Aurora West Unit School District 129 Board of Education
Aurora West Unit School District 129 Board of Education met Monday, March 13.
West Aurora School District 129 is located at 80 S. River St., Aurora.
West Aurora School District 129 Board of Education
Open Session Meeting for Monday, March 13, 2017
MEETING MINUTES
Note for the file: These minutes do not reflect the sequence for voting which, at the Board Meeting, is rotated in accordance with Board Policy 2:220.
Board Members Present:
Robert Gonzalez, Allyson Herget, Neal Ormond, Valerie Brown Dykstra, Ira Lathan
Board Members Absent:
Amie Thompson & Robert Patterson
Board Secretary:
Joy Engfer
Administration present:
Dr. Jeff Craig – Superintendent, Dr. Brent Raby – Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning, Angie Smith – Assistant Superintendent of Operations, and Dr. Michael Smith – Executive Director of Human Resources
Meeting called to order at 6:08 PM.
1. Opening Items
Procedural: 1.1 Call to Order
Robert Gonzalez, Board President, called the meeting to order and asked the secretary to call the roll.
Procedural: 1.2 Roll Call
Upon the roll call, all members of the Board were present except Ira Lathan, Amie Thompson, and Robert Patterson. Ira Lathan joined the meeting at 6:18 pm.
Procedural: 1.3 Pledge of Allegiance
Robert Gonzalez, Board President, led the pledge of allegiance.
2. Recognitions
Recognition: 2.1 Recognition of Visitors
The following members of the audience wished to have their presence recognized, Board Candidate, Joe Grisson, Chris Sparks, and Rich Kerns, and AEA-W.
Procedural: 2.2 Public Comment: Identification of Audience wishing to address the Board
There were no members of the audience that wished to address the Board.
3. Information
Information: 3.1 Academic Programming
Dr. Brent Raby, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning, addressed the Board regarding academic programming. The purpose was to talk about where we are in our academic programming and some of the current initiatives. Dr. Raby wanted to enlighten the Board on a good overall picture of West Aurora. Currently, as a state, there is not a clear path in regards to academics. In 2001, the state created "No Child Left Behind". In 2015, the "Student Success Act" was created. The Every Student Succeeds Act, is a federal government legislation and Illinois has taken an approach to find a balance that is not so standardize test heavy. Under Illinois' current plan, all high school juniors will take the SAT. Academic attainment was also built into to ESSA. Dr. Raby then outlined how the ACCESS Test fits into the ESSA model. This is an English Language Proficiency test. Maria Lozano, Assistant Director of English Language Learners, assisted in any questions that the Board asked. The ACCESS test results do not come out until late spring which hinders student placement and teacher assignments for the next year. Dr. Raby then went through the potential pathways to be considered college and career ready. Each pathway outlined the benchmarks and indicators that would lead a student to be college and career ready. The two categories of indicators are academic and career. Some of the career indicators include attendance, community service, and industry credentials. Some of the academic indicators include advanced placement exams, dual credit courses, and ACT/SAT scores. When looking at the four pathways, Dr. Raby went through the percentages of our West Aurora students that qualified for each. These educating estimates show us that we are not in horrible shape, and shows us areas that need improvement. The presentation then began to outline efforts at the District level to improve education and all student requirements. At the District level, improvements that have been made include the introduction of curriculum coordinators, West Aurora University, teacher leadership micro credentialing, restructured school improvement processes, technology pilots, and student growth targets. The next portion outlined efforts that are being done specifically at the high school level. The District is in the process of building our own CTE center that would really enhance opportunities for our students. There have been lots of restructured supports such as the high school library, restructured curriculum, and advance placement course choices. The next segment featured the efforts at the middle school level. The largest effort going on is the middle school program restructuring. The PLC format has also been restructured. At the elementary level, a large focus is on the pre-k programs throughout the District. Dr. Raby then went through all of the specialized programs that are offered at each building. There was then a review on efforts in the special education department. The SPED department began with a program review of all self-contained programs. They have also enhanced the co-teaching model so that it works better in the classroom. Next, Dr. Raby discussed the efforts of the English Language Learners program. The District has done a good job of creating ESL cohorts where teachers can become ESL certified and receive incentives. The Board asked questions that came up, throughout the presentation. The presentation can be found on BoardDocs.
4. Adjournment
Action, Procedural: 4.1 Adjourn
A motion was made by Mrs. Valerie Brown Dykstra, second by Mrs. Allyson Herget to Adjourn.
Final Resolution: Motion Carries (5-0)
Yea: Mr. Robert Gonzalez, Mrs. Allyson Herget, Mr. Neal Ormond, Mrs. Valerie Brown Dykstra, and Mr. Ira Lathan
Meeting adjourned at 7:38 PM
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