Dear Lily Lake Parent or Guardian,
I am writing to tell you about the state of Illinois’ efforts to comply with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the education accountability law that aims to ensure all students are meeting rigorous academic standards in public schools across our nation. At Lily Lake Grade School and within Central District 301, we strongly support that goal as it aligns with our district’s vision and mission to engage the mind, empower the learner, inspire excellence and influence the world.
As a part of ESSA, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) issues an annual report card for each school in the state annually. Those report cards become public today, October 31, and are posted on the Illinois School Report Card website. The report card includes school demographics and metrics such as attendance, student performance growth and more. With this school report card, the state is releasing new designations based on twenty-six metrics and a process that weighs performance data across the state to create a school index. Lily Lake Grade School has received the “Exemplary” designation in the first year of the new state designations which means Lily Lake students are functioning at the top 10% of students within the state of Illinois. While we are very pleased with this designation, the staff is committed to continuous improvement and work on our school improvement plan which focuses on academic rigor, growth mindset and social emotional growth. In order to maintain the status of “Exemplary” the staff will continue to review our practices, data and ensure we are working to improve student learning for all students through best teaching and learning practices. This work will be done through our school improvement process and in alignment with the overarching goals of the district.
In order to continue to reach an exemplary designation we will need your continued support in making sure students have regular school attendance, ensure your child participates in our state assessments as well as continued support of your child’s academic success by attending parent night, curriculum/literacy night, participating in parent-teacher conferences and through regular communication with your child’s teacher. It is truly through the support of our Lily Lake families and with the support of our dedicated teaching staff, district office administration and support of our school board that Lily Lake students continue their “Tradition of Excellence!”
Thank you in advance for your continued support.
In Partnership with You,
Ms. Jurs,