Report card disappointing for District 99

Results for the 2009 Illinois School Report Cards were disappointing, leaving District Community High School District 99 as well as both of its high schools on watch status.

Assistant Superintendent for Learning Mary Biniewicz reported at the Oct. 19 Board of Education meeting that while student test scores in general made or exceeded state standards, such was not the case in the individual subgroups as determined by the Illinois State Board of Education.

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires that all states set achievement standards and then measure the progress of each of its public schools and school districts. Annually, each state determines if the students are improving according to the established targets known as Annual Yearly Progress. The target percentages increase and will continue to do so annually until 2014, at which time 100 percent proficiency will be required.

Biniewicz explained that, in general, there are three conditions that must be met in order to make the progress required. These include at least 95 percent of juniors in each student group being tested in reading and math through the Prairie State Achievement Exam, at least 70 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards in reading and mathematics in every student group and a 78 percent or higher graduation rate.

Biniewicz explained that there are seven identified subgroups in the District 99 student population defined by race, ethnicity, disability and economic status. If there are at least 45 students in any particular subgroup at a school, that subgroup must be measured in each category. Biniewicz said that if one subgroup fails to make progress in any category, the entire entity fails to make adequate progress in that category. This is further complicated by the fact that one individual student can belong to multiple subgroups simultaneously, thus counting what may be a below-target test score more than once.

Biniewicz said that at North High School, all of the subgroups made adequate yearly progress in reading except for students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students. In math, all subgroups made progress except for economically disadvantaged students.

This, she pointed out, is the first year that the economically disadvantaged subgroup has existed at North.

"It's an indicator that families in financial need are growing," she said.

North made adequate yearly progress in 2008, but because it failed to do so for two consecutive years, it is on watch status. Consequently, the district is required to create a school improvement plan based on the data from the 2009 report card, to be implemented for the 2009-2010 and 2010-201 school years.

The plan will be presented at the District 99 Board of Education meeting in November after which time it will be sent to the Illinois State Board of Education for approval.

Downers Grove South High School has not yet made adequate yearly progress since its measurement began in 2003 and is in a continued phase of watch status. On the 2009 Illinois School Report Card, two subgroups at South failed to meet standards in reading and math, and one group failed to do so in math. South already has an improvement plan in place that was approved for the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 school years.

Biniewicz said that while 2009 data for other area schools has not yet been made available, there has been a growing list of secondary districts where the subgroups occur which are not making adequate yearly progress.

She said that the school improvement plans are designed to boost the learning and achievement of all students, but will focus on the subgroups that are lagging behind.

The Illinois School Report Card, Biniewicz said, "records only one measure of achievement. As good educators, sound practitioners and a solid board of education understand, it's important to look at more than one indicator" in assessing the overall achievement of the district and its schools.

Biniewicz cited increasing scores in other achievement tests, and improved enrollment in advanced placement classes as important positive indicators of the district's overall success.

For further information on the State of Illinois Report Cards or the school improvement plans, visit www.csd99.k12.il.us/about/reportcards.