Why this Illinois school district leader is going all-in on testing
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Many Illinois school districts suspended standardized testing for much of the pandemic year. Carbondale Elementary School District 95, a 1,500-student district in southern Illinois, did not.
Janice Pavelonis, the assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction at Carbondale, was among the district leaders who saw testing as essential — especially now. She was hired in 2018 to address student learning gaps and train teachers, and in July, she will become the district superintendent.
During the 2018-2019 school year, the district started to test students in reading and math three times a year and to create individualized learning plans between assessments. Before the pandemic hit, state test results showed gains in reading and math across the district, including among Black and Latino students.