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Independent curriculum audit finds gaps in written curriculum, alignment and assessment; offers six priorities
Summary
CMSI auditors told the Kankakee SD 111 board that while the district has strong community commitment and programs, curriculum documents are sparse or overwhelming, resources are not consistently aligned to standards, classroom instruction is often low in cognitive demand, and data systems for assessment need development; auditors presented six prioritized recommendations and a 20‑page executive summary.
CMSI auditors presented a 20‑page executive summary of a districtwide curriculum audit and told the Kankakee SD 111 Board of Education that the district needs clearer written curriculum, stronger alignment of resources to state standards and assessments, and a coordinated plan for assessment and professional development.
Holly Captain (presenter identified by the district) summarized five focus areas addressed by the audit: vision and accountability; curriculum documents and resource alignment; instructional consistency and access; assessment and data use; and productivity and budget planning. She said the team observed that instruction was "mostly whole group direct instruction" and that student work and available resources were often low in cognitive demand and not consistently aligned to the standards or state assessments (ACT and IAR).
The auditors reported two notable resource-based findings: elementary teachers face an overwhelming volume of materials (presenters cited thousands of pages of elementary resources, translating to an unsustainable daily review burden), and many adopted resources are not tightly aligned to the district's stated expectations or the state tests. The audit also found access and equity gaps in identification and discipline: Black students were under-identified for gifted-and-talented programs (about half as likely as their representation in the district) and overrepresented in discipline referrals, while Hispanic students were approximately on parity and white students were overrepresented in gifted identification.
CMSI offered six prioritized recommendations clustered by work area: (1) establish a clear district vision for student learning; (2) create written curriculum documents that guide teachers in selecting and sequencing resources and defining mastery; (3) coordinate professional development and instructional coaching to support delivery; (4) strengthen budget planning and management; (5) create an assessment plan and use data to guide instruction; and (6) improve technology and program evaluation practices.
The auditors praised district strengths, including community and board support for current leadership, extracurricular opportunities and magnet programming, and several buildings' positive climate indicators. The report included observation charts and analyses showing that cognitive demand was higher at high school than elementary levels, and that ELA and social studies showed stronger student writing than math.
Board members thanked the auditors for clarity and direction. The auditors said a full comprehensive report (approximately 250 pages) will be provided and the executive summary is intended to guide strategic planning and immediate next steps.
Next steps: the district will receive the full report and can use the recommendations to inform strategic planning, curriculum-document development and focused professional learning.
