End of Week Message: A New Year, and a New Step Forward for CPS
10 January 2025
Dear CPS Colleagues, Families, and Supporters,
I want to wish everyone in our CPS community a happy new year!
The start of any calendar year is an exciting time. It’s a chance to take stock of where we are, set goals for ourselves, and work as hard as we can to make those goals a reality.
One of the first things on the CPS agenda for 2025 has been welcoming our newest Board of Education members, ten of whom made history in 2024 as the first-ever elected school board members in the city of Chicago. During this week’s orientation, they’ve been busy exploring all things CPS, including Success 2029: Together We Rise, our District’s five-year strategic plan. A core component of that plan is our Continuous Improvement and Data Transparency (CIDT) policy, which represents a transformational shift in the way we measure improvement in our schools.
CIDT replaces the School Quality Rating Policy (SQRP) that was used by our District previously — a policy that had some negative impacts on our school communities. The previous accountability system reduced the character and quality of a school to a single ranking (Level 1, Level 2+ , etc.), which not only gave little insight into school communities, but in many cases, unwittingly pitted schools against each other and perpetuated historic cycles of inequity.
For years, we heard from our families, educators, and partners that a significant change needed to be made. CIDT is that change.
Designed with the input of over 21,000 stakeholders over several years, CIDT is a key turning point for our District, and a groundbreaking development in school accountability nationally.
It starts with establishing shared responsibility between the District and our schools, and sharing comprehensive feedback to drive continuous improvement. Under the CIDT model, the District provides equitable resources and ongoing support to all CPS schools. Our schools use those investments to create rigorous, joyful, and equitable learning experiences for all students. And data is used not to punish schools or pick winners and losers, but to raise the quality of education everywhere in our city. By tracking and measuring school performance in a more complete and comprehensive way, District leaders can gain more insight into what each school community needs, and we can work to apply support and resources to help each school be successful.
In addition, this new system gives parents, staff, and other CPS stakeholders a much more complete picture of their school communities. While still including outcome metrics like test scores, graduation rate, and attendance, CIDT broadens the view significantly, providing details on the many distinct factors that contribute to a school’s overall success. These include:
- capital investments
- staffing levels
- high-quality curriculum and instructional models
- professional development opportunities for educators and staff
- out-of-school time activities, and more
CIDT metrics are specific to each school, and can be viewed on our District’s new interactive online dashboard. This is a tool you can use to monitor how your school is performing individually, and how it is progressing toward the universal goals outlined in our District’s five-year strategic plan.
Metrics are still being added to the dashboard on a rolling basis, but several are available now, including the number of staff positions that have been allocated to each CPS school. I urge everyone to explore the dashboard on our school profile pages.
Here’s an example of our updated school profile pages:
I want to thank the more than 21,000 students, educators, school leaders, families, and community partners who helped us create this more fair and effective way of understanding and improving our schools. I urge everyone to examine the new online dashboard and learn more about CIDT at cps.edu/cidt.
Sincerely,
Pedro Martinez
Chief Executive Officer
Chicago Public Schools
Help Us Highlight Your School
We love highlighting the amazing things that are happening day-to-day in our schools, along with the people who are making them happen! Please share your stories with us using our Good News Form so that we can share them with the District!
Here are some ideas to consider:
- January is National Mentoring Month. Do you know a CPS teacher, counselor, coach, or other education professional who deserves to be recognized for the extra time they take with students?
- On January 20, 2025, the world will honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. How will your school honor his legacy?
- January 23 is National Reading Day. Is there a literacy program at your school that is getting kids to love books?
- What plans does your school have for the celebration of Black History Month this February?
Use our Good News Form to help us showcase all the ways the Best are with CPS!
A Look Around the District
Check out these highlights from schools across the District!
Shoesmith Elementary in Chicago’s Kenwood neighborhood hosted its Winter Around the World Concert, which featured the debut of its 5th and 6th-grade band, Electric Swarm.
At Edwards Elementary in Archer Heights, students celebrated their goal of achieving 90% attendance for the month of December with a Pie-throwing event. Homerooms with the highest monthly percentage helped pie their school principal and dean.
Finally, Nicholson Elementary in Englewood hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Curiosity Classroom. Students welcomed families, partner organizations, and members of the community to celebrate their new innovative space!
CPS Scoreboard: This Week in District Athletics
New Year… New Platform! CPS athletics is excited to announce our official launch on Instagram and Facebook, highlighting the incredible accomplishments of our student-athletes and programs across the District! Make sure to follow these accounts and interact with us on these new social platforms, as well as on our existing account on X!
CPS athletes across all sports competed in holiday tournaments throughout winter break. Check out the latest stories and photo galleries from what was a sports-filled two weeks!
Lake View High School’s Daniel L. recently became just the third athlete in school history to score 1000 points in basketball. Daniel’s success goes beyond athletics, as he currently boasts an impressive 3.5 GPA. Click here to read the feature on his impact, both in the classroom and on the court.
Lane Tech made headlines this week as the first school in District history to receive the Dave Perillo ZONI Sportsmanship Award. Lane Tech received this recognition for their positive attitudes and respect towards the game, officials, and opponents all year. Read more here.
CPS SCORE! Elementary sports are in full swing! Check out the latest schedules and information at cpsathletics.com
Playoffs and championships for high school winter sports kick off this weekend with Boys’ Varsity Bowling! Check out our website for the most up to date information, ane good luck to all of our student-athletes and coaches!
2025–26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Now Available!
It’s time for all CPS 12th-graders to complete their FAFSA! This is a graduation requirement for all CPS seniors. Students who complete the FAFSA are eligible for up to $7,395 in Pell Grant funding to subsidize the cost of college at virtually all postsecondary institutions across the country. Additionally, students who attend college in the state of Illinois may be eligible for up to $8,400 in additional MAP Grant funding. Students may also be eligible for between $5,500 and $9,500 in federal student loans.
For more information and assistance with the FAFSA, students should reach out to their school counselor, or visit cps.edu/LearnPlanSucceed.
Sign Up for Winter Programming in the Parks
Keep your body and mind active this winter in a Chicago Park District program. Classes are very affordable, and most programs run from now through March 16, 2025. Learn more and register here.
Speed Skaters are invited to compete in a Chicago Park District Silver Skates competition. Six speed skating events are taking place at neighborhood ice rinks from January 7–16, for ages six and up. It’s free to participate and to rent skates. Learn more and register here.
Calling All CPS Artists! Upcoming Opportunities in the Arts
CPS Sophomores and Juniors: Apply now to RE:ALIZE, the FREE dual enrollment arts program created in partnership with Columbia College Chicago. In addition to 6–12 college credits in theater, music, dance, or visual arts, RE:ALIZE offers students support with developing a portfolio, workshops with professional artists, college and university visits, free supplies, multiple opportunities to showcase their work, and more. Apply by the deadline of March 17, 2025, or learn more on the RE:ALIZE website and through this informational slideshow. You can also reach out to realize@cps.edu with any questions!
All CPS Students: Submit Your Work to RE•VER•BER•ATE and All-City Visual Art (ACVA) Exhibitions
RE•VER•BER•ATE (April 22–25, 2025) is a free, multidisciplinary arts festival that offers CPS students in grades pre-k—12 the opportunity to participate in exhibitions, performances, workshops, masterclasses, and academic and professional collaborations. Teachers and students are invited to submit applications to perform or exhibit at the festival. Apply HERE for performing arts by February 3, 2025. Apply HERE for visual arts by March 13, 2025. Learn more about these opportunities at cps.edu/reverberate, and contact reverberate@cps.edu with any questions.
Applications to participate in the ACVA Pre-k–12 Visual Art Exhibition are open through March 13, 2025. Apply here. Full details can be found in the submission guidelines. Learn more at cps.edu/acva, and you can contact allcityarts@cps.edu with any questions. Any artwork submitted to the Pre-k–12 Visual Art Exhibition will also be automatically considered for inclusion in ART on THE MART 2025!
Discounted Tickets for CPS Staff
CPS staff are invited to cheer on the Chicago Bulls with an exclusive ticket offer for the below games. Get your tickets here!
- Bulls vs. Pelicans: Tuesday, January 14
- Bulls vs. Hawks: Wednesday, January 15
- Bulls vs. 76ers: Saturday, January 25
Important Dates
For more upcoming events around the District, visit cps.edu/calendar.
- Wednesday, January 15: Chicago Board of Education Agenda Review Committee Meeting. Learn more about cpsboe.org.
- Friday, January 17: End of the second quarter of the 2024–25 school year.
- Monday, January 20: CPS offices and schools will be closed in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day; no classes for CPS students.
- Tuesday, January 21: School improvement day for staff; no classes for CPS students.
- Thursday, January 30: Chicago Board of Education meeting. Learn more about cpsboe.org.