District Scores Show High Achieving Students

Earlier this year, the state determined that the proficiency expectations in the Illinois Standardized Achievement Test (ISAT) for students in grades 3 - 8 were too low and did not give an accurate representation of a student’s ability to succeed in college or a career.

In January, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) approved raising the bar on the ISAT performance expectations in reading and math for elementary and middle school students. Specifically, the state raised the scores needed to "meet" or "exceed" the ISAT standards to better align with the more rigorous Common Core State Standards. The content of the ISAT also changed to include 20 percent of questions aligned with the new Common Core State Standards. Next year, 100 percent of the ISAT will be aligned with Common Core State Standards. After reviewing District 200 student performance data, we see that the percent of our students meeting or exceeding standards on ISAT was 23.7 percent more than the state.

Superintendent Dr. Brian Harris says that performance data on our students is indicative of the 21st Century teaching and learning happening in our classrooms. “We are very proud of the success of our students. Our ongoing target in District 200 is to prepare all students to attend a college of their choice or pursue a career they desire,” says Harris.

As we reported to you a few weeks ago, school districts also saw another change this year in the reporting of student data as it relates to the ACT. Beginning this year, composite scores for school districts include students who were given extended time to complete the test. The composite score for the Class of 2013 is 23.5 – which is significantly higher than the state composite score of 20.6. Had the scores of students given extended time been excluded again, the composite ACT score for the Class of 2013 would have been 24.2 – a .2 increase from the previous year, indicating that our students are achieving at very high levels.

At District 200, we believe that all students can learn beyond expectations and that each student deserves a challenging, rigorous, and comprehensive curriculum. Towards that end, for the past several years, District 200 has been using higher internal cut scores for ISAT based on in-district research aligning ISAT to the ACT. As a result, a students’ classroom experience has included more informational text and a greater emphasis on real-world math application.

Faith Dahlquist, Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services, believes that, “As we continue to improve instruction and raise the level of learning required, we expect to see even more improvement in student achievement.” Furthermore, we have continued to expand and promote our Advanced Placement (AP) courses at the high school level. In fact, last year 44 percent of graduating high school students scored a “3” or higher on at least one AP test.

In the 2014-14 school year, ISBE will replace the ISAT with a new assessment that is fully aligned with the Common Core State Standards. Through ongoing professional development with staff; challenging, new district assessments; and continued emphasis on advanced placement courses, we believe that all of our students will be fully prepared to be successful on the new assessment next school year and in their future college or career endeavors.     

On October 23, we presented student achievement data to our Board of Education. I invite you to review the video and presentation slides online. In the near future, our individual school report cards and school improvement summaries will be available on the District website under Parents & Students, School Report Cards.