Board of Education

Michelle Lillis, Girls AA Track Coach of the Year

The Board of Education recognized three coaches in the Rock Island-Milan School District who received awards for their outstanding coaching abilities. Rock Island High School Boys Track Coach Ed Lillis and Softball Coach Steve Ebner were inducted into the State of Illinois Coaches Hall of Fame, and Rock Island High School Girls Track Coach Michelle Lillis was selected as Girls AA Track Coach of the Year. “Besides being outstanding coaches, they are excellent in the classroom with students,” said Athletic Director Bob Swanson. “They are teachers on and off the track and field.”

Reports from Board Members
Linda Dothard attended the Science Fair at the Rock Island Center for Math & Science (Audubon Campus). There were many families in attendance and a representative from the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy was there as well. Ms. Dothard also attended the Sankofa performance on Saturday in the Rock Island High School Auditorium. The group did an excellent job and Ms. Dothard recommended that everyone attend their next performance.

Board member Earl Strupp attended the Edison Jr. High School Trivia Night. There are two more schools planning Trivia Nights: Earl Hanson and Ridgewood, both are on Saturday, March 6.

Board member Jim Bishop attended the Boys Sectional Swim meet which was hosted at Rock Island High School on Saturday. “It was an exciting event – standing room only.” Senior Kilian Macias was the sectional champion and state qualifier in the 100 yard freestyle.  The Rocks 200 Free Relay team Austin Beine, Reed Duyvejonck, Charles Holliday, and Kilian Macias took top honrs and will compete at state this weekend.

Board President Bill Cleaver reminded the board that Linda Golden’s Thurgood Marshall class now has the Kenya Water Project bracelets for sale. The money raised will be used

Student Board Member Zavier Clark reported that the Interact Club sponsored a dance on Feb. 12 was a success and made about $300. The money raised will go toward Haiti Earthquake Relief.

Superintendent Report
Superintendent Loy attended a fundraiser last week for the HAVlife Foundation. At the end of the event, HAVlife donated $15,000 to Rock Island-Milan Schools specifically to support junior high level youth programs in memory of Hunter Aaron Vondran. www.havlife.org Mr. Loy also announced that the school district has three Illinois Spotlight Schools this year: Denkmann, Longfellow and Thomas Jefferson. There are nearly 900 school districts and thousands of schools, and RISD 41 had three of 425 schools being honored with the award.

Mr. Loy reported that the State of Illinois just passed HB 2240, and in that bill, the state wants to hear from the citizens of Illinois on how to resolve the budget crisis. There is a two week window of opportunity to send letters to the Governor and have Rock Island & Milan voices heard. “We have a chance to be heard, let’s take them up on their offer.” Visit the web site for more information http://bit.ly/atVYsP >>

Rock Island Education Association Report
Bob Smith, President of the Rock Island Education Association announced that the organization will be participating in a letter writing campaign to support HB 174. Also, on February 27, U.S. representative Phil Hare will be holding an educational roundtable at the Regional Office of Education. The Board of Education is invited to attend.

High School Progress Report on Math Department

Associate Principal Georgia Kouris commended the Math Data Team for working hard over the last year to build rigor and relationships to improve math achievement and success at the high school. The team is made up of Emily Bohling, Ryan Kelly, Susie Stark, Connie Brackney, Jon Catterton, Mike Melody, Shawn Trask, Mike Smith and Julie Woods. Rock Island High School Math Teacher and Data Team Leader Michelle Lillis said the number of math failures peaked at 21.04% in 2006. Last semester (09-10) the number went down to 11.34%. The number of students enrolled in Algebra II has increased (440) which is up from 176 in 07-08. Overall, there are more students taking higher level math courses with fewer failures.

Raising the rigor of the math program has been successful due to many supports in place for students to get help: providing assistance before and after school; setting up Lights on for Learning for math; making required and timely parent contacts; offering all students opportunities for test retakes; K-12 math articulation meetings to smooth transition for students; interactive white boards in math rooms and Math Computer Lab; extra help through intersession and summer school math offerings; and co-teaching in some Algebra I classes to provide additional instructional support. “Students who are struggling get the attention they need.”

The Math Data Team accomplished many of the tasks set last fall: investigated math options for career education students; introduced Applied Mathematics; purchased PLATO skill-building software in Math Computer lab and purchase of classroom sets of TI-84 graphing calculators for all Algebra II students; expanded LOFL Intersession extra help; implemented mandatory 9th grade Algebra I and Math Lab for all students who need the support. The team is still in the process of creating a summer math readiness program for incoming 9th grade students who need support. The curriculum is being written at the moment.

English Language Learners (ELL) Report
Over the last couple of years, the dominant foreign language in the Rock Island-Milan School District was Spanish, however the language diversity has increased to over 22 languages for over 300 students in our school district. Currently there are nine teachers in the district who work with ELL students. The Intermediate Academy has grown in over 16 languages in the last year. At the high school, the program had 17 students in 2003-04. Spanish was the dominant language at the time. This year there are 61 students at Rocky who speak 12 languages such as Karen, Nepali, Swahili and Kirundi. Just in the last year there was an increase of 19 students. With the help of school district translator coordinator Annette Moreno, outside translators are used often to help with parent communications. Trained interpreters help in relaying cultural information and issues to the teachers. The ELL teachers help make connections with social services as well, based on the need of the student and/or family. The Access test, a test to measure proficiency, is given annually to assess students level of knowledge of the English language. This has been a helpful tool given two years ago the State of Illinois determined that elementary students should take the ISAT regardless of English proficiency level.

Articulation and Alignment Report
In the past year, a collaborative committee in the Rock Island-Milan School District has been working on grade-wide building-wide effort to articulate and align the district curriculum. Four areas have been covered through articulation thus far: Social Studies, PE/Family Life/Heath Education, Math and Language Arts. Science articulation and alignment group will start this spring. Ken Jaeke, Director of Instruction and Assessment, gave a brief overview of the alignment strategies, practices and materials that are being used in the district to increase access to the core curriculum across the district. An aligned curriculum for grades 7 & 8 has been rewritten and revised, and administration is working on 9-12 aligned curriculum. A K-12 vocabulary curriculum will soon follow. Connie Snell and Terri Sheddan have provided tremendous professional development support for teachers who in turn are supporting the material for students.

Head Start/SKIP Reports & Location
Mike Russell, Principal of SKIP, is looking forward to the relocation of the program to the Horace Mann building and anticipates being moved in to the facility in early July. The SKIP program will have 6 rooms, EDR will use 2 rooms and Head Start will use 4 rooms and also house support services. Long term planning involves creating Horace Mann into a comprehensive Early Childhood Center program will provide an opportunity for an articulated curriculum, provide an academic and social foundation for students, develop relationships with families and collaborate and assist in transition of students to appropriate kindergarten programs.

Nicole Schlotfeldt, Director of the Head Start program in the Rock Island-Milan School District, reviewed the Head Start Annual Report from 2008-09, highlighting increased levels of competency and development in key areas of language development, literacy, math, science, approaches to learning, social/emotional development, creative arts and physical health.

Currently, Pre-K services 120 students and Head Start services over 300 students. The last year has been a year of growth for the program and educational outcomes has demonstrated significant progress through testing at the Kindergarten level. Head Start attendance has increased to 88% over the last three years.

An important part of the Head Start program is the coordination of health services, and Head Start staff work with the family to establish a medical and dental home for the health of children. Social service staff are able to work one-on-one with families to get people the right assistance. Rock Island Head Start is also involved with the national “I am Learning I am Moving” assessment – a curriculum for preventing childhood obesity. Rock Island is the only program in the nation that is being assessed and documenting the results for the national Head Start association.

The proposed budget for 2010-11 is $2,266,959 (used for program operations) and then $30,357 (for training tech assistance). The funds are provided at the federal level.

The August 25 Board of Education started their regular meeting with an update from board members. Linda Dothard, Earl Strupp and Jerry Tutskey attended the Eugene Field Ribbon Cutting event last Thursday, August 20. They commended Principal Weiss and his staff at Eugene Field for their hard work and dedication to the students during their year of construction. Board member Dr. Jim Bishop attended Parent nights at Eugene Field and Rock Island High School in the same week. He was very impressed with the enthusiastic high school staff and feel that this year’s incoming freshman students were off to a good start.

Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Loy started off his report with an update of the 10-day school district enrollment figures. Last year the downward trend came to a halt and evened out with the same figures as in 2007. This year, enrollment is up by 100 students. In the previous years prior to 2007, the district lost about 100 students on average. Class sizes have seen a slight increase and hover around the mid to upper 20’s, with a few classrooms at 30-32 students. The school district also went up another point to 64% low income over the previous year.

The school district won an award from the Women in Construction organization for the Rock Island High School stadium renovation. Construction Manager Ben Hott, Associate Superintendent Mike Oberhaus and Superintendent Rick Loy accepted the award on behalf of the district.

The Illinois Quad City Chamber of Commerce awarded Rock Island High School with a DCEO Workforce Investment Plan grant in the amount of $14,990.00 to purchase a CNC machine for the Modular Technology Lab.

Important Dates: Thomas Jefferson Elementary will be holding their Ribbon Cutting ceremony for the completion of construction work on the cafeteria next Thursday, September 3 at 4:30 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend. The State of Schools address has been set for Tuesday, September 8. There will be two presentations: the first at the joint Kiwanis/Rotary meeting at noon and then again at the Rock Island High School Library at 5:00 p.m. The Rock Island Milan Education Foundation will also present the Rock Island Legends and Founders Circle awards at that time.

“Ready…Set…Go” Kindergarten Parties Report
Started in the summer of 2008, the “Ready…Set…Go to Kindergarten” Parties has been well received by parents and their children who were entering Kindergarten in the fall.  Sheila Sheer, Title I Parent Involvement Coordinator, started the collaboration with Head Start to help children with the transition to Kindergarten. In 2009, they included 1st grade and invited those incoming students to the events.

Three sessions of parties were held over the summer at the Rock Island Public Library (main branch & southwest branch) and the First Baptist Church in Rock Island. The parents were very receptive to the activities as much as the children. Children went home with books and learning materials. A total of 96 families participated. Ms. Sheer will continue to coordinate the parties next summer and have asked retired teachers from the school district to get involved as well.

Scorecard Update: Graduation and Promotion Rate
The Rock Island High School Graduation Rate fell slightly to 82.40% for the 2008-2009 year, less than a point difference from the previous year. The 82.40% falls slightly below the State of Illinois graduation rate. Principal Robert Mason reported that the high school is taking a two-pronged approach to improving the graduation rate for this year by focusing on culture/climate and curriculum improvements. The student promotion rate exceeded expectations by growing to 98.60%. Basic practices such as frequent review of student progress and intervention plans in place will ensure a steady promotion rate while focusing on increasing the graduation rate over time.

Secondary Math Achievement Report
Even with the decline in school district enrollment population over the years, more students are taking math and there are less failures in math at Rock Island High School. Michelle Lillis, Rock Island High School Teacher and Math Department Chair, shared 10 year Trend Data outlining student performance by number of failure grades over a period of two semesters. The highest failure rate occurred in 2002 at 23.5%. Last year, out of 2614 grades there were 400 failures listed, which came in at a rate of 15.3%. The total number of students participating in AP Calculus at Rock Island High School has increased, and even the minimum participation for other classes has doubled.

In addition, the state education requirements have changed exponentially over the years. The State of Illinois set an increase in math state standards that require freshmen to obtain 3 years of math to graduate and must include Algebra I and Geometry. By 2013 Rock Island High School graduates will have completed a minimum of Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry.

To increase math articulation across the district, last year a committee focused on developing a Math Articulation curriculum for PreK – 12. The first task at hand was to build a “math vocabulary” that would provide a common ground for teachers to use as a basis for learning.  Grades 7-12 are completed and the PreK – 6 is in development.

Other items:

• The board approved an overnight field trip request for RIHS Student Council students to attend the State Convention in Springfield, IL May 6-8, 2010.
• Approved an overnight field trip request for RIHS Natural Helpers to attend the annual retureat at Camp Milan, Sept. 4, 2009.
• Approved the annual renewal of software used by the school libraries to manage materials.
• Approved Intercom Systems Upgrade at Primary Academy, Eugene Field and Longfellow.
• Approved contracts for services and transportation for the Lights on For Learning (LOFL) program at Primary and Intermediate Academies.

The Board of Education presented Certificates of Recognition at the regular meeting on Tuesday, June 9, to the Rock Island High School Boys’ Track Athletes who recently competed at the IHSA State Track Meet. The team placed fifth place overall: Derrick Ellis, Jerraco Johnson, Victor Jones, Jerrico Johnson, Julian Mayfield, Ben Sparkman, Marcus Gaffney, Aubrey Barnes and Topher Leiby were congratulated by Superintendent Rick Loy and Board President Bill Cleaver. Head Coach Ed Lillis commended all of the individuals for their dedication and credits their hard work ethic for the teams’ success.

Superintendent Loy also recognized education students from Augustana College in the audience. They had spent time with the Board of Education before the meeting to learn more about the function of the board in the school district and more about the individual members.

Superintendent Loy and the Rock Island School District were recognized at the Illinois Quad City Chamber Annual State of the Community address for being committed to the progress of the Career Development program at Rock Island High School. Mr. Loy acknowledged the help from the IL QC Chamber and thanked them for their tireless support of the Career Development program and the school district. Because of a grant that was secured by Paul Rumler, Vice President of the Chamber, the district was able to purchase needed equipment for the Modular Lab program at Rock Island High School which is a crucial component to the Career Development program.

Many of the board members attended the commencement ceremonies at Rock Island High School on Sunday, June 7. Nearly 300 seniors crossed the Fieldhouse floor to receive their diplomas. Board President Bill Cleaver addressed the students and wished them all the best in future.

New Trailblazer Math Textbook Series

The school district curriculum department gave an overview of the new elementary Math program that will be piloted this fall at Earl Hanson, Ridgewood and Rock Island Center for Math and Science. Select classrooms at other schools will also be participating. The Math Trailblazers curriculum differs from the current practices by teaching students math concepts instead of repetitive math problems. The emphasis is on strategy and quality to improve student’s mathematical literacy. The program has a daily review component as well as ongoing assessments to make sure students are on the right track toward learning math facts. “It’s difficult for children to learn math with plus signs and minus signs,” says longtime teacher and Best Practices Facilitator Carol Loy. “They will have a better understanding through the use of concepts, logic and strategic thinking that Math Trailblazers has to offer.”

There will be parental support offerings for the new curriculum through the Math Trailblazers online textbook and also other programs with the Parental Involvement Coordinator for the school district.

Rock Island High School Counselor Update

Rock Island High School Counselors Farrah Anderson and Sterling Kingery gave an overview of their activity, processes and documentation used to work with students throughout their high school career. Communication with students starts at the Junior High level and courses are discussed as well as what is expected at the high school level. Counselors also have access to the student’s Career Cruising portfolio and have information to match up interests with the pathways that segue into the Career Development program.

Counselors meet with their respective students each fall a few weeks after the school year begins. They review credits and any classes that are needed. As soon as students sign up for classes for the next school year, parents are sent a letter to inform student’s credit status and any classes that are needed to graduate. Parent oriented events such as Freshman Orientation night, Senior Parent Night and Course Description Night help parents become involved in their child’s high school career. Board member Dave Rockwell suggested sending a letter to parents early in the student’s senior year to let them know of progress and to assess credit situation and see if they are on track to graduate.

School Within a School (SWS)

The School-Within-a-School (SWS) is an alternative academic setting at Rock Island High School. Students who failed in the traditional classroom setting receive individualized instruction through the use of Plato,  a comprehensive online curriculum. Academic modifications can be made to meet the needs of students based on their learning style and ability. Currently, Plato has close to 50 course offerings and has the ability to custom build courses to match curriculum teachings.

The SWS has helped prevent drop outs and has also helped students stay on track for graduation. Instructor Andrew Hains has also seen an improvement in attendance and behavior of many students. “The program has been very self-motivating for the students,” said Hains.

Building Excellence Update

Associate Superintendent Mike Oberhaus updated the board on Building Excellence projects. Read the update at the construction blog >> 

Other Items:

• The board approved the Air Force Jr. ROTC Cadet Marksmanship extracurricular student activity club at Rock Island High School. The club will operate as any other club and equipment. facilities and practices will be off site. Cadets will be able to participate in marksmanship activities so long as they are in good standing in the AFJROTC program.
• The board reviewed another set of policies with recommended changes from the Illinois Association of School Boards. Many of the changes recommended are already in effect by the school district. Two policies, 5:185 and 5:310 will be reported on at a later date.