While the District 202 Board approved back in May four goals to guide the work of Evanston Township High School’s faculty and staff over the next five years, work on crafting the measures that will gauge their effectiveness continues. Discussion on the measures at the Board’s Jan. 17 meeting was tabled.
Much of the proposed language on measures has been drafted, but the lack of an approved sharing agreement between ETHS and Northwestern University has stalled the process, Peter Bavis, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, told the Board. NU is helping the District craft measurers dealing with college readiness, which has been a sticking point for the Board.
The four goals describe desired outcomes relating to 1) Equitable and Excellent Education 2) Student Well-being 3) Fiscal Responsibility and 4) Community Engagement and Partnerships. The college readiness piece falls under Goal 1.
At the Board’s last meeting, Dr. Bavis proposed a vote on measures drafted for goals 2-4, saving the vote on Goal 1 for when the sharing agreement is in place and the college readiness measure can be fully discussed.
“I’m not ready to do that tonight,” said Board Member Gretchen Livingston. While she appreciated efforts to move the goals process to completion, she and other members of the Board felt “uncomfortable” moving forward without a more in-depth discussion. Superintendent Eric Witherspoon confirmed that waiting on the vote was “okay” as long as the Board was “flexible” about the types of reports and feedback to be given on the goals next year, using the current year “as a baseline.”
Dr. Bavis told the Board he hoped to have the data-sharing agreement in place by the Feb. 27 meeting and possibly for the Feb. 13 joint D65/D202 Board meeting.