that the school was "headed in the right direction," noting some grade‑level percentages were near the 60 percent target.
Allen—s presentation materials included charts for CFAs, MAP scores and IAR meets/exceeds; Simpson said the school will "stay hyper focused" on the work for the remainder of the year.
The committee did not record a formal vote on the presentation; Simpson concluded the presentation and answered follow‑up questions during the meeting.
