D46 Schools Present School Improvement Planning (SIP) at Board Meeting

All seven District 46 school principals and, for the schools who have them, assistant principals, waited patiently at Wednesday's board meeting to share what is their life's work - embracing and educating the students in their care.

The annual presentation of District 46's School Improvement Planning (SIP) programs is an opportunity for each school to highlight their successes and shortfalls. It is also a time for the public and school board to learn about initiatives that have or will be taken on to improve student achievement and assist students meet or exceed state mandated goals.

Assistant Superintendent and Avon School principal Lynn Barkley opened the presentation emphasizing the importance of maintaining Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) as part of the State of Illinois SIP program.

"If a school does not meet AYP standards in any of it's subgroups for two years it is placed 'in status.' If we see areas that need improvement we identify ways to address the issues to ensure we are on track," Barkley said.

Frederick School principal Eric Detweiler and Grayslake Middle School (GMS) principal Marcus Smith spoke of the steps their schools are taking to address subgroup test scores that have not met the AYP standards.

"If you follow the flow of students coming to GMS from Frederick you will see these subgroups are making improvement over time," said Smith.

New Woodview School principal Cathy Santelle gave credit to the previous principal, Jeff Knapp, for the success of the AYP at the school.

Vince Murrary, principal at Prairieview School, explained how his school is meeting the needs of the growing Spanish speaking community.

"Instead of four teachers who can also speak Spanish, this year we will have eight," Murray said. "That will not only help our language learners subgroup, but the parents of the students will be able to communicate better with the school through these teachers."