Local school districts continue to make the grade
By ERIC SCHELKOPF – eschelkopf@kcchronicle.com and ASHLEY RHODEBECK – arhodebeck@kcchronicle.com
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| Geneva High School students walk down the school's main staircase during a passing period Thursday. A majority of the Kane County schools, including Geneva High School, passed the 2008-2009 school report card, which was released this week. (Sandy Bressner – sbressner@kcchronicle.com) |
Most central Kane County school students once again scored well above state standards on this year’s achievement tests.
But some students struggled, resulting in a few local schools and districts not making its Annual Yearly Progress. That trend was repeated across the state. (Click here to see the report on local schools.)
“Overall, our statewide averages continue to increase incrementally for all tests,” said Christopher Koch, state superintendent of education.
“But even though we are seeing gains, the number of schools making Adequate Yearly Progress continues to decline – another reason why No Child Left Behind needs to be re-examined.”
Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP, is required by the Federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and represents the annual academic performance targets in reading and math that schools and districts must reach to be considered on track for 100 percent proficiency by 2014.
St. Charles School District 303
In St. Charles, Superintendent Donald Schlomann pointed to St. Charles’ gains among 11th-graders as a bright spot since, he said, many high schools across the United States struggle with academic achievement.
About 80.5 percent of North students performed at proficient levels in reading, and 84.9 percent did so in math; last year’s percentages were 74.9 and 83.4, respectively.
At East, 77.7 percent met or exceeded standards in reading, and 77.1 percent did in math. This was up from 67.6 percent and 71.9 percent from last year.
The district did not experience such success at all its schools, though, and it did not make AYP because scores fell short in reading in two subgroups: limited-English proficiency and students with disabilities.
Thompson Middle School missed AYP because the students with disabilities subgroup missed the reading standards. About 55 percent met or exceeded the benchmark. The state required 70 percent to meet or exceed standards.
Schlomann said students with a learning disability are identified as such for a reason, yet they are still expected to perform at the same level as their peers.
“I guess it doesn’t matter whether it’s realistic or not,” he said, noting the federal requirements.
Richmond Elementary School also missed AYP, partly because of the already noted subgroups, but also because just 33.3 percent of its Hispanic students met or exceeded reading standards, and 53 percent did so in math.
Schlomann said English is not the native language of many Hispanic students at Richmond.
“It’s difficult to be competitive in which the test is written in English and that’s not your native language,” he said. “I don’t think it’s necessarily reflective of what the students know.”
This marks the second consecutive year in which Richmond has missed the AYP benchmarks, thus making it a choice school. The district anticipated this, officials said, and notified parents in July that they could send their children to another St. Charles school this year. About 85 did, Schlomann said.
The school was required to submit an improvement plan to the state. It would receive supplemental educational services if it does not meet AYP next year, Schlomann said.
Richmond’s Hispanic population has increased from 65 in 2005 to 175 last year; its total enrollment in 2009 was 440. In comparison, of the 2,137 students attending St. Charles East High School last year, 182 were Hispanic.
The other elementary schools’ Hispanic enrollments ranged from nine, at Wasco, to 96, at Anderson, according to the school report cards.
Because of its demographics, Richmond is the only St. Charles school to offer bilingual classrooms, Schlomann said. The program is offered from kindergarten through second grade so far, but will expand by a grade level each year.
School-sponsored assessments have shown improvement among students in those classes, Schlomann said. He noted those children are too young to have taken the state test, which begins in third grade.
He expects they would not perform at the same level as their native English-speaking counterparts and could not say when that level of performance should be expected.
“It’s a very difficult process and varies by individual,” Schlomann said.
Batavia School District 101
Batavia High School did not make AYP this year after the students with disabilities subgroup did not meet reading or math standards.
Only 25.5 percent of those students met or exceeded state standards in both categories, below the 70 percent state standard.
The school made AYP last year.
Batavia School Superintendent Jack Barshinger said the district continues to look at the causes behind the low test scores.
He noted that some of the district’s special education students attended programs at other schools in the area, such as the program at St. Charles North High School offered through the Mid-Valley Special Education Cooperative.
“We have to make sure those schools are aligned with our curriculum,” Barshinger said.
Batavia School District as a whole also did not make AYP after the district’s limited-English proficiency students did not make AYP in reading, with only 52.6 percent of those students meeting or exceeding state standards, falling short of the 70 percent benchmark required by the state.
“We have to address it,” Barshinger said. “It is about the students, each and every one of them.”
But Barshinger was pleased overall with how the district did. Across the district, 89.8 percent of the students met or exceeded standards in reading, up from last year’s 89 percent.
In math, 91.7 percent met or exceeded state standards, down slightly from last year’s 91.9 percent.
“Our faculty and staff are always looking at where and how we can improve,” Barshinger said.
“We take that as our greatest challenge.”
Geneva School District 304
Geneva is the only area district with all of its schools making AYP.
Overall, 92.4 percent of its students met or exceeded requirements in reading, and 93.1 percent did so in math, according to its report card.
“But we can’t rest on that,” said Patty O’Neil, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.
With the benchmarks inching toward 100 percent each year, she said, maintaining constant improvement is most important.
O’Neil didn’t have a secret for Geneva’s success. Educators there are doing what teachers are doing in neighboring districts, she said.
She couldn’t predict whether the subgroups that missed AYP benchmarks in other districts may later do the same in Geneva.
“We try to make all of our programming to meet the needs of our students regardless of their demographics,” O’Neil said.
Kaneland School District 302
For the second straight year, Kaneland High School did not make AYP after falling short of state standards in the math. The school is now on the state’s academic early warning list.
In light of the scores, officials are now taking a second look at the school’s curriculum and scheduling. With the school’s block schedule, students are not required to take math every year.
“Students could get their required math done in their freshman and sophomore years,” Kaneland School Superintendent Charles McCormick said.
Only high school juniors take the state’s Prairie State Achievement Examination.
Currently, three credits of math are required for graduation from Kaneland High School, including algebra, geometry and an elective.
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