District 54 focused on student success

During the 2015-2016 school year, Schaumburg Township School District 54 celebrated many notable accomplishments consistent with its mission of "Ensuring Student Success" for all.

District 54 has long prided itself on providing students with innovative learning experiences while remaining within the parameters of a balanced operating budget. As the district projects into next fall, strong financial stewardship continues to be a hallmark of its operating practices, which has enabled it to continue to provide top-notch learning opportunities for its 14,000 students.

A review of the work that has taken place in the past three school years supports that a disciplined and strategic approach has been taken, resulting in unprecedented levels of student achievement across the system as a whole.

For example, District 54 has placed a heightened focus on early intervention supports to ensure students are provided a strong educational foundation at the youngest ages possible. One of the school board's goals states that "students who have attended District 54 schools for at least one year will perform at grade level in reading and math by third grade."

To attain this goal, District 54 has incorporated the use of structured intervention supports in math and reading in the primary grades at each of its elementary schools.

Further, the district consolidated all of its early childhood programming in one facility in the fall of 2014, and expanded the number of special education and at-risk students participating in its early childhood education programs.

This past spring the District 54 early childhood program was recognized by the state of Illinois with the Award of Excellence for Inclusion of Children with Special Needs.

In the fall of 2015, the district successfully launched full-day kindergarten at each of its elementary schools. Spring assessment data indicates that students entering first grade this year will enter classrooms at the highest proficiency levels in reading and math the district has ever seen.

District 54 has also remained active in updating and refining its curriculum to meet the demands of Illinois' recently revised state learning standards. In the 2013-2014 school year, District 54 convened task forces of teachers and administrators in literacy and math to realign curriculum and structures to support student mastery of the new, more rigorous standards.

New STEM programs were also introduced in selected schools during the 2013-2014 school year - with the district expanding these offerings into all of its schools the past two school years.

During the 2015-2016 school year, District 54 rewrote its science and social studies curriculum to ensure alignment with state learning standards and the Next Generation Science Standards.

Spanish and Japanese Dual Language and Chinese Immersion programs continue to flourish in District 54 as cohorts of students have graduated with the stated goal of becoming biliterate.

This spring, the District 54 School Board approved plans for a 1:1 Chromebook initiative, which will launch at the junior high grade levels in August.

To support the implementation of all of this curricular work, District 54 implemented innovative models of staff development, which provide job-embedded professional learning opportunities for teachers at all levels of experience.

Instructional mentors are assigned to all new hires in the district to provide intensive support. Instructional coaching teams in literacy, math, special education, English Learners (EL), STEM and instructional technology were created to provide an additional layer of job-embedded support to teachers working to implement new curriculum and instructional practices.

A full range of after-school professional development courses are also offered to teachers and support staff to ensure ongoing training is provided to all at work in the system.

The results of these instructional initiatives speak for themselves. District 54 performed in the top 7 percent of the state, based on the results of the 2015 PARCC assessment. Our academic achievement in both math and reading nearly doubled state averages.

An analysis of our 2015-2016 MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) assessment data indicates that the district performed well above the 90th percentile nationally in mean growth in both reading and math. Significantly, this has all been accomplished while operating within the parameters of a balanced budget.

For the past three school years, District 54 has maintained a balanced budget with zero debt. Because of strategic financial planning, the district has been able to complete $55 million in school renovation and development over the past three years - with all construction and maintenance projects being completed on time and within budget.

Contract negotiations in 2014-2015 resulted in a three-year agreement that included the elimination of end-of-career retirement incentives, as well as the development of a competitive salary schedule and benefit package ensuring the district is able to continue to attract and retain the very best teaching talent possible. Last year the district's teacher retention rate climbed to an all-time high of more than 92 percent.

For 18 consecutive years, District 54 has received a Meritorious Budget Award from the Association of School Business Officials - a reflection of the focus and attention the district has consistently placed on operating strategically and within its financial means.

School District 54 remains well-positioned for future academic success as the system looks ahead to the fall. During the 2016-2017 school year, District 54 will focus on the following guiding Board projects:

• Convene a districtwide Report Card Committee to review District 54's report card descriptors and indicators.

• Convene an early childhood through eighth-grade Literacy Task Force to review core literacy programs for potential adoption and districtwide use beginning in the fall of 2017.

• Implement 1:1 student use of Chromebooks and Google Apps for Education at the junior high level.

• Implement the revised elementary science curriculum, fully incorporating the Next Generation Science Standards.

• Convene an early childhood through eighth-grade Social Studies Essential Outcomes Review Team to examine necessary changes resulting from Illinois' adoption of new social studies content standards.

• Implement the revised District 54 Teacher Appraisal Plan incorporating student growth as required by Illinois School Code.

Through focused and strategic use of its resources, District 54 continues to provide its students and families with a remarkably strong instructional program within the financial parameters established by the School Board.

The entire District 54 community can and should celebrate the successes of the past school year as the system looks forward to another great year of learning in 2016-2017.