Student Learning
The District 99 Office of Student Learning oversees curriculum, program development, assessment, academic supports and interventions, non-special education grant programs, English Language Learners (ELL) services, state reporting, textbook adoption and other related areas. Its mission is to keep performance and achievement at District 99 on an upward trend and look for ways for the district to build, enhance and improve academic programs for students.
District 99 students have the opportunity to explore a wide range of subjects in over 200 courses across various departments, including English, fine arts, math, science, social studies, world language, health, and career and technical education. District 99 also offers a variety of Advanced Placement Courses.
District 99 Academic Planning Guide (2025-2026)
- Contact Us
- Accelerated Placement
- Testing
- Illinois School Report Cards
- Credit for Proficiency
- Seal of Biliteracy
Contact Us
Contact Us
- Associate Superintendent for Student Learning: Gina Ziccardi / gziccardi@csd99.org / 630-795-7111
- Director of Student Experiences: Ryan Doherty / ryandoherty@csd99.org / 630-795-7116
- Administrative Assistant to the Assistant Superintendent for Student Learning: Cat Marron / cmarron@csd99.org / 630-795-7112
- Data Manager: Colleen Daly / cdaly@csd99.org / 630-795-7134
- Program Manager: Victoria Miles / vmiles@csd99.org / 630-795-7100
Accelerated Placement
District 99 encourages all students to challenge themselves by taking the most rigorous courses which may include honors, dual credit, and/or Advanced Placement (AP) courses. This plan aligns to the District’s goal of providing educational programs with opportunities for students to develop to their maximum potential.
As partners in the course registration process, parents/guardians are encouraged to discuss course options as outlined in the Academic Planning Guide. Course recommendations are open in Home Access Center (HAC) during the course registration process. Parents/guardians are notified of the courses their student has registered for, including those in which their student was automatically placed, if applicable. A parent/guardian whose student was automatically accelerated may decline that placement.
Students entering grades 9 and 10 have the option of enrolling in the most rigorous courses available at that grade level and within an applicable course sequence in the four core areas, English, Math, Science and Social Studies. Students must meet the prerequisites for all classes.
Students entering grade 11 who meet/exceed standards on the requisite state assessment will be automatically placed in the next level of the most rigorous courses in English and Mathematics. Students entering grade 12 who meet/exceed standards on the requisite state assessment will be automatically placed in the next level of the most rigorous course in English. This does not preclude students who do not meet/exceed standards from being recommended for honors, dual credit or AP classes. Families whose student was automatically accelerated may decline that placement.
The following charts are provided in multiple formats to identify which assessments will be used to accelerate students entering grade 11 and 12 who meet/exceed standards on a state assessment.
11th Grade Accelerated Placement
|
Meets/Exceeds |
Course |
|
|
English |
PSAT 8/9 Evidence Based Reading & Writing |
AP Language |
|
Math |
PSAT 8/9 Math (only students without 3 Math credits) |
Next course (Honors/AP) |
|
Social Studies |
Not Required |
|
|
Science |
Not Required |
|
12th Grade Accelerated Placement
|
Meets/Exceeds |
Course |
|
|
English |
PSAT 10 Evidence Based Reading & Writing |
AP Literature |
|
Math |
Not Required |
|
|
Social Studies |
Not Required |
|
|
Science |
Not Required |
|
Accelerated Placement
|
11th Grade |
12th Grade |
|||
|
Meets/Exceeds |
Course |
Meets/Exceeds |
Course |
|
|
English |
PSAT 8/9 Evidence Based Reading & Writing |
AP Language |
PSAT 10 Evidence Based Reading & Writing |
AP Literature |
|
Math |
PSAT 8/9 Math |
Next course (Honors/AP) |
Not Required |
Not Required |
|
Social Studies |
Not Required |
|||
|
Science |
Not Required |
|||
Testing
In addition to assessments they take in class, students take standardized tests as ways to track their learning and give teachers valuable information. District 99 is also required by the state of Illinois to give other assessments; scores are used by faculty and staff to make instructional and programmatic decisions.
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) requires District 99 to administer the ACT to students in grade 11. Taking the school-issued ACT is a requirement for graduation. Students in grades 9 and 10 take the “preACT Secure,” which provides an early experience of the ACT. The ACT includes assessments in English, math, reading, science and writing.
District 99 also administers the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT), which provides opportunities for scholarships to interested students in grade 11. In addition, students who wish to take the SAT may do so on a Saturday test date at participating locations for a fee; District 99 will not be administering the SAT during the school day.
Required State Assessments
The ACT is a widely used college entrance exam. It assesses high school students' general educational development and their ability to complete college-level work. The score range is 1-36.The multiple-choice tests cover four skill areas: English, mathematics, reading, and science. An optional 5th test, Writing, measures skill in planning and writing a short essay. (It cannot be taken separately.)
The Writing test may be required for admission, depending on the university. Therefore, we recommend that your student takes an ACT with the Writing section at least once. For more information visit actstudent.org.
*All DGN 11th grade students take a free ACT at school. Registration is completed during school.
| Grade | Assessment | Date |
| 9 | preACT | Monday, April 14 |
| 10 | preACT | Monday, April 14 |
| 11 | ACT | Tuesday, April 15 |
Advanced Placement Testing Information
| Test | Date | Registration |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Placement | May 5-9, 2025 | Registration opens 9/9/2024 |
| Advanced Placement | May 12-16, 2025 | Registration opens 9/9/2025 |
DGN Advanced Placement Information
DGS Advanced Placement Information
PSAT/NMSQT
PSAT/NMSQT stands for Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. It's an optional standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT Reasoning Test. It also gives students a chance to enter National Merit Scholarship Contest, awarded to the top 1% of scorers nationally. The PSAT/NMSQT measures: critical reading skills, math problem-solving skills, and writing skills.
SAT
The SAT is a measure of the critical thinking skills needed for academic success in college. The SAT assesses analytical and problem-solving skills learned in school that are needed in college. Each section of the SAT is scored on a scale of 200—800, plus two writing sub-scores for multiple-choice and the essay. The tests include: Evidenced-Based Reading and Writing, Math, and an essay. For more information visit www.collegeboard.com.
STAR
Illinois School Report Cards
Credit for Proficiency
Junior high and middle school students may be eligible to earn high school credit for high school courses completed as part of the junior high or middle school programs and taught by qualified junior high and middle school staff members.
Proficiency credit for courses taught in junior high and middle school is limited to one credit in Mathematics and one credit in World (Foreign) Language. Credits earned by proficiency will apply toward graduation requirements. Students earning proficiency credit in world language are strongly encouraged to continue their studies rather than replace such opportunities with the proficiency credit.
In addition, once enrolled in high school, students earning proficiency credit must meet all other graduation, course load and grade-level requirements that apply
Criteria to Receive Credit
Class of 2021 or Later
Students must meet all of the following criteria:
- Complete the entire junior high or middle school course, which includes that course content identified by District 99 as core or essential
- Earn a first semester average of 60% or higher in the subsequent course level as a District 99 9th grade student
- Ensure that official junior high or middle school records of course completion are available upon request
Students who do not meet all of the above criteria will not be granted high school proficiency credit. No partial credit will be granted.
Course repeatability - Students who are granted high school credit through proficiency (World Language and/or Mathematics) are ineligible to repeat courses in which proficiency has been previoursly demonstrated.
Credit limitations - 1 credit in Mathematics, 1 credit in World (Foreign) Language
High School Transcript Impact - Students who earn proficiency credit will not receive a letter grade on their high school transcript.
Seal of Biliteracy
District 99 is pleased to offer students the opportunity to earn the Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy or the Illinois State Commendation Toward Biliteracy, an award given by the Illinois State Board of Education to high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing in English and another language*.
District 99 12th grade students may earn the Seal of Biliteracy or the Commendation Toward Biliteracy in Spanish, French or German. Starting with the 2021-22 school year, District 99 12th grade students may also earn the Seal of Biliteracy or Commendation Toward Biliteracy in those languages assessed via the STAMP or AAPPL test. Students wishing to earn the Seal of Biliteracy or Commendation Toward Biliteracy in Arabic, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and/or Thai will be offered the opportunity to take the AAPPL test. Students wishing to earn the Seal of Biliteracy or Commendation Toward Biliteracy in Hebrew or Polish will be offered the opportunity to take the STAMP test. These tests are administered by District 99 during the student’s senior year of high school.
Public colleges and universities in the State of Illinois award college credit to students who have earned the Seal of Biliteracy. Students should contact the college or university directly to inquire about college credit.
Process/Criteria for the Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy or Commendation Toward Biliteracy
Students must:
- Provide evidence of proficiency in English (as defined by the Illinois State Board of Education) via a state approved assessment (SAT, ACT, ACCESS, AP English Language Exam).
- Submit a District 99 Seal of Biliteracy/Commendation Toward Biliteracy Application.
- Demonstrate proficiency (as defined by the assessment and Illinois State Board of Education) in all four domains (listening, reading, speaking and writing) of the languages listed above via a state approved, District 99 administered assessment (AP foreign language exam, STAMP or AAPPL test*).
- Students who have earned the Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy or the Illinois State Commendation Toward Biliteracy will receive their award (seal) at the time of their graduation or soon thereafter. Their achievement will also be acknowledged on their high school transcript.
* District 99 will consider awarding either the Seal of Biliteracy or the Commendation Toward Biliteracy in the language outlined above without a District 99 administered exam, if the student can present official scores from one of the approved assessments showing that the student met the minimum score to qualify as outlined the state of Illinois. The assessment must be taken while the student is enrolled in high school.