District 15 more than doubles the number of these powerful instructional devices available to its students and teachers

Two years ago, two District 15 schools -- Virginia Lake and Jane Addams Schools -- met the grant criteria for the Illinois State Board of Education's (ISBE) Children's Low-cost Laptop Program and were selected to receive an iPad for each of their students in Grades 3 to 6. That grant made almost 900 iPads available to support teaching and learning for the staff and students in those schools.

At the same time, it provided the District with an invaluable opportunity to examine and develop best practices for use of mobile technologies on a smaller, more manageable scale, which, in turn, helped the District determine the best way to incorporate more iPads into its instruction.

Since the District received this grant, the number of these devices deployed throughout all 20 of the District's schools had grown tremendously. As of last spring, there were about 2,000 iPads being used for instructional purposes in District 15 classrooms. This year, that number will more than double because, over the past two years, the District has realized the "powerful instructional impact they have in the classroom," said James Garwood, Ed.D., deputy superintendent of schools.

"The iPads offer a lower-cost solution to putting more instructional learning tools into the hands of children at the primary point of learning -- in the classroom," he said.

That is why the District's updated technology plan calls for funding originally allocated to refresh the District's supply of laptop computers this year to instead be used to put more iPads in the hands of more students.

"What we saw at Jane Addams and Virginia Lake was that the desktop and laptop computers in that building were used much less than they had been before because the mobile technology was available right there in the classroom for the students to use," said Dr. Garwood. "It turns on immediately. It is much more accessible."

"So what we saw in our District, in surrounding districts, and all across the country was that desktop and laptop computers were slowly becoming a smaller niche of technology in the educational environment as more schools moved toward tablet technology," he added. "We thought that was the wise direction for us to go, and we also thought that was the fiscally responsible direction for us to go because we weren't changing the amount we were spending under the updated technology plan, we were merely changing our direction as to how we were going to spend that money."

To be clear, that plan doesn't call for the District to implement a one-to-one iPad program at any point in the foreseeable future.

"It was rare that you would walk into a classroom in one of our two one-to-one environment schools and see every single kid using their iPad at the same time," said Dr. Garwood.  

"What we saw that was very pleasing -- and I think very effective -- was our teachers seamlessly integrating iPads into their instruction along with a variety of other resources. So some students would be using iPads to help with their learning while other students would be using books or other materials."

That is the aim of the District's new plan -- to outfit its schools with enough iPads to provide them with flexibility in the way they use their technology.

For instance, students will soon be able to use iPads to take their computerized Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) tests, as well as the soon-to-be-implemented, technology-dependent Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessments. So increasing the number of iPads available to each school will actually free up their existing computer labs, which, at certain times of the year, simply aren't available for students and teachers to use for everyday classroom instruction because MAP tests are being administered in them.

"We don't want to have our technology so tied up in testing that it's not there for instructional purposes for our students, too," said Dr. Garwood. "So we needed to increase that technology to be able to test our students."

Under the updated plan, the District has entered into a three-year, $1.6 million lease agreement with Apple, Inc. for the purchase of 3,000 iPad 4 tablets. The agreement allows the District to sell back the units at the end of the lease's second year, and to use those funds to enter into a new agreement should the District feel the need to upgrade prior to the end of the lease. If the District does not sell back the units and decides to pay for the third year of the agreement, the units become the property of the District.

"What we're looking at with this decision is, when you look at the new Common Core Standards, there is a growing emphasis in schools on kids learning 21st century skills," said Dr. Garwood. "While not all 21st century skills are related to technology, a good deal of them are, and iPads are a great avenue toward the acquisition of 21st century skills, so we felt pretty strongly that we needed to be looking at these kinds of things if we wanted to provide the best for our kids and remain competitive as a school district in providing a high quality education."

The 'Driving Force'

How STEM education initiatives can prepare students for a future in which invention, innovation, and industry flourish

In the waning days of summer -- just five days before the start of the new school year -- Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Representative for Illinois' 8th Congressional District, invited her constituents to join her at Carl Sandburg Junior High for a panel discussion on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) instruction led by a group of local educators, manufacturers, and community-based organizations.

When that discussion convened, representatives from the Girl Scouts, Motorola Solutions, Northrup Grumman, Northwestern University, Harper College, Township High School District 211, Schaumburg Township Elementary School District 54, and Community Consolidated School District 15 shared their thoughts on the importance of STEM instruction at every level of the educational system, from elementary school initiatives to ongoing education programs for adults.

"(President Obama) said, 'In order to be globally competitive in the 21st century and build an American economy that is built to last, we must create an environment where invention, innovation, and industry can flourish,'" said Rep. Duckworth during her introductory remarks. "How does STEM education play a role in the future economic prosperity of our country?"

Supply and Demand

There are more than 7,000 manufacturing companies within a 15-mile radius of Harper College. This fall, though, only 22 new students had enrolled in programs at Harper that would help them qualify to apply for any of those companies' job openings, said Bruce Heggeland, Harper College's manufacturing liaison.

"So there's a staggering disparity between supply and demand," he said.

It's the same story throughout the state, noted Rep. Duckworth. Manufacturers all across her congressional District consistently tell her they need a pipeline of workers that are capable of working with advanced technology, and not just people with Ph.D. degrees, but workers with the computer skills needed to operate modern machinery and basically survive in today's technologically-driven job market.

"There are 350,000 unfilled STEM jobs in Illinois, and yet we have a high unemployment rate," she said.

Matt Blakely, Motorola Solutions Foundation director, echoed those sentiments.

"One of the things that we are finding as we look around at the current landscape is that even while STEM careers will be expanding by five percent between now and 2018, a good portion of those careers won't necessarily require advanced degrees in those fields," he said. "About 17 percent of them won't. So there are STEM career opportunities at all different levels."

College and Career Readiness

Indeed, the workforce has become so technically advanced that college- and career-readiness are now one in the same, said Theresa Busch, District 211's assistant superintendent for instruction.

"It is no longer 'those who can, go to college, and those who can't, go to work,'" she said. "It has become more about how we can provide our students opportunities to succeed no matter what their path. How can we get them ready for college success and career success?"

One way District 211 is providing these opportunities is by developing a four-year manufacturing curriculum that provides students with dual credits for the preliminary coursework they need to pursue an associate's degree in manufacturing at Harper College immediately upon graduating from high school. Once in Harper's program, they then have an opportunity to land paid apprenticeships with some of the 70 area companies interested in hiring Harper's manufacturing students as they pursue their degrees.

"This actually builds from the junior high level, where those students are getting the fundamentals in the seventh and eighth grade so that we can take them when they enroll as freshmen and get them in that sequence," said Mrs. Busch.

Here in District 15, students are now learning those fundamentals through the District's new Gateway to Technology STEM program, which is the junior high component of the Project Lead the Way STEM program used in District 211. District 15 launched its STEM program last year, and now offers two semester-long STEM courses -- the initial Design & Modeling class and the new Automation & Robotics course -- at all four of its junior highs.

"We know that STEM education is going to be a driving force well into the future, and preparing students for that future is important to us," said Scott Thompson, Ed.D., District 15's superintendent of schools.

Inspiring Interest, Changing Perceptions

Local partners in industry like Northrup Grumman and Motorola provided vital funding that helped District 15 get its STEM program off the ground, but their involvement extends beyond this initiative, noted Dr. Thompson.

Northrup engineers often visit District 15 schools in an effort to encourage students to think about engineering as a possible avenue for their study and work as they become adults, he said.

Also, Motorola Innovation Generation grants totaling more than $121,000 since 2001 have long funded the District's FIRST LEGO League teams, which compete in regional, state, and national tournaments by building robots out of LEGOS and programming them to accomplish specific maneuvers and tasks related to the theme of the year's challenge.

"These competitions are very exciting," said Dr. Thompson. "Kids love them, and they really get them energized about STEM education."

And that, said Mr. Blakely, is the reason why Motorola focuses its giving primarily on these sorts of STEM programs that provide students with hands-on, inquiry-based or problem-based learning opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math.

"We believe that those kinds of background experiences not only provide them with the hard skills of engineering and design, but also the soft skills of teamwork and presentation and other skills that are necessary in the workplace," he said. "They also inspire students who would not necessarily be interested in these fields."

At the same time that they are engaging students, STEM programs and LEGO teams and the like are also changing parents' perceptions. That also is important, said Rep. Duckworth, because parents often guide their children's career interests based upon their own understanding of the job prospects in certain fields. By encouraging interest in the STEM field, parents can not only help their children find good paying jobs, she said, but strengthen the country's economy by rebuilding America's manufacturing industry.

"A lot of the folks that I have connected with say the same thing: 'We want to change the image of manufacturing among parents so that they do not think it is a dirty industry,'" she said. "So that they will be proud when their children get into industry, whether it is as an engineer or as a technical operator of a piece of machinery."

How to help your child excel under the Common Core

This year, the New Illinois Learning Standards Incorporating the Common Core officially replace the Illinois Learning Standards that were developed in 1997.

What does that mean to you, your children, and their teachers?

For starters, it now means that everybody -- parents, students, and teachers -- should clearly understand what students are expected to learn each year.

The Common Core Standards for math and English/ language arts aim to provide clear, consistent academic benchmarks with "fewer, clearer, and higher" expectations for the skills and knowledge that students should have at the conclusion of each grade level. They are designed to be rigorous and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that young people need for success in college and careers. They will dramatically raise expectations, as all students will be expected to learn at high levels, and their teachers will be expected to provide them the support they need to demonstrate that learning.

Of course, parents are a crucial part of this process, too. To help you provide your child with the support he or she needs to succeed, the National PTA created the Parents Guide to Student Success. These grade-specific guides include key items that children should be learning in English/language arts and math in each grade, activities you can do at home to support their learning, and methods for helping you build stronger relationships with their teachers.

In addition to reviewing these guides and the actual math and English/language arts standards, try a few of the following tips to help your child excel under the new Common Core Standards:

• Help your child hone in on the most important concepts that are being addressed in their homework. Instruction under the Common Core will emphasize quality over quantity and focus on fewer standards so that students can achieve the kind of fluency and depth of understanding they'll need to effectively build upon what they have learned.
• Discuss books, and ask questions about what your kids are reading. Lead by example -- read books yourself, and talk to your child about your favorite titles and authors. Also, when reading with your child or discussing the latest book he or she has brought home, ask in-depth "why" and "how" questions that encourage him or her to analyze and synthesize text. The Common Core will require students to use sourced facts and figures to formulate evidence-based opinions.
• Encourage your child to write and to read nonfiction. The importance of "informational text" and the link between reading and writing are points of emphasis throughout the Common Core, which wants students to read like detectives and write like investigative reporters. Writing a blog or journal and reading news stories, nonfiction titles, and original documents can help your child develop those skills.
• Talk about math. The Common Core emphasizes the development of students' reasoning and problem-solving skills. You can help your child develop these skills by asking them to show you a different way to solve a math problem he or she has already answered, or even by talking to him or her about the many ways you use math every day, such as estimating times and distances, comparing the values of different products, and even calculating a tip at a restaurant.
• Focus on practical skills. The Common Core Standards were designed with the workplace in mind. They will ask students to assume the roles of scientists, historians, researchers, and even teachers, just to name a few. So strive to connect the homework your child is working on to the "real world" by asking how people might use what he or she is learning in their occupations or day-to-day lives.

Found in Translation

Latest Student Performance Monitoring Report outlines progress of District's English Language Learners

During the District 15 Board of Education's June 12 meeting, Mary Zarr, Ed.D., assistant superintendent for curriculum, special services, and school improvement, and Cheryl Wolfel, Ed.D., director of second language programs, presented an update to the District's 2012-13 Student Performance Monitoring Report. The update contained information on the District's ACCESS, MAP, and Logramos assessment results for English Language Learners (ELLs).

ELLs

Roughly one of every five students enrolled in District 15 is classified as an LEP (Limited English Proficient) student, meaning his or her proficiency in English is limited. Across the District, that translates to about 2,400 students whose native language is not English and who qualify for second language services.

As required by the state of Illinois, District 15 provides programs to meet the needs of those students. The purpose is to accelerate English language literacy while valuing each child's social and cultural knowledge. The District provides a Transitional Program of Instruction (TPI) in all schools where there are 19 or fewer students of one language who qualify for services. In addition, a Transitional Bilingual Program (TBE) is provided for 20 or more students in an attendance center who speak the same language and qualify for services. Currently the District offers TBE programs in Spanish, Polish, and Japanese.

"The District is committed to providing a high quality ELL program that validates the native language and culture of a student to ensure linguistic, academic, and social-cultural success in a diverse society," said Dr. Wolfel.

ACCESS

Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State to State -- also known as ACCESS -- is a standards-based, criterion-referenced English language proficiency test designed to measure ELLs' social and academic proficiency in English. ACCESS assesses social and instructional English as well as the language associated with language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies within the school context across the four language domains. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has set the exit criteria from a second language program as attaining a 4.8 composite score and a 4.2 literacy score on the ACCESS test. (According to ISBE, beginning January 1, 2014, the exit scores will be adjusted to reflect a higher score needed to exit a second language program.)

"District 15 adheres to the belief that English literacy is best attained by strengthening literacy in the native language first," said Dr. Wolfel. "So most of our second language students in Grades K-2 are in transitional bilingual education classrooms where they receive their literacy instruction primarily in Spanish."

Consequently, proficiency levels at those grades typically range from about 5 percent in kindergarten to around 22 percent in second grade. ACCESS scores then jump significantly to proficiency levels of about 55 percent in third grade and 48 percent in fourth grade.

"This is because third grade is the first year that many second language students leave their self-contained bilingual classrooms and enter regular education classrooms with support," said Dr. Wolfel. "The increasingly high rate of exits at these grade levels indicates that our second language students are transitioning successfully to the mainstream."

MAP

MAP is the Measures of Academic Progress assessment given in English to all students in Grades 2-8. Spring 2013 results indicate that about 23 percent of the District's ELLs are performing at or above their grade level on the MAP test.

"This figure is actually encouraging because it indicates that roughly a quarter of the District's ELLs are capable of applying the academic concepts they have learned in the District's second language program to content written in English, a language in which they are not yet proficient," noted Dr. Wolfel.

Logramos

Finally, Logramos is an achievement test in Spanish given to the District's primary ELL students in first and second grade. About 93 percent of the program's first graders and 91 percent of its second graders scored at or above grade level in reading, and about 87 percent of its first graders and 84 percent of its second graders did so in math.

"The District's second language program changed to a multiage first- and second-grade classroom configuration this past year, and began using the new Common Core standards for instruction," said Dr. Wolfel. "This change has increased the rigor of instruction and positively impacted the students' native language scores."

What's next?

During the Board's November 13 meeting, the Department of Instruction will present its next Student Performance Monitoring Report -- its 2012-13 Annual Student Achievement Report.

This report is tied to the District's rigorous new Student Performance Targets that call for at least 90 percent of students at every grade level tested to meet or exceed grade-level reading and math standards by 2017. These targets were adopted by the Board of Education in the Spring of 2012, and they represent districtwide progress, are inclusive of all grade levels, and are divided into three categories -- proficiency targets, growth targets, and outcome targets. It is anticipated that the District will begin meeting and exceeding them in about a five- to six-year period. 

Helpful Hounds

District 15's special education program expands its partnership with Rainbow Animal Assisted Therapy

The students or the dogs -- it was difficult to tell which group was happier to make the other's acquaintance when three of Rainbow Animal Assisted Therapy's specially trained therapy dogs and their handlers paid their first visit to a classroom of SEAL (Social, Emotional, Academic Learning) students at Frank C. Whiteley School earlier this month.

Their hour together went by way too fast, allowing just enough time for introductions, hugs and handshakes, and a round of doggie treat hide-and-seek before the furry, four-legged therapists had to make their way to Whiteley's AIME (Alternate Instruction for Meaningful Education) classes.

Rainbow's therapy dogs and their volunteer handlers have been making monthly visits to AIME classes in the District for several years now. This year, though, the District is gradually expanding that partnership in order to allow special needs students in a wider variety of classroom settings to experience the benefits of interacting with these animals.

Rainbow Animal Assisted Therapy is a not-for-profit volunteer organization with more than 200 trained, registered therapy dogs that help people, especially children and those with special needs, improve their health, activities of daily living, and quality of life. Each Rainbow program is a goal-directed intervention and is designed to provide motivation and meet specific needs.

That means the Rainbow therapy dogs aren't simply visiting students as a special treat intended to brighten their day.

Rather, they are playing an important role in each special needs student's physical, social, and emotional therapy activities. With these animals by their sides, students participating in these therapy sessions work on and achieve growth and development of their classroom goals. Working as a team, the students, their teachers, the therapy dogs, and their handlers target skills to develop through interactions with the animals in a variety of activities. The abilities that these therapy sessions can address range from motor, visual, and verbal skills to daily living skills, behavior management skills, body image and social skills, and cognitive, memory, and attention skills. They even help students develop confidence and a sense of responsibility.

Although Whiteley's SEAL students were just getting to know these dogs, many of the AIME students have already developed relationships with them and are excited to participate in these sorts of therapy activities.

The kindergartners in Michelle Scott's AIME class look forward to each of the animals' visits.

"The program is incredibly valuable to our students," she said. "They focus on the individual and unique needs of our students.  With the help of the dogs, our students learn patience, turn-taking, following directions, and instructional concepts such as counting, colors, vocabulary, and positional words."

Ann Cygnar said the dogs always bring joy and a sense of calm to her first-, second-, and third-grade AIME classroom. 

"The best part about having the dogs come to school is seeing the smiles on everyone's faces as they walk through the hallways," she said. "There is usually one student, though, who is afraid of dogs. We never force them to interact with the dogs, but we do encourage them to express how they are feeling. 'No, thank you' or 'I don't like dogs' are phrases that we practice."

"However, after a few months, those students who were afraid can always be seen joining in on the fun," she added. "The dogs always work their magic!"