The District 202 Board of Education addressed a variety of topics in their Feb. 12 meeting, many of which had to do with reflecting on the 2023 fiscal year.
One such topic was teamASAP, recently renamed ‘Pathways to Early College Forum.’ The forum encompasses both Advanced Placement (AP) classes, as well as dual-credit courses taught in conjunction with Oakton Community College.
AP African-American Studies was offered at the school for the first time this year, making it among the only high schools in the country to offer the class. AP Precalculus, also new this year, has replaced “regular” Precalculus courses, meaning that every student who takes Precalc must do so at the AP level. This school year, a total of 1,410 unique students, most of them upperclassmen, were enrolled in one or more of some 36 different AP courses offered at ETHS. As for dual-credit classes, the school offers a total of 14 different classes spanning four departments, though this will change next year, when three new classes will be introduced: Zoology, Introduction to Life Science and Certified Nursing Assistant Training.
Dr. Peter Bavis, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction at ETHS, expressed a desire to maintain and expand the existing dual-credit program.
“This is what we can do when we come together for the good of our kids. We see the fruits of [this] labor and we look to continue [this] partnership,” Bavis said.
Dr. Anne Brennan, from Oakton College, expressed similar sentiments.
“Our interest is: do the students who take dual credit graduate at a higher rate? Do they go to college at a higher rate? Do they persist? The national data tells us that they do,” said Brennan. “[Dual credit] has an even [larger] effect on students who are not normally given exposure to college; students who have not had that example at home get that taste of college – like first generation students – and it has a great effect on them.”
In addition to the Early College forum, board members also discussed literacy and numeracy rates at the school. The board noted pockets of literary growth and attainment being shown on STAR, PSAT and SAT assessments in spite of pandemic related declines. Unfortunately, pockets of regression were also evident, especially among students of color. In regards to numeracy, a similar story was presented; improvements were present, however, so was decline that hit certain groups harder than others.
In fiscal year 2023, ETHS generated $134.9 million in revenue, in addition to $127.5 million in expenses, equating to a $7.4 million increase in net position, money that will be used to support the school and its offerings.
Also in fiscal year 2023, the school underwent several infrastructure projects, including improvements to the nurse’s office and girls locker room, WiFi upgrades, HVAC replacements in the auditorium, replacement of windows in the north and east wings and roof work in the west and south wings.
