Schools
ISD 199 School District FAQ
These intentional efforts, starting with preschool students, lead to more success as students move through the ISD 199 school system.
October 6, 2021
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With the return to a more familiar school year, issues locally, within the metro, across the state, and across the country have arisen, and we at ISD 199 wanted to take the opportunity to provide clarity for our community. Therefore, we’ve provided an FAQ below that will be updated as more questions arise:
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What is equity?
What happened to the Honors track at IGH Middle School?
Does ISD 199 no longer give out F grades?
Does ISD 199 work with Equity Alliance MN?
Did the district conduct an Equity Survey with Equity Alliance MN?
Did teachers tell students not to tell their parents about taking an Equity Survey from Equity Alliance MN?
Does ISD 199 teach Critical Race Theory?
Is “My Culture, Your Culture” professional development connected to Critical Race Theory?
How are ISD 199 students performing?
What is Simley High School’s graduation rate?
Is there support for face coverings among the ISD 199 school community?
What is equity?
Although some may think equity means lowering expectations or taking opportunities away from some students to give to others, this could not be further from the truth. In fact, in ISD 199, equity means making sure that every student is challenged and that we’re using our resources strategically so every student has more opportunities.
We believe that all students can and will learn at their highest potential if we challenge them, remove barriers, and give them the tools they need.
Increasing academic challenge for all students looks like: providing differentiation in all classes, preschool through 12th grade, so every student feels challenged. Differentiation means teachers can make changes to what each student is learning, how the student learns it, and how the student must demonstrate their learning so the student gets what they need to be successful to the greatest extent possible. As part of differentiation, teachers provide different supports and assign different tasks to students in their class based on what will challenge each student and best allow that student to demonstrate their understanding.
Removing barriers to educational access looks like: providing enrichment opportunities to students at all levels, providing universal screening for Gifted and Talented at the elementary level, increasing access to rigorous coursework for middle school students, and preparing all high school students to take rigorous coursework in high school.
These intentional efforts, starting with preschool students, lead to more success as students move through the ISD 199 school system. We are proud to consistently have some of the highest graduation rates in the state, higher than average ACT scores, and large percentages of students each year who are taking AP exams and earning college credit. In fact, every Simey High School student now graduates with college credit. They also have opportunities to graduate with a nationally recognized professional certification through our Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or Emergency Medical Services (EMS) courses, or with real-world career experience through the Genesys Works Program and our TriDistrict Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) Program, which partners with local businesses to build the professional habits of juniors and seniors and place them in internships.
Giving students the tools to succeed looks like: STEAMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & humanities, Math, & Media) classes at the elementary schools preparing students with Future Ready skills, STEM Explorations and AVID strategies at IGH Middle School teaching students lifelong skills like time management and academic discussion, and TriDistrict CAPS (Center for Advanced Professional Studies) classes and courses for professional certifications at Simley High School that students can complete to gain work experience before graduation.
What happened to the Honors track at IGH Middle School?
The previous two-track system (honors and regular) provided all students with the exact same grade-level standards and content with delivery at a slightly different pace and within a different classroom. This model did not provide the challenge and early high school credit that academically advanced students needed, and it limited students on the regular track from challenging themselves.
Rigor has increased for all students. Now, rather than barring students from more challenging classes if they did not start on the Honors track in 6th grade, IGH Middle School provides pathways customized for each student through:
- Subject Acceleration - Advanced students can be promoted one year or more through a subject in which they excel, accessing standards above their grade level and potentially earning high school credit while still in middle school.
- Tiered Tasks & Assignments - All IGH Middle School teachers are trained in differentiation, meaning they can make changes to what each student is learning, how the student learns it, and how the student must demonstrate their learning. Teachers assign tiered tasks and assignments to support and challenge students based on their individual needs. Tiers include standard tasks and assignments as well as advanced tasks and assignments.
- Advanced Options - Students also have opportunities to complete Advanced Options assignments throughout the school year and are encouraged to do so. Advanced Options are guided opportunities for students to select advanced tasks and coursework that extend their thinking and their demonstration of learning beyond the standard grade-level application. Advanced Options require students to gain a greater complexity and depth of knowledge and prepare them to take advanced coursework and college courses once they transition to Simley High School.
IGH Middle School students who subject accelerate and earn early high school credit have the opportunity to continue that same course path when they begin at Simley High School. These students often begin 9th grade in 10th- or 11th-grade English and math courses. Students at other middle schools do not have that opportunity, and students coming from other middle schools who enroll at Simley must complete a Credit by Assessment to qualify for acceleration. Many students transferring from other middle schools are not prepared with the same background or skills to pass the Credit by Assessment and qualify for acceleration in high school, particularly in English and science courses.
IGH Middle School is also one of the few surrounding middle schools that offers direct service for 6th-8th graders identified as gifted. ISD 199 gifted and talented services staff offer direct service for students in grades 2-8 who are identified as gifted, working with middle school students on enrichment projects. They also support middle school teachers, as well as elementary school teachers, in providing more challenging, in-depth learning opportunities for advanced students.
While the Honors track only provided grade-level content and limited the opportunities that IGH Middle School students had to challenge themselves, our middle school is proud of the work that staff have done to increase the level of challenge for every student. Since IGH Middle School began providing more opportunities and increasing rigor more than the two-track system would allow, Simley High School has seen an increase in the number of students successfully taking advanced placement (AP) and college-level courses in high school. Simley, in turn, has also increased rigor in its classrooms to ensure that students are being challenged at their highest level and enrolling in opportunities to earn college credit, professional credentials, and work experience before graduation.
Does ISD 199 no longer give out F grades?
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) required schools to give grades of NC, or “No Credit,” instead of F during the height of the pandemic, the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years. As required by MDE, students who did not successfully complete a course did not earn credit and got an NC on their report card. That is no longer a requirement from MDE and is not a practice currently in place in ISD 199.
Does ISD 199 work with Equity Alliance MN?
ISD 199 has been a part of the East Metro integration District (EMID) since its inception in 1995. EMID is now known by the name Equity Alliance MN. By being a part of the collaborative, ISD 199 is able to access $656,000 of state Achievement and Integration funding that would not be available otherwise.
Achievement and Integration funding provides middle school and high school AVID elective teachers, an elementary reading specialist, the district’s family community and cultural liaison, IGH Middle School’s student success coach, WEB Leaders and Link Crew activities that welcome and support incoming 6th and 9th grade students, Middle School Innovation Camp at the University of Minnesota, student transportation to attend career and technical education classes offered by ISD 917 at Dakota County Technical College, opportunities for high school students to earn health and physical education credits in the summer, and much more.
Did the district conduct an Equity Survey with Equity Alliance MN?
ISD 199 conducted a Learning Survey for staff, parents, and students with Equity Alliance MN in the spring of 2021. The voluntary survey gathered perspectives from each group to help the district understand what learning practices were helping students and what instructional practices could be improved for students.
Did teachers tell students not to tell their parents about taking the survey from Equity Alliance MN?
In March of 2021, students, parents, and staff were asked to take a voluntary Learning Survey, which was created in collaboration with Equity Alliance MN. Before students were asked to take the survey in classes, parents received an email notifying them that IGH Middle School and Simley High School students would be asked to take the survey and that parents could preview the student survey or opt their child out. The email was sent in accordance with ISD 199 Policy 520.
Did the student survey ISD 199 created in collaboration with Equity Alliance MN have a question about the student’s religion or gender identity?
Screenshots of the “Equity Survey” that some community members have shared or seen were not from the ISD 199 Learning Survey. The ISD 199 Learning Survey, which was created in collaboration with Equity Alliance MN, did not ask students their religion. The survey did include a question about the student’s gender identity, but it was not a required question and the question included a response that read, “Prefer not to answer.”
The Learning Survey for students, parents, and staff was also anonymous to encourage honest responses about the district’s achievements and areas in need for improvement. The survey was not linked to any identifying information, such as name or email, as noted in the survey notification to parents and in the preamble of all of the Learning Surveys.
Does ISD 199 teach Critical Race Theory?
No. ISD 199 does not teach Critical Race Theory. As you may have heard elsewhere, Critical Race Theory is a theory that has been around since 1997 and is taught in college and law school classes, not in K-12.
Is “My Culture, Your Culture” professional development connected to Critical Race Theory?
No. ISD 199 does not teach Critical Race Theory to students or staff. You may have heard about a professional development training we hold for our new teachers called My Culture, Your Culture and Success in the Classroom. The training helps our teachers understand how they can offer a range of opportunities that fit with each student's academic needs. Teachers learn how to incorporate a mix of independent work and collaborative work into their lessons, they learn about the different ways children communicate, and they explore new ways that students can demonstrate their learning. The goal of the training is to ensure that our teachers are helping students master skills and be successful in our classrooms.
How are ISD 199 students performing?
We continue to perform at or above the state average across many grade levels. However, while state reports and aggregates are an easy number to look to, they do not necessarily show how each student is doing. ISD 199 is focused on the growth of individual students, and our ultimate goal is to grow students every moment that they are in our classrooms up until they cross the stage at graduation.
We are proud to consistently have some of the highest graduation rates in the state, higher than average ACT scores, and large percentages of students each year who are taking AP exams and earning college credit. In fact, every Simey High School student now graduates with college credit. They also have opportunities to graduate with a nationally recognized professional certification through our Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or Emergency Medical Services (EMS) courses, or with real-world career experience through the Genesys Works Program and our TriDistrict Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) Program, which partners with local businesses to build the professional habits of juniors and seniors and place them in internships.
What is Simley High School’s graduation rate?
Simley High School has consistently had a higher graduation rate than the state average. Simley’s Alternative Learning Program has also had outstanding results, including a 100% graduate rate for the Class of 2020.
What is ISD 199’s total budget, how does the district spend its budget, and how does our voter-approved levy compare to those of surrounding districts?
ISD 199’s total budget is about $46,767,000 for the 2021-2022 school year. We spend 76.2% of our revenue on instruction and support, 11.4% on sites and buildings, 5% on transportation, 3.8% on district and school administration, and 3.6% on district support services.
Is there support for face coverings among the ISD 199 school community?
To help us understand our school community’s comfort with different mitigation strategies, we gathered perspectives through the Fall 2021 Planning Survey. Nearly 1,300 families and 400 staff members completed the survey with at least 70% of respondents at each level saying they would be “Comfortable” or “Very Comfortable” with each mitigation strategy, including students wearing face coverings.
Percentage of parents at each level who responded that they would be “Comfortable” or “Very Comfortable” with their child wearing a face covering as appropriate:
- Early Learning - 75.33%
- Elementary School - 76.23%
- Middle School - 73.89%
- High School - 70.03%
Percentage of staff members at each level who responded that they would be “Comfortable” or “Very Comfortable” with students wearing face coverings as appropriate:
- Early Learning - 79.75%
- Elementary School - 82.82%
- Middle School - 85.17%
- High School - 82.02%
As of August 23, face coverings are required for everyone age 3 and older inside ISD 199 buildings. Thank you to all of the families and staff who provided their perspective to assist in our decision-making for the start of the 2021-2022 school year.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call your school, the ISD 199 District Office at 651-306-7800, or email info@isd199.org. Thank you for your continued support of our schools as we do all we can to fulfill our mission: “Inspire. Innovate. Excel. A Community Commitment.”
This press release was produced by the Inver Grove Heights Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.
