Next school year will be a year of transition for Illinois districts. Many will complete the transition to new Common Core standards adopted by the Illinois State Board of Education.
Macomb Superintendent Alene Reuschel said the change makes professional development more urgent for teachers.
She said, “Schools traditionally have their own kickoff meetings but this time we're going to come together as an education community. And because we're all facing many of the same challenges, especially in the Common Core.”
She said Macomb, West Prairie and Bushnell-Prairie City will hold their first Joint Teacher Institute in August. Educators from the districts will meet at the Macomb Junior-Senior High School to share their “homework” on the changes.
Reuschel said, “As we move from what we have as our district core to the new, we obviously had to make some changes. And there's some gaps. And so what we're going to do filling in those gaps and making sure that that overlap, you know, is addressed.”
She said the process includes not only changing the curriculum but making sure the new curriculum is properly implemented.