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District 11 reports mixed midyear academic gains, highlights coaching and model-classroom work
Summary
District staff presented midyear metrics showing modest gains in some grades and schools, described targeted $1 million midyear investments and expanded coaching, model-classroom and IXL interventions, and highlighted urgency with about 42 instructional days until spring testing.
District 11’s academic team told trustees the district is seeing a mix of progress: some schools show rising median growth percentiles (MGPs) and increased percent passing in ELA, while others — particularly in math — continue to lag. Staff framed the work as an incremental, data-driven strategy aimed at steepening positive trends before spring testing.
Instructional staff explained three core measures used to track progress: percent meeting or exceeding standards, movement out of the lowest-performance bands, and student growth percentiles (SGP)/median growth percentiles (MGP). A presenter summarized midyear results as roughly 45% meeting or exceeding in ELA and 33% in math (fall-to-winter comparisons), and warned that district-level MGPs still need to sit above 50 to avoid losing ground to national comparisons.
Staff highlighted district strategies that they say are producing measurable returns: a model-classroom initiative that allows teachers to observe high-performing peers; a significant increase in coaching touch points (dozens per teacher in some cases); adoption of IXL for math fluency in 40+ schools; and targeted uses of the board-approved $1,000,000 midyear allocation. Staff said more than half of that million has already been allocated to 30+ school plans (extended days, tutoring, technology) and that the investment produced rapid “more at-bats” for students.
Case studies were presented: Adams elementary showed sizable MGP gains tied to coaching and an added district coaching presence; Carver and other small schools showed wide swings but also rapid growth under targeted interventions. Staff stressed early-education returns, telling trustees that children who attended district preschool programs scored an average of 12 DIBELS points higher as second graders than peers who did not.
Trustees pressed for clarity on how these interventions will be sustained and how staffing and hiring will support turnaround schools. Staff said they are exploring performance-task hiring and targeted incentive pay for roles at high-need schools and will return with additional detail. Staff also noted the short timeline until spring testing — “42 instructional days remaining” — and said they will continue monitoring progress weekly.
