Lisle 202 Winter 2020 Quarterly

LISLE 202 COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL DISTRICT

Preparing Students for Their Future

QUARTERLY • WINTER 2019/2020

We believe in...

Being Student Focused

The success of our education system is measured by the success of our students.

Excellence

We are committed to approaches and practices which maximize the educational impact for students.

Continuous Improvement

Continuous school improvement is necessary to improve student achievement.

Accountability

We focus on results reflecting and balancing the needs and interests of students and all stakeholders.

Teamwork

We work together to achieve District goals.

Service

We believe educators should be responsive to students, parents, and the community.

Fiscal Responsibility

Resources must be provided and managed in a fiscally responsible manner.

LISLE 202 COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL DISTRICT

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING Helping students develop skills to make responsible decisions Growing up is hard and children and teens today experience heightened anxiety due to a vareity of factors.

As their brains and bodies rapidly change and develop, Kindergarteners and Seniors alike navigate ideas and influences, some old and some new, that shape their personal and educational path. Add technology and social media to the list of influences and we can begin to see how what once was a closed and limited circle of influence is now an open and expansive field of ideas to negotiate.

According to a 2018 Pew Research Center survey of children ages 13 to 17, anxiety and depression are seen as major problems among peers. This and other research highlight the need to address mental health across the school day. Additional research shows that students need to be ready to learn before they are able to actively engage in the learning process. With today’s influences and pressures, social-emotional learning is an essential component to the educational experience across the grade levels. As a result, beginning in PreKindergarten, various developmentally appropriate tools, experiences, curricula, and structures are implemented to ensure our students are ready to learn. Please visit our website for additional resources at www.lisle202.org/academics/social-emotional-learning. Below is an overview of some of the supports in place at our schools for the current school year.

Lisle Elementary School Responsive Classroom is a schoolwide approach to instruction, building a community and growing positive relationships. Classrooms at all grade levels incorporate daily Morning Meetings and Ending Circles that include activities and interactions that provide students opportunities to develop empathy, cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy and self control.

A variety of quiet spaces are available as well as specially designed noise-reducing furniture should the need arise to find a calming space. Classrooms also share “huddle rooms” that are noise-reducing, providing quieter spaces to work.

Lisle Junior High School Trauma-Informed Schools is an approach to providing learning environments that consciously take into account students’ various backgrounds and experiences, which may include traumas.

Students may exhibit behaviors as a result of these factors and providing safe, calming learning spaces, building relationships, and

predictable routines are hallmarks for creating learning environments that are responsive to students’ needs.

The Second Step curriculum supports social-emotional learning through research-based lessons designed to reinforce all students’ empathy, emotion-management, and problem-solving skills. At LJHS, students receive this instruction during their homeroom every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the school year.

Lisle High School Trauma-Informed Schools is also part of Lisle High School’s approach to supporting students. LHS is collecting data, educating all school staff about the prevalence of trauma and the implications for schools, its impact on children and youth, and educating staff about the concept of trauma-sensitive schools to ensure all staff recognize the effects of trauma on students, families, and staff, and understand student responses to trauma.

Learning to Breathe is a mindfulness-based curriculum taught in Ninth Grade Physical Education class. Mindfulness is the practice of becoming aware of one’s

present-moment experience with compassion and openness as a basis for wise action. The Learning to Breathe curriculum supports the Social Emotional Learning competencies of self-awareness, self-management, fostering empathy, relationship building, and responsible decision-making.

The Ending the Silence Program is presented to Tenth Grade Health classes each semester in conjunction with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

The presentation, designed for middle and high school students, includes warning signs, facts and statistics, and how to get help for themselves or a friend. Research has shown that NAMI Ending the Silence for Students is effective in changing high school students’ knowledge and attitudes toward mental health conditions and toward seeking help.

All Schools Student Services staff includes nurses, social workers, school psychologists, and guidance counselors (9-12), who are trained in supporting students’ mental health and social-emotional needs.

TEACHING & LEARNING Providing the essential education, skills, and experiences for future success Lisle District 202 believes that success is defined by the whole performance and effort a student exhibits. That is why our educators utilize multiple, varied, ongoing assessment practices that provide a full collection of information to give a clear and complete understanding of a student’s academic growth.

However, we also recognize that the state assessment, the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, is one measurement that is often discussed as an indicator of student progress. This test is given one time each year in the spring to students in grades 3-8 and is one source of data on areas of strength and challenge for both our schools and our students’ progress.

While our students participate in a dynamic and quality educational experience, we are also committed to continued growth and improvement. Below is a snapshot of some of the areas we continue to develop to ensure our students receive the essential education, skills and experiences necessary for future success.

Lisle High School Data Driven Instruction

Increased Classroom Rigor

Lisle High School incorporates a data driven approach to decision-making for academic programming and student course planning. Data collected from the College Board Series, which includes the PSAT beginning in 8th grade, provides students, parents, teachers, counselors, and schools access to robust materials and information that informs instruction and assists with curriculum and program development, as well as collaborative decision-making with students about resources, strengths, challenges, and choices for their future beyond high school.

Lisle High School offers rigorous curricular options to challenge and prepare students for the future.

Advanced Placement (AP) Courses allow students to experience college-level coursework in a variety of subject areas and to potentially earn college credit.

Dual credit courses will also be added to the course selection in the 2020-2021 school year. Through a partnership with College of DuPage, students will have the option to enroll in three different courses in the Career & Technical Education field to earn college credit.

Beyond the Classroom Lisle High School is also committed to supporting students beyond the classroom. Students who need additional practice or learning support have the option to participate in “Learning Lions”, a before and after school study hall staffed by certified teachers to assist students with reviewing, relearning, and/or solidifying understanding. Educators from across the disciplines staff Learning Lions to ensure students receive the assistance they need. This program has proved to be extremely successful with more than 400 attendees during the Fall semester.

In addition, the high school will invite approximately 65 students to participate in a free, after-school SAT preparation course. The course will provide content instruction, test-taking tips, and practice materials to assist students with maximizing their scores on the SAT taken by juniors in the spring. In the 2018-19 school year, this program benefited approximately 25 students and we are excited to expand the program this year.

Lisle Junior High School Increased Math Rigor

Focus on Process

The Illinois Learning Standards require a challenging curriculum to prepare students to reach the identified learning targets. Understanding the need to increase the rigor in our math courses, Lisle Junior High School adopted a new math program, Eureka Math, in the 2018-2019 school year to ensure students are appropriately challenged and are able to successfully achieve the defined learning targets.

Today’s math instruction is no longer rote learning and memorization, but rather application through the utilization of math processes in problem solving scenarios. Eureka Math builds student knowledge through learning progressions and understanding what to do and how and why the process works.

This approach to learning and teaching aligns with the Illinois Learning Standards as well as the type of skills students will need for college and career.

Critical thinking and problem solving are key components across the curriculum. Through a process called Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER), students learn to evaluate and support their thinking.

When posed with a question, students must provide a claim that answers the question, give evidence from data, research or outside sources, then present reasoning that explains why the evidence supports the claim. This process teaches students how to think critically, connect experiences and previously learned concepts, and effectively evaluate and explain their understanding. To illustrate, CER may be applied in English-Language Arts when exploring a text, Social Studies when evaluating a historical event, Science when examining scientific principles, and Math when explaining a problem solving process.

Claim-Evidence-Reasoning is a framework that effectively prepares students to think critically in any situation.

Lisle Elementary School Standards Driven Instruction

Standards Driven Reporting

The Illinois Learning Standards identify skills and content students should learn at each grade level.

The standards provide a road map to developing a robust curriculum that prepares students for the next levels and eventually for college and career. At Lisle Elementary School, we use the standards to inform curriculum as well as an approach to teaching, evaluating, and grading. In this approach, lessons and instruction are designed to target specific Illinois Learning Standards determined by the State of Illinois. Students demonstrate understanding and show mastery of the knowledge and skills specifically identified by the standards and student progress is assessed to determine if mastery of knowledge has been achieved. Lessons and instruction are then evaluated to determine if students have met the learning targets or if additional practice is needed to achieve mastery.

A key component of the StandardsBased approach is the communication of student progress toward mastery of Illinois Learning Standards. Standards based grading/ reporting relies on specific learning objectives/ targets to communicate student progress, identifies where a student is on the continuum of learning for each target, gives a student credit for the things he or she has mastered, and clearly identifies the areas that continue to be a challenge. Reporting standard-specific academic progress gives students and families a clearer picture of the learning that is occurring and of the possible reasons for a student’s learning successes or difficulties. This type of specific data provides opportunities for each student to participate in meaningful conversations and better understand his or her progress throughout the year.

DISTRICT FINANCES Maintaining long-term financial stability through effective resource management

Board of Education Approves Real Estate Levy Tax Abatement for the Second Consecutive Year Each year, the Board of Education carefully considers the financial needs of the District and the impact on taxpayers when reviewing various tax levy scenarios. After careful consideration, the Board approved an inflationary increase for the operating funds while also abating a portion of the real estate levy for the second consecutive year. The abatement of $300,000, along with the regular levy, will result in an increase of approximately 2.8%, or $120, for the average homeowner in Lisle. The approved levy will allow the District to continue to operate within a balanced budget, maintain fund balances within the guidelines outlined in Board Policy 4:20, while also addressing the capital needs based on the current Facility Master Plan.

TOP FINANCIAL FACTS 1. School district funding in Illinois is structured so the majority of dollars for public education come from local property taxes. Local property taxes account for approximately 84% of the District’s revenues.

SCHOOL FINANCE 101

2. Lisle 202 property tax rates are comparable with surrounding school districts.

Visit the School Finance 101 page on our District website to learn about Illinois and Lisle 202 school finance.

3. Lisle 202 has operated within a balanced budget for 16 consecutive years and is recognized for its financial strength by the Illinois State Board of Education and Moody’s.

4. Lisle 202 has smaller class sizes compared to surrounding districts and a smaller student population. Both factors contribute to our per pupil spending being higher than other larger districts.

bit.ly/ lisle202schoolfinance

5. Lisle 202 built a new state-of-the-art elementary school without increasing current taxes for the new building.

LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT TAX RATE COMPARISON 2018 DuPage County Surrounding School Districts

$ 6.43

Woodridge Elementary District 68 + Downers Grove High School District 99

$5.46

Indian Prairie School District 204

$4.93

Naperville Community Unit School District 203

$4.89

Wheaton-Warrenville Community Unit School District 200

$4.87

Lisle Community Unit School District 202

$4.64

Westmont Community Unit School District 201

$3.97

Downers Grove Elementary District 58 + Downers Grove High School District 99 per $100 of property’s assessed value

2020-2021 ENROLLMENT Welcome to our schools Kindergarten Registration Lisle Elementary School is excited to welcome our new class of young learners! Children whose birthday is before September 1, 2020 may enroll in Kindergarten for the 2020-2021 school year.

Details and information will be posted on the District website at www.lisle202.org as it becomes available.

Save the Date!

February 17 | Registration Packets posted at www.lisle202.org/our-district/enrollment-registration March 5 | Walk-in Registration • 4-7 pm • Lisle Elementary School (Door 7)

Lisle Junior High School Incoming Sixth Grader Information We look forward to welcoming our new Sixth Grade class! To assist with the transition from elementary school to junior high school, a Parent Orientation night will be held in May. Details and information will be posted on the District website at www.lisle202.org as it becomes available.

Save the Date!

May 12 | Parent Orientation Night • 7pm

Lisle High School Incoming Freshman Information Welcome Class of 2024! Incoming private school students, new freshman, and parents are invited to learn about Lisle High School at Freshman Orientation & Parent Open House Night.

Details and information will be posted on the Lisle High School website at www.lisle202.org/lisle-high-school/student-services/guidance as it becomes available.

Save the Date!

February 6 | Incoming Private School Students Meeting • 6 pm Freshman Orientation • 7 pm

New to Lisle 202? Welcome!

We look forward to meeting you! Families new to Lisle 202 are encouraged to call the school office for enrollment information.

Lisle Elementary School • Grades PK-5 • 630.493.8100 Lisle Junior High School • Grades 6-8 • 630.493.8200 Lisle High School • Grades 9-12 • 630-493-8300

Lisle District 202 Central Office 5211 Center Ave Lisle, IL 60532

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LISLE 202 MISSION STATEMENT Lisle District 202 is committed to providing our learning community with the essential education, skills, and experiences for future success.