Dear Kirby School District 140 Families,
As we prepare to welcome students back for another exciting school year, I wanted to share several important updates on teaching, learning, and assessment across our district. These changes reflect our ongoing commitment to providing every student with a high-quality educational experience while ensuring consistency, equity, and excellence across all of our schools.
Our goal is to provide every child with engaging, rigorous learning experiences that prepare them for success while keeping families informed and involved throughout the learning process.
Strengthening Consistency Across Our District
Over the past several years, our teachers and instructional leaders have worked collaboratively to strengthen curriculum, instruction, and assessments throughout District 140. As part of this work, we are continuing to build greater consistency across all of our schools by aligning instructional practices, curriculum resources, and assessment tools to our district priorities and the Illinois Learning Standards.
This consistency ensures that regardless of which District 140 school a child attends, they have access to high-quality instruction, rigorous learning experiences, and common expectations for success.
Consistency does not mean every classroom looks exactly the same or that every teacher teaches every lesson in the same way. Our teachers remain the instructional experts for their students and will continue to use their professional judgment to meet the unique needs of their classrooms. They have access to a variety of district-approved instructional resources and strategies that allow them to engage students in meaningful, effective ways while maintaining high expectations for learning.
Consistency is most important when it comes to what students are expected to learn and how their learning is measured. Students across the district will continue to work toward the same grade-level standards, and common end-of-unit assessments will provide teachers with consistent information about student progress. This approach helps ensure that all students have access to the same essential learning opportunities while allowing teachers to adjust instruction to meet students’ individual needs throughout each unit.
Increased Rigor in District Assessments
Families may notice that some classroom and district ELA and Math assessments in grades 3-8 look different this year. Over the past year, our curriculum teams have carefully revised assessments to better reflect the level of thinking and problem-solving expected by the Illinois Learning Standards. Rather than focusing primarily on memorization or recalling facts, these assessments ask students to:
- Apply their learning in new situations.
- Explain their thinking using evidence and reasoning.
- Analyze, evaluate, and solve more complex problems.
- Demonstrate a deeper understanding of grade-level standards.
While these assessments may feel more challenging, they provide teachers with more meaningful information about student learning and better prepare students for future academic success. Most importantly, they help ensure that classroom learning reflects the expectations students will encounter beyond our classrooms.
Updates to the GATE Program
This year, we are excited to introduce an enhanced Gifted and Talented Enrichment (GATE) program that provides standards-aligned enrichment opportunities designed to extend and deepen student learning.
Students in grades 3-5 will now qualify separately for English Language Arts and/or Mathematics using multiple measures of student performance, including MAP scores, classroom performance, and teacher recommendations. This updated process recognizes that students may demonstrate exceptional strengths in one content area while continuing to develop in another, allowing us to better match enrichment opportunities to each student's individual needs.
In addition, each elementary school will now have a dedicated GATE teacher who provides daily enrichment within the school building. This new model provides students with consistent access to high-quality enrichment while keeping them connected to their classroom community and grade-level learning.
Rather than accelerating students through content or participating in a stand-alone program, GATE instruction will extend grade-level learning through deeper thinking, problem-solving, creativity, collaboration, and real-world application. Students will engage in meaningful learning experiences that challenge them to think critically, communicate their ideas, and apply their knowledge in new and authentic ways.
Report Cards
Beginning this school year, the district will move from quarters to trimesters. Each trimester lasts approximately 12 weeks, and families will receive report cards three times per year in November, March, and June. Report cards will be sent directly through ParentSquare. Families will still be able to log in to Infinite Campus to access them as well.
Middle school enrichment classes, including Art, Civics, Music, PE/Health, and Pre-engineering Technology, will continue to operate on the current approximately nine-week schedule. The first enrichment class grade will appear on the Trimester 1 report card, the second enrichment class grade will appear on the Trimester 2 report card, and the final two enrichment class grades will be on the Trimester 3 report card.
Online Gradebook for Grades 3-5
Families of students in grades 3-5 will be able to view classroom grades in Infinite Campus throughout each trimester beginning this year.
Providing access to ongoing grades allows families to stay informed about their child's progress and encourages meaningful conversations between home and school throughout the learning process. Rather than waiting until report cards are issued, families will have the opportunity to monitor academic progress throughout the trimester and partner with teachers to support student success.
While grades provide one measure of student learning, they represent only part of the story. We encourage families to continue talking with their children about what they are learning, reviewing teacher feedback, and reaching out to teachers whenever questions arise.
New Technology for Sixth Grade
As students transition from elementary to middle school, so do the ways they learn. Beginning this school year, all sixth-grade students will receive a MacBook Neo laptop to support the increased writing, research, collaboration, and organization expected in middle school. Students will receive their MacBook Neo at the beginning of the school year, along with guidance on device care, responsible use, and expectations for learning both at school and at home.
D140 will fully transition all middle school students to laptops over the next three years.
Google Meet Replacing Zoom
Kirby School District 140 will be using Google Meet instead of Zoom for virtual meetings with families, including parent-teacher conferences, IEP meetings, and eLearning. Google Meet is part of Google Workspace for Education and provides a secure, reliable platform that integrates with the tools our staff and students already use each day.
If you are invited to a virtual meeting, you will receive a Google Meet link from the meeting host. You can join from a computer, tablet, or smartphone using the link provided.
ClassLink Replacing Clever
District 140 is transitioning from Clever to ClassLink, a secure, single sign-on portal that gives students and staff one place to access the digital tools they use every day.
Instead of remembering multiple usernames, passwords, and websites, students and staff will sign in once through ClassLink to quickly access classroom resources, instructional programs, and communication tools. The new platform provides a more consistent, secure experience while reducing login frustrations and allowing students and teachers to spend more time focused on learning.
Looking Ahead
Education is always evolving, and we are committed to continuously improving the experiences we provide for our students. These updates represent thoughtful work by our teachers, instructional coaches, facilitators, and administrators to ensure every student has access to high-quality instruction, meaningful learning opportunities, and the support they need to succeed.
Thank you for your continued trust, support, and collaboration as we begin another exciting school year. We look forward to working together to help every District 140 student learn, grow, and thrive.
We hope you enjoy the remainder of your summer, and we can't wait to welcome our students next week!
Sincerely,
Dr. Meghan M. Ramirez
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction
Kirby School District 140