March is a very busy, but short month for our students and staff. There is a large amount of work to be done, and I sincerely value the commitment and hard work everyone contributes each day. Congratulations to our students who completed the ACCESS testing during February. The test measures what our ELL students know in English in the domains of Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing.
Beginning this month, our students take federally required assessments. All students in grades 3-8 will complete the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) state computer-based standardized assessment. The tests, given from March 10-21, 2025, measures students’ progress in English Language Arts and Math and help us understand how our students are growing academically, compared to their peers across the state.
More information about this assessment is available in the Parent Portal at https://il-results.pearsonaccessnext.com/login Students can also complete IAR practice tests at https://il.mypearsonsupport.com/learningRenewalInterimResources. Please ensure that your children get a good night’s rest, eat a healthy breakfast, and arrive to school on time on each testing day. Students in 5th and 8th grades will also take the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) test from March 31-April 4, 2025.
I also encourage our parents and guardians to take the Illinois 5Essentials Survey this month. The survey window is open through March 28, 2025. The results provide us with valuable data that helps drive improvement at our schools. Go to https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/survey/parent/ to begin. Thank you, in advance, for your support.
Spring Break will take place March 24-28, 2024. All schools will be closed during this time, however, the JFK Center will be open each day from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. I hope students and staff have a chance to rest and rejuvenate.
If you ever have a question, comment, concern, or compliment about one of our schools or the District, send a Let’s Talk message at https://www.joliet86.org/o/jps/page/joliet-public-schools-district-86-lets-talk or go to our website www.joliet86.org and click on the Let’s Talk logo.