SD 308
S C H O O L
D I S T R I C T
3 0 8
COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL DISTRICT 308 ACHIEVEMENTS, AWARDS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS 2015 ————————————— O S W E G O , I L L I N O I S —————————————
SYSTEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS • Created and completed capital development plan, setting a well-planned course for meeting growing demands of the district. • Reviewed, updated and implemented dated Board of Education policies to increase overall effectiveness and legality. • Established and implemented five-year curriculum review cycle. • Completed EC-12 Common Core mathematics curriculum revision/assessments. • Defined instructional minutes guidelines. • Revised incoming kindergarten spring screening. • In-district summer school program development and registration. • Initiated EC-12 Common Core science curriculum revision. • Selected as representation on the state KIDS steering committee. • Math implementation coach placement. • Increased student access to honors and advanced placement (AP) courses through the re-examination of course pathways and progressions. • Instituted ACT prep courses: face-to-face, district taught and/or local test prep partners, serving approximately 350 students. Includes free online ACT prep access to all juniors since summer 2013. • Initiated implementation of AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) at both high schools. The AVID elective targets students in the academic middle—B, C, and even D students—who have the desire to go to college and the willingness to work hard. These students are capable of completing rigorous curriculum, but are falling short of their potential. Often, they will be the first in their families to attend college. • Improved composite ACT scores from 20.7 in 2013 to 21.2 in 2014, matching the 2012 score for the highest over the last five years. • Tripled the number of AP tests to be taken from 840 to more than 2,400 tests. • Increased means by which high school students can earn college credit by 22 courses; now offering up to 73 available options.
• Received approval from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and the Illinois legislature to pass School District 308’s waiver application—the first of its kind—to expand online learning initiatives, paving the way for increased online-learning opportunities for high school students while still retaining the ability to collect full General State Aid (GSA) payments. • Updated District 308’s English language arts and science curriculum alignment to meet Common Core and Next Generation standards. • Created Multi-Tier System of Supports (MTSS) to better use data for student support. • Completed special education audit. • Integrated co-teaching at younger grade levels to allow students access to standards-based curriculum in preparation for high school. • Training conducted for special education staff on the topics of: understanding special education, inclusion strategies, legalities behind 504s, co-teaching, characteristics of special needs, writing legally defensible IEPs, autism, social thinking, functional behavioral interventions, and common core as related to special education. • Indicator 5A: Least Restrictive Environment rating brought into compliance for the first time since 2009. • Working to increase student access to more rigorous courses by providing support within those courses in the least restrictive environment. • Initiated creation of the Comprehensive Plan as a result of the Board of Education’s approval to withdraw from the Kendall County Special Education Cooperative (KCSEC). • Conducted Gifted Education Seminar (GES) for all teachers in the academically talented (AT) program. • Completed AT audit by external auditor, Dr. Carolyn Callahan. • All AT fifth graders attended Challenger Learning Center NASA field trip in Woodstock, Ill.
SYSTEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS — CONTINUED • FTE (Full Time Equivalent) increase granted by Board of Education to allow one full-time AT teacher per elementary school.
to enrich the student experience in technology and Spanish language. • Offered elementary summer school courses in reading and math at all levels of readiness with additional enrichment courses in writing, STEM, and technology.
• Initiated centralized identification process and CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) assessment procedures at District Administration Center. • African American Grooming for Excellence Academy offered to high school students and their parents, resulting in the publication of Reactions: A Collection of African-American Student Essays. • Academically talented screener and CogAT given to all second graders. • Increased instructional minutes for math from 90 minutes to 300 minutes per week. • Increased instructional minutes for English language arts (ELA) from 60 to 100-150 minutes per week. • Junior high honors science students attended Challenger Learning Center NASA field trip STEM experience. • Junior high honors mathematics classes provide 1.5 years of curriculum per grade level per school year. • AT steering committee developed new definition and philosophy for gifted education to guide program development. • Enhanced partnership with PACE/PTAG leadership. • 16 out of 19 audit sanction items addressed to meet ISBE approval. • English learner (EL) program manual created to guide district-wide consistency regarding definitions, program descriptions, protocols, and mandatory forms. • SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) online/blended training offered to general education and EL teachers. • Instructional minutes defined to meet students’ English language proficiency. • Increased push-in and co-teaching model for resource teachers to ensure exposure of core curriculum and maximize support for EL students. • Hired full-time parent outreach liaison to work directly with EL parents to assist their understanding of schooling and District 308. • Offered five Parent Leadership Academies on navigating the American School System in English and Spanish. • Offered “Café Con Pan” event for all EL parents. • Provided final three ISBE audit sanctions to include restructuring of EL programming. • Completed an external audit by ECRA Group, Inc. of district EL and DL services. • Provided math curriculum training and literacy offerings to familiarize EL parents with new curriculum and Common Core State Standards (CCSS) expectations. • Almost 1,000 students participated in summer school program. • Offered 30 summer school high school courses, face-to-face and online, from eight different departments, both credit-bearing to remediate/recover
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS • More than 100 District 308 high school students received Scholar Awards in recognition of their high achievement on AP exams. • 121 high school students designated Illinois State Scholars. • 64 high school students earned AP Scholarship awards. • 9 high school students earned AP Scholar with Honors awards. • 7 high school students earned AP Scholar with Distinction awards. • 188 high school students received Prairie State Achievement awards. • 170 high school students named Southwest Prairie Conference All-Conference athletes. • 9 high school students received the Southwest Prairie Conference Scholar Athlete award and the IHSA (Illinois High School Association) Academic Achievement award. • 25 high school athletes chosen as athletic state qualifiers. • 7 high school athletes named All-State. • 69 high school students placed in the national Spanish exam. • African American high school authors of Reactions: A Collection of African-American Student Essays recognized by North Central College, Naperville, Ill., and the School District 308 Board of Education. • A Capella choir earned second runner up honors in the Concert Choir National Series high school choir competition. • Stay Tuned Choir earned National Grand Champion honors. • Divas and Gents high school step team earned first place in the Step Yo’ Game national competition. • Junior high students won awards at the Illinois Junior Academy of Science State Fair at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb. • 3 high school students selected to participate in the 2015 ILMEA All-State Music Conference in Peoria, Ill.
TEACHER INSTRUCTION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT • Trained staff in research-based best practices: Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) and Gifted Education Seminar Training (GES). • Provided leadership training at all buildings in Professional Learning Communities (PLC) model.
credits and acceleration and non-credit bearing courses to prepare students
• Developed and supported two new National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) cohorts.
for rigorous, advanced placement (AP) coursework in the arts.
• Weebly professional development (website software training).
• Offered junior high summer school courses to help students build skills in reading, mathematics and study skills, with additional courses designed
• Created new summer professional development catalog. • Organization of ongoing math practice trainings throughout the year as part of CCSS implementation.
• Provided blended and online learning training support. • Continued to support elementary and secondary education, special education
• Re-evaluated and optimized student transport routes to increase convenience and efficiency by utilizing proper vehicle types to meet current needs.
and special programs departments for specific training needs: face-to-face, online, and blended.
RECOGNITIONS AND SUCCESSES • Ranked 41st in the Chicago metropolitan area and 52nd statewide in the Niche 2015 rankings. • OEHS ranked 82nd in the Chicago metropolitan area and 97th statewide in the Niche 2015 rankings. • Grande Park Elementary School earned the ISBE’s Academic Improvement Award for exemplary gains in performance on the Illinois Learning Standards in 2013. • Brokaw Early Learning Center earned the Circle of Quality ranking from the state of Illinois, providing a high level of recognition for a premier institution. • Fifth grade teacher Heather Kraus, Southbury Elementary School, named ISBE Teacher of the Year finalist.
FINANCE • Received ASBO’s 2015 Meritorious Budget Award recognizing community communication of governance and transparency-awarded to only 1% of school districts nationally. • Received Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in financial reporting for high level of transparency from the Government Finance Officers Association 2013 and 2014. • Received ASBO International Certificate of Excellence for strong financial reporting 2012 through 2014. • Developed and implemented Finance and Operations Advisory Committee focused on providing advice, insight and support for short- and long-term financial planning. • Developed and implemented budget reduction plan to eliminate $7.5 million budget deficit from 2012-13 school year. • Balanced budget for two consecutive years in alignment with BOE goals.
• 11 award recipients at ISBE’s Those Who Excel awards banquet.
• Redirected most major purchases (to include food service) through P-Card,
• Churchill Elementary School Principal Tammie Harmon received
generating a rebate to the district of over $100,000 per year.
prestigious Illinois Principal Association Building Bridges award. • Julie Allen, counselor at OEHS, won the Illinois High School Counselor of the Year in 2014.
• Eliminated fees for AP by obtaining BOE approval. • Refinanced bonds minimizing tax payer burden to date by $1.2 million. • Increased revenue $500,000 per year available through grants and aid.
• OEHS coach Pete Conrad was an Illinois State Coach of the Year nominee in 2014.
• Renegotiated bus and office equipment leases saving the district $160,000 per year.
• OHS teacher Tom Dwyer won 2014 ProStart Teacher of the Year.
• Rebid food service contract, generating savings of $400,000 per year.
• OHS business teacher Susan Stangland won ISBE Award of Merit
• Provided a budget option for 2014-15 with 0% increase in levy.
in the 2013-14 Those Who Excel awards. • Churchill Elementary School second grade teacher Tracy Zalud received the ISBE Meritorious Service award in the Early Career Educator category in the 2013-14 Those Who Excel awards. • OHS Principal Mike Wayne won 2013-14 Illinois Principal Association Three Rivers Region High School Principal of the Year award. • Grande Park Elementary School fifth grade teacher Shannon Ranney awarded the Junior League of Kane and DuPage counties grant for Innovative Teaching, earning $1,000 for her learning robotics project.
FACILITIES AND TRANSPORTATION • Awarded $52,000 in revenue payments for participating in the demand response program aimed at increasing energy efficiency and reducing cost. • Created a facility maintenance and energy assessment plan focused on reducing energy waste through effective energy control measures. • Applied for and received grants for exterior lighting on district facilities, increasing aesthetics and security. • Created and implemented a five-year transportation plan outlining staffing, budgetary, outsourcing, and current facility needs.
HUMAN RESOURCES • Launched electronic W-2 forms via the Employee Access Center, thereby creating a more efficient employment system for both employees and management. • Implemented Aesop substitute placement and absence management system, the nation’s leading automated system with 24/7 access through phone and Internet. • Implemented NSN as the new vendor for more efficient management of employee unemployment liability and benefits. • Implemented AppliTrack Selection, a modern, web-based application geared toward recruiting and screening the most qualified applicants in the country for specific employment roles. • Instituted a program offering employment and professional development to more than 100 substitute teacher candidates, increasing the quantity and quality of substitute teachers. • Implemented prior-experience credit for teachers, awarding them credit for teaching experience prior to becoming resident teachers in Illinois, thus streamlining the process whereby they become full-time teachers in the district.
HUMAN RESOURCES— CONTINUED • Created and implemented the inaugural School District 308 Job Fair, which added to the district’s employee hiring pool and created inroads into the local and regional community.
• Received Illinois National School Public Relations Association (INSPRA) Award of Merit for 2013 Annual Report. • Received Gold Marcom Award for the 2013 Annual Report. The Marcom Awards are a creative competition for the concept, writing and design of print, visual, audio and web materials and programs. The Marcom statuette is represented in top business
ASSESSMENT, DATA AND ACCOUNTABILITY • Supported implementation of new data warehouse and assessment management systems. • Implemented protocols and procedures for school improvement plans and district improvement plans (Rising Star) for all buildings. • Conducted K-1 MAP pilot and STAR Enterprise progress monitoring pilot. • Designed district-wide protocol for using data for planning and instructional improvement as part of a balanced assessment system. • Completed full analysis of student achievement data and English acquisition for all EL programs. • Created protocols for the new PARCC assessment.
TECHNOLOGY • Certified all department staff in ITEL. • Initiated development of a multi-year district technology plan. • Provided technical support for data warehouse implementation.
COMMUNICATIONS • Presented at the 2014 Triple I Joint Annual School Board Conference,
and communications firms in the world. • Successfully launched new website utilizing a process that included more than 100 faculty, staff and community members, as well as the migration, editing and consolidation of more than 21,000 web pages from the old website. • Received the Gold AVA Digital Award for the district website. • Developed district-wide Editorial Style Guide geared toward increasing effectiveness and consistency across all district communications. • Developed district-wide Visual/Branding Style Guide geared toward increasing design consistency for all district print and online materials. • Developed district-wide Website Standards Style Guide geared toward increasing consistency for all district web pages. • Developed and launched district-wide rebranding, including logo development, messaging and overall visual scheme. • Hosted and executed a College Readiness Fair, attended by more than 1,200 students from across the Chicago region. • Coordinated and hosted the Stedman Graham and the Sonima Youth Leadership Tour, a unique approach that combines the performing arts with character development education. • Developed and implemented online and onsite website training for teachers and staff including web page creating and updating.
geared toward strengthening support for Illinois public schools and improving education for students through responsible public relations. • Received Bronze Stevie® Award for the 2013 Annual Report. The Stevie® Awards are the world’s premier business awards to honor and generate public recognition of the achievements and positive contributions of organizations and working professionals worldwide. • Received National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) Merit Award for 2013 Annual Report. The NSPRA, recognized as the leader in school communication, has honored the best work in school communication for more than 50 years.
COMMUNITY • Made the largest single donation in the history of the Kendall County Food Pantry with 58,527 items. • 100 Long Beach Elementary School students were provided with free meals to take home every Friday through Blessings in a Backpack. • NAACP Fall College Readiness Fair and Workshop in partnership with the DuPage County NAACP.