Dist. 45 considers switch to trimesters

Parents can expect to get their children's progress reports a bit later next year if Villa Park-based Elementary District 45 goes ahead with plans to shift from quarters to trimesters.

Instead of getting a progress report at the fourth or fifth week of each quarter, parents would get the information at the sixth week, administrators predicted. Some teachers maintain that extra time, especially in the first quarter, would translate into more accurate evaluations of student progress because it would be based on more substantive school work.

"When you're dealing with little ones, you take three weeks just getting to know them," Ardmore teacher Char Haley said. Plus there is time spent reviewing what they forgot over summer, she added.

At least one school board member with children in the district, had reservations.

"The quarterly communication is important," board member David Cain said at Monday's board meeting. "My definition of a concern ended up being drastically different than what a couple of teachers did."

If it hadn't been for the progress reports, Cain said, he and his wife would've never known their child was struggling in at least one class.

In one case, they didn't know one of their children had failed every spelling test until they saw the child was getting a D-minus at midterm. The child didn't know either because the teacher hadn't graded the tests until required for the midterm grade report, Cain said.

"It's a horror story," he said. "I've got to believe other people have experienced it if we have."

Board member Jerry Bimber also remained unsure, noting he wanted to be sure the change wasn't just to lighten teachers' workload.

"We want to make the best decision," Bimber said. "I want to hear from the people. I want to be convinced on its merits."

A committee of about four parents and one or two teachers recently met to trouble-shoot any potential problems with the shift. A report with comments from every teacher was included in the information the panel reviewed, Ardmore Elementary School Principal Michele Cummins said.

"There was nothing on the negative (side)," Cummins said. "People only saw the positives."

Board member Matthew Kerr said he didn't think parents and students benefit from an inaccurate assessment, or "miscommunication." He'd rather give teachers the time needed.

"I don't want to confuse increased communication with improved communication," Kerr said.

The board will revisit the topic at a future meeting.