Welcome to the 2014-15 school year at District 88

At District 88, we’re excited to have welcomed a new school year on Aug. 20. A new school year is the perfect time to reflect on the successes of last year and prepare for the year ahead to ensure we continue building futures for the students of District 88.

Last year, we observed measureable positive student performance outcomes such as:

• More than 90 percent of the class of 2014 at Addison Trail and at Willowbrook was accepted to a two- or four-year college or university.
• Addison Trail students will attend schools in 16 states and Canada, and Willowbrook students will attend schools in 23 states and Washington, D.C.
• Addison Trail and Willowbrook were recognized by The Washington Post for a record number of students participating in the Advanced Placement (AP) program at both schools, which allows students to earn college credit while in high school. This was the seventh consecutive year District 88 was recognized in that ranking.
• In the area of extracurricular activities and athletics, we experienced numerous students competing in and placing at the state and national levels. We had three student-athletes receive All-American recognition, and 46 student-athletes signed to play their sport at the collegiate level.
• We observed our students and staff once again stepping up and going above and beyond in the area of community service. Our students raised more than $50,000 for the American Cancer Society, hosted a Go Pink or Go Home Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign and a Volley for the Cure game, hosted blood drives, collected gifts for local families in need during the holiday season, participated in the Park Pride Cleanup and the Salt Creek Cleanup and shoveled snow for citizens in need.

We look forward to continuing that success this year, and we will focus on the following eight areas during the 2014-15 school year.

• Continue to align our curriculum and assessments to the new Common Core State Standards. Those new standards were created to increase rigor in English and math, which will carry over into all subjects; to develop consistent learning expectations for all students; and to implement higher-level, clearer and deeper real-life learning to prepare students for college and career. For more information about the Common Core State Standards, go to http://commoncoreil.org. We also will continue to align with our feeder districts and colleges/universities to ensure our students have a smooth transition to and from District 88.
• Continue to implement interventions and strategies to close the achievement gap among student groups.
• Continue to raise expectations for all students to ensure every child is continuously improving.
• Continue to offer a comprehensive school environment that challenges and supports our students and meets our mission of working for the continuous improvement of student achievement.
• Continue to implement best practices with technology to ensure our students are prepared with 21st-century technology skills.
• Continue to provide support and professional development opportunities for staff members.
• Continue to be transparent, open and honest with our stakeholders through our website, newsletter, social media and face-to-face interactions, meetings and events.
• Continue to maintain fiscal responsibility to ensure a stable financial environment.

We have great leadership at our schools, a supportive and knowledgeable Board of Education, involved and engaged parents/guardians and community members, and talented and committed staff. With that mix, we’ll meet any situation head on and find the path to success. We’ll continue to work together to ensure District 88 remains one of the top school districts and to build futures for our students.