Illinois State Board of Education Education Policy Planning Committee met Nov. 1

By Philip Gonzales

Jan 31, 2023

Illinois State Board of Education Education Policy Planning Committee met Nov. 1.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

I. Roll Call

Chairperson Susie Morrison brought the meeting to order at 12:30 p.m. Roll call was taken, and a quorum was present with three members. Chair Morrison was physically present; Dr. Donna Leak and Jaime Guzman were present via video conference.

Committee Members Present

Chairperson Susie Morrison

Dr. Donna Leak

Jaime Guzman

Committee Members Absent

None

Other Board Members Present

Dr. Steven Isoye, Chair of the Board

Staff Present

Dr. Carmen I. Ayala, State Superintendent

Kirsten Parr, Board Services Coordinator

Kim Clarke, Executive Assistant to the State Superintendent

Dr. Brenda Dixon, Research and Evaluation Officer

Carisa Hurley Davis, Director of Early Childhood

Amanda Elliott, Executive Director of Legislative Affairs

Dr. Jason Helfer, Deputy Instructional Education Officer

Krish Mohip, Deputy Operational Education Officer

Christine Paxson, Director of ESSA/IL-EMPOWER

David Turovetz, Director of Charter Schools

Melissa Oller, Operating Officer

Tassi Maton, Internal Audit Officer

Robert Wolfe, Financial Officer

Enkhzul Lee, Director of Federal and State Monitoring

Norma Moore, Supervisor in Early Childhood

Dr. Sean Clayton, Director of Assessment

Irma Snopek, Policy and Communications Officer

Jeremy Duffy, Legal Officer

II. Public Participation

There was no public participation.

III. Approval of the October 6, 2022, Meeting Minutes

Dr. Leak made the motion for the Education Policy Planning Committee to approve the October 6, 2022, meeting minutes. Mr. Guzman seconded the motion, and it passed by a unanimous roll call vote.

IV. Presentation

A. 2022 Illinois Report Card Overview

Dr. Ayala presented the overview.

Dr. Ayala started by highlighting positive gains in college and career readiness, student growth, and the teacher workforce. She also noted increases in chronic absenteeism, a trend which was common in other states. She discussed the use of federal funding for learning renewal efforts, with support provided through direct relief to districts and targeted programming from ISBE.

She shared an overall increase in graduation rates since 2018, driven by significant increases for Black and Hispanic students. Data also showed that ninth graders had rebounded in 2022 after dropping in 2021. Rates of students taking Algebra 1 in eighth grade had improved, but not rebounded to 2019 levels, since 2021. Community college remediation rates dropped in 2022, but enrollment in postsecondary education has continued to decline since 2010, which is aligned with national trends. She discussed affordability as a barrier but noted findings that indicate costs of postsecondary education are compensated by gains in potential future earnings.

She discussed Student Growth Percentile (SGP) measures. With 2019 as a baseline, the average 2022 baseline SGP had recovered from a drop during 2021. Overall accelerated growth in 2022 appears to result directly from investments made at state and local levels. She noted that this acceleration was not uniform across the state and that studying the districts with schools in the higher percentile of growth could prove beneficial to recovery efforts elsewhere.

Participation rates in assessments in 2021 was significantly lower than typical and disproportionately white, so the agency hypothesizes that the reported 2021 proficiency rate is an overestimate. Dr. Ayala said this is one potential reason why 2022 proficiency rates were slightly lower than 2021. She noted that Illinois assessment standards for proficiency are higher than other states. Illinois students’ assessment scores were higher than national averages, which suggested success in learning recovery efforts.

She shared that the overall student attendance rate had decreased to 90.8% in 2022, but noted that gains in student performance persisted despite this. She shared that chronic absenteeism had increased, with 30% of students being chronically absent. Black and Hispanic students had particularly high rates of absenteeism (47.9% and 36.1%, respectively), but all groups had increases.

The total number of teachers had increased overall. Dr. Ayala noted that despite the increase, teacher shortages persisted in underfunded and chronically underfunded schools, specifically for special education and bilingual positions. She shared that initiatives for diversity in recruitment and retention for teaching were underway. She discussed substitute teacher shortages, noting that over 30% of teachers missed 10 or more school days in 2022, a significant increase. She noted ISBE’s changes to licensure requirements for substitute teachers to increase accessibility of those positions. She shared steady gains in teacher retention, and that the average teacher base salary continued to steadily increase.

Dr. Ayala discussed updates to annual summative designations, saying that changes were made to 2022 accountability metrics to account for the impact of the pandemic, and that summative designations in 2022 might not be comparable to previous years. She shared that development of ISBE’s Equity Journey Continuum tool continues. It serves as an informational tool for districts to identify and address equity gaps in their schools.

Chair Morrison said that challenges remained, but there are many positive outcomes to celebrate. She extended appreciation to the superintendent and ISBE staff for facilitating vital programs, and to district teachers and administrators for working hard throughout the pandemic to continue educating students.

Dr. Leak emphasized praise for the efforts of staff in districts. She highlighted the value of digital equity efforts to address growing technology needs in particular. She discussed the value of increased opportunities for engagement with families and being able to help students meet their needs.

Mr. Guzman echoed praise for teachers, highlighting efforts for teacher development and retention from ISBE.

Mr. Guzman asked about the lower enrollment for early childhood programs. Dr. Ayala said it was partially due to decreases in birth rates and population migration to other states. She emphasized the urgency of enrolling children in early learning programs as soon as possible. Mr. Guzman agreed, noting the significance of promoting these opportunities. Dr. Ayala discussed an ISBE campaign for early childhood enrollment.

Dr. Leak asked if a measure for Algebra 1 in eighth grade captured accelerated learners who had taken it earlier. Dr. Dixon confirmed that it did. Dr. Font noted that this was true for My Data Dashboard as well, including for other course enrollment benchmarks.

Dr. Leak discussed proficiency measures and asked if higher standards in Illinois at the elementary level were correlated with higher performance on national-level tests in high school. Staff said they could follow up with information.

Dr. Leak discussed the “Exemplary” status being based on the top 10% and not on a baseline and asked if the exclusivity of the metric was productive to statewide goals in achievement. Dr. Helfer noted that capturing the lowest 5% of schools was set by federal statute, but that the accountability metrics of upper levels were determined by the state and could potentially be revised in future amendments to standards. Chair Morrison said that a standards-based system that is more inclusive of “Exemplary” could be more productive.

Dr. Leak asked about teacher attendance and how much it was affected by attendance exemptions related to COVID-19. Dr. Ayala said staff could follow up on what exactly was included in the exemption.

Dr. Leak asked about disaggregating teacher shortage data by district categories to determine how low-income, high-minority, and rural districts were performing in these areas. Chair Morrison agreed. Dr. Leak discussed the importance of acknowledging shortage concerns in the field.

Dr. Isoye thanked Dr. Ayala for her role in contextualizing the Report Card.

Chair Morrison asked for information about how access to Advanced Placement (AP) and dual enrollment courses looked statewide and asked about performance on AP exams statewide, and staff said they would follow-up.

Dr. Ayala emphasized the common thread of equity in many of the questions asked and the importance of continuing to ensure all Illinois students have access to quality education.

B. Illinois Assessment of Readiness Update

Dr. Clayton presented this update.

He shared an overview of the recommendations from collaboration with the Center for Assessment as the focus for this presentation and noted the current contractual status for Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) content and format.

On Recommendation 4: Accelerate and Improve Assessment Reporting, Dr. Clayton noted that preliminary results for the 2023 IAR would be available 30 days after the final test, and final results would be available 30 days after the preliminary results were released. He noted that long-form answers took longer to assess, and earlier reporting timelines could limit data from these questions. Individual Student Reports provided to schools and parents were changed to help contextualize the results on school and state levels and to better display their academic growth. He shared a video, which is available to parents, that would more clearly communicate the goals of the IAR. He shared that efforts are in place to determine potential room for improvement in the reporting timeline and model.

On Recommendation 6: Explore Strategies to Shorten End of Year (EOY) Test, he highlighted previous efforts that have been made to reduce time for assessments. He said that changes for the 2022 EOY Test would need to have been taken in fall of 2021. He discussed the potential impacts in reducing opportunities for long-form questions, which could reduce the reliability of the test and usefulness for assessing student performance. He said changes could also affect comparisons for SGPs. Dr. Clayton said that ISBE would need to discuss next steps on this recommendation with the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), assessment vendors, and the U.S. Department of Education.

On Recommendation 7: Consider Transitioning to an Adaptive Design, he said that the current contract allows for the possibility to implement this design. He noted that the TAC would need to determine a general assessment design, and math/English language arts subject specialists would need to cultivate content for an adaptive design before implementing this approach.

He concluded by stating that the Assessment Department would continue to work with partners to determine potential avenues for improving assessment.

Chair Morrison thanked Dr. Clayton for the presentation. She noted that ISBE has done surveys on potential recommendations for assessment and that some individuals have expressed that action on concerns presented there had been limited. She asked if there was a written work plan for making changes to the assessment. Dr. Dixon said that changes could be made through specifications in a contract with assessment vendors or implemented sooner if a desired change fell within the realm of a current contract.

Chair Morrison asked if there was a timeline for potential changes, and Dr. Dixon said that the State Assessment Review Committee (SARC) has not yet had a quorum to determine a timeline. Chair Morrison asked what plans were for SARC discussion, and Dr. Dixon said that dates were being determined for an in-depth discussion and determination on the topic.

Staff and committee members discussed the importance of stakeholder engagement, and the urgency for a quorum on SARC.

Mr. Guzman encouraged staff to research the feasibility and expected costs of implementing recommendations, with the hopes that Board members are prepared for action on assessment changes when the time comes.

Dr. Leak emphasized the importance of feedback, encouraging virtual meetings if needed for full SARC participation. She also discussed the value of accelerated assessment reporting for districts with school years ending before the current final date, even if the information provided at that time is not comprehensive of each element of the test. She said that it could inform summer program opportunities for students as well.

Chair Morrison asked for follow-up on any changes to SARC meeting plans.

V. Review of November Board Action Items

A. Approval for Publication – Part 269 (Freedom Schools Grant Program) New Part