Park Ridge-Niles District 64 approved higher MAP reading growth targets for 2026-27 after students beat last year's goals.

The Board of Education approved Superintendent Dr. Ben Collins's goals for the new school year at its Thursday, Sept. 17 meeting. The goals serve as Year 1 action steps for the district's 2026-2030 Strategic Plan, which the board adopted in May.

The headline numbers: 70% of elementary students and 65% of middle school students should hit their MAP reading growth targets this year. Last year, 66% of students districtwide met those targets in reading, beating the prior goal of 60%, according to Collins's May 21 superintendent update.

The middle school target carries extra weight. District data showed only 37% of middle school students had met growth targets since 2018. In response, Emerson and Lincoln Middle Schools shifted ELA and math to 80-minute blocks this fall, up from 50 or 60 minutes.

"We analyzed our math and ELA achievement data and found that we've missed our targets since 2018, and only 37% of our students are meeting their growth goals," Dr. Samantha Alaimo said at a March Parent University event explaining the schedule change. "In just 50 minutes, we just weren't hitting all of those standards or doing them justice."

Beyond reading, the goals call for 80% of staff to actively use the district's STOIC and CHAMPS behavior frameworks. Collins also aims to keep operating spending at least 1% below budget to build financial reserves and to negotiate a new five-year contract with the district's Education Support Personnel union.

Academic snapshot

A new Academic Performance Report presented at the same meeting showed more than 80% of students in grades 2-8 performing at or above grade level on MAP assessments. Districtwide, 68% met their individual growth targets. The average District 64 student scores around the 77th percentile nationally.

Results on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness and the Illinois Science Assessment also showed high proficiency across most grade levels, according to the report.

Board Member Monica Milligan said the new report format brings greater transparency to district data for the public. Milligan reported on the Education Committee's Sept. 10 meeting, where Dr. Alaimo presented the academic performance and growth data.

Enrollment drops by 58 students

District 64's Pre-K-8 enrollment stood at 4,433 as of Sept. 3, down 58 students from the start of the 2025-26 school year. The district is running one fewer classroom section than last year.

Two schools gained students: Carpenter added 12 and Lincoln added two. Five schools lost enrollment: Emerson dropped 19, Franklin lost 18, Roosevelt lost 13, Washington lost four and Field lost one.

Overall staffing fell by 3.47 full-time-equivalent positions. Education Support Personnel positions dropped by nine, which the district attributed to restructured student-services delivery. Certified staff saw a net gain of 1.53 FTE, including two new Structured Learning Classroom teachers, a HOPE teacher, a HOPE social worker and a speech-language pathologist.

Jefferson earns top early-childhood rating

Jefferson Early Childhood Center earned a Gold Circle of Quality from ExceleRate Illinois for its Preschool for All program. It is the highest rating awarded by the Illinois Department of Early Childhood.

Jefferson earned it on its first audit.

Collins said in a district announcement on Friday, Sept. 18 that state assessors were particularly impressed by the quality of instruction and the interactions between teachers and students. The award was recognized at the Thursday, Sept. 17 board meeting.