LM Feb 2024

improved working conditions that support educator retention by increasing autonomy and adding flexibility to the work experience. “Our young people entering the profession want flexibility in their jobs,” said Dr. Brian Waterman, member of Educator Excellence subcommittee and superintendent of Lyons Twp HSD #204. “Education has very little flexibility within the workday. The corporate environment is much different.” Accountability The Illinois Report Card, school designations and the Illinois Assessment of Readiness were focal points for the Accountability subcommittee. Among the ideas floated were revising the scoring system to differentially weight growth and proficiency based on local context. In addition, the subcommittee discussed revised criteria for high school proficiency to allow for measures of college or career readiness, aligned cut scores that are empirically anchored to national proficiency and growth distributions as well as revising the current designation system. “Our current state accountability system was a step forward in allowing school districts to capture multiple measures of success; however, our model has fallen short,” said Dr. Terri Bresnahan, superintendent of Community Cons SD #59 and Co-Chair of the Accountability Committee. “Now is the time to reform both the required state assessments and how they are used within our accountability system. We envision a model that reflects the true achievement, growth and diverse needs of schools across Illinois.”

One idea that emerged was a repository of best practices, or centralized network, with funding sources, for districts to meet the safety and security facility needs of their students. Another major point of conversation was creating a task force to review mandates, potentially offering schools some relief and increased flexibility. “Competing and compounding mandates that have become costly are hampering the progress of our schools,” said Dr. Griffin, Co-Chair of the Student Success Committee. “There are countless examples of mandates that compete with one another or work for one part of our state but not the other. It’s vitally important that our legislators see the need for flexibility with mandates, so we can do what is in the best interest of the students, staff and community we serve.” Educator Excellence The Educator Excellence Workgroup flushed out priorities aimed at attracting a high quality and diverse educator pipeline; reimagining educator preparation and creating flexible licensure pathway; and improving the educator’s professional experience. Among the tactics floated was flexible licensure pathways for individuals changing careers, a regional framework for Grow Your Own programs, grade band flexibility and

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