Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009

Millstadt Consolidated School, Cassens Elementary in Glen Carbon score high on state report cards

Illinois schools' test scores are in, and while one St. Clair County school has boosted itself to first place among the county's highest scoring schools, one district known to produce some of the lowest scores had two schools rank among the top five.

Millstadt School District 160 Superintendent Allen Scharf said he was "delighted" at the news of Millstadt Consolidated School topping the list with a score of 95.2, up from its second-place 2008 score of 94.1.

"We value education out here," he said. "And we know that it's what opens doors for everybody so we're really committed to trying to be the best we can be."

In St. Clair County, Mascoutah Middle School followed Millstadt School in second place with a score of 94.4; Shiloh Elementary came in third place with a score of 93.3. Brown Elementary School and Jackson Math and Science Academy, both in East St. Louis School District 189, placed fourth and fifth, respectively, in the county's list of top five scores. Brown earned a score of 92.6, and Jackson earned a 92.4.

And in Madison County, Cassens Elementary didn't just hit the ground running -- it vaulted nearly to the top.

Last year was the first year for the Glen Carbon elementary school in Edwardsville District 7. So it was the first time the school would appear on the annual school report cards. It debuted at No. 3 in Madison County, with 92.3 percent of students meeting state standards.

The report cards are the Illinois State Board of Education's annual compilation of test scores from the Illinois Standards Achievement Test and Prairie State Achievement Exam, among other statistics and evaluations. The scores reflect the percentage of students that meet the adequate yearly progress standards established by the No Child Left Behind law.

"Our biggest challenge was bringing all of the teachers together from different schools throughout the district and forming a common vision and our own culture in the school," Cassens principal Martha Richey said. "I am extremely proud that we were able to hit the ground running and hold up to the high standards that are the absolute expectation in District 7."

See more Friday in the News-Democrat or at bnd.com.