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Senn High School

State of the School

School Year 2026-27

November 2, 2026

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TODAY’S AGENDA

01	Vision, Mission & Strategic Plan
02	Continuous Improvement in SY26
03	Looking Ahead at SY27

Purpose:

Support and encourage robust community conversations by sharing information with the school community around the following:

CPS vision, mission & strategic plan
Our school’s progress
Priorities for the year ahead and how you can get involved

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Ethical and

Collaborative Leaders

Empowered

Decision Makers

Engaged �Community Members

Adaptable and Independent Thinkers

Inquisitive �Learners

We remain committed to our mission of providing a high-quality public education for every child, �in every neighborhood, that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life.

Student Centered

Whole Child

Equity

Academic Excellence

Community Partnership

Continuous Learning

Core �Values

Graduate �Profile

Our Continued Mission to Serve Every Child

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How We �Define Student Success

Our Approach to Accountability �and How We �Support Schools

How We Invest �in Schools and Communities

How We Make �Major Decisions

EVERY STUDENT has a rigorous, joyful, �and equitable daily �learning experience	EVERY SCHOOL creates the conditions and implements the practices to drive continuous improvement through an equity lens	EVERY COMMUNITY�has inclusive and �collaborative partnerships �for thriving schools
THE DISTRICT provides equitable resources and supports to each school

Four Major Philosophical Shifts

Priority Areas

Embracing �Targeted Universalism

to better understand �what students need and co-design diverse solutions to help every student achieve universal goals

Visit cps.edu/FiveYearPlan to learn more

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This is year, our district is embarking on the third year of our 5-year strategic plan. The theme is “Together We Rise” towards success in 2029.
This plan is rooted in Targeted Universalism, a belief that we set a high standard of universal goals for everyone, and then we provide the support that every student needs to meet that standard. We aim do do this by co-designing diverse solutions.
We are focused on four major philosophical shifts as a District that will help us achieve greater equity for our students:

redefining student success
implementing a new accountability system and how schools are supported
improving the way we support our schools and communities
using community engagement to drive decision-making

The district has three major priority areas for providing equitable resources and supports to each school:

First,seeing to it that EVERY STUDENT has a rigorous, joyful, and equitable daily learning experience
Next,working together so EVERY SCHOOL creates the conditions and implements the practices to drive continuous improvement through an equity lens
And partnering so that EVERY COMMUNITY has inclusive and collaborative partnerships for thriving schools

You can visit cps.edu/FiveRearPlan to learn more

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The Daily Student Experience

Rigorous

Joyful

Equitable

Daily Learning

Experiences

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MISSION & VISION

OUR MISSION

OUR VISION

Nicholas Senn High School is a diverse community who is rooted in the IB Learner Profile and develops motivated, creative, and critical thinkers who are actively responsible, globally minded citizens.

Nicholas Senn High School is to be an inclusive, world-class educational institution and the first choice high school for its community. Our goal is to develop globally minded learners who are prepared to succeed in their post-secondary lives.

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Continuous Improvement in SY26

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Continuous Improvement Work Plan (CIWP)

The Continuous Improvement Work Plan (CIWP) is…

A three-year strategic plan
Outlines the school’s big projects to improve student daily learning experiences and outcomes.
Developed using evidence and data
A “living document”

The CIWP consists of:

Theory of Action: designed to address the root cause of a student-centered problem
Performance and Practice Goals
Implementation Plan

SY24-26 CIWP Priorities

Inclusive & Supportive Learning Environment

Postsecondary Success

Connectedness & Wellbeing

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Priority #1

Inclusive & Supportive Learning Environment

Theory of Action

If we prioritize aligned and consistent professional learning and curricular alignment to allow teachers to appropriately scaffold instruction for all students, especially EL/DL, then we see teachers equipped to design and scaffold curriculum based on student strength and need, which leads to an increased number of students able to access grade level (tier 1) instruction in math & ELA, and a decrease in the number of Ds and Fs for students who are DL & EL

Performance Goal	Metric	Baseline	SY26 Goal	SY26 Actual
Percentage of Students in Academic Tier 1 in ELA	All Students	45%	54%	81%
Percentage of Students in Academic Tier 1 in ELA	EL Students	11%	20%	22%
Decrease in Ds and Fs	Students with IEPs	40%	32%	31%
Decrease in Ds and Fs	EL Students	27%	18%	27%

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ELA Tiers

ELA Tier is determined by STAR360, a district-wide benchmark exam

This chart represents EOY data from SY26

CIWP Goal

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ACT Proficiency

ACT Proficiency Rate�The percentage of eleventh graders who are proficient or above proficient on grade-level expectations for a given content area as measured by the 2026 ACT assessment.

*Comparison set of Network 14 neighborhood high schools

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ELA Proficiency Growth

ACT Proficiency Rate�The percentage of eleventh graders who are proficient or above proficient on grade-level expectations for a given content area as measured by the 2026 ACT assessment.

SY26: 44%

SY25: 46%

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Math Proficiency Growth

ACT Proficiency Rate�The percentage of eleventh graders who are proficient or above proficient on grade-level expectations for a given content area as measured by the 2026 ACT assessment.

SY26: 30%

SY25: 27%

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Grade Distribution

IEP

EL

EL & IEP

Non-EL

Non-IEP

Overall

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Priority #2

Postsecondary Success

Theory of Action

If we explicitly teach ATL skills situated within both academic and real-world contexts, provide opportunities in the curriculum for students to think about career options and prepare students with the skills and next steps to pursue those options then we see a universal post-secondary culture in which all adults have shared ownership over helping each student find their appropriate post-secondary path which leads to an increase in students' early college/career credits, and improved persistence in diverse post-secondary paths.

Performance Goal	Metric	Baseline	SY26 Goal	SY26 Actual
2 Year College Persistence	All Students	39%	50%	82%�(Class of 2024)
2 Year College Persistence	Males	27%	40%	78%�(Class of 2024)
Early College/Career Credential Attainment	Overall	1%	30%	67%

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Postsecondary Success

4-Year Graduation Rate�The percentage of students who graduate from high school within four years.

*Comparison set of Network 14 neighborhood high schools

College Enrollment�The percentage of students enrolled in college in the fall or spring after graduation from a CPS high school as identified by the National Student Clearinghouse.

ECCC Rate�The percentage of graduates who finished with at least one Early College and Career credit: Early College Course Credit (IB, AP, Dual Credit, Dual Enrollment), Industry Certifications, or Seal of Biliteracy

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Postsecondary Growth

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Priority #3

Connectedness & Wellbeing

Theory of Action

If we train all staff and students in comprehensive restorative practices including a more robust approach to student belonging, culturally relevant teaching / innovative practices, and shared learning around courageous conversations. then we see consistent language and expectations being enforced by students and adults, consistent follow up when school values are not followed as well as curriculum that is engaging and reflective of student identities which leads to Long term reduction in student referrals, an increase in student attendance as well as a school culture that reflects shared ownership, belonging and joy

Performance Goal	Metric	Baseline	SY26 Goal	SY26 Actual
Average Daily Attendance	All Students	78%	85%	78%
Average Daily Attendance	Students with IEPs	70%	80%	78%
Disruptive Behavior Referrals (SCC 4-6) per 100 students	All Students	9.3	7.0	5.3
Disruptive Behavior Referrals (SCC 4-6) per 100 students	Black Students	14.5	13.0	12.6

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Attendance Data

Average Daily Attendance (ADA)�The sum of full day (1.0) or half day (0.5) attendance for all students divided by the count of all student attendance days

*Comparison set of Network 14 neighborhood high schools

Chronic Absence�The percentage of students missing 10% or more of their enrolled days, regardless of whether the absences are excused or unexcused.

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Behavior Referrals

CPS Student Code of Conduct

Group 1: Inappropriate Behaviors

Group 2: Disruptive Behaviors

Group 3: Seriously Disruptive Behaviors

Group 4: Very Seriously Disruptive Behaviors

Group 5: Most Seriously Disruptive Behaviors

Group 6: Illegal and Most Seriously Disruptive Behaviors

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2026 Illinois Report Card

Designation Meaning & Use

Rating to Direct Resources: Designed by Illinois to comply with federal law which requires that more state resources go to the schools with the highest need, as defined by student performance.
Not Measuring Quality: Rating system is NOT designed to measure the quality of school practice — state board of education does not consider its role to be setting standards for every Illinois district.

State designations should NOT be used to make claims about the quality of practices present in a school.

Proficiency

Growth

Grad Rate

EL Progress

Consistent Attendance

Climate Survey

Comprehensive

Commendable

Approaching Exemplary

Comprehensive

Performance Levels

Approaching Exemplary

Exemplary

Commendable

Developing

Comprehensive

Automatic

Comprehensive

Approaching Exemplary

Exemplary

Commendable

Developing

Comprehensive

Automatic

Comprehensive

Approaching Exemplary

Exemplary

Commendable

Developing

Comprehensive

Automatic

Comprehensive

Approaching Exemplary

Exemplary

Commendable

Developing

Comprehensive

Automatic

Comprehensive

Approaching Exemplary

Exemplary

Commendable

Developing

Comprehensive

Automatic

Comprehensive

Approaching Exemplary

Exemplary

Commendable

Developing

Comprehensive

Automatic

Comprehensive

Approaching Exemplary

Exemplary

Commendable

Developing

Comprehensive

Automatic

Comprehensive

Approaching Exemplary

Exemplary

Commendable

Developing

Comprehensive

Automatic

Comprehensive

Commendable

1 point away!

<<ONLY INCLUDE IF ISBE DESIGNATIONS HAVE BEEN SHARED PUBLICLY

Drag & drop the Performance Levels boxes, from the left side, into this empty Schoolhouse to show your ISBE Ratings.>>

Based on our school’s 2025-2026 performance, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has recently assigned us an overall designation of <<overall designation>> on the 2026 Illinois Report Card.

The state’s rating system has been revised for 2026. You can use the link from the top of this slide to learn more about it

Our new Profile of Performance brings together core academic indicators—proficiency, growth, and graduation rate, along with select, practical indicators to help provide us with actionable insight to improve culture, engagement, and outcomes. You can see we we rated <<name other ratings that make it up your school’s overall profile>>

While this designation is new to us, much of the data behind it is something we have already been using to create our new CIWPs plans and goals. This means we’re already working to << “keep this up next year” or “do better next year”>>.

Nonetheless, we have started analyzing it closely to make sure that our current CIWP addresses any new significant findings.

In general, this rating methodology was designed to comply with federal law which requires that more state resources go to schools with the highest need, as defined by student performance.
While this new state rating system provides a more complete picture than in previous years, the state system is NOT designed to measure the quality of school practice. The Illinois State Board of Education doesn’t consider its role to be setting standards for every Illinois district.

As a result, state designations should NOT be used to make claims about the quality of practices present in a school.

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Looking Ahead at SY27

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CIWP PROCESS

Jan	Feb	Feb-Mar	Mar-May	May
Team Launch	Foundation Priorities	Theories of Action	Implementation Plan	Plan Completion
Open Call to All Staff	Data Analysis Foundation Practice Ratings Staff Survey Staff Town Hall Student Empathy Interviews Community Forum 1	Define Student-Centered Problem Identify Root Cause Staff Presentation & Town Hall Community Forum 2	Staff Survey Goal Setting Ideation and Refinement of Implementation Plan Continued Stakeholder Engagement	Community Forum 3 LSC Discussion Network Consultation

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ALIGNED IMPROVEMENT

Assessment of Learning

Aligned Curriculum

Differentiated Tier 1 Instruction

Grading Practices

ATL Skill Development

Tier 2 / 3 Holistic Supports

Equitable Grading

IB Excellence

Targeted Supports

Priority 1:

Effective Instruction

Priority 2:

Systems for Student �Experience

Our two priorities are designed to work in tandem to support equity, assessment, and IB excellence

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EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION�Theory of Action

If we...

Establish school-wide systems for vertical and horizontal alignment and develop a comprehensive IB professional learning plan for all staff that emphasizes equitable grading practices and unified assessment of learning

then we see...

dedicated time where teachers collaboratively design and implement standards-based assessments, with daily instructional practices that specifically target unfinished learning through strong formative assessment and school-wide grading practices aligned to the IB philosophy

which leads to...

A more equitable student experience where all students, particularly Black, Male, and EL students, receive consistent instructional support, resulting in a significant reduction in D/F rates and a narrowing of the opportunity gap as all students grow towards course standards.

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EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION�Performance Goals

Performance Goal	Metric	Baseline	SY27	SY28	SY29
% of Passing Grades	Black Students	83.7%	85.5%	87.5%	90.0%
% of Passing Grades	EL Students	81.1%	83.5%	86.0%	89.0%
STAR 360 Student Growth Percentile�(Fall to Spring, ELA & Math)	Black Students	45.8	48.0	50.0	53.5
	EL Students	47.6	49.0	51.5	54.5

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EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION�Implementation Milestones

Planning

01

Vertical Alignment
IB PD

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Curriculum refinement with feedback cycles

Data-driven Tier 1 Differentiation

Assessment

02

Common IB-aligned assessment practices and language

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IB-aligned Unit Maps and common assessments

Refined alignment to IB Standards and Practices

Teams

03

Dept. and Course Team dedicated planning time
Establish Grade Level teams

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Data cycles monitoring EL and Black student success

Routine Learning Cycles for continuous improvement

2026-27

2027-28

2028-29

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SYSTEMS FOR STUDENT SUCCESS�Theory of Action

If we...

Design and implement a systematic 9th grade transition plan that integrates explicit Approaches to Learning (ATL) skill instruction and shared expectations for executive functioning, academic skills, and self-advocacy skills for all 9th grade students

then we see...

A shift in student behavior toward increased agency and engagement, supported by staff who proactively utilize common interventions to provide early, targeted SEL and academic support.

which leads to...

Increased attendance and improved GPA outcomes for Black male students, ensuring a successful transition to high school that reduces the opportunity gap and fosters academic success and a sense of belonging for all 9th graders.

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SYSTEMS FOR STUDENT SUCCESS�Performance Goals

Performance Goal	Metric	Baseline	SY27	SY28	SY29
Average Daily Attendance	9th Grade Black Males	82.3%	83.5%	84.5%	85.5%
Average Daily Attendance	9th Grade All	78.1%	79.5%	81.0%	82.5%
% of Passing Grades	9th Grade Black Males	73.4%	75.0%	76.5%	78.0%
% of Passing Grades	9th Grade All	77.6%	79.0%	80.5%	82.0%

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SYSTEMS FOR STUDENT SUCCESS�Theory of Action

Student Experience

01

9th Grade “Academic Guide”
Quarterly events
Increased family partnership

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Unified Grading Policy
Targeted supports for off-track 9th Graders
Continued family partnership

Scale policies and supports to 10th grade
Refined progress monitoring for targeted supports

2026-27

2027-28

2028-29

Approaches�to Learning

02

ATL “Toolkit” and Integration PD for staff
Counseling Curriculum

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ATL Skill unit plan integration
Collaborative grade level planning

Vertically-aligned ATL Skill development
Ongoing IB-aligned professional development

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ALIGNED IMPROVEMENT

Assessment of Learning

Aligned Curriculum

Differentiated Tier 1 Instruction

Grading Practices

ATL Skill Development

Tier 2 / 3 Holistic Supports

Equitable Grading

IB Excellence

Targeted Supports

Priority 1:

Effective Instruction

Priority 2:

Systems for Student �Experience

Our two priorities are designed to work in tandem to support equity, assessment, and IB excellence

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Family & Community

Local School Council (LSC)

Parent Advisory Council (PAC)

Bilingual Advisory Council (BAC)

Senn HS is committed to partnering with our families and community to ensure our students’ success, especially these important organizations:

This elected council composed of guardians, school staff, and community members makes critical decisions regarding the school’s budget and principal selection.

Parents vote on spending the parent portion of federal Title I funds which are intended to build capacity for meaningful partnership between families and schools to support student academic achievement.

Bilingual Advisory Council (BAC), primarily consisting of parents of current English learners, engage multilingual families, advocate for the academic, social, and cultural needs of English learners, and share concerns with the LSC.

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Family & Community

…and these incredible partners:

Friends of Senn