School District U-46 officials told the Board of Education on Nov. 3 that early indicators for the 2025 school report card show progress in attendance and graduation measures but continuing gaps in proficiency under the Illinois State Board of Education's updated cut scores.

Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Brian Tennyson said the district is seeing ‘‘continued progress toward decreasing the amount of chronic absenteeism,’’ noting chronic absenteeism fell from roughly 38.3% last year to 24.2% as of Oct. 22. He told the board that under the state's new proficiency cut scores U-46's overall percent meeting proficiency is lower than under prior benchmarks even though the district recorded year-over-year growth in several assessments.

Tennyson emphasized growth metrics and early-year baselines, saying the district is at 43% proficiency on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) under the new cut scores and that IAR math proficiency rose to about 31.5% (a roughly 9.8 percentage-point increase). He also said district ACT/ELA readiness benchmarks were 41.7% and ACT math readiness 27.8%, and that four-year graduation remained at 87.3%.

Why it matters: district leaders said the data show both areas of progress and serious gaps that will guide curriculum and staffing decisions this year. Lela Maestroovich, deputy superintendent of instruction, said the district is using I-Ready and other baselines to target instruction and that early elementary students are showing stronger foundational skills while later grades still show pandemic-era gaps.

Key details from the presentation:
- Attendance and engagement: Deputy Superintendent Lela Maestroovich said chronic absenteeism for the year-to-date is 24.2%, down from 38.3% at the same point last year, and administrators credited outreach efforts including the Every Minute Matters campaign. Maestroovich also said bullying referrals and repeat suspensions have declined.
- Growth measures: Director of Assessment and Accountability Matt Ramondi explained Illinois's summative designation system (exemplary, commendable, targeted, comprehensive, intensive). He said schools remain in a designation for four years; Prairie View earned exemplary status this cycle and the district had 39 commendable schools and several targeted schools. No schools were identified as comprehensive or intensive in this cycle.
- Advanced coursework and college outcomes: Tennyson reported historic highs for AP participation and unique students earning scores of 3 or higher, and record Seal of Biliteracy results. Immediate postsecondary enrollment showed about 52% of graduates enrolling directly after high school; longer-term cohort analysis shows 50.5% of a cohort have graduated college or remain enrolled.
- Early-grade monitoring: the district is tracking kindergarten letter-sound identification, I-Ready reading and math in grades 1–2, and diagnostic tools in English and Spanish to monitor biliteracy and foundational skills.

Board questions and follow-up requests: Board members asked whether the jump comparing SAT to ACT benchmarks reflects true growth or changed cut scores; Tennyson said the tests differ and the state's reset of benchmarks influences comparability and that the state is using a minimum multi-year contract (three to five years) for the ACT. Members also pressed for details on evaluating curriculum materials (elementary math resources) and whether U-46 will move away from the Eureka program; Tennyson said teachers have expressed discomfort with Eureka and the district is considering a different elementary math resource later this year.

The board requested additional breakdowns and follow-up memos (for example, IAR proficiency by disability category/IEP eligibility and comparative I-Ready norms by grade and region). Staff said they will provide more detailed comparisons and mid-year updates when formative-platform data roll out in January.

No formal board action was taken on curriculum or program adoption during the meeting; the presentation was informational and staff noted next steps for schools identified as targeted (needs-assessment using the Illinois Quality Framework, school improvement plans, and grant-support planning).

Speakers quoted or cited in this report appear in the board transcript and were identified at the meeting: Brian Tennyson, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning; Matt Ramondi, director of assessment and accountability; Lela Maestroovich, deputy superintendent of instruction; and various board members who asked questions.