District 88 meets with students to gather feedback during Strategic Plan process

Pictured is District 88 Superintendent Dr. Scott Helton.

On Nov. 27 and 30, I had the opportunity – along with Addison Trail Principal Michael Bolden and Willowbrook Principal Dr. Daniel Krause – to meet with our students and discuss the future direction of District 88.

Those focus groups, facilitated by Jeff Cohn with Brave Dialogue, took place as part of our process to update the district’s Strategic Plan to retool and enhance our existing 2010 plan. It was a tremendous way to speak with our pupils and hear their thoughts and suggestions. During the sessions, participants completed interactive activities to share their vision for a profile of a District 88 graduate and the attributes/traits they would like to see in educators at Addison Trail and Willowbrook.

Through our Strategic Plan process, the goal is to gather a variety of input and voices to ensure our Strategic Plan continues to guide us in accomplishing our mission of working for the continuous improvement of student achievement. In September, we hosted focus groups for staff members and members of internal parent/guardian and community groups that support District 88. In October, we hosted external/community focus groups for all District 88 stakeholders.

Throughout these sessions, we have met with more than 700 stakeholders – including staff members, parents/guardians, community members and students. The Board of Education and administration will use the data and feedback to update the district’s Strategic Plan, and we will share information about those enhancements.

DISTRICT 88 VISION AND GOALS ALIGNED TO STATE AND FEDERAL STANDARDS
In 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was passed as a new education law that reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the U.S. national education law and longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students. The previous version of the law was the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, which was enacted in 2002.

The ESSA was implemented on the Illinois Report Card this year for the first time and uses multiple measures (referred to as indicators) to evaluate schools. Each individual school (rather than the overall district) is rated on those indicators and then placed into one of four categories (referred to as designations). Those designations are:

  • Exemplary School
  • Commendable School
  • Underperforming School
  • Lowest-Performing School

For more information about the ESSA, go to www.dupage88.net/StrategicPlan2018. For more information about this year’s Illinois Report Card, go to https://www.dupage88.net/site/page/9563.

When looking at District 88’s current Strategic Plan from 2010, our Board of Education, administration and stakeholders knew the value of including multiple measures to ensure student growth and achievement. As a result, our vision and goals are very much aligned with the ESSA, as you can see by the image below (click to enlarge the image).

During the August, September and October District 88 Board of Education meetings, we took a closer look at the indicators by which high schools are now measured under the ESSA. We also shared how our vision and goals are aligned to those indicators, as well as our successes in each area. To view this information, go to www.dupage88.net/StrategicPlan2018.

If you have any questions about the information above, feel free to contact me at shelton@dupage88.net or 630-530-3980. Thank you for your continued support of District 88.

Addison Trail students participate in a Strategic Plan Focus Group on Nov. 27. District 88 is updating its Strategic Plan to retool and enhance the district’s existing 2010 plan. Through that process, the goal is to gather feedback from a variety of stakeholder groups to help shape the future direction of District 88.

Left: Jeff Cohn with Brave Dialogue facilitates a Strategic Plan Focus Group with Addison Trail students on Nov. 27. Right: District 88 Superintendent Dr. Scott Helton welcomes students to the focus group and discusses how their input is an important factor as the district goes through the process of updating its Strategic Plan to retool and enhance its existing 2010 plan.

During a Strategic Plan Focus Group on Nov. 27, Addison Trail students completed interactive activities to share their vision for a profile of a District 88 graduate and the attributes/traits they would like to see in educators at Addison Trail and Willowbrook. Pictured are their comments.

Willowbrook students participate in a Strategic Plan Focus Group on Nov. 30.

Top: District 88 Superintendent Dr. Scott Helton welcomes Willowbrook students to a Strategic Plan Focus Group on Nov. 30. Bottom left and right: Jeff Cohn with Brave Dialogue facilitates the focus group.


Respectfully,
Scott J. Helton, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools, DuPage High School District 88