Reading assessment scores across several benchmarks dipped throughout the past school year within Minooka Community High School, according to a recent analysis.

Phil Pakowski, Minooka High School District 111’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, combed through the high school’s state assessment testing results from the 2025-26 school year at a school board meeting Aug. 20.

Reading scores were a particular data point discussed at length at the recent board meeting.

Data reveals Pre-ACT Growth scores for freshman and sophomores, as well as ACT Growth scores for juniors, declined between fall and spring within the parameters of the past school year.

Freshman Pre-ACT Growth scores in reading, for instance, declined from 18.4 in the fall to 17.3 in the spring. Sophomore Pre-ACT Growth scores followed a similar trajectory, going from 19.0 to 18.8. Junior ACT Growth scores dipped from 20.3 to 19.7.

Pakowski weighed in on the scores, and shared what he believed was a large-scale societal trend that could explain what drove the reduced scores.

“I don’t think our students are reading as much as they used to,” Pakowski said. “I think the cellphone is a big issue, along with attention span, and it’s not for a lack of our teachers trying and our teachers working with our students.”

As the 2025-26 school year gets under way, Pakowski said Minooka 111 is taking steps to improve assessment scores in reading and other core curricular areas. In terms of staff development, Pakowski indicated a number of teachers have been, and will continue to, take ACT mastery courses to help bolster classroom instruction.

As for reading, Pakowski said Minooka 111 is working to integrate reading instruction in other core subjects as well to assist high schoolers.

Minooka 111 was ahead of state averages in all four ACT subject areas. The high school’s composite ACT score this past school year was 19.6, compared to the average of 18.7 across Illinois.

Also Aug. 20, the Minooka 111 school board:

-Discussed the high school district’s proposed 2025-26 school year budget. John Troy, assistant superintendent of business and general counsel, provided a high-level overview of the document, which will be finalized later in September.

Troy touched on a few components of the district’s finances and operating plan for the new fiscal year, which officially began July 1. State law requires Minooka 111 has in place a finalized budget by the end of September.

Troy indicated Minooka 111 has been building its budget about 6% equalized assessed value growth, based on results from state officials.

Another figure Troy touched on in his report is the high school district’s cash reserves, in relation to the revenue brought in throughout the school year. All fund balances are within the board’s 15% to 20% threshold.

“We still have very solid fund balances,” Troy said. “We will be tweaking this budget as the month unfolds, and we will be presenting the final budget at the budget hearing [in September].”

-Heard a report from Superintendent Robert Schiffbauer on transportation for the new school year. This is the first year Minooka 111 has pooled resources with Minooka Community Consolidated School District 201, with Minooka 111 overseeing operations for both districts.

“The first day was rough, like any other first day, but since then, we’ve gotten tuned in pretty well, from that point forward, getting kids to and from school as efficiently as we can,” Schiffbauer said.