Elmhurst District 205 cites national gains, recommends 30-day public review of new ELA and social studies materials

Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 administrators told the Board of Education on Feb. 25 that the district has shown measurable post‑pandemic gains and outlined next steps for instructional materials and student supports.

In a presentation, Dr. Jacob Wirtz said new national analysis places Elmhurst among 106 U.S. districts whose 2024 achievement exceeded their 2019 levels. "I'm proud to share with you tonight that Elmhurst District 2 0 5 was 1 of those 106 school districts," Wirtz said, summarizing the Education Recovery Scorecard’s application to local IAR results.

The presentation summarized multiple data streams and recommended actions. Administrators highlighted reduced chronic absenteeism, strong NWEA MAP performance through winter assessments, targeted attention for seventh‑grade math growth, expanded monitoring of multilingual learners and the district’s first preACT administration at York High School. District staff also proposed opening a 30‑day public review for two instructional resources: Odell Education High School Literacy (four ninth‑grade units to support 8th‑grade reach ELA) and iCivics US History through Inquiry (recommended for grades 7 and 8). The board was told public comments will be collected online and a recommendation will return for action at the April 26 board meeting.

Why it matters: District leaders said the new national framing (the Education Recovery Scorecard) helps compare Elmhurst’s IAR performance to a NAEP‑anchored scale and clarifies where local gains are largest. Administrators argued the curricular recommendations would fill grade‑span gaps (Amplify ELA adopted previously covers K–8 and does not extend to ninth‑grade materials needed by reach students) and extend inquiry‑based social studies from elementary into middle school.

Key findings and next steps - National comparison: Using the Education Recovery Scorecard, administrators said Elmhurst students score roughly 2.4 grade levels above the 2019 national average in both math and ELA; district math scores were reported as 0.7 grade levels above the district’s own 2019 average. The district used its 2024 IAR results on the common scale the report provides. - Attendance: The district reported continued reductions in chronic absenteeism across elementary, middle and high school grades; administrators noted a 7.5 percentage‑point districtwide reduction last year and said they are monitoring subgroups. - MAP assessments: Winter NWEA MAP results placed Elmhurst students near the 70th percentile nationally overall, with districtwide median growth near the national median; administrators flagged seventh‑grade growth in math for further review and said teams are working with middle school staff to align instruction to standards. - Multilingual learners: Staff reported that progress‑to‑proficiency measures on Access for ELLs show stronger growth at the elementary level than in middle and high school. The district said it has shifted the Lost Links assessment for dual‑language students from fall to spring to give teachers timely information for the start of the following year. - PreACT/ACT: Approximately 91 percent of York 11th‑grade students took the preACT in October; staff said the district will use the preACT results to target supports, provide practice testing and partner with Academic Approach for tailored prep. Administrators noted the state’s forthcoming ISBE ACT implementation is in transition and the district will crosswalk curricula (for example, illustrative math) to any updated test specifications. - Instructional materials: The administration recommended the board post Odell Education High School Literacy (four ninth‑grade units: photojournalism, Romeo and Juliet, Global Food Production, and The Odyssey) for 8th‑grade reach students and iCivics US History through Inquiry for grades 7–8. Both items were presented for 30 days of public display; materials will be posted digitally and a feedback form will be available.

Quotes from presenters were limited to district staff who led the presentation. Dr. Jacob Wirtz said the national context helps explain local gains; Katie Lyons described the district and York leadership’s plans to disaggregate preACT results by course and teacher to target supports and to offer summer and in‑school boot camps for students who need testing practice.

No formal board action adopting the materials was recorded at the Feb. 25 meeting; the board was asked to review public feedback and consider approval at the April 26 meeting. Administrators said digital copies of review materials will be posted and Tanya Daniels will provide the public‑comment form.

Clarifying details - PreACT participation: ~91% of York 11th graders completed the October preACT. - MAP performance: District winter MAP scores were summarized near the 70th national percentile; overall fall‑to‑winter growth percentiles were near the national median. - Timeline: Instructional materials will be posted for 30 days for public review; feedback will be reported at the April 26 Board of Education meeting.

Ending: District leaders emphasized continued monitoring and school‑level action plans (data collaboratives, PLC work) to translate assessment results into classroom supports and targeted interventions.