Report-card shift, ELL population and absenteeism draw board attention
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Summary
District leaders told the board that state report‑card changes and reliance on the ACT will disproportionately affect campuses with large English-learner populations; Joliet Central was designated 'targeted' and the board discussed interventions for chronic absenteeism and freshman-on-track supports.
Superintendent and campus leaders presented the district’s school report-card information and described proposed state changes that will affect how high-school summative designations are calculated. The presenters said the state is proposing a move to a core/non-core indicator model that uses the ACT for proficiency and growth measures; board and staff voiced concern that the ACT is administered in English only and that heavier English learner (EL) populations can depress proficiency metrics even when students are making local progress.
"This is an unfair test for a lot of our kids," the superintendent said when discussing the limitations of requiring English‑language tests for students who are still learning English. Presentation slides and staff comments indicated Joliet Central’s EL percentage has increased substantially (presenters cited figures around 32.3 percent for one campus) and that the district’s overall EL population has a low proficiency level on the state metric.
Principals and staff reviewed actions the district is taking to support students: expansion of MTSS supports, automatic placement of incoming freshmen into learning labs, an AVID elective for upper grades, a multilingual instructional coach, a newcomer CTE-blocked class, tardy sweeps, and a student support table to provide immediate interventions for students arriving late. Principals highlighted increases in graduation rates (Joliet West 86.6 percent; Joliet Central 80.8 percent) and cited mobility and chronic absenteeism as continuing challenges; staff said many non‑graduates were chronically absent and that interventions target attendance, on‑track ninth-grade supports and transfer students.
Student ambassadors spoke at the start of the meeting about their experiences in district programs; board members and staff referenced those comments when describing the human impact behind the numbers. The board asked for updated year-to-date data on chronic absenteeism and pledged to share progress at future presentations.