The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) released guidance on in-person instruction for summer school Thursday.

Part Two of the Transition Plan Advisory Workgroup’s recommendations for transitioning to in-person instruction provides recommendations for how schools can comply with IDPH health and safety requirements in Phase 3.

Following guidance allowed in Phase 3 of the Restore Illinois plan, under Executive Order 2020-40, limited face-to-face instruction can resume, but schools cannot yet return to pre-pandemic operations. 

Schools must prohibit more than 10 individuals from gathering in one space, require social distancing policies and require the  use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). In person summer school instruction will also require frequent hand washing, symptom and temperature checks before entering the school building, regular sanitization of buildings and equipment and the borrowing and sharing of items. 

Decisions regarding whether to conduct allowable activities during Phase 3 will remain at the discretion of local school authorities, in consultation with local public health departments.

“We are excited and encouraged to see Illinois move into Phase 3 of Governor Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala. “This progress is due in no small part to the dedication of students, teachers, and their families to staying home, social distancing, and wearing face coverings when in public. I am immensely grateful for these efforts and the sacrifices that school communities have made. While Phase 3 allows some in-person small group activities, we must continue to be diligent in following the required safety protocols to keep Illinois on the path to recovery.”

Under Phase 3 guidance schools will also be able to:

• Behind-the-Wheel Instruction — Students may participate in behind-the-wheel instruction. Vehicles must be cleaned and sanitized between each use and only two students and one instructor may be in a vehicle at a time.
• Child Find — Districts may conduct activities pertaining to the legal requirement that schools find all children who have disabilities and who may be entitled to special education services.
• Early Childhood, Special Education, and English Learner Screenings — Schools and districts may conduct in-person early childhood, special education, and English Learner screenings.
• Extended School Year — Districts may offer extended school year services, as appropriate, to students whose Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) require the service.
• Host Summer Camps and Other Programs — Schools and districts may allow buildings to be used for summer camps and other programs sponsored by third parties. Playgrounds may not be used.
• Individualized Education Program Meetings — Districts may conduct IEP meetings for families who have been unable to engage in virtual IEP meetings. These meetings should still be held virtually, to the greatest extent possible.
• Mediation and Due Process Hearings — Mediations and due process hearings may take place in person. However, it is recommended that mediation and due process hearings still be conducted virtually, if all parties agree to do so.
• School Registration — Staff may provide in-person registration for students and families, when necessary. Schools and districts should also provide remote registration opportunities.
• Special Education Evaluations — Districts may conduct evaluations that could not be completed virtually. Evaluations should still be held virtually, to the greatest extent possible.
• Staff Meetings and Professional Development — Districts may convene staff members for any appropriate training, planning, and professional development purposes.
• Summer Meals Distribution — ISBE highly encourages school districts to evaluate the needs of their students and community as they transition into the different phases of opening the state and continue to provide meals through the summer to meet the needs of their communities. The required Summer Food Service trainings can be conducted virtually. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently extended several key flexibilities through Aug. 31, 2020, to allow school districts to continue to provide non-congregate meals to meet the needs of their communities. Further, Public Act 096-0734 requires every public school in which at least 50 percent of the students were eligible for free and reduced-price lunches and has a summer school program must provide a summer breakfast and/or lunch to the students in the summer school and children in that community.
• Summer School — Schools and districts may conduct in-person summer school. Special populations, which may include students with IEPs, English Learners, and students who received incompletes during remote instruction, should receive priority consideration for services.
• Testing Centers — Schools may serve as testing sites for students.

Further guidance from the Transition Plan Advisory Workgroup will be coming on 2020-21 school year activities. 

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The Oakwood School District received a “Commendable” designation on the Illinois Report Card, which was released on Oct. 31.

Each year, the Illinois State Board of Education gives school summative designations based on data provided.

Schools receive Exemplary School, Commendable School, Underperforming School, and Lowest-Performing School designations. 

Oakwood High School, Oakwood Junior High School and Oakwood Elementary received “Commendable” designations. 

With 993 students district-wide, enrollment in the Oakwood School District has held steady for two years, but is down approximately 30 students from 2015. 

The district has 42-percent low-income students, which is 6-percent lower than 2015. 

The report shows that chronic absenteeism, meaning students who miss 10-percent or more of school with or without a valid excuse doubled from 7-percent in 2018 to 14-percent in 2019. 

But chronic truism rates, 5-percent or more of school days per year without a valid excuse, decline. In 2015 4-percent of students were chronically truant and in 2016, 8-percent were. In 2017, 6-percent were chronically truant, then the percentage dropped to 5-percent in 2018 and 4-percent in 2019. 

High School drop-out percentages have held steady at 1-2 percent since 2015. 

A five-year look at 4-year graduation rates showed Oakwood High School losing a bit of steam after a 96-percent 4-year graduation rate in 2018. The 4-year rate in 2017 was 87-percent and the 5-year rate in 2019 was 94-percent.  

Prior to coming into Oakwood High School, eighth-graders at Oakwood Junior High School who pass Algebra I was at 20-percent in 2019. In 2017 and 2018, 25-percent and 17-percent of eighth-graders passed Algebra I.

As a class, 83-percent of freshmen were on track to graduate in 2019. The percentage was at 92-percent in 2018 and 91-percent in 2019 when it had risen from 79-percent in 2016.

Oakwood students see near-state-average scores on their SAT test. In 2017, students received an average score of 486.8 on the English Language Assessment part of the test and a 497 on Math. 

Math scores rose in 2018 with an average of 484.3 as did ELA scores at 480.8. In 2019, Oakwood students scored an average of 474.7  on ELA and 463.5 on Math.

Since graduating in 2019, 58-percent of Oakwood graduates have enrolled within college. That number is steady from 2018 when it was 57-percent. In 2017, the rate was 68 percent and in 2016, the rate was 64 percent.

The district spends roughly $9,300 per student enrolled. According to ISBE’s report, the district spends $9,343 per student at Oakwood High School. Expenditures per student at Oakwood Elementary are at $9,160 per student and $8,779 per student at Oakood Junior High.

The Oakwood School District was designated at a Tier 1 school for Evidence-Based Funding in 2019. At $7,151,834 Evidence-Based Funding Resources, they are at 64-percent capacity to meet the $11,134,482 Adequacy Target. 

Average class size throughout the Oakwood School District has been below the state average since 2015. Currently, the state average is 22-students per class and Oakwood is at 20 students per class on average. 

The Oakwood School District, which has a total of 61 teachers has a student to teacher ratio of 18.1 at the elementary level and 19.1 at the high school level. The state average is 18.1 at the elementary level and 19.1 at the state level.

The teacher retention rate, the 3-year average percentage of teachers returning to work  at Oakwood is at 86-percent, which is up from 71-percent in 2015.  

On average, teachers within the Oakwood School district see a lower salary than their state-wide counterparts. This has held true at least since 2015.

Currently, on average, Oakwood teachers are paid $40,224 per year. The state average is $67,049.

The percentage of teachers who are absent more than 10 days per year fell in 2019. In 2017 and 2018, 85 and 84-percent of teachers had fewer than 10 absences within the school year, but in 2019, 87-percent of teachers missed fewer than 10 days. 

In 2018 and 2019, 100-percent of Oakwood teachers have received Excellent or Proficient designations on their evaluations.

The Oakwood School District is almost in line with the state average of administration to student ratio. The state average of admins to students was 173:1 in 2019 and Oakwood was at 170:1.

Average administrator pay was also below the state average. In 2019, Oakwood administrators made an average of $78,887 whereas the state administrators made an average of $109,592. 

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The Heritage School District received a “Commendable” designation on the Illinois Report Card, which was released on Oct. 30.

Each year, the Illinois State Board of Education gives schools summative designations based on data provided.

Schools receive Exemplary School, Commendable School, Underperforming School, and Lowest-Performing School designations. 

Heritage High School, Heritage Elementary and Junior High School received “Commendable” designations. 

With 449 students district-wide, enrollment in the Heritage School District declined by 30 students in 2019 after gaining approximately 10 students from 2015-2018. 

Grades 6 and 12 saw the increases at 12 and 14, respectively.

The district has 41-percent low-income students. The low-income rate has fluctuated between 36 and 42 percent since 2015.

The report shows that chronic absenteeism, meaning students who miss 10-percent or more of school with or without a valid excuse, decreased by 3 percent from 21-percent in 2018 to 18-percent in 2019. The state average has been 17 and 18-percent in 2018 and 2019. 

But chronic truism rates, 5-percent or more of school days per year without a valid excuse, is rising. In 2015 and 2016, the rate was 2 and 1-percent, respectively. In 2017 and 2018 it was 11-percent and in 2019 it was at 13-percent.

High School drop-out percentages also increased. In 2015-2016 the district reported zero, but in 2017 and 2018, drop-outs were at 1-percent and in 2019 they were reported at 8-percent.

A five-year look at 4-year graduation rates showed Heritage High School losing a bit of steam after a 97-percent 4-year graduation rate in 2018. The 4-year rate in 2017 was 83-percent and the 5-year rate in 2019 was 97-percent.  

As a class, 75-percent of freshmen were on track to graduate in 2019. The percentage was at 83-percent in 2017 and 76-percent in 2018.

Heritage High School students see near-state-average scores on their SAT test. In 2017, students received an average score of 503 on the English Language Assessment (ELA) part of the test and a 472 on Math. 

Math scores in 2018 were an average of 450 as did ELA scores at 494.3. In 2019, Heritage students scored an average of 476 on ELA and 447.5 on Math.

Since graduating in 2019, 61-percent of Heritage graduates have enrolled in college. That number is down from 2018 when it was 78-percent. In 2017, the rate was 60 percent and in 2016, the rate was 71-percent.

The district spends roughly $12,000 per student enrolled. According to ISBE’s report, the district spends $12,708 per student at Heritage High School. Expenditures per student at Heritage Junior High and Elementary are at $11,232 per student.

The Heritage District was designated at a Tier 2 school for Evidence-Based Funding in 2019. At $4,634,504 Evidence-Based Funding Resources, they are at 87-percent capacity to meet the $5,313,550 Adequacy Target. 

Average class size throughout the Heritage District has been below the state average since 2015. With the state average holding steady at 21-23 students per class, overall, Heritage classrooms fluctuate between 11 and 20 students per class.

The Heritage School District, which has a total of 35 teachers has a student to teacher ratio of 15.1 at the elementary level and 14.1 at the high school level. The state average is 18.1 at the elementary level and 19.1 at the state level.

The teacher retention rate, the 3-year average percentage of teachers returning to work at Heritage, remains above the state average, at 89-percent. 

On average, teachers within the Heritage School district see a lower salary than their state-wide counterparts. This has held true at least since 2015.

Currently, on average, Heritage teachers are paid $51,208 per year. The state average is $67,049.

The percentage of teachers who are absent more than 10 days per year rose in 2019. In 2017, 95-percent of teachers had fewer than 10 absences within the school year, but in 2018, 71-percent of teachers missed fewer than 10 days and in 2019 75-percent of teachers missed fewer than 10 days.

In 2017 and 2019, 100-percent of Heritage teachers received Excellent or Proficient designations on their evaluations. 94-percent of teacher received the highest rating in 2018.

The Heritage School District falls behind the state average of administration to student ratio. The state average of admins to students was 173:1 in 2019, but Heritage was at 225:1.

Average administrator pay was closer to the state average, though. In 2019, Heritage administrators made an average of $107,622 whereas the state administrators made an average of $109,592. 

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St. Joseph-Ogden High School was recognized as one of the state’s best last week, according to the Illinois Report Card.

Recognized as an “Exemplary” School, St. Joseph-Ogden joins nearly 11-percent of all schools in the state that receive the top ranking. 

St. Joseph-Ogden moved up from the “Commendable” category from 2018, where about 75-percent of all school fall.

With 457 students, enrollment at SJ-O has held steady since 2015 when the district had 462 students. 

The district has 4.8-percent low-income students, which is the lowest number the high school has seen in the last five years. Since 2015, low-income enrollment has declined steadily from 9-percent. 

The report shows that chronic absenteeism, meaning students who miss 10-percent or more of school with or without a valid excuse, remained the same over the last two years at 9-percent.

Chronic truism rates, 5-percent or more of school days per year without a valid excuse, has also remained low since 2015 at 1 to 0-percent.

High School drop-out percentages increased slightly whereas 0-percent of high school students dropped out in 2015 and 2016, one-percent drop-out in 2017 and 2018 and 2-percent dropped out in 2019. 

A five-year look at 4-year graduation rates showed them holding steady. In 2015, 92-percent of the class graduated within four years, in 2016 it rose to 98-percent and in 2017, 96-percent graduated in four years. The 4-year graduation percentage dropped again in 2017 to 92-percent then finds itself at 96-percent in 2019.

As a class, 94-percent of freshmen were on track to graduate in 2019. The percentage was at 92-percent in 2018.

St. Joseph-Ogden students see above-state-average scores on their SAT test. In 2017, students received an average score of 541.5 on the English Language Assessment (ELA) part of the test and a 556.2 on Math. 

Math scores rose in 2018 with an average of 563.7 as did ELA scores at 546.3. In 2019, SJ-O students scored an average of 538.4 on ELA and 567.5 on Math.

A little more than one-third of the SJ-O student body in grades 11 and 12 have taken college courses for credit and/or AP courses over the last two years.

Since graduating in 2019, 86-percent of Mahomet-Seymour graduates have enrolled in college. That number is up from 2017 and 2018 when it was 72 and 85-percent, respectively. In 2015, 58-percent of SJ-O graduates enrolled in college within 12 months.

The district spends $9,687 per student enrolled. 

The St. Joseph-Ogden School District was designated at a Tier 2 school for Evidence-Based Funding in 2019. At $3,654,661 Evidence-Based Funding Resources, they are at 68-percent capacity to meet the $5,399,381 Adequacy Target. 

Average class size at the high school has been right at, but below the state average, since 2015. In 2019 the state average is 22, and classes at SJ-O on average are at 21.

The Mahomet-Seymour School District, which has a total of 30 teachers has a student to teacher ratio of 17.1 at  high school level. The state average is 19.1.

The teacher retention rate, the 3-year average percentage of teachers returning to work at SJ-O is at 93-percent and has been there since 2017 as it rose from 88-percent in 2015. 

On average, teachers St. Joseph-Ogden High School see a lower salary than their state-wide counterparts. This has held true at least since 2015.

Currently, on average, SJ-O teachers are paid $44,378 per year. The state average is $67,049.

Teacher absences were down in 2019, coming in at 93-percent who miss fewer than 10 days per year. In 2018, the percentage was at 87-percent and in 2017 94-percent.

In 2017 and 2019, 100-percent of SJ-O teachers received Excellent or Proficient designations on their evaluations. 96-percent of teacher received the highest rating in 2018.

SJ-O High School is below the state average of administration to student ratio. The state average of admins to students was 173:1 in 2019, and the ratio is 152:1 at the high school.

Average administrator pay is close to the state average. In 2019, SJ-O administrators made an average of $101,265 whereas the state administrators made an average of $109,592. 

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For the second year in a row, the Prairieview-Ogden School District has been recognized as one of the best in the state by the Illinois State Board of Education, which produces the Illinois Report Card. 

Recognized as an “Exemplary School, Prairieview-Ogden joins nearly 11-percent of all schools in the state that receive the top ranking. 

Prairieview-Ogden Junior High School received the “Exemplary” status while Prairieview-Ogden South Elementary received a “Commendable” designation. Prairieview-Ogden North Elementary did not receive a designation.

With 280 students district-wide, enrollment in the Prairieview-Ogden School District is growing. 

From 2015 to 16, enrollment increased by two students, then held steady in 2017 before gaining another 33 students in 2018. Between 2018 and 2019, the district gained two students.  

Grades 2 has seen an increase of 18 students since 2017 while grades 3 and 6 have also seen increases of 7 and 6 students, respectively. 

The district has 22-percent low-income students, which is near typical. 

The report shows that chronic absenteeism, meaning students who miss 10-percent or more of school with or without a valid excuse, remained the same over the last two years at 3-percent.

Chronic truism rates, 5-percent or more of school days per year without a valid excuse, is also steady at  0-1-percent over 5 years.

The district spends roughly $9,900 per student enrolled. According to ISBE’s report, the district spends $10,557 per student at Prairieview-Ogden Jr. High School, $8,891 per student at Prairieview-Ogden North Elementary and $10,532 at Prairieview-Ogden South Elementary.

The Prairieview-Ogden School District was designated at a Tier 3 school for Evidence-Based Funding in 2019. At $2,570,278 Evidence-Based Funding Resources, they are at 96-percent capacity to meet the $2,674,688 Adequacy Target. 

Average class size throughout the PV-O District has been below the state average since 2015. With the state average holding steady at 21-23 students per class, overall, Prairieview-Ogden classrooms fluctuate between 15 and 17 students per class.

The PV-O School District, which has a total of 20 teachers has a student to teacher ratio of 15.1 at the elementary level. The state average is 18.1 at the elementary level.

The teacher retention rate, the 3-year average percentage of teachers returning to work at Prairiview-Ogden hit an all-time high of 90-percent in 2019. 

On average, teachers within the PV-O school district see a lower salary than their state-wide counterparts. This has held true at least since 2015.

Currently, on average, PV-O teachers are paid $46,978 per year. The state average is $67,049.

The percentage of teachers who are absent more than 10 days per year rose in 2019. In 2018, 90-percent of teachers had fewer than 10 absences within the school year, but in 2019, 86-percent of teachers missed fewer than 10 days. 

In 2018 and 2019, 100-percent of PV-O teachers have received Excellent or Proficient designations on their evaluations.

The Prairieview-OgdenSchool District ranks above the state average of administration to student ratio. The state average of admins to students was 173:1 in 2019, but PV-O’s ratio was 129:1.

Average administrator pay was above the state average. In 2019, PV-O administrators made an average of $117,555 whereas the state administrators made an average of $109,592. 

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St. Joseph CCSD #169 School District received a “Commendable” designation on the Illinois Report Card, which was released on Oct. 30.

Each year, the Illinois State Board of Education gives schools summative designations based on data provided.

Schools receive Exemplary School, Commendable School, Underperforming School, and Lowest-Performing School designations.

St. Joseph Elementary and St. Joseph Junior High School received “Commendable” designations.

With 822 students district-wide, enrollment in the St. Joseph School District has declined by about 70 students over the last five years.

The district has 15-percent low-income students, which is near typical.

The report shows that chronic absenteeism, meaning students who miss 10-percent or more of school with or without a valid excuse, remained the same over the last two years at 8-percent.

Chronic truism rates, 5-percent or more of school days per year without a valid excuse, is also steady at 0-2-percent over 5 years.

The district spends roughly $8,700 per student enrolled. According to ISBE’s report, the district spends $9,237 per student at St. Joseph Jr. High School, $8,348 per student at St. Joseph Elementary.

The St. Joseph School District was designated at a Tier 2 school for Evidence-Based Funding in 2019. At $6,249,542 Evidence-Based Funding Resources, they are at 72-percent capacity to meet the $8,713,911 Adequacy Target.

The St. Joseph School District obtained class sizes below the state average of 22 students per class in 2019 after four years of being above the state average.

The St. Joseph School District, which has a total of 55 teachers has a student to teacher ratio of 18.1, which is right at the state average.

The teacher retention rate, the 3-year average percentage of teachers returning to work at St. Joseph hit an all-time high of 93-percent in 2019.

On average, teachers within the St. Joseph School District receive a lower salary than their state-wide counterparts. This has held true at least since 2015.

Currently, on average, St. Joseph teachers are paid $54,402 per year. The state average is $67,049.

The percentage of teachers who are absent more than 10 days per year rose in 2019. In 2018, 80-percent of teachers had fewer than 10 absences within the school year, but in 2019, 73-percent of teachers missed fewer than 10 days.

In 2018 and 2019, 97-percent of St. Joseph teachers have received Excellent or Proficient designations on their evaluations.

The St. Joseph School District ranks below the state average of administration to student ratio. The state average of admins to students was 173:1 in 2019, but St. Joseph’s ratio was 228:1.

Average administrator pay was above the state average. In 2019, PV-O administrators made an average of $112,244 whereas the state administrators made an average of $109,592.

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