Peotone Board of Education Meeting | October 20, 2025

Article Summary: Peotone School District 207-U has established new three-year academic growth goals, aiming for at least 70% of students to be proficient in English Language Arts and 50% in Math by the spring of 2028. The new targets were set in response to the state realigning its performance benchmarks.

New Academic Goals Key Points:

• The district aims for 70% proficiency in English Language Arts (ELA) for students in grades 3-11 by Spring 2028.

• A goal of 50% proficiency in Math for students in grades 3-11 has also been set for Spring 2028.

• Progress will be measured by the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) and ACT College Readiness Benchmarks.

The Peotone school district has adjusted its long-term academic targets, setting new proficiency goals in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math for the next three years. Assistant Superintendent Carole Zurales announced the updated goals during the Board of Education meeting on Monday, October 20, 2025.

The district’s new goals are:

• By Spring 2028, at least 70% of students in grades 3-11 will be proficient or above in ELA.

• By Spring 2028, at least 50% of students in grades 3-11 will be proficient or above in Math.

Student achievement will be measured using scores from the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) for younger grades and the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks for high school students.

Zurales explained that the new goals were developed in response to the state’s recent decision to realign all benchmarks to a four-level performance system.

“With the recalibration, our three-year district growth goals have been adjusted,” Zurales told the board.

The announcement came after the district’s October 17 School Improvement Day, where teachers and administrators focused on analyzing district-wide data from spring assessments to help develop School Improvement Plan (SIP) goals for their respective buildings and grade levels.

Zurales noted that a more detailed analysis of the district’s performance will be presented next month after the official school report card data is released by the state on October 30.