Urbana SD 116 reviews 2023–24 Illinois school report card, cites math growth and concerns about state redactions

Urbana School District 116 trustees received a detailed presentation on the Illinois 2023–24 school report card at their Nov. 12 study session, where district staff highlighted modest statewide‑aligned gains in student growth, a rise in the high‑school graduation rate and expanded use of interventions — and pressed the state to change how it redacts small‑group data.

District leaders said the report card shows progress in several areas but also stressed uneven recovery from the COVID‑era disruption. The superintendent told the board, "we have not bounced back since COVID," and framed recent actions — curriculum alignment, redistricting and staffing changes — as deliberate steps to accelerate recovery and close equity gaps.

Staff emphasized two related findings. First, the district reported an increase in the four‑year graduation rate to 83%, which presenters called a notable improvement while noting 2020–21 rates were affected by pandemic emergency rules. Second, district presenters credited the first year of a K–12 aligned illustrative math curriculum with math growth across nearly every elementary and middle school.

At the same time, presenters warned that recent state redactions are obscuring subgroup and some whole‑school data. "They're redacting any subgroup or any data point where the numerator or denominator is less than 10 students," a district presenter said, adding that the administration has contacted state data staff to request clearer redaction labeling so local teams can use the report card for school improvement planning.

The presentation walked trustees through proficiency and growth metrics disaggregated by race and program group. Presenters explained that certain growth figures are student‑growth percentiles (SGP), a percentile measure normed to the state, and clarified how percent‑change metaphors (for example, an increase characterized as 33% growth when a subgroup’s proficiency moves from 6 to 9) should be interpreted.

District staff also reviewed school summative designations assigned by the Illinois State Board of Education. The board heard that Urbana High School remained "commendable" (with the graduation bump an important factor), the middle school remained "comprehensive," Dr. Preston Williams Jr. School remained "intensive," LEO remained "targeted," Martin Luther King Jr. moved to "comprehensive," and Thomas Paine moved to "comprehensive." Yankee Ridge Multilingual School received no designation because district staff said it is effectively a new school after dual‑language program reorganization.

On interventions, the board was told the district is expanding supports for ninth graders through "Freshman Academy" (Academy 9), using Tier 1 staff pull‑outs and in‑day interventions, increasing dual‑credit and CTE participation, and deploying the Panorama data system to create attendance, discipline and instructional intervention plans for individual students.

Board members asked about school improvement funding for Yankee Ridge; staff said funds used last year were expended and the school did not receive new designation‑linked funds this year but can draw on Title I and Title III and other supplemental resources for targeted supports.

The presentation concluded with a set of next steps emphasizing continued curriculum implementation, intensified professional development and district classroom walkthroughs to monitor and support classroom practice.

The discussion is ongoing; trustees scheduled follow‑up and the board later recessed for a closed session called separately on personnel matters.