Waukegan school system's performance 'disheartening'

Less than a quarter of schools make AYP

WAUKEGAN -- The number of Waukegan schools making Adequate Yearly Progress decreased for the third consecutive year. Less than 25 percent of the district's schools -- four of 20 schools -- made AYP this year.

"Of course, we are concerned about the overall progress that has been made. It is always disheartening after working so hard and focusing so diligently to little or no gains," said chief academic officer Mary Lamping.

Waukegan has the second-lowest test scores (ISAT, PSAE and ACT) out of all Lake County public schools, according to school report cards that were released today.

Carman-Buckner Elementary School had the lowest composite ISAT score in the county, 41.5, which was lower than Waukegan School District's composite 64.6 ISAT score. The state composite ISAT score was 79.8.

"We do have some schools that continue to maintain or improve their overall scores. However, overall we have held steady, but in some limited instances we have seen some decreases," Lamping said.

She cited a large population of English language learners as one of the main reasons test scores remain low, although she said the district is "slowly making progress in this area."

"It is important to state, however, that we do not want to characterize our ethnic populations ... (T)he burden of AYP falls on all of us," Lamping said.

To deal with that burden, the district has enacted its school improvement plan, which involves analyzing test data to see where the weaknesses are and establishing initiatives to counteract those weaknesses, she said.

Waukegan has the greatest number of schools under academic watch or warning status. Fourteen schools are under watch or warning status, five of which are newly under warning.

Despite being under improvement status, Thomas Jefferson Middle School was able to make AYP this year. It was one of three schools in Lake County to do so. If Jefferson achieves AYP again next year, it will be removed from improvement status.

Jefferson Principal Nicole Fishman credited the progress to a shift in how the faculty views students: All students are believed to be college bound and are taught accordingly, she said.

"If you teach with high expectations, you get high-quality performance," Fishman said.