Urbana Equity Action Plan

The EAP is an accountability framework to identify, measure and sustain actions to advance equity. It is a collaborative process developed with district stakeholders and relies on a systemic commitment to best serve all students.

To ensure a systemic and continuous development toward advancing equity within all policies, processes, procedures, initiatives, decision-making and fiscal responsibilities.

To intentionally embed equity-driven pedagogy in curriculum, resources, instructional approaches, use

& consideration of assessments, & academic programming for the purpose of advancing equity among all students.

To consistently seek students' feedback and experiences on organizational culture and climate.

To provide a continuum of professional learning and growth opportunities for all staff in pursuit of educational equity.

To partner with families and the community for authentic opportunities to serve the students, the

school, and district.

Objectives

1.1 Create effective classroom and building-wide systems to increase safety and positive culture and climate

• Measurement/Indicator - Decrease the 4.9 disproportionality rate of exclusionary practices. This was updated in February to align with our district discipline plan submitted to ISBE for our disproportionality rate being in the top 20% of the state.

1.2 Develop a communication plan that informs all stakeholders of the objectives and the EAP progress on a regular and consistent basis.

• Measurement/Indicator -Stakeholders will be informed of EAP goals progress on a quarterly basis at minimum via various platforms (website, social media, email, etc.)

🌟Q: As you reflect on the progress made toward equity goals so far, what specific successes or challenges have stood out, and how do these insights shape your next steps in advancing systemic change

🌟A: The work around discipline systems has built better consistent practices with discipline decisions. The challenges with our group are deciding what other systems we need to implement and looking forward to how the systems team can incorporate some of the strategic planning goals. We hope to see a decrease in disproportionality for next year. Strengthening the expectations of our discipline documents and online systems.

Objectives

2.1 All teachers at the elementary and secondary level will implement solely the District adopted core curriculum for reading and math for Tier 1 instruction.

• Measurement/Indicator - 2.1a District created Learning Walks tool for reading and math (elementary and secondary level) 2.1b Data from Learning Walks (review every 6 weeks) 2.1c Reading and Math MAP Growth from Fall to Spring

2.2 Ensure consistent, reliable, and concise data sharing systems to identify students in reading and math who need additional targeted instruction.

• Measurement/Indicator - 2.2a Progress monitoring scores for reading and math , 2.2b Elementary mClass Dibels for Reading, Aimsweb Plus for Math, 2.2c Secondary: Read 180 data for reading, Aimsweb Plus for Math

🌟Q: As you reflect on the progress made toward equity goals so far, what specific successes or challenges have stood out, and how do these insights shape your next steps in advancing systemic change

🌟A: Strengthening Tier 1 for Reading and Math. We’ve made good progress with ELA using the curriculum. We need to push our efforts in Math. I’m working on how we support buildings next year, PD training, and continue at Elem and secondary how to strengthen Tier 1. The CKLA coaches and CITs have been very beneficial. We need to start being more data driven in our instructional decisions and practices by looking at assessments and backwards designing our instruction to ensure students are meeting the standard. We will continue the ELA coaching for both levels and will add an additional PLC coaching in Math for middle school.

Objectives

3.1 Providing spaces for student voices to be heard in order to create more positive culture and climates that celebrate and empower students. 3.1A UMS will use diverse advisory leadership groups in order to create a more positive culture and climate for students and seek student feedback. 3.1B UHS will create a structure and purpose for the UHS student led committees (student council, 1 equity committees, student ambassadors) to seek student feedback and build connection and collaboration across the committees

• Measurement/Indicator - Established student committees at UMS and UHS that seek student feedback

3.2 Create a mentoring structure that will foster community building and sense of belonging for African American students in 5th and 6th grade.

• Measurement/Indicator - 80% of tasks will be completed

🌟Q: As you reflect on the progress made toward equity goals so far, what specific successes or challenges have stood out, and how do these insights shape your next steps in advancing systemic change

🌟A:In the fall, I emphasized that mentoring during the school day and in afterschool settings for our priority group students at UMS was a critical focus area. I am pleased to share that, in collaboration with Jorge Elvir Jr and Domesha Nunn, we successfully launched an afterschool program that meets twice weekly for 6th and 7th grade priority group students. The groups, Manifest and Deity, attend these sessions where they engage in targeted social-emotional learning (SEL) instruction, receive peer mentoring from high school students, and are provided with a safe and supportive space to express their authentic selves. This initiative has been instrumental in fostering meaningful relationships and promoting a sense of belonging among our students.

Objectives

4.1 Provide professional learning opportunities for all staff that support district equity and curriculum initiatives.

• Measurement/Indicator - Review district level walkthrough data every 6-8 weeks in order to intentionally plan professional learning opportunities at buildings, districtwide or with administrators to increase student learning outcomes and the development of staff and administrators

🌟Q: As you reflect on the progress made toward equity goals so far, what specific successes or challenges have stood out, and how do these insights shape your next steps in advancing systemic change

🌟A:The Professional Learning strand met our goal for this year- bringing a variety of linguistic and cultural facilitators for Fall Institute. For the next school year, it will be imperative for the School Improvement Leadership Teams to plan professional development for the entire staff. Each school's School Improvement Leadership Team will need to collaboratively brianstorm on ways to engage the entire staff in intentional opportunities according to their needs and roles within the buildings.

Objectives

5.1 Foster welcoming and inclusive environments across the district

• Measurement/Indicator - 80% of tasks aligned to the objective are completed

🌟Q: As you reflect on the progress made toward equity goals so far, what specific successes or challenges have stood out, and how do these insights shape your next steps in advancing systemic change

🌟A: A key success of the Family and Community as Agency strand is the positive impact family liaisons have in addressing the diverse needs of our families. To build on this success, it is crucial to establish more consistent and effective communication strategies across the district. Some families have shared various communication methods within schools and across buildings, we need to streamline these approaches to ensure consistent communication districtwide. To further strengthen family engagement, we should organize family engagement roadshows at the beginning of each school year to discuss best practices for family engagement and how to navigate a range of conversations with families.

The primary focus of the Affinity Groups is to help advance and support diversity and inclusion goals throughout the district and to assist the district with the recruitment, retention, and development of all its employees. Strong affinity groups that promote, celebrate, and empower the various identities of our employees are at the core of ensuring an environment where all are valued, included, and empowered to succeed.

This event in February collaborated to create engagement goals and subgroups to implement the goals for 2025

Education equity, or educational equity, is the idea that all students should have the opportunity to succeed and reach their educational potential, regardless of their background or circumstances

Schools should be multicultural and welcoming to all students.

Students should have access to the resources and support they need to achieve their goals.

Schools should be able to adapt their teaching methods to meet the needs of their students

Schools should work to remove any structures or policies that might prevent students from accessing education.

UHS

• Sophomore Math MAP growth was 60%

• Algebra I fail rate was 9% for the 1st semester. Last year it was nearly 30%. This positive change is due to Tier 1 teacher and daily, structured collaboration for Algebra I teachers

UMS

• 7th and 8th grade met their MAP grade level projected growth goal

• This year: 168 suspensions; last year: 568 for entire school year —on track to reduce suspensions for the school year

Gerber

• Collaborative staff approach that resulted in success for student reduction in behavior
• Reduction in time out of class for some students
• Implementing math coaching

King

• 3rd grade Math MAP growth was 67%

• Strong, positive, supportive relationships for students grades 3-5: 87%; K-2 Social awareness and self-management as strengths

YRM

• Fall 2024 School Climate Survey for non-cert staff was 83% (highest in the district).
  
• 3rd grade MAP Math growth was 68%
  

TP

• MClass scores for growth and achievement for kindergarten were the highest in the district

• 1st grade Math MAP growth: 62% ELA 1st grade English MAP 60%

Leal

• Overall school MAP Math growth was over 60%

• Instructional Action Plans - 4th grade was the lowest-performing grade level in the fall in MAP. An instructional action plan was developed and implemented by educators to support ALL students, and in the winter they moved to the HIGHEST growth in the school. Achievement median distribution went from 17th to 30th

DPW

• Overall school MAP Math growth was over 60%

• 75% of students in 4th grade made their growth in MAP Math and moved from the 10th median achievement distribution percentile to the 22nd.

UECS

• 6 categories across Panorama surveys were favorably rated (above 70%)

• 86.9 average daily attendance

District Goals

ELA - By Spring of 2025, students in grades 1st through 10th will have an overall increase of 15% of students meeting or exceeding their growth goals in ELA based on NWEA (SY23-24 40% met)

• Fall 2024, 49% of students grades 1st through 10th meeting or exceeding their growth goals in ELA based on NWEA

• Winter 2024, 48% of students grades 1st through 10th meeting or exceeding their growth goals in ELA based on NWEA

Math - By Spring of 2025, students in grades K through 10th will have an overall increase of 15% of students meeting or exceeding their growth goals in Math based on NWEA (SY23-24 42% met)

• Fall 2024, 54% of students grades 1st through 10th meeting or exceeding their growth goals in Math based on NWEA

• Winter 2024, 53% of students grades 1st through 10th meeting or exceeding their growth goals in Math based on NWEA

Growth measures the change in performance, while achievement reflects performance relative to a standard. Achievement scores reflect students' absolute performance levels, not just their growth. If students are progressing as expected or above expectations, their achievement levels will rise.

The Special Education Department has dedicated the Friday morning School Improvement Days to engaging in professional development with an external consultant, focusing on Foundational Concepts of Behavior for Classroom Teachers and Paraprofessionals. This training has emphasized key areas including identifying the functions of behavior, strategies for prevention, shaping and responding to behaviors, data collection methods, task analysis, and the implementation of positive reinforcement techniques.

Beth Ladd

Executive Director of Student Services

Maria Elvir

Assistant Director of Student Services

Jacquelyn Douglas

Special Education Administrator

We are pleased to share several promising developments from our Multilingual Department that reflect our continued commitment to equity, access, and inclusion for our multilingual learners and their families. These efforts are not only expanding educational opportunities but also fostering a strong sense of belonging within our diverse school community.

Key Highlights:

• Launch of Our First Multilingual Elementary School: We proudly opened our first multilingual elementary school this year, offering instruction in French, English, and Spanish. This milestone represents a significant step toward equitable language access and cultural inclusion. Parent engagement has been exceptional, with families actively participating in school events and supporting their children’s multilingual learning journeys.

• Implementation of Multilingual Curriculum: Curriculums have been adopted to support literacy instruction in both the French and Spanish dual language programs, as well as our ESL programs. Professional development opportunities and instructional coaching have been integral to this rollout, equipping educators with the tools and support necessary to deliver high-quality, culturally responsive instruction across all programs.

• Upcoming International Recruitment Effort: To further support our multilingual programming, we are planning an upcoming recruitment trip to Spain aimed at attracting and hiring additional bilingual and biliterate educators. This initiative underscores our commitment to diversifying our teaching staff and ensuring that our students are taught by professionals who reflect and celebrate their linguistic and cultural identities.

These achievements demonstrate meaningful progress toward our equity goals by creating inclusive learning environments that honor and elevate the languages and cultures of our students and families. We look forward to building on this momentum as we continue to expand access and opportunities for all multilingual learners.

As we reflect on the work accomplished, we want to express our deepest gratitude to each of you for your unwavering dedication to equity. Your efforts have laid the foundation for meaningful change, creating spaces where every student feels seen, valued, and supported.

While we celebrate the progress we have made, we acknowledge that equity is not a destination but an ongoing journey—one that requires continual reflection, collaboration, and action. There is still much to be done to ensure that all students receive the opportunities, resources, and support they need to thrive.

Looking ahead, I am excited about the opportunity to align our Equity Action Plan with our district’s Strategic Plan, intentionally centering student voice, goal setting, and equitable communication practices. We are also hopeful that our renewed school improvement structure and processes will serve as a powerful vehicle for advancing equity in meaningful, sustainable ways.

Let us move forward together with renewed commitment and hope, knowing that the work we do today will shape a brighter, more inclusive future for generations to come.

Thank you for your courage, your heart, and your steadfast belief in the power of education to transform lives. It is truly an honor to walk alongside each of you on this journey.

With gratitude and hope,
Chasity Beckless