D-15 Test Scores on Rise

Reading and math test scores in Community Consolidated District 15 were the highest ever for the 2009-2010 school year.

In reading, 87 percent of students met or exceeded standards on the Illinois Student Achievement Test [ISAT]. In math, more than 92 percent of students met or exceeded standards.

"We're very proud of these results," said Mary Zarr, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

The district is particularly pleased with improvement among students in several subgroups. Improving test scores among minority and low-income students is a key element of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

In District 15, only 66 percent of black students were meeting or exceeding standards on the reading test in 2006. That improved to 79 percent in 2010. Consequently the gap between overall scores and the black subgroup dropped from 20 percentage points in 2006 to only 8 percentage points in 2010.

Zarr presented the data to the school board last week. More detailed information is to come in the district's report card, issued by the state board of education. Zarr's presentation was included in the board packet for the Oct. 13 meeting and can be downloaded as an attachment off the district's web site.

Despite the scores, the district did not make adequate yearly progress under No Child Left Behind.  Even when overall test scores are good, if a subgroup's scores are too low, a district can be classified as not making adequate progress.

The same is the case for individual schools which can be classified as failing. In such instances, schools can face federal consequences if they receive Title 1 federal funding.

Jane Addams, Kimball Hill and Thomas Jefferson did not make adequate yearly progress in 2010. For Jane Addams it was the second year in a row and the school was mandated to offer school choice and five students enrolled elsewhere.

The classification of being a "failing" school can be frustrating to educators who could see their schools perform well overall, but stumble with a subgroup.

Across the district, 134 of 138 subgroups met or exceeded standards in reading, but that was not good enough for the district to avoid being classified as failing to make yearly progress.

In math, all subgroups met or exceeded standards. "I just think that's huge," Zarr said. "In Palatine, we are very fortunate to live in a community that is very invested in the education of the kids."

The scores of reading tests dropped in 2008 throughout many subgroups in District 15 because that was the year the discontinued the IMAGE test. The IMAGE test was used for students with limited English skills. Now, all students take the same test.

For example, the scores for the Hispanic subgroup reading in District 15 declined from 71 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards to 63 percent from 2007 to 2008. The number crept back up to 66 percent in 2010.

The district also tracks how specific grades of students perform as they progress through the district. Although some students leave and enter the district, the vast majority remain the same.

In 2010, 85 percent of fifth graders met or exceeded standards in reading. This was an improvement over where the same group of students performed as third graders in 2008 when 81 percent met or exceeded standards.