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Jun e 17, 2015 • $1 .0 0
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MCC to vote on budget proposal
AREA SCHOOL DISTRICTS LOOK AT HOW STUDENTS ARE GRADED
Bookstore plan tied to space study results By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com
Photos by Michael Smart for Shaw Media
School District 300 staff and parents gather in groups May 20 to discuss proposed policy changes in how the district grades students during a town hall meeting at Hampshire Middle School in Hampshire. “We’re trying to redefine grades, so it will be a measure of aptitude, not a measure of attitude,” Superintendent Fred Heid said.
Schools weigh shift to standards-based system By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com ALGONQUIN – A disconnect can exist between the grades children receive and their understanding of the concepts, the Community Unit School District 300 superintendent said. That’s part of the reason the Algonquin-based school district and a handful of others around McHenry County are taking another look at how they grade. District 300 is eliminating a zero grade by not allowing students to leave assignments unfinished, implementing a credit system similar to how high schools operate and restructuring how grades are constructed to more of an emphasis on assessments. “We’re trying to redefine grades, so it will be a measure of aptitude, not a measure of attitude,” Superintendent Fred Heid said. Standardizing the grading system also makes sure students are being graded on a level playing field when compared with students of the same grade in a different class while not interfering with a teacher’s ability to innovate, Heid said. More changes could be on the horizon, as well, as the district considers adopting a blended report card that includes both traditional and standards-based
Parent Chip Hessenflow talks with school district staff and other parents May 20 during a group discussion about proposed changes in student grading. grading systems for its six middle schools, something it already does at the elementary level. Standards-based grading systems look at how students measure up when compared to end-ofthe-year, or sometimes semester, standards. A study dating back to 1992 found that students who received specific feedback on how well they met particular objectives did much better moving forward than students who didn’t, according to a 2000 book titled “Transforming Classroom Grading” by Robert Marzano. Crystal Lake Community School District 47 switched to
standards-based grading about a decade ago for kindergarten through fifth grade, Assistant Superintendent of Student Learning Jean Bevevino said. Fourth- and fifth-graders also received letter grades on their report cards. This coming school year, the goal is to switch up the grading again, moving from trimester benchmarks to end-of-year benchmarks, and eliminating letter grades for the fourth- and fifth-graders, Bevevino said. Because parents already are used to standards-based grading, she doesn’t expect the changes to be a shock, adding that parents like that the grades are broken
down so they can see what specific areas need to be worked on. The changes aren’t complete yet, however. The district has formed a committee that will spend the coming year researching best practices for middle schools and coming to some conclusions about what should go into a grade, Bevevino said. They’ll also consider getting rid of class rank at the middle school level, something Community High School District 155 is thinking about doing. Huntley-based Consolidated School District 158 is doing some research of its own, spokesman Dan Armstrong said. A variety of teachers, kindergarten through high school, will be piloting changes to different parts of the grading process, including getting rid of a zero grade, looking at how often kids should be allowed to take tests and whether to take behavior and extra credit out of the equation, said Michelle George, the district’s director of curriculum and instruction. A blended report card with both traditional and standards-based grading is definitely something the district is looking at, George said. “The goal is making sure that any reporting that we do truly reflects what a student knows, not what a student does,” she said.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Renovating the college’s bookstore, constructing a new pump house and greenhouse and replacing the aging phone system are among the big ticket items laid out in McHenry County College’s budget for the coming school year. The McHenry County College Board of Trustees is set to vote on the tentative budget at its meeting next week – but that vote won’t guarantee the projects will come to pass. The $1.05 million for the construction of a pump house and greenhouse, for example, has appeared in the college’s budget for several years and won’t happen without a matching fund grant, said the college’s chief financial officer and treasurer, Robert Tenuta. The renovation of the college bookstore – estimated to cost $350,000 – depends on what happens with the second phase of a space utilization study de- Robert signed to maximize Tenuta the college’s existing space and to likely propose new space, Tenuta said, adding it wouldn’t make sense to spend money on renovating the space if the study ends up recommending mov- Vicky Smith ing the bookstore or other changes. “The bookstore has not been touched, I think, in 20-plus years, and so that’s one of the things [we’re looking at] since we’re now adjacent to the newly renovated food service area,” Tenuta said. “We’re trying to bring more people into the bookstore, and if anyone’s walked down there, you can walk by it and blink and miss it.” The bookstore is the largest generator of revenue for the college’s auxiliary services fund, which pays for activities like Student Life, athletics and the student newspaper, according to college President Vicky Smith and board documents. The bookstore brings in about $250,000 to $300,000 each year, Tenuta said. The budget lays out $95.2 million in potential expenses, $54.3 million of that in the college’s main education fund and $15 million of which is a wish list of grants the college has
See MCC, page A5
Coroner: Pedestrian killed in CL crash By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com
and ZACH BROOKE
zbrooke@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – Officials are investigating a fatal vehicle-pedestrian crash that happened at Routes 31 and 176 in Crystal Lake, McHenry County Coroner Anne Majew-
ski said Tuesday. According to news releases sent by Majewski’s office and the Crystal Lake Police Department, emergency crews responded to the crash just before 10:30 a.m. The crash occurred on the southbound side of Route 31, about 300 feet north of Route 176. The male pedestrian was
crossing the street when he was struck by a 2007 Chevrolet HHR, driven by a 60-yearold McHenry man. The pedestrian – whose name is being withheld until family members can be notified – was taken to Centegra Hospital – McHenry where he was pronounced dead shortly after 11 a.m.
An autopsy is scheduled to be performed on the man Wednesday. The driver has not been issued any citations at this time, police said. Traffic was down to one lane on southbound Route 31 for nearly two hours while about 10 officers investigated. Katie Dahlstrom – kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com Police said the road was clear The scene of a fatal crash involving a pedestrian is seen Tuesday on at 12:40 p.m. Route 31 just north of Route 176 in Crystal Lake.
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