Failing to make the grade
Over half of county districts didn't show adequate progress
More than half of the school districts in Lake County -- 25 total -- failed to achieve Adequate Yearly Progress. The state also failed to make AYP in general math and reading, according to the state report card that was released today.
"What's occurring now is the bar keeps getting higher every year. That's a part of No Child Left Behind," said Lake County Regional Superintendent of Schools Roycealee Wood. "That's why you're going to see more and more (schools failing to meet AYP) in Lake County and in the nation."
(Thomas Delany Jr./News-Sun)
• How we ranked the schools
• County boasts 118 winners
• Waukegan 'disheartening'
• Novak-King in mood to achieve
• PDF: Lake composite ISAT
• PDF: Lake reading, math scores
• PDF: Lake high school PSAE/ACT
• County school district report cards. Page 10
• Find out how your school scored. newssunonline.com.
More school districts have been identified as having concerns for failing to make AYP because the standards increase every year, Wood said. No Child Left Behind increases its academic standards every year and needs to be tweaked, Wood said.
Twenty-five of the 46 school districts in Lake County, or 69 of the 187 schools, fell short of AYP standards this year.
Twenty-one schools were newly placed under academic watch this year, meaning that they failed to make AYP for two consecutive years.
The high number of school districts failing to make AYP is a "cause of concern but a normal result of the way the law was established," Wood said. It doesn't mean that the schools are not working, she said.
Some schools made significant increases in their numbers this year (such as test scores) but were unable to meet state standards, said Julie Retzlaff, lead principal coordinator. Schools that do not make AYP for two consecutive years receive services from her office.
"I think a large part of it is that you see those scores, but when you get into the data, you can see the growth they've had," Retzlaff said.
This growth is not reflected on data under No Child Left Behind, which is chiefly concerned with academic performance and participation.
She cited Mundelein and Zion-Benton High schools as examples. Both made significant increases but did not achieve state standards. Zion-Benton is in academic watch status year four, meaning that it has not made AYP in at least seven years. Mundelein High School is also in year four.
Schools that are not up to status make a plan, which her office helps monitor.
"A lot of the time ... they're really trying to get to the problem and strengthen," Retzlaff said.
Some common remedies include adding tutoring or additional class time for struggling students. Several schools are going to 90-minute block periods for language arts and 60-minute block periods of math.
"Differentiation" is the big buzzword in education. A teacher takes a lesson plan and differentiates it to fit gifted students, special needs and other learning levels so they all understand the same lesson.
"I really feel that most of the schools are really changing how they're delivering instruction to the kids. I really feel they are helping -- I'd give quite a few of them of an A," Retzlaff said.
