Kaneland remains committed to learner-centered, personalized practices that support diverse student learning needs. Educators are encouraged to continue implementing responsive instructional approaches that enhance student learning experiences. However, moving forward, teachers are no longer required to formally submit evidence of their application of the 10 Tenets of Personalized Learning to the Educational Services Department. This adjustment aims to provide greater flexibility while maintaining our shared commitment to student-centered education.
Welcome to the Curriculum Connection! Here you'll find news and updates on what's happening in the world of teaching and learning in Kaneland!
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
PL 3.0 Ten Tenets Evidence Requirement (K-12)
Kaneland remains committed to learner-centered, personalized practices that support diverse student learning needs. Educators are encouraged to continue implementing responsive instructional approaches that enhance student learning experiences. However, moving forward, teachers are no longer required to formally submit evidence of their application of the 10 Tenets of Personalized Learning to the Educational Services Department. This adjustment aims to provide greater flexibility while maintaining our shared commitment to student-centered education.
Curriculum Chat (K-5)
This week the Curriculum Chats met with 1st Grade! The running agenda captured some of the notes of the discussion. Running Curriculum Chat Agenda
This week's discussion with the 1st Grade staff that were able to attend was captured on video linked here.
The next Curriculum Chat will be held on February 26th with 2nd grade staff. Please remember these are optional events for staff. Here is the recurring link.
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Educator Advisory Council (K-5)
Today EAC met for the monthly meeting. The following were topics discussed:
KPASS Survey Data Review
Harter Students: From the graph data, it seemed overwhelmingly positive, but the comments showed it was more 50/50
Harter Teachers: They didn’t feel students were prepared to complete homework at home. They also didn’t feel parents were prepared for the homework load and due dates.
Current KPASS Parents: It was overall very positive. They were prepared for the change in teachers and learning environments. Most parents said it was better than the traditional model. A reoccurring comment was that there isn’t much information given prior to starting the KPASS model in 4th grade.
Current KPASS students and 3rd grade:
3rd grade: The students seemed to be confused about the definition of KPASS and what it entails.
Current KPASS students: Most student data was positive.
KPASS Teachers:
There were a lot of comments about the differences between STEM and ELA workloads. Related services and SPED teachers found that scheduling for KPASS is difficult. It was also noted that KPASS sometimes “dictates” the rest of scheduling among grade levels.
A lot of KPASS Teachers expressed their want for a traditional classroom setting, but still gave a lot of positive comments.
Having one stand alone class in KPASS has made teachers feel isolated in the past due to the hardships of collaborating without common plan time with both ELA and STEM. It is harder for them to lead on their teams.
ACTION ITEMS: Survey results will be shared with the current KPASS teachers. We will also be looking at the student data of current stand alone classes vs. current KPASS classes. There will be a follow-up survey for the current classroom KPASS teachers in the near future.
Increase the PR of MTSS benefits with our community and the process of MTSS to SPED
Posters hanging in the buildings at conferences and open house
Parent letters are sent home about interventions
Teachers at some schools include them in parent communication so they are viewed as a co-teacher
The community has shown through comments that they know what MTSS is
SPED Eligibility process is deeply impacted by MTSS and “specific learning disability” would not be able to be included if no MTSS/RTI intervention is given prior
MTSS/interventions are mandated by the state and Kaneland is meeting those expectations with MTSS
Follow up on preferred PD structure for new adoption
Coaches will look over the data on the padlet and make recommendations.
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Curriculum Chat (K-5)
This week the Curriculum Chats met with Kindergarten Staff! The running agenda captured the topics discussed. Running Curriculum Chat Agenda
This week's discussion with the Kindergarten staff that were able to attend was captured on video. Please access using this LINK .
The next Curriculum Chat will be held on February 19th with First Grade staff. Please remember these are optional events for staff. Here is the recurring link.
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Show What You Know (K-5)
Our Show What You Know Campaign is underway and we would also love to hear from our staff! This Spring we want to normalize showing what we have learned and encourage students to show their learning on Spring assessments through our show what you learned campaign. Students have the opportunity to share a story about what they are learning to be entered to win a Spring raffle basket after IAR, and so does staff! Submit your videos to Sarah Mumm at 10358@kaneland.org sharing something you have learned this past week, month or semester and you are entered to win! We will begin this week sharing the videos of our community of learners on social media to celebrate our learning.
Science Consumables (K-5)
It is that time of year again to begin to think about the replenishment of Science consumables. The Mystery Science modules have changed their supply lists a bit. If you are in need of some replacement materials or new materials for the new modules, please work with your school office to get those items ordered. If you have any questions at all, please reach out to Sarah Mumm.
SIP Data- Feedback SIP Goal Final Data (EC-12)
Please use this as the final language for all summative and student growth goal meetings. Congrats to all staff on a job well done on feedback conferences. Keep sharing timely feedback with students.
By the end of February 2025, the district will move 25% in student self-reported feedback to a higher level within the feedback typology as compared to the pre-data from the April 2024 survey. (Commitment Connection PBP, and Personalized Learning Tenet G).
Data Collected:
FALL: 2925 (2020 3rd-12th grade and 720 K-2) 75% of our student population (3905)
SPRING: 2372 (1789 from 3th-12th and 583 K-2) 61% of our student population
April 2024 Baseline Data | September 2024 Data Check-in | February 2025 Post-Data | Percent moved to higher level | |
Level 1 | 17% | 37% | 14.6% | Comparison of the two constants level 1 and level 3, shows a movement to a higher level of 30.9%. (47.9%-17%) |
Level 2 | 52% | 49% | 37.5% | |
Level 3 | 31% | 27% | 47.9% | |
TOTAL | 2061 | 2372 |
NOTE: September check in data totals 113% due to the K-2 form allowing students to select more than one level at a time. This data is check in data and the goal is based on April 2024 data.
Unsatisfactory: Increase in level 1 percent
Needs Improvement: Less than 20% growth, but no regression
Proficient: 21% to 25% movement by 1 or more levels
Distinguished: 26% movement by 1 or more levels
Calling All K-5 Writers...Chance to be PUBLISHED! (K-5)
The author of the Patrick Picklebottom book series (our escape room and 5 Schools 1 Book read last year) is working exclusively with Kaneland on a writing contest! He wants our young writers to submit his next mystery to be published in his next book!!!! You heard that right, our Kaneland student's writing will be in his next book! See the attached flier to learn more about the contest. All submissions must be sent to Sarah Mumm by February 25th at 10358@kaneland.org. Students K-5 are eligible to participate. Please share this great news with your K-5 writers and families.
Monday, February 10, 2025
MTSS Coordinator Meeting (K-5)
The following discussions took place during the monthly MTSS Coordinator meeting:
Updates and collaboration with the Behavior Facilitators and coaches.
Discussion of Rigby assessment and running record practices for the future.
Reflection of KIPLA practices and check ins that are occurring.
The start of planning for assessment for the Fall. At this time we will not be holding a Fall Rigby, we will be using the Spring Rigby as the starting point for our students.
The team also began to consider how to clarify the places data and tools for MTSS are for next school year. We hope to bring clarity on the data hub, data wall, and FRM over the next four months.
The team planned the IAR planning for Kane County Day. They will also be collaborating with Martne and Laura to assist with KIPLA.
The team discussed the Early Bird screening pilot. The permission slip is going out this week to pilot students with the options for students’ families to opt out by Friday.
The district tech office is working through the process of using the new IAR launchpad and getting students’ accommodations and teachers’ logins set up for the testing period. We will be sending updates as we get them on the new platform.
Laura will be working on the process of the MTSS structure planning for next year starting in April after IAR.
The notes were reviewed and approved by: Sarah Mumm, Shaun Wenz, Catherine Orin, Laura Garland and Chris Sears
6 - 8 Exploratory Curriculum Review Joint Statement
On 2/10/25, the 6 - 12 exploratory team met to review curriculum and material needs. Online subscriptions were reviewed, as well as essential materials needed in music, media, industrial arts and STEAM labs. Total dollar amounts for each of the subjects within the exploratory were calculated. Additional information is needed for the art curriculum platform in terms of pricing, so a meeting with this provider has been scheduled. Follow-up conversations with peers in exploratory will be conducted.
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Kane County Institute Day
Thank you to all who have submitted a request for sessions at the Kane County Institute day. As of today, all submitted requests have been approved. Please enjoy your day on the 28th.
Curriculum Chat K-5 (K-5)
This week the Curriculum Chats met with SPED Staff! The running agenda captured the topics discussed. Running Curriculum Chat Agenda
This week's discussion with the SPED staff that were able to attend was captured on video. Please access using this link.
The next Curriculum Chat will be held on February 12th with Kindergarten staff. Please remember these are optional events for staff. Here is the recurring link.
Exploratory Review Meeting (K-5)
Today, the Exploratory Curriculum Review team met to continue their ongoing planning process, which spans 18 months to 2 years. The following key tasks were accomplished:
The group reviewed data from the stakeholder survey to make a final decision on the proposed Exploratory content areas for the 2026-2027 academic year
In job-alike groups, the team reviewed unit and lesson ideas while beginning to plan the structures for non-negotiable learning elements (must-do vs. may-do) for the exploratory curriculum, both as a whole and for individual areas
In job-alike groups, the team began developing plan of work for a sequence for units of study, focusing on anchor units and lessons, edits for PBP tables, and assessments
The team is scheduled to reconvene on Wednesday, April 9th, in the afternoon to continue their work
The notes were taken by Samantha Maurer and Stephanie Unger, but approved by the committee.
Professional Learning Resources (K-12)
This past week the Ed Service and SPED Departments met with the SLD Project to review professional learning options that are offered to educators for FREE! Check out the resource and professional learning tabs on this website for access. Check it out and earn clock hours too!
K-8 Summer School Engagement Camp Options (K-8)
Can you begin to feel the heat of summer coming? It may not feel like it, but summer is right around the corner. If you are interested in teaching a summer engagement camp, please reach out to Jay Bodine at HMS or Stacey Gacek at KST with your interest. Share your camp idea or even if you do not have an idea but want to teach, they have ideas for you! It is a great way to engage with our students in a fun and engaging way to build connections! Summer engagement camps run 2 weeks in July. Reach out with your interest today!
Thursday, January 30, 2025
K-5 Math Review (K-5)
Today, the Math Curriculum Review team met for a productive session of collaboration. The following key tasks were accomplished:
The team reviewed and assessed the current curriculum review process.
Updates were shared regarding the pros and cons of each tool explored so far.
Plans for upcoming site visits and online virtual meetings were discussed to further investigate the knowledge base of the top preferred tools.
The schedule for Kane County Day was outlined, including time for curriculum representatives from the selected tools to showcase their products and address any questions.
The team broke into smaller groups to discuss non-negotiables ("Must Do’s" and "May Do’s") and suggested edits for the Kaneland Math Curriculum Guide for teachers.
A selection of articles was provided for team members to read during an extended lunch.
The team reflected on best practices in mathematics, using this insight to refine the rubric for evaluating vendors at the Vendor Showcase on February 28th.
The session was focused and engaging, with significant progress made toward shaping the future of the Kaneland Math Curriculum.
K-5 Curriculum Chats (K-5)
This week the Curriculum Chats met with OT/PT Staff! The running agenda captured some of the notes of the discussion. I apologize for not attending I had a meeting conflict, thank you to Fran for facilitating. I will be following up with a few answers to posed questions to the group later this week.
Running Curriculum Chat Agenda
This week's discussion with the OT/PT staff that were able to attend.
The next Curriculum Chat will be held on February 5th with SPED staff. Please remember these are optional events for staff. Here is the recurring link.
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
6-12 Summer School Information (6-12)
6th-12th Grade Summer School Update
Dates:
June 16th - July 17th: High School Credit Recovery (only)
July 7th - July 31st: All other 6-12 summer school courses
June 30 - July 4th: No summer school (affects credit recovery only)
Location: Harter Middle School.
Summer School Schedule:
All 2025 summer school courses
will take place Monday - Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (no p.m. courses). Middle School courses:
8:00 a.m. -10:30 a.m Academic Block
10:30 a.m. -12:00 p.m. Engagement Camps
High School courses:
Bridge courses: 1.5 hours each/TBD
Engagement camps: 1.5 hours each/TBD
Credit recovery, government, personal finance, communication studies: 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Apply: Interviews for summer school positions will start upon our return from winter break via Google Meets or in-person. Please reach out to me directly if you’re interested in teaching summer school, and we can set up an interview at your convenience. Please know that a few positions will be hired in the coming weeks or months, but a few positions will not be finalized until after registration opens and student enrollment numbers are available.
Engagement Camps: Engagement camps allow students to explore personal interests while building on their unique skills and knowledge. These camps feature collaborative, hands-on, project-based lessons that connect learning to real-world experiences. Previous course offerings included: cooking, fitness, music, intro to AP chemistry, and jumpstart to algebra 2. If you’re interested in teaching an engagement camp, please fill out an engagement camp proposal using this form
Curriculum Connection (K-5)
This week the Curriculum Chats met with Speech Staff! The running agenda captured some of the notes of the discussion.
Running Curriculum Chat Agenda
This week's discussion with the Speech staff that were able to attend, the sessions are voluntary and was captured here in this Video .
The next Curriculum Chat will be held on January 29th with OT/PT staff. Please remember these are optional events for staff. Here is the recurring link.
Word Study Feedback (K-5)
It is that time of year again to begin to reflect and collect feedback on word study assessments. This is the first year of having the common assessment for word study and sight words. Please take a moment to share any feedback or revisions suggestions you have for word study or sight word assessments using the document linked below. Thank you in advance for any ideas you can share. The revision team will reconvene in May so please reflect prior to May 1.
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
K-5 Curriculum Chat (K-5)
This week the Curriculum Chats met with School Psychologist! The running agenda captured some of the notes of the discussion.
Running Curriculum Chat Agenda
This week's discussion with the Psychologist staff that were able to attend, the sessions are voluntary and was captured here in this video .
The next Curriculum Chat will be held on January 22nd with Speech staff. Please remember these are optional events for staff. Here is the recurring link.
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
K-5 MTSS Coordinator Meeting (K-5)
The K-5 MTSS Coordinators met today for the monthly meeting. The following were topics discussed:
The MTSS Coordinators met with the Instructional Coaches first in the meeting. They discussed the timing of the post math test assessment.
The team discussed the sharing and sending books home with students for at home practice.
The team discussed the process of KDAB culmination for Spring. At this time we will pause the typical process of data review. We will come back next month and consider how to use data to look for learning trends and for decision making this Spring.
At this time the team will not be conducting co-teaching fidelity checks for spring.
The team discussed the revision of the assessment and creation of word study and sight word assessment cut scores. The Ed Service Department will be contacting past Word Study team members for interest in continuing the work in the next week. That team will meet in May and plan revisions for next year.
The next MTSS Teacher meeting 1/28 9:30-3:00 at KMAC. This is a meeting for MTSS Teachers only.
The team discussed the planning of IAR and mapping out the process of IAR events and looked at the checklist.
The team also discussed the Spring Rigby testing process. We will continue to work on establishing the final process and sharing it with all staff after our February meeting for planning of the Spring Rigby process.
The notes were taken by Dr. Mumm but approved by the following staff members: Chris Sears, Kristi Purnell, Catherine Orin, Shaun Wenz
Our next meeting will be February 10th.
Educator Advisory Council Joint Statement (K-5)
Joint Statement:
Thank you to Liz Orman for taking notes today.
The EAC committee created a separate parent survey for current 6th grade families to gather more feedback. It will be sent out next week and the window will close on January 30th. EAC will look at trends from all of the surveys in February.
Parent/Teacher Conferences: The team brainstormed ideas to create non-negotiables.
The committee worked with random partners and shared “glows and grows” from EAC’s first trimester.
Our next meeting is February 10th.
At our February Meeting be prepared to discuss:
Increase the PR of our MTSS structures for all students and families and determine multiple ways for fidelity checks of our structures.
Increase student and community ability to articulate learning, interventions and progress
How to PR as a step prior to SPED requests from families
Review of KPASS data and determine next steps for learning structures at 4th and 5th grade.
Cross grade span and school connections (follow up from October)
Grow understanding of what IgKnight is and the types of students who thrive/struggle in a PL environment
Follow up on Preferred PD for new adoptions structures
-Data shows the following as the top date options for new adoption training:
1st priority: August/September instead of norming days
2nd priority: Stepembert subs after assessing and norming is complete
3rd priority: First contract day in August prior to Supply Drop Off
Host and optional summer date with June as the first optional date, August is
second choice
-Data shows the following as the top structure priority:
1st priority: Face to face with the company rep
2nd priority: Online training with the company rep
3rd priority: Face to face session with your Instructional Coach who has been
trained by the company rep
Questions to consider:
If we have training instead of norming, do we require teams to discuss/norm data in schools only? Or not at all?
Any further ideas or suggestions for the professional development planning team?
Monday, January 13, 2025
Five Schools One Book Community Project (K-5)
We are so excited for the kick off of the Five Schools One Book Lemonade Events! This letter is going out to the community and family this week as the culminating activity that families may participate in. Please note the fun application activity. Please feel free to get involved as well.
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
K-5 Curriculum Chats (K-5)
This week the Curriculum Chats focused on Social Work! The running agenda captured some of the notes of the discussion.
Running Curriculum Chat Agenda
This week's discussion with the Social Work staff that were able to attend, the sessions are voluntary and was captured here in this video .
The next Curriculum Chat will be held on January 15th with School Psychologist staff. Please remember these are optional events for staff. Here is the recurring link.
Monday, January 6, 2025
Summer School K-5 (K-5)
It may be cold outside, but summer school is right around the corner! We are hiring now for summer school teachers and looking for staff to teach core instruction and engagement camps. If you are interested in interviewing this week, please contact Sarah Mumm or Stacey Gacek and if you have an idea for an Engagement Camp please complete the linked form for a great camp idea! Summer school will be held in July this year! We look forward to a great summer!