Cicero District 99 Case Study

District Facts

Location: Cicero, IL
K-12 Enrollment: 10,689
Staff: 740 Teachers
Certified Teacher to Student Ratio: 10:1
Administrators to StudentRatio: 143:1
Facilities/Buildings: 16

Demographics: 96.1% of students in the district report being Hispanic, with 55.4% of students coming from bilingual or English-learning households. 91.5% of students in the district are on free or reduced-cost lunch. Data retrieved from the District 99 State Report Card.

Information, Implementation, and Integration: Using Dynamic Data to Transform Decision Making.

The Challenge

Though they had the PBIS system and the district-wide expectations in place, Cicero School District No. 99 (District 99) continued to struggle with attendance and behavior accountability. The challenge, according to Dr. Jack Rein (Director of MTSS at District 99), was that “every school was doing their own behavior tracking, whether it was positive or negative… it was different at every school.” District 99 needed a consistent, collaborative approach that would yield rich, informative district-level data in order to make real change happen.

The Results (Data Points):

Decrease in general absenteeism*

Decrease in chronic absenteeism*

Reduction in monthly behavior referrals*

Reduction in avg. number monthly suspension days*

*at the elementary school level

Improved student behavior, as evidenced by significant decreases in student behavior referrals and suspensions.
Achieved dramatic improvement in student attendance at all levels.
Enhanced school climate through prioritizing the needs of the whole child.
Maintained motivation and reinforcement for academic engagement in a virtual environment, due to the pandemic school closings.
Progressed in implementation of systems-level processes, such as positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) and multi-tiered systems of supports (MTSS).

The Solution

Adopt and implement with fidelity an online platform and related Apps to engage, manage and deliver desired results.
Establish consistent expectations and behavioral goals.
Employ clearly defined reinforcements and corrective behavior responses.
Leverage data to make informed decisions.

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