Friday, Oct. 30, 2009

Making the grade: How does your school rank in state test scores?

Illinois schools' test scores are in, and while one St. Clair County school 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."

The 2009 report cards are the Illinois State Board of Education's annual compilation of schools' and districts' 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 who meet the adequate yearly progress standards established by No Child Left Behind.

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.

Scharf said he credits the Millstadt's success to the hard work of its administrative staff, teachers, students and families.

"Everybody works together for our kids," he said.

District 189 Superintendent Theresa Saunders said the district is proud of its progress.

"We've done a lot of hard work ... because we came from dead last," she said. "And to not be in that position anymore is great."

While about half of the district's schools increased their test scores, bumping its composite ISAT score from 58.7 in 2008 to 63.4 in 2009, District 189 schools still accounted for four of the five lowest-scoring schools in the county. It beat only Lovejoy Elementary in Brooklyn School District 188, which came in last place with a score of 45.5.

East St. Louis Senior High School's PSAE score, which decreased from 10.7 in 2008 to 8.7 in 2009, was also the lowest of all the county's public high schools.

Saunders said even though the curriculum and standards for each grade level are consistent throughout all the districts' schools, some schools, Brown and Jackson included, traditionally test better, while others do not for a variety of reasons.

Statewide, 79.1 percent of elementary students and 52.5 percent of high schoolers met standards on the test. But the number of schools not making adequate yearly progress has increased by more than 300, so that nearly half, 49 percent, are listed as not making AYP.

But state Superintendent Christopher Koch said these are not necessarily failing schools.

"Obviously, many of these schools can have increases in student performance. It doesn't mean they're not improving," he said. "We're still measuring proficiency, not student learning, which is a flaw in the law and something we need to take into consideration during reauthorization."

Saunders said poverty rates are also a factor in the district, where nearly 90 percent of students come from low-income families.

Statewide, Koch said the economy has "a significant impact" on students' learning. The rate of students listed as low-income was 36 percent in 2000 and 42.9 percent this year.

"Multiple studies show a correlation between poverty and performance," he said. "When students come to school without their basic needs met, there is more stress, and it impacts performance. It's a continuing trend that more and more of our students in Illinois are being defined as low-income. Nothing's going to be turning that around any time soon."

In order to be defined as low-income, a student either comes from a family that qualifies for public aid, lives in an institution or foster home, or is eligible to receive a free or reduced-price lunch.

Saunders said District 189 has been implementing the state's strategies for corrective action and looking to making leadership changes, revising curricula with the help of consultants, offering more professional development and enhancing the reading programs for its middle-school students to make sure they are performing at their grade level before they reach high school.

"We have a lot of work to do, and we do a lot of work because we expect our students to do well not only on tests but in life," Saunders said. "Our goal is to ensure that every student graduates having gotten a world-class education."

In Madison County, Marine Elementary in Triad District 2 was the top school for the fourth year in a row, with 95.9 percent of students meeting standards. New Douglas Elementary came in second, while the new Cassens Elementary School in Edwardsville District 7, which had only been open for six months when the test came around, came in third.

Madison County's lowest-scoring school was Venice Elementary with 45.5 percent, but that's still a big step up from 30.6 percent two years ago and 40 percent last year. The top-scoring high school was Edwardsville, with 66.8 percent.

Koch said parents should keep in mind their own children's scores from year to year, but to keep the scores in perspective. "They're not going to know if (their child is) improving just by looking at accountability on a state test," he said. "A lot of parents focus on different things in the report card. But I wouldn't want to look at one snapshot in time, I would want a broader picture."