DECEMBER 2000 BOARD PRIORITY
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Standards Assessment and Accountability
Goal: Increase the percentage of schools in Levels 3-5 (DeStefano 5-point
implementation scale) to 75% by the end of FY 2003
1. Convened the School Designation Task Force to finalize the report for the
Board.
2. Thirteen external Quality Assurance reviews were completed. Staff is
working on improving their skills in data analysis for school improvement.
3. Formed an internal team with Information Technologies to meet the
demands of maintaining and continually improving the ILSI web site.
4. Worked on a plan for both external and internal ILSI/QSP staff
development.
5. Participated in the ACT State Conference focusing on the PSAE with
representatives from higher education, local schools, and ACT.
6. Worked with ACT on the application for test accommodations and
modifications for students with IEPs and 504 plans -- mailed to schools.
7. State Technologies Conference was held to coordinate staff development
activities with ILSI and QSP and the general direction of technology
planning for the next year.
8. Sent official responses to federal government's questions concerning our
State Title I application.
9. Worked with Business Partnerships to establish guidelines for Alternative
Program Accountability.
10. Staff worked with Special Education on the Alternate Assessment for
students with IEPs and 504 Plans.
11. Information meetings held with high school principals concerning the
administration options for the PSAE.
Professional Preparation and Certification
Goal: To implement a system for continuous professional development
leading to certificate renewal for teachers by 2003 that will add value to the
quality of teachers in every classroom.
Goal: To support, evaluate and initiate improvement of the Administrators'
Academy; and support new legislation addressing certificate renewal for
administrators.
Goal: Ensure that all candidates for teaching, administrative, and school
service personnel certificates meet the established requirements.
Goal: Ensure that all Illinois teachers, administrators and school service
personnel possess the knowledge and skills required for certification
appropriate to their position.
Goal: Operate a highly effective technical and informational support
system that ensures high quality educators are certified for employment in
Illinois schools.
Goal: To complete by 2004 the design activities identified in the "Illinois
Framework", P.A. 90-548, and subsequent legislative actions in order to
ensure a qualified teacher in every classroom.
1. Certificate Renewal Division staff made 30 presentations in November and
responded to 890 telephone inquiries.
2. All Administrators' Academy courses have been reviewed and approved
with no present backlog.
3. Went on-line with the Provider application for Certification Renewal.
Some glitches have been identified and are being corrected.
4. Second WIU/ISBE presentation on Certificate Renewal was recorded and
aired on satellite broadcast.
5. Q/A 2 is being printed, and dissemination to every school building and
teacher is well underway.
6. Title II Report Card has been reviewed and endorsed by Governor's Task
Force and Joint Education Committee.
7. Issued 3,352 certificates and 526 letters of deficiency. Backlog has been
eliminated, and applicants can be mailed their certificates immediately
after the applications have been received in our office.
8. Staff made presentations at Triple I and Gifted conferences.
9. Institutional reviews of three universities were successfully completed.
10. 98 teachers received accreditation by NBPTS, for a total in the state of
186. Illinois is 10th in the nation in number of NBPTS certified teachers.
11. Completed Educator Supply and Demand Report (Research Division).
12. Completed Certification System Report to be submitted to General
Assembly.
Reading
Goal: A significant annual increase in the percentage of students in grades
3, 5 ,8 and 10 will meet or exceed state standards in reading so that by
2005, 80% of all students will meet and exceed state standards for reading.
1. Launched the ILLINOIS READS website - www.illinoisreads.com.
2. Chicago District #229 staff has delivered Kits to 5 of 6 sub-districts.
3. Completed fall field test of items for Illinois Snapshot of Early Literacy.
4. Published a 4-sided brochure which overviews the division's projects.
5. Apples Magazine broadcast a presentation on Illinois Reads: The Early
Reading Initiative on November 17 (collaboration with Early Childhood.)
6. The ABCs of Helping Young Children Become Good Readers and Writers,
is the 1st in a series of monographs we will begin publishing in January. 5
more monographs have been written and are currently under review
(collaboration with Early Childhood.)
7. Hosted Day 1 (of 3) of the 3rd round of Meeting the Challenge Trainer-ofTrainers workshop for 30 trainers of classroom teachers in Champaign.
8. Hosted the 3rd Meeting the Challenge Trainer-of-Trainers workshop for 30
trainers in elementary administrators in Springfield.
9. Hosted a daylong meeting with 68 professors of reading from Illinois to
overview the Reading Initiative and to enlist their collaboration. Next
meeting is March 16th.
10. Completed technical assistance workshops for the 75 proposal writing
team members from the 16 districts eligible to apply for REA funds.
11. Met with Chicago #299 reading staff to coordinate district-wide Meeting
the Challenge K-2 professional development training for District #229.
12. Convened a meeting with Summer Bridges staff to coordinate Summer
Bridges Training, Meeting the Challenge training, and summer training for
Reading Excellence Act funded schools and districts.
13. Met with Early Childhood and Community and Family Partnerships to plan
for agency-wide collaboration on a series of parent-support publications,
materials, and resources, including a website.
14. Received a request from the Center for the Investigation of Early Reading
Achievement at Michigan State University (CIERA) to distribute 2 of our
parent resources materials nationally through their network.
Mathematics
Goal: A significant annual increase in the percentage of students in grades
3, 5, 8, and high school will meet or exceed state standards in mathematics
so that by 2005, 80% of all students will meet and exceed state standards in
mathematics.
1. Awarded over 20 contracts with ROE/ISCs for mathematical staff
development activities with over 500 teachers focusing on mathematical
content and pedagogy.
2. Assisted ESL leaders and mathematics assessment committee members
in designing adaptation guidelines for mathematics items to be included
on the IMAGE test.
3. Presented information regarding the Mathematics Initiative plan at the
Triple I conference.
4. Met with First in the World representatives and scheduled joint meeting
with advisory team in December to discuss product development (videos,
lesson plans, etc.) and to design the infrastructure of the mathematics
initiative.
5. Met with interested stakeholders to discuss piloting/implementing the
ASCD "Beginning School Mathematics"- a mathematics program for K-3
classrooms.
6. Met with post-secondary personnel involved in mathematics education to
determine interest in writing an NSF proposal for a Midwest Center for
Teaching and Learning Mathematics to form partnerships with major
universities and ISBE - the decision was made to write proposal beginning
in January.
7. Brought together Summer Bridges staff and stakeholders with early
childhood mathematics expertise to discuss and design the addition of a
mathematics component to the Summer Bridges program. The decision
was made to incorporate collaborative activities into the reading program
for summer 2001 and to design a separate mathematics program for
summer 2002.
8. V-tel meeting with algebra teachers and moderators involved in the on-line
staff development project to provide algebra expectations of the Illinois
Learning Standards and statewide assessments.
9. Met with communication staff to discuss TIMSS-R international results Illinois data to be released in May 2001.
Schools in Academic Difficulty (AEWL)
Goal: Intervene with districts and schools that are in academic difficulty so
that all students meet or exceed Illinois academic learning standards.
1. Completed performance assessments for Educators-In-Residence (EIR)
for 2001-02 (25 of 38 candidates passed level 2 of the assessment
process.)
2. Conducted customer satisfaction survey with 10 districts. Results show
that district superintendents, principals and selected teachers believe the
coaching/EIR model using EIRs has had a positive impact on instructional
quality, standards alignments, culture and school improvement.
3. Completed portfolio reviews/evaluations with 30 current educators-inresidence.
4. Initiated use of ILSI and QSP with selected districts to pilot program for
future statewide application.
5. Completed first draft of East St. Louis District comprehensive educational
audit. Continued support to additional 14 districts in district level system
of support.
6. Celebrated Summer Bridges on November 30 with nearly 300 students
and an equal number of parents and teachers personally reading to over
80 legislators.
7. Identified pool of districts eligible to participate in Summer Bridges 2001.
158 districts meet the base criteria of 50% or more 3 rd and 5th grade
students not meeting state reading standards. 28 of the eligible districts in
2000 achieved a high enough percent of students meeting reading
standards to become ineligible for the program although it is anticipated
that some will continue to receive support for one more year based on
additional criteria.
Early Learning Initiative Birth through Eight
Goal: Build a system that enables all children to achieve Illinois Learning
Standards by Grade 3.
1. Aired APPLES Magazine "Illinois Reads" satellite telecast on November
19. The program is viewed by teachers and parents every month at
several downlink sites across the state (joint project with Reading
Initiative.)
2. Assisted in draft of The ABCs of Helping Young Children Become Good
Readers and Writers (joint project with Reading Initiative.)
3. Met with Reading and Community and Family Partnerships to plan for an
agency-wide collaboration on a series of parent-support resources.
4. Met with Community and Family Partnerships, and Offices of the Governor
and Secretary of State to develop Illinois Even Start Performance
Indicators.
5. Awarded contracts to 4 ROEs for early childhood math staff development
in 40 districts.
6. Presented in 2 sessions at the Triple I Conference (Standards and Early
Learning Initiative.)
7. Participated, by invitation, in a planning meeting for a multi-state study of
public pre-kindergarten student outcomes at the National Center for Early
Development and Learning, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
8. Developed RFSP for Early Learning and Care Web Site. Proposals will be
due on January 8, 2001.