Oak Park ESD 97 outlines acceleration window, rubric and supports for families

Emily Creehan, Oak Park ESD 97's director of teaching and learning, told the board the district will open its state-mandated acceleration application window on March 2 and close it April 24, with a family information session on Feb. 18 to explain the process.

Creehan said the district uses a rubric-driven, multi-step evaluation that begins at the building MTSS team and includes standardized and formative data, teacher surveys and a student voice survey. "Students need to earn 80% of the points on the rubric to be able to qualify for acceleration," she said. Families who advance in the rubric take a standards-based placement test administered at the end of the year; the district permits supervised in-school testing or Saturday testing sessions to avoid instructional disruptions.

The presentation reiterated that state law (the 2019 Accelerated Placement Act) requires districts to offer early entrance and acceleration processes for single-subject or whole-grade acceleration. Creehan distinguished those pathways from Access to Algebra, which is an access (not acceleration) pathway for fifth through seventh graders: students can earn access via a STAR pathway or a bridge course and must pass the end-of-course exam at 80% or higher to earn Access to Algebra.

Creehan said the district is taking steps to improve transparency: updated rubrics will be posted on the district website by January, family information will be shared in principal newsletters and in district updates, and MTSS teams at each school will communicate with families throughout the process. She also emphasized accommodations: "We don't turn anyone away from the application process," and the rubric is adjusted to avoid penalizing students for disabilities or exceptionalities.

Board members asked whether the district's move to new curriculum and assessment platforms would affect the end-of-year placement test; Creehan said the district moved away from curriculum-specific assessments and uses curriculum-agnostic, standards-based tests printed for administration. She also confirmed the district offers multiple testing dates and school-based testing for families who cannot attend Saturday sessions.

The district plans to notify families of outcomes by June 2 and said it will continue collecting feedback to refine the rubric and the acceleration process.

The board did not take formal action on acceleration at the meeting; the presentation concluded with an invitation for further questions at the family session and follow-up materials online.