Learning Compact between District 88 and its associate school districts works to provide seamless transition to high school for students

For about the past 14 years, District 88 and its associate school districts – Addison School District 4, School District 45 and Salt Creek School District 48 – have come together to form a group called the Learning Compact.

Through that group, administrators of the districts meet about four times each year with the focus of ensuring a seamless transition to high school for students. Topics discussed include equity, curriculum alignment between the districts, initiatives to support students, how to assist students with social-emotional needs to help them be successful inside the classroom and beyond and more.

During the Sept. 15 Learning Compact meeting, the featured speaker was Effie Rouse with College Board, who discussed state assessments for students. In July, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) announced it will no longer require high schools to administer the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exam as the state test to evaluate students. ISBE will instead provide the College Board’s SAT exam, including a writing component, at no cost to all public high school juniors during the 2016-17 school year. The SAT aligns with the Illinois Learning Standards and provides a college-reportable score for admissions purposes. This means Illinois high schools will transition from the ACT to the SAT as the state assessment.

District 88 is committed to making sure students are prepared for the SAT and provides pre-SAT assessments (called the PSAT) for freshmen, sophomores and juniors. Rouse shared that after each student completes a PSAT or SAT assessment, he or she will receive a score report that outlines the student’s strengths and areas for improvement through an online portal with the College Board and an overview of the student’s college and career readiness. Also through the College Board account, each student will receive individualized tutorials from Khan Academy on how to improve in his or her areas of growth. For more information about assessments at District 88, go to https://www.dupage88.net/site/page/20.

We will continue to work with our associate districts to provide a high-quality learning environment for all of our students. Thank you for your continued support of District 88.