Prairie State Wire

Illinois State Board of Education, Education Policy Planning Committee of the Whole met April 16.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

1. Roll Call

Chair Dr. Donna Leak brought the meeting to order at 11:13 a.m. Roll call was taken, and a quorum was present with six members attending in person. Chair Leak, Dr. Patricia Nugent, Dr. Chris Benson, Roger Eddy, Laura Gonzalez, and Dr. Steven Isoye were physically present. Dr. Sherly Chavarria attended via video conference. Dr. James Anderson and Dr. Anna Grassellino were absent. State Superintendent Dr. Tony Sanders was also in attendance.

Chair Leak stated that members would consider the participation via video conference of Dr. Chavarria due to employment purposes. In accordance with the bylaws of the Illinois State Board of Education, the Board may permit a member to participate by other means if they cannot physically attend a meeting because of employment purposes.

Dr. Nugent moved that the State Board of Education permit the participation of Dr. Chavarria via video conference. Dr. Benson seconded the motion, and it passed by a unanimous roll call vote.

Members Present

Chair Dr. Donna Leak

Dr. Chris Benson

Dr. Sherly Chavarria (virtual)

Roger Eddy

Laura Gonzalez

Dr. Steven Isoye

Dr. Patricia Nugent

Members Absent

Dr. James Anderson

Dr. Anna Grassellino

Staff Present

Dr. Tony Sanders, State Superintendent

Jo Ireland, Board Services Coordinator

Kim Clarke, Executive Assistant to the State Superintendent

Kristin Kennedy, Chief Legal Officer

Dr. Kimako Patterson, Chief of Staff

Krish Mohip, Chief Education Officer – Operations

Tassi Maton, Chief Internal Audit Officer

Dr. Matt Seaton, Chief Financial Officer

Edobor Efam, Chief Information Officer

Irma Snopek, Chief Policy and Communications Officer

Ann Whalen, Chief Advisor to Early Childhood Transition

Jason Helfer, Ph.D., Chief Education Officer – Instruction

Kirsten Parr, Standards and Instruction Lead

Dr. Erica Thieman, Director of Standards and Instruction

Emily Fox, Director of Educator Effectiveness

Kim Barnes-Cummins, Director of Wellness

Jennifer Saba, Executive Director of Improvement and Innovation

Melissa Oller, Chief Operating Officer

Nicholas Heckel, Principal Consultant, School/District Improvement

Tom Bazan, Director of Budget and Financial Management

2. Public Participation

There was no public participation.

3. Approval of Minutes: March 12, 2024

Ms. Gonzalez moved that the Education Policy Planning Committee of the Whole approves the March 12, 2024, meeting minutes. Dr. Nugent seconded the motion, and it passed by a unanimous roll call vote.

4. Superintendent’s Consent Agenda – April 17, 2024

Dr. Leak noted that the Consent Agenda items had all been previously discussed.

Dr. Nugent referenced a table of pass rates on the Technology Specialist II content exam and asked if these pass rates could be estimated under the new proposed cut scores. Emily Fox, director of Educator Effectiveness, said that this is possible but cautioned that the test will be very different moving forward. Dr. Nugent noted also that some of the demographic categories have very few individuals.

5. Discussion and Approval

A. Approval for Implementation (Emergency Rules) and Approval for Publication (Proposed Rules) – Part 1 (Public Schools Evaluation, Recognition and Supervision) Epinephrine; Opioid Antagonists; Asthma Medication

Director of Wellness Kim Barnes-Cummins discussed this item.

In response to Dr. Nugent’s question, Ms. Barnes-Cummins clarified that the Emergency Rules would remove the parent opt-out clause from the existing rules. Dr. Leak added that the current rules put schools in a difficult situation when responding to an emergency situation, as they need to check if a student is on the opt-out list before providing emergency intervention. Ms. Barnes-Cummins said that minutes and seconds matter in these situations. Mr. Eddy stated that a compilation of public comment on the rules would be provided, and the rules would need to be approved by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules.

6. Upcoming May Board Action

A. Discussion of Charter School Appeals

Director of Charter Schools David Turovetz discussed this item.

Mr. Eddy asked if the hearing officer has issued a recommendation for Quest Charter Academy yet. Mr. Turovetz said that she has, and that the recommendation is to approve Quest Charter’s appeal. Mr. Eddy asked if this action would make Quest Charter an ISBE charter school. Mr. Turovetz said yes and that ISBE is currently in the process of receiving any exceptions or briefs, which would then be reviewed and presented to the state superintendent. Mr. Eddy asked if the Board would receive a recommendation to vote on at the May meeting. Mr. Turovetz confirmed this.

Mr. Eddy asked if there was any particular theme to the hearing officer’s comments. Mr. Turovetz explained that Peoria’s decision was based largely on the school’s failure to meet certain performance goals. The hearing officer agreed that certain performance goals were not met but thought that some were debatable and that there was confusion between the two parties regarding what was being measured. In order for an appeal to be granted, two questions must be considered: Did the school violate the terms of their charter? And is the school’s continued operation in the best interest of the students? Mr. Turovetz explained that the hearing officer felt that Quest Charter was the only school of choice in the district for Quest students and that the pandemic had complicated academic performance, which is why she recommended that the charter school remain open.

Dr. Leak asked for additional data comparing Quest Charter Academy performance to Peoria public schools in general. Mr. Turovetz said that he would provide that information in a Board update. Dr. Leak asked if they had discussed Quest’s significant decrease in enrollment. Mr. Turovetz said that school district enrollment goes up and down, whereas Quest’s enrollment has been on a decline since before the pandemic. However, he said that this had not been a reason for non-renewal. Mr. Eddy asked if Quest Charter’s finances were adequate. Mr. Turovetz nodded. Dr. Sanders noted that the hearing officer must decide if the decision to non-renew was arbitrary and capricious.

7. Discussion

A. Literacy Plan

Director of Standards and Instruction Dr. Erica Thieman and Standards and Instruction Lead Kirsten Parr gave an update on the rollout of the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan. They explained that ISBE is offering webinars, office hours, FAQs, and a Getting Started Toolkit in an effort to reach out to the field. ISBE also is conducting a literacy landscape survey regarding literacy curriculum, professional learning, and teacher satisfaction with the curriculum. The survey has already had a high response rate, and the goal is to collect solid data to inform professional learning opportunities and guidance for educator preparation programs (EPPs).

Ms. Parr said that the Getting Started Toolkit includes an executive summary, an implementation checklist, templates, fact sheets, reader’s guides for nine different stakeholder groups, graphics explaining the seven components of literacy, and more. Dr. Thieman explained that many of these elements were based on feedback from districts on the types of resources that would be helpful.

ISBE plans to release additional resources in June, including a rubric for districts to evaluate literacy curricula, a template for developing districtwide literacy plans, and additional guidance on evidence-based practices for training and deploying literacy coaches. Dr. Thieman added that these elements are part of the literacy plan mandate. She then outlined the coming phases of the literacy plan rollout, starting with the current phase of awareness and engagement. Next will be data literacy and developing local plans, followed by professional learning on evidence

based instructional practices (mandated to begin in January 2025), and, finally, alignment with educator preparation programs. As of July 2026, there must be alignment between the literacy plan and the content test.

Mr. Eddy asked how much influence ISBE has when it comes to shaping course content at EPPs, noting that there can sometimes be a disconnect between ISBE’s policies and EPP curriculum. Ms. Fox said that, in the past, ISBE has formalized requirements in administrative rules, such as Part 25, and has held sessions with institutions of higher education to discuss expectations. Dr. Thieman explained that, by 2027, ISBE will be required to post subscores for each institution on the literacy section of the content test, which should help encourage program alignment with the literacy plan. Dr. Thieman added that she hopes that ISBE and the EPPs can take a collaborative approach to achieving this. Mr. Eddy agreed, saying that posting subscores publicly will help ensure accountability from EPPs. He referenced past public comment from educators who felt that they had been given very little training on how to teach literacy effectively, stating that this gap needs to be addressed to avoid needing to retrain teachers later on.

Dr. Nugent noted that collaboration between the Standards and Instruction team at ISBE and the EPPs has already begun. Mr. Eddy pointed out that the assessment of instructors is crucial as Illinois also certifies teachers trained at non-Illinois institutions, as well. Dr. Nugent referenced House Bill 4672 and said that it would be good to know how well the Praxis test aligns with Illinois’ reading standards. Dr. Leak added that it is important to consider how to support educators who had non-traditional paths to teaching.

Dr. Leak added that the webinar that the literacy team had provided was exceptional and thanked the team for helping to dispel the myth that the literacy plan was a required literacy program. Dr. Nugent asked if the reader’s guides were already available. Ms. Parr said that they would be posted later that day for districts to download.

B. High-Impact Tutoring

Chief Education Officer of Instruction Jason Helfer, Ph.D., discussed high-impact tutoring. Dr. Leak noted that she had met with her district’s representatives and discussed high-impact tutoring data from Illinois.

Dr. Helfer explained that the Illinois Tutoring Initiative was born out of the 12 priority learning strategies published at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Learning Renewal Guide specified that ISBE partner with five public and two community colleges to ensure that eligible school districts would receive tutors. Currently, there are 58 school districts (encompassing 133 schools) participating in the program, with eligibility determined by funding adequacy. The high-impact tutoring aimed to provide more than just homework help; instead, the goal was to provide regular, small-group meetings where tutors would develop close relationships with their students to help meet students’ academic and social-emotional needs. Tutors also are expected to pass modules on content.

Dr. Helfer explained that funding for the Illinois Tutoring Initiative had come from ESSER II and III funds totaling about $28 million. The estimated cost had been between $2,000 - $3,500 per student, but the actual cost seems to have been closer to $4,500 - $6,000. The program will continue throughout the summer

Dr. Helfer added that the data suggests that there is indeed a relationship between participation in high-impact tutoring and positive performance growth on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness tests and, in particular, on local assessments. However, he cautioned that the sample sizes are fairly small and there is missing data. Nonetheless, it does seem that high-impact tutoring is beneficial to students, and more so than just homework help. He said that more data will become available as the program wraps up.

Dr. Leak underscored the importance of using data effectively to understand the value of the investment in high impact tutoring. She added that she would like local districts to be aware if universities are sharing tutoring data with legislators and to know how the data is being presented. Dr. Helfer noted that Illinois State University is currently advocating for a $10 million state investment to continue the Illinois Tutoring Initiative.

8. New Business: Items for the Next Agenda

There was no new business.

9. Next Meeting: May 14, 2024

10. Adjourn

Mr. Eddy made a motion to adjourn. Dr. Isoye seconded the motion, and it passed by a unanimous roll call vote. Chair Leak adjourned the Education Policy Planning Committee of the Whole meeting at 12:16 p.m.

https://www.isbe.net/Documents_Board_Meetings/20240416-EPP-Minutes.pdf