Charlotte Eames, CHSD 128 director of data and assessment, presented highlights from the Illinois School Report Card and explained how summative designations were calculated under new state assessment and reporting changes.

Eames noted that both Libertyville High School and Vernon Hills High School again achieved "Exemplary" status, which places them among the top 10% of high schools statewide and requires a graduation rate above 67% and no student groups performing below the bottom 5% of schools. She said the state has revised assessments (ACT replaced SAT) and added high-school growth reporting, which complicates direct year-to-year proficiency comparisons.

Eames walked trustees through each indicator: graduation rate (50% of the summative score), proficiency (20%), student growth percentiles (new reporting), chronic absenteeism (10%), ninth-grade on-track (8.33%), and climate survey participation (6.67%); she cited specific district figures (chronic absenteeism: LHS 18.4%, VHHS 20.1%; ninth-grade on track: LHS 99.3%, VHHS 98.1%). Trustees asked for additional breakdowns (dropouts vs. extended services) and for grade-level absenteeism trends; administration said MTSS teams are digging into root causes and will provide targeted data.

Eames also said the state is conducting a listening tour and may redesign the summative designation framework to include growth measures and change the norm-referenced top-10% approach. Trustees expressed appreciation for the growth-percentile framing and asked for follow-up materials to better understand chronic absenteeism drivers.