Here's a number that should give every Illinois high school leader pause: 37% of Illinois 11th graders scored below average on the ACT Writing section last year.

That's not a student problem. It's a systems problem. In most high schools, writing is treated as an ELA responsibility. English teachers carry the weight. Other departments stay in their lane. And when ACT results come back, everyone looks at the scores without a shared framework for doing anything differently.

What if writing assessment became a collaborative data point, something every teacher and department leader uses together to close the gap before students sit down for the ACT?

In this session, you'll walk away with:
• A clear picture of what the IL ACT writing data is actually telling us about instructional gaps
• A framework for making writing assessment a shared data point across your whole school — not just ELA
• Practical examples from a CPS school that's already doing this with ThinkCERCA Writing Benchmarks
• Immediate next steps you can take regardless of what tools or programs you're currently using