Individual needs a recurring theme in District 203 school improvement plans       

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Officials in Naperville School District 203 gave a glimpse into the school improvement plans across the 23 individual buildings at a recent board of education meeting. In the presentation, administrators touched on the key components that play into the plans, including data metrics and soft-skill approaches aimed at giving all students a sense of belonging.

School improvement plans have been written up annually in District 203. But this year’s approach has been refined with more specificity to each building, which several board members lauded during a lengthy discussion of the efforts underway.

Localized focus 

Superintendent Dan Bridges, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Jayne Willard and several other administrators gave an overview of the plans and the processes that went into developing them at the board’s Monday, Sept. 23 meeting.

“Each plan embraces its own local context, as each of our 23 school sites have unique strengths and unique areas for growth,” Bridges said.

Throughout the presentation, administrators shared how the latest sets of plans were designed to build on the efforts undertaken in prior years.

“As a district, we have achieved remarkable academic success, and our students, staff and community have made strides in creating a sense of belonging,” Willard said. “But we still do know that there are disparities that some of our students face in their learning, sense of belonging and also extra-curricular activities.”

She added, “We invest in continuous school improvement to ensure that every individual thrives in our school communities.”

A standardized approach to the school improvement plans 

While each school’s plan is customized, the format within District 203 has been standardized, based on the documents shared with the board.

Metrics are sprinkled throughout each school’s plan, both academically and through the lens of social-emotional learning. The plans look into progress from the past year to help achieve the longer-range goals.

Several board members, including Charles Cush, reflected on past iterations of the school improvement plans at the recent board meeting.

“I know this has been a long-term evolution to get to the summary plan document, so it’s really easy to kind of follow,” Cush said.

From a process standpoint, the timeline for drawing up the plans and presenting them to the board for approval has also been adjusted over time.

“This is such a better time to hear from you all about what you want to do this year than in December,” board member Kristin Fitzgerald said, noting the old timeline.

Board members laud individualism 

One of the key themes — focusing on each student’s specific needs — was a recurring theme throughout the presentation and drew praise from multiple board members.

“I love the emphasis on the sense of belonging and a lot of the underlying causes for student success,” Cush said. “I really think that we’re going to really start to see that paying more and more dividends because our students are in a better mind frame to be able to learn.”

School Board President Kristine Gericke noted the focus on individualization is carried throughout all grade levels in the district, based on the plans in motion.

“The fact that you used those words over and over again shows how much every student is looked at, every student is cared for and also including every student in their education — it doesn’t matter if it’s kindergarten or a senior in high school,” Gericke said to administrators.

She added, “You’re making it so those kids have buy-in to what they’re doing, why they’re here every day.”

The District 203 board is slated to vote on each of the individual school improvement plans at its next meeting on Oct. 7. An end-of-year achievement summary will be presented next spring.

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