Galesburg C.S.D. #205
A gold star effort from a Blue Ribbon Team

Fortunately for Dr. Neil Sappington, the Superintendent of the Galesburg Community School District, the sales pitch on SAC was an easy one. In fact, Anne Gengenbacher, the Principal of Silas Willard Elementary, was already sold. Always looking for ways to “turn the light bulb on for her teachers,” Anne recognized how SAC would benefit not only her own school but every initiative throughout the district.

The teachers, however, were far less receptive. One might even say a bit skeptical. So she dedicated her own efforts to helping them embrace SAC, arranging sufficient meeting times, and even attending each and every SAC meeting herself. “I learned along the way with the rest of them. We were in it together,” Anne remembers. With her unyielding support, the teachers began to embrace SAC and see the benefits of student-led assessments. Soon, the Silas Willard Learning Team became so dedicated to bringing assessments into their curriculum that every program, school-wide, was re-evaluated.

Dr. Sappington is delighted that the teachers and principals throughout the district “have used SAC as a learning tool to create a learning community.” And he is encouraged by the “common language in the building about assessments and learning,” which has helped make SAC a completely sustainable program.

But of all the success they have enjoyed since adopting SAC, perhaps the greatest honor came in 2003 when the U.S. Department of Education awarded the team at Silas Willard the Blue Ribbon Award for three years of test scores in the top 10% of the State. Since then, thanks to a combination of SAC and curriculum mapping efforts, 100% of the 3rd grade students at Silas Willard meet or exceed standards on the I.S.A.T.

All wonderful examples of how one district used the SAC Initiative to provide teachers and principals with support to help them increase student involvement and increase scores. Something that has truly pleased Anne, who feels, “SAC can get us where we need to go. Not just to meet standards, but to exceed the standards. SAC has been a powerful tool.”

Oswego School District #308

When the Oswego School District first decided to bring the Standards-Aligned Classroom Initiative into their schools, it was based on its potential not its popularity. At that time, SAC was a brand new Initiative with little support and virtually no results. But the administration in Oswego believed in the core ideas behind SAC and the benefits of a classroom where students are involved in assessment and instruction. So they began training with only two small teams, each with four teachers and a building administrator. And it worked.

Once the teachers embraced SAC, they began to see astounding transformations in their classrooms. Student learning increased, achievement rose, and students took responsibility for their learning. Teachers and students were both able to define and understand their learning targets. Students were able to assess their own learning and set their own goals for improvement, and as a result, became energized by the assessment process. In fact, the students have become so involved they now keep records of their own learning. Similarly, the teachers have begun to conduct student-led conferences where the students share their learning with their parents instead of teachers reporting the students’ learning. And the results are remarkable. Thanks to SAC, students now understand the importance of learning and share their learning goals with their parents.

SAC has been a resounding success throughout the entire school district. The number of SAC Learning Teams has grown from the original 2 to 27 teams, including kindergarten through high school, special education, art, music, physical education, and family development. And now that the teachers who were once the pioneers of the SAC Initiative are the district leaders, the philosophies of SAC are being spread to every classroom in the district through the creation of a District-Level Leadership Team. This group of dedicated teachers and administrators has brought forth a district assessment policy that will move all teachers in the Oswego School District to a classroom where students are actively involved in the assessment process, the record keeping process, and the communication of their learning. Teachers will be examining all assessments, formative and summative, to ensure that all students will receive quality assessments aimed at learning targets which have been communicated to the students.

Now, thanks to their inspiring commitment to improving student learning through the SAC process, the future of the Oswego School District – and its students – has never looked brighter.