District staff presented the Illinois School Report Card and described district improvement plans anchored in SMART goals and regular professional learning communities.

Superintendent Dr. Mary Havas and district staff told the board the state recalibration of IAR cut scores changed how proficiency is measured this year; presenters said that, in some cases, district proficiency percentages rose as a result of new cut scores. The district reported overall proficiency of 46.4% in ELA, 34.4% in math and 37.1% in science and noted demographic and need indicators: 84% Hispanic students, 75.2% low‑income, 31% English learners and 15.4% students with IEPs.

District staff described chronic absenteeism as a key driver of school quality indicators — the district reported 27.3% chronic absenteeism last year (students missing 10% or more of school days) versus a statewide rate of 25.4%. Presenters said chronic absenteeism counts heavily in school quality calculations and the district will monitor it closely.

A staff member identified the district’s improvement process as SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time‑bound). Primary measures include IAR performance, NWEA and district common assessments. Instructional indicators were summarized: fluency and automaticity in K–2, informational text comprehension in grades 2–8, and grade‑specific math focus areas. The district said PLCs meet weekly during common plan time and that math and literacy coaches support PLC work where available.

Board members asked about PLC cadence, coach availability, and how PLC conversations are documented; staff said weekly PLCs are the norm, coaches attend when available, and district data are tracked in a shared dashboard with data meetings at schools.

Presenters noted Pershing Elementary was designated a 'targeted' school because of a low subgroup index for students with disabilities (34.39) tied to subgroup sample size; the district outlined three focus areas for Pershing: ELA proficiency, ELA growth and chronic absenteeism for that subgroup.

Board members thanked staff for the level of detail and encouraged continued focus on instructional 'how' as well as the 'what.' The presentation concluded with staff committing to monitoring and follow‑up.