CCSD59 Celebrates Strong Student Growth in Strategic Plan Milestone Year
As Community Consolidated School District 59 (CCSD59) enters the final year of its five-year Strategic Plan, we are proud to share significant progress on Goal 1: Student Growth and Achievement. Since 2021, this goal has anchored our work to ensure all students benefit from high-quality Tier 1 instruction, the essential foundation of student success.
Ambitious Goal, Measurable Progress
Our strategic objective is rigorous, yet attainable: to ensure that at least 80% of students are effectively supported by Tier 1 instruction. Reaching this benchmark means our curriculum and instructional strategies are successfully meeting the needs of most learners. This strong foundation allows educators to focus their targeted support where it’s needed most, while continuing to challenge and elevate advanced learners.
In the 2024–2025 school year, the fourth year in the strategic plan, we saw strong academic growth across the district:
- Reading progress increased by 4 percentage points district-wide from fall to spring, resulting in a total gain of 8.7 percentage points since fall 2021
- Math progress improved by 2 percentage points districtwide during the same period, contributing to a total gain of 17.3 percentage points since fall 2021
In the first year of our strategic plan (2021–2022), just 63% of students students were effectively supported by Tier 1 instruction in reading and 60% in math. Today, following year four, those numbers have risen to 72% in reading and 77% in math. Notably, 88% of monolingual students are effectively supported by Tier 1 instruction in both subjects. These outcomes underscore the impact of our strategic instructional focus and reflect the commitment and daily efforts of our teachers and staff.
Superintendent Terri Bresnahan reflected, “These results are not an accident or by chance. They are the direct result of our strategic work to improve instruction, curricular resources, and support for our staff -and the dedication of our staff, families, and students.”
Equity-Focused Gains Across Student Groups
All student groups experienced meaningful growth in 2024-2025, with especially notable improvements among English Learners (ELs) and a subset of ELs, Dual Language Spanish Learners:
- Reading: ELs saw an increase of 6.9 percentage points with Dual Language Spanish Learners improving by 10 percentage points
- Math: ELs improved by 4.3 percentage points, with Dual Language Spanish students increasing by 10.7 percentage points
This data confirms that our instructional efforts are effectively supporting diverse student populations.
Strategic Work Across the District
These academic gains are strengthened by our progress on other strategic priorities, including:
- Providing a relevant, rigorous, and equitable curriculum
- Meeting individual student learning needs through a personalized approach that allows differentiation, intervention, and enrichment.
- Creating inclusive learning environments
- Building strong family and community partnerships
- Carefully managing district resources
Together, these efforts are closing opportunity gaps and helping create long-term success for all students.
Assistant Superintendent of Instruction, Susan Savage, added, “It’s especially promising to see such strong growth among our English Learners and Dual Language students. This reflects our commitment to ensuring Tier 1 instruction lifts every student. Moving forward, we will continue refining our practices to build on this progress and deepen learning for all.”
Growth Across Grade Levels
Students in all grades showed progress in both math and reading. In math, students from Kindergarten through 7th grade improved. The only exception was the 8th grade, which experienced a very small decrease of 0.1 percentage points.
In reading, there was steady growth from Kindergarten to 2nd grade and again from 4th through 8th grade. Only 3rd grade saw a slight drop of 0.8 percentage points.
Other key highlights:
- 7th grade had the biggest improvement in reading, with a 7.6 percentage point increase
- Kindergarteners had the largest math gain, increasing by 7.9 percentage points
These results show that our strategies are helping students at every level – from our youngest learners just starting school to those getting ready for high school and beyond.
Superintendent Bresnahan concluded, “We’ve built a strong foundation for student success, but the journey doesn’t stop here. We remain committed to ensuring every student receives the support they need to thrive. While Goal 1 of the strategic plan provides us with essential data to measure and track student progress and identify areas for improvement, Goal 2, Inclusive Learning Environment, brings our focus to the individual student level. With this goal, we’ve added support systems and tools that help us spot patterns, meet individual needs, and close learning gaps so all students can succeed.”
Looking Ahead
As CCSD59 enters the final stretch of its Strategic Plan, we remain focused on growing together, building on our momentum to ensure all students are prepared for lifelong success. We extend our deepest gratitude to our educators, families, and community partners for their continued collaboration in this important work.
