Urbana SD 116 outlines five‑year student growth targets, new supports for multilingual and special‑education students

Urbana School District 116 leaders presented detailed implementation steps for the district’s strategic plan Wednesday, setting measurable goals for student growth while emphasizing culturally responsive instruction and expanded supports for students with disabilities and multilingual learners.

The board heard that the district will use MAP benchmark assessments and the Illinois IAR state test to track progress and that one explicit goal is an 8‑percentage‑point annual increase in reading and math performance for Black students, tracked through targeted instruction and frequent progress monitoring. A district presenter said the plan will apply the same core instructional strengthening in both English language arts and mathematics and will focus MAP monitoring on grades 3, 6 and 9.

In the culture‑and‑climate portion of the presentation, Chastity Beckles said the district plans to reduce discipline referrals for Black students by implementing problem‑solving interventions (IPS meetings), expanding Panorama dashboard monitoring, and increasing surveys of student and staff sense of belonging (Panorama targets a 12% rise). Beckles described biweekly and monthly administrative check‑ins and progress monitoring that will document whether interventions are being implemented and yielding gains.

Presenters also described strategies for students who receive special‑education services, including collaborative time between general‑education and special‑education teachers, professional development grounded in high‑leverage strategies (the presentation referenced Marzano’s instructional framework), and a benchmark of 6% growth in ELA and math this year for students with IEPs. The district noted staff development days and targeted PD for special‑education teams as evidence of implementation.

Multilingual programming received a separate segment: the district said it is increasing newcomer sections at Tiger Academy, expanding courses and supports at secondary levels, and monitoring biliteracy with the seal‑of‑biliteracy metric. The multilingual learners presenter emphasized differentiating supports for newcomers and long‑term language learners and noted professional development to scaffold language development alongside academic content.

Why it matters: the plan ties academic targets to implementation steps (walk‑throughs, PD, data days and MTSS meetings) and sets concrete subgroup goals intended to narrow achievement gaps. Board members pressed for clarity on timelines and evidence; staff said progress will be reported twice a year and that the board will receive updated data at the end‑of‑year review.

Next steps: staff will continue the priority‑area rollouts with facilitator presentations, monitor MAP/IAR/Panorama metrics, and provide another board update at the end of the school year.