End of Week Message: Changing How We Measure Success
11 October 2024
Dear CPS Colleagues, Families, and Supporters,
I want to start this week's message by acknowledging that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Hats off to our Network 11 principals, who came to their leadership meeting this month dressed in pink in honor of those battling this disease. Visit these federal, state, and city health resources for information on breast cancer awareness and prevention, including free mammograms through the state of Illinois.
A New Approach to School Accountability
Changing our approach to accountability is one of the most important shifts our District is making as part of our new Five-Year Strategic Plan. We now have a more equitable, more holistic way of tracking performance and progress in our District and schools. It’s called our Continuous Improvement and Data Transparency Policy (CIDT), and it was created using feedback from more than 21,000 stakeholders.
In the past, our accountability system ranked and labeled schools based on a narrow set of outcome metrics, encouraging families to select schools with the highest ratings, and pitting schools against each other.
Our new approach does away with school rankings and labels, and it goes far beyond students' grades and test scores. Instead, we will be providing parents, staff and community members with a more holistic understanding of how well a school is doing on many different fronts. This approach goes far beyond measuring outcome data — it tracks practices, conditions, resources, and supports. Things like the quality of the learning environment, social-emotional supports available to students, and data on students’ sense of belonging and connectedness. Measuring these critical factors will show us where schools are thriving and where they may need more support.
Finally, under this new approach, the responsibility for improvement is not placed on the school alone. The District is responsible for providing all schools with equitable resources and ongoing support so that they can create the necessary conditions to improve student learning. In this way, there is shared accountability for student success between the District and schools.
This approach of focusing on practices and holding the district accountable for school improvement is an innovative and trailblazing approach to accountability nationwide.
This shift in our District’s approach to accountability has been a long time coming, and I’m proud of where we’ve ended up. I thank the thousands of CPS families, educators, and partners who worked together to make CIDT the robust, holistic, and equitable system that it is, and I invite everyone to learn more about it here.
Sincerely,
Pedro Martinez
Chief Executive Officer
Chicago Public Schools
Help Us Highlight Your School
We love highlighting the amazing things that are happening day-to-day in our schools, along with the people who are making them happen! Please share your stories with us using our Good News Form so that we can share them with the District!
A Look Around the District
Culinary Arts students at Vaughn High School in Portage Park celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with a special lunch that allowed them to experience real-life vocational roles. These students prepared an authentic pressed Cuban sandwich and house-made black bean soup for school staff, while Business and Marketing students created and distributed promotional materials advertising the event.
At Chicago Math and Science Academy (CMSA) in Rogers Park, the school community welcomed ten educators from the Beijing National Day School as part of a two-year partnership. The group toured the school and engaged in discussions around curriculum innovation, teaching methodologies, school management, and more.
Finally, we would like to congratulate Nai Colton, a math teacher at Drake Elementary on the south side, for being awarded the Banneker Encouraging Amazing Mathematics (BEAM) Teachers Award! This award recognizes teachers who demonstrate a commitment to high-quality and culturally relevant math instruction.
Fun Fall Festivities for Students
Teen Fallapalooza
All Chicago youth ages 14-19 are invited to celebrate the start of fall at the 2024 Teen Fallapalooza event on Friday, October 18! Join My CHI. My Future. at the Winter Garden in Harold Washington Library from 5-8 pm for an evening filled with music, games, food, and fun activities. Click here to register or contact MyCHIMyFuture@cityofchicago.org for questions or accommodations.
Chicago Fall Fest 2024
Enjoy Chicago Fall Fest, a two week celebration of Fall holidays and events across the city from October 18 to November 3. Visit chicagofallfest.org for more information on community events, parades, and more.
Halloween in the Parks
From pumpkin patches and Fall Harvest Fests to haunted houses, parties, and more, there is something for everyone this season in the parks! Visit: chicagoparkdistrict.com/halloween for all the details!
Fall Youth Events from the Chicago Public Library
Join the Chicago Public Library for events at every library branch all fall! There are events for all ages. Visit the CPL website to learn more.
Safe Events for Teens this Fall
Local community events for teens and families are being planned throughout the month of October. Check out My CHI. My Future. website and app in October and search “MCMFKickbacks” to get up-to-date event information.
CPS Safe Haven Sites
Safe Haven sites offer out-of-school time programming for all CPS students throughout the school year. Healthy meals are provided at all locations. Hours of operation vary by site. Call (773) 553-2500, email faithbased@cps.edu, or click here to learn more.
CPS Scoreboard: This Week in CPS Athletics
This was an exciting championship week in CPS athletics! We crowned new champions in Boys and Girls Golf, Girls Tennis, Flag Football, and 16 Inch Softball. As the city fall seasons come to a close and teams prepare for the IHSA State Playoffs, all photos, galleries, and game recaps can be found on CPSAthletics.com.
Here are the 2024 Chicago Public League Champions as of October 10, 2024:
- Flag Football: Taft High School
- Girls Tennis: Whitney Young High School
- 16-inch Softball: Walter Payton High School
- Boys Golf: Lane Technical HIgh School
- Girls Golf: Whitney Young High School
Students: Sign Up to Attend Virtual School Board Candidate Forum
On November 5, CPS will vote in the District’s first-ever elected school board members. The most important constituency for these board members will be our students, so we want CPS youth to have the chance to ask questions of the candidates.
On Wednesday, October 16, the CPS Social Science Team and Chicago Votes will host a virtual candidate forum specifically for students. Click here for more information and to sign up!
CPS COO Honored for Service
Congratulations to Charles Mayfield, our District’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), on receiving the Marks of Excellence Public Administrator Award from the Chicago Chapter of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators. This award honors the dedication, hard work, and achievements of those who have made a significant impact on their communities.
Discounted Tickets for CPS Staff and Students
CPS staff are invited to cheer on the Chicago Bulls with an exclusive ticket offer for the below games. Get your tickets here!
- Bulls vs. Magic: Wednesday, October 30
- Bulls vs. Jazz: Monday, November 4
- Bulls vs. Rockets: Sunday, November 17
- Bulls vs. Hawks: Friday, November 22
Step aboard Titanic: The Exhibition at Westfield Old Orchard and bring history to life for your students with an immersive journey through the legendary ship's stories, artifacts, and unforgettable experiences. Free tickets for groups from Title IX schools are available during "Free Field Trip Days" on November 14th and 15th. Click to apply: Apply for Tickets and Download Educator’s Guide.
Also, CPS staff members receive a 25% discount on single tickets using code 25TITANIC at checkout through October 30. Visit www.thetitanicexhibition.com, now through Oct 30 only.
DOG MAN: THE MUSICAL is a hilarious, heartfelt family adventure based on the bestselling book series! Don't miss the SUPA awesome production beginning Nov 8 at The Studebaker Theater. Teachers can Download Educational Resources here. CPS staff members receive 20% OFF tickets with code DM20CPS at checkout (good through November 24, P1 and P2 price levels only, based on availability). Click for Dog Man tickets!
Important Dates
For more upcoming events around the District, visit cps.edu/calendar.
- Monday, October 14: CPS schools and offices are closed in observance of Indigenous Peoples' Day; no classes for CPS students.
- Friday, October 25: End of quarter 1.
- Monday, November 4: Parent-teacher conferences; no classes for CPS students
- Tuesday, November 5: CPS schools and offices are closed in observance of Election Day; no classes for CPS students.