Board staff urge rubric and evidence protocol after mixed results for innovative school calendar at Arcola

District program evaluation staff presented the Fiscal Management Committee with a proposed rubric and evidence‑to‑decision protocol to assess academic return on investment, using the district’s Arcola Elementary innovative school calendar study as an example.

Dr. (name given as) Addison summarized a longitudinal evaluation (publicly posted January 2025) that examined academic outcomes, attendance, implementation fidelity and program cost. She said family and community support was high but that most academic measures fell into a "needs improvement" category and implementation fidelity was inconsistent. She highlighted recurring cost drivers, including stipends negotiated in collective‑bargaining agreements (e.g., MCEA stipend of $3,500 and SEIU stipend of $3,000 for staff in innovative‑calendar schools) and additional transportation, facilities and professional‑learning costs.

Board members pressed for clarity about how the rubric would distinguish no‑harm from positive impact and asked how the rubric would feed into budgeting and superintendent direction for programs with a "yellow" designation (typically 'maintain for one more year and reassess'). Dr. Addison said staff will return with a draft evidence‑to‑decision protocol and an example report for committee practice.

Why it matters: staff argued a consistent rubric will help the board apply equity, instructional alignment and fiscal justification when deciding whether to continue, expand, reduce or sunset programs. Several board members said they want clearer expectations for accountability plans when programs receive intermediate evaluations.

Next steps: staff will present a draft rubric and a specific program evaluation for committee practice at a future meeting so members can trial the protocol and refine how findings influence budget and implementation timelines.