D75 Spotlight Newsletter

District 75 administrators don’t simply hope for improved scores on standardized tests – they plan for improved test scores.

Their work is paying off to the benefit of their students. The teaching strategies used in District 75 classrooms in the past year are resulting in improved test scores and it comes as no surprise to staff members.

One of the key strategies during the past year has been learning how to better assess the test results. Teachers and administrators read and analyze the results to find out what teaching methods are working and the best ways to improve those methods based on previous test scores.

“There’s no point in just giving tests if you’re not going to use the information,” said Jill Unger, District 75 Director of Teaching and Learning Pre-K - 5. “We want to make sure the assessments are telling us what we need to know in order to help the students.”

Staff focused on two types of tests – the STAR tests that students take three times each year, and the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) tests. In both cases, District 75 invited a consultant to train the staff on how to learn from the results.

Back in August, the District refined its assessment process for STAR testing and gave teachers the opportunity to experience the assessments themselves. For the IAR, administrators received training. In both cases, it was a matter of being able to assess the test results in order to find out what’s working and what isn’t.

Adjustments were made in the classrooms and, In both cases, overall test results improved.

The STAR testing results showed that the number of students who were at or above the typical growth rate, increased 4 percent in both math and reading (English and Spanish) since the spring of 2023. The percentage of students meeting or exceeding their expected growth rate was up to 70.5 in reading (69.9 for Spanish readers) and up to 65.8 percent in math.

The preliminary results of the Illinois Assessment of Readiness testing for the 2023-24 school year shows that District 75 students are improving in math and improving even more in English-language arts. There are 156 more students who are meeting or exceeding expectations compared to two years ago. That’s a 40 percent increase in the number of students who met or exceeded expectations.

Student test results are just one data point used when creating strategies for improved teaching and learning. District staff considers multiple points. Besides test data, they look at one-on-one assessments and teacher observations. But the data from the test results is the key. It not only shows how students are responding to the district’s teaching methods, but it provides information to help individual students.

“All of that comes together when you’re making decisions on how to help students,” Unger said. “We have all these tools now.”

We’ve just finished the 2023-24 school year and I’m already excited about the coming school year, based on what we’ve accomplished during the past 12 months.

We have high expectations for our students and staff and they are meeting those expectations. We will continue to implement the strategies in place and build upon our success. The determined work by our students and staff has been inspiring.

We’ve seen improvement in both reading and math since last spring. In our STAR testing, the number of students who met or exceeded their expected academic growth rate, increased by 4 percent to 70.5 percent in reading and by 4 percent to 65.8 percent in math. Students in the dual language (Spanish) reading groups were also up 4 percent to 69.9 percent.

In the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) testing, 156 more students are meeting or exceeding expectations compared to two years ago. That’s a 40 percent increase in the number of students who met or exceeded expectations.

Those numbers simply mean that our students are continuing to improve their learning skills. The consistency in teaching across all grade levels allows students to really understand what is expected of them and puts them in a better position to succeed. And as we further develop our teaching and learning programs, their learning habits will continue to excel, setting them up for future successes.

When you send your child back to school next year, you’ll find a few friendly faces missing from our staff. We had seven staff members retire from D75 this year. They include: Principal Mark Pilut and Reading Specialist Lisa Green from Carl Sandburg; Teachers Kathy Brown, Janice Clow and Geysha Cano from Mechanics Grove; and Teacher Miriam Cohen and School Secretary Peggy Mitchell from Washington.

This group has given us a total of 131 years of service to District 75. That’s impressive. It shows what it means to work in District 75. Our staff members tend to stay here, because they like and respect the people they work with and because they are dedicated to the children in their classrooms.

We’ll miss our retirees greatly. But we have a good team in place to carry on the good work they’ve established. In the words of Mark Pilut, as long as the kids are the priority, you really can’t go wrong.

Mark Pilut may be best remembered for his powerful voice calling out the school’s catchphrase, “Live the Code.” But the long-time principal was living the CODE long before it was coined during his time at Carl Sandburg Middle School.

Pilut didn’t grow up with a dream of becoming an educator. He wanted to be a fighter pilot or a deejay. But circumstances, and his father’s direction, led him into a college degree in English and Education. And the moment he experienced teaching as an intern at a middle school, he was hooked.

“I was just doing my best (and living the CODE). Good challenges allowed me to be me. I’ve always had the feeling I’m where I was meant to be,” he said.

Now Pilut is retiring from his career in education this year, ending 33 years as an educator and 20 as principal at Carl Sandburg Middle School. A native of Palatine, he graduated from Fremd High School before attending Southern Illinois University where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English Education.

After college, he began his career as a substitute teacher in Algonquin Middle School and joined Carl Sandburg as a language arts teacher in 1991. He also taught social studies to 7th and 8th graders before becoming an assistant principal in 1997. In 2004, he was promoted to principal.

“The best part of it has been the community,” he said. “I feel like I made a positive impact with the staff, the parents and the kids. In District 75, they let you do what you feel is right for the kids. The freedom to explore and take risks without feeling like you’re going to be disciplined because you made a mistake. I’ve always felt safe to do that here. And hopefully that’s what I provided for the staff.”

While Pilut is closely associated with the “Live the Code” phrase, he doesn’t take credit for it. It was developed more than a dozen years ago by the Building Leadership Team while they were developing the mission statement. The team created the acronym CODE to emphasize the words Community, Ownership, Discovery, Effort.

But Pilut has never been satisfied with the CODE simply being part of the middle school lexicon. He really wants his students to take it with them when they move onto Mundelein High School and beyond.

The District 75 School Board on Feb. 27 approved the hiring of Dr. Andrew Vondran to serve as the next principal at Carl Sandburg Middle School.

Vondran will begin at CSMS on July 1, following the retirement of long-time CSMS Principal Mark Pilut. He was selected following the feedback of both staff and students who asked that the new principal be approachable, trustworthy, and knowledgeable of middle school learners.

“We are very thrilled Dr. Vondran has all of those characteristics,” said Dr. Sarah Cacciatore, Deputy Superintendent for Districts 75 and 120. “He will be a great fit for the school and our community.”

Currently in his seventh year as an assistant principal at Hubble Middle School in Wheaton Warrenville School District 200, Vondran also spent six years teaching middle school math and social studies.

He earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Eastern Illinois University in 2006, a Masters of Education Degree from Aurora University in 2010, a General Administration Masters Degree from the University of St. Francis in 2013, and a Doctorate in Education from Northern Illinois University in 2023.

A familiar face will step in as interim principal at Washington School during the 2024-25 school year.

As out-going Principal Stephanie Drake transitions to an administrative role in District 75, Dr. Gabrielle Devlin, the step away from her position as Teaching and Learning Director to lead Washington School.

“Dr. Devlin’s leadership experience, passion for education, and familiarity with our community make her exceptionally prepared to step into this interim position,” said Kevin Myers, Superintendent for Districts 75 and 120.

District 75’s dedication to providing an exceptional learning environment for our students will not change. In fact, with three years experience on the District’s Teaching and Learning team, Devlin is well-prepared to make sure that new math initiatives at Washington are successful.

“I can’t wait to work with the youngest learners,” Devlin said.

Devlin, who also speaks Spanish, has worked at District 75 for three years. Besides her professional experience, she has an extensive educational background. She received her Bachelor of Science in Education from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, a Master of Arts in Linguistics from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Northeastern Illinois University and a Doctorate in Education, Diversity and Equity from the University of Illinois.

Mechanics Grove School has once again earned its designation as a Lighthouse School through the Leader In Me program. Schools must go through the recertification process every two years. The designation makes MG one of about 600 Lighthouse schools worldwide.

“It’s a very big deal,” Principal Tanya Fergus said. “Our whole school believes that every student has a leader inside of them and we truly embrace that through formal and informal opportunities for students to practice leadership, see leadership, initiate leadership in so many different ways. That’s who we are.”

The Lighthouse School Designation is earned by schools that demonstrate leadership in a variety of ways including: Leadership principles effectively taught to all students; teaching the 7 Habits and leadership principles; involving students in a variety of leadership roles; events that provide authentic environments to celebrate leadership, build culture, and allow students to practice leadership skills; and allowing the community to see see leadership in the physical environment, hear leadership through a common language, and feel leadership through the school culture.

MG is strongly involved in the Leader In Me program both within the Mundelein community and nationally. In February, a team from MG participated in the National Leader In Me Symposium in San Diego in February where they made a presentation about MG’s journey through re-branding itself as a Leader In Me School.

The process at MG started seven years ago, and with the help of students and staff, created a new mascot, a new mission statement and its vision statement, “Lead the Pack.” The team of Lisa Szyska, Jackie Ewing, Tanya Fergus and Kate Baumgaertl also met with Muriel Summers, principal of A.B. Combs Leadership Magnet Elementary School in Raleigh, NC when it became the very first Leader In Me School.