Hinsdale 86 superintendent lays out 'north star' plan, asks board to set principles and metrics

Superintendent Locke asked the Board of Education of Hinsdale Township High School District 86 on June 12 to adopt a clear “north star” to guide district decisions, proposing three linked elements: an agreed set of principles or commitments, a short list of measurable metrics that matter most, and a portrait of a graduate that describes nonacademic outcomes.

The superintendent told the committee of the whole that the district should “articulate what we believe, what we value,” and then focus on a small set of outcome metrics (for example, college‑ and career‑readiness measures, year‑over‑year academic growth and indicators of engagement) to drive strategy and resource decisions. He said the portrait of a graduate would acknowledge that students are “more than just test scores” and help define what excellence looks like for the community.

Why this matters: board members repeatedly said they want a clearer, time‑bound path from vision to actions so the administration can prioritize school‑level instructional work, measure progress and report back to the public. Board members and the superintendent framed the work as a way to align staffing, professional learning and course offerings to measurable student outcomes.

In discussion, board members asked for specifics about metrics and timing. The superintendent said he will produce a detailed project plan and recommended timeline for board review, including draft principles and candidate metrics for community feedback. He told the board the district could start that outreach in the fall and asked for board direction on how involved trustees wanted to be in drafting the principles and selecting metrics.

Board members flagged priorities that should inform the metric selection: improving literacy and math proficiency, closing subgroup gaps, increasing student growth year‑over‑year and boosting school connectedness. Members also emphasized teacher capacity and the use of existing collaboration time to strengthen instruction, not as additional top‑down mandates.

On process and timeline, the superintendent said administration will collect example principles from other districts, synthesize candidate metrics, and propose a phased plan that could include committee discussions and community sessions beginning in September. Trustees asked that administration return with a clear timeline and a list of what the board must decide versus what administration can finalize.

The discussion also covered operational items tied to implementation: refining grading and assessment practices, expanding department‑level data use, and using Wednesday collaboration time more intentionally. The superintendent described the desired classroom practice as work where students are engaged in rigorous tasks and teams use local, actionable data to refine instruction.

No formal board action was taken on 5.1. The board asked administration to produce the project plan and examples and to propose a community engagement schedule and tentative milestones for review at upcoming committee meetings.

Looking ahead, trustees and the superintendent agreed the work will require multiple committee meetings and community touchpoints; administration committed to a high‑level timeline and to return with a recommended plan and draft principles for board discussion this summer and fall.