Cicero District 99’s multi-year journey to transform its schools through continuous improvement and a partnership with West40 has yielded growth in academic achievement and student success, as reflected in the recently released 2024 Illinois Report Card.
A key feature of the annual report card is the summative designation, which shows how well a school meets the needs of its students. This year, Cicero District 99 can be especially proud of the 11 commendable designations achieved by its schools. That’s up from 10 in the 2023 Illinois Report Card.
“Our teachers and staff are incredibly hardworking, and we are proud of our students, staff and community as we move forward together to improve student outcomes,” said superintendent Dr. Aldo Calderin.
Cicero District 99 started its “Journey of Transformation” in 2018. At the time, several of the district’s schools were underperforming state standards. The district selected West40 as its approved learning partner and together they developed plans to achieve big goals.
The district points to the following steps it has taken in recent years to improve student outcomes:
Embedding improvement science to drive school and district transformation
Investing in people over programs
Creative problem solving
Strengthening instructional leadership in principals
Adding 30 minutes of instructional time for more in-depth learning, interventions, and enrichment
Intentional monitoring over 10,000 walkthroughs and feedback for teachers to enhance day-to-day practices
Partnering with West40 to shape and advance district’s improvement journey
Their commitment to “moonshot thinking”, a metaphor for achieving breakthroughs by pushing beyond traditional approaches and embracing innovation, continues to this day.
“I think the biggest thing that West40 brought to the table was this idea of supportive accountability, which kept us on a mission. If you want to improve your schools, you have to stay mission focused,” said director of grants and accountability Dr. Anthony Grazzini.
West40 Assistant Executive Director Dr. Jayme Tighe said it is clear that Cicero District 99’s focus on its goals has helped provide the best possible outcomes for students.
"By anchoring every decision and initiative to its core purpose, Cicero District 99 has ensured that efforts are aligned, meaningful, and sustainable. This focus has united the Cicero community, inspired staff, and kept Cicero SD99 accountable to the ultimate goal—providing the best possible outcomes for students,” Tighe said.
According to Grazzini, the success of the schools and the students is resulting in increased pride in the district.
“They're walking around with District 99 shirts on. They're recruiting their friends to come from other districts, to come to our school district,” Grazzini said. “People believe what they're doing makes a difference, and they're working harder at doing it because of the systems that are put in place and the coaching that's been provided.”
Meanwhile, the district said chronic absenteeism remains a focus area for improvement. By increasing attendance across all grade levels and student groups, District 99 said it can improve its overall designations districtwide, ensuring students maximize daily learning opportunities.