News Releases
District 15 Student Achievement Improvement Continues
District 15 students continue to show improvement in all academic areas, according to information recently reported by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). The data comes from the results of the 2005-06 Illinois Standards Achievement Tests (ISAT) given to District 15 students in grades three through eight. The ISBE also has notified the district that all schools have made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for 2006, as mandated by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001.
In a presentation to the District 15 Board of Education on January 10, Mary Zarr, executive director for curriculum, special services, and school improvement, highlighted continued progress toward the District 15 Student Performance Target, which says: “At least 90 percent of the student population who have been in the district for one year meets or exceeds all Illinois Learning Standards.”
In reading, the percentage of students in grades three, five, and eight who met or exceeded state standards in 2006 rose. In third grade, 85% met or exceeded standards (an increase over the 2005 score of 83%), in fifth grade, 85% did (up from the 79% score of 2005) and in eighth grade, 89% did (up from 86% in 2005).
Fourth, sixth, and seventh graders were tested in reading in 2006 for the first time, so no direct comparisons can be made. However, 88% of fourth graders met or exceeded standards, 87% of sixth graders and 83% of seventh graders. All the scores represented improvements when compared to scores achieved by the same classes in the most recent years in which they were tested in reading.
In math, test scores dipped slightly in grades three (91% compared with 93% the previous year) and five, (89% compared with 92% the previous year). Because the state adjusted the calculation for eighth-grade results, the comparison is not valid. Again, fourth, sixth, and seventh graders were tested in math for the first time in 2006. Of fourth graders taking the test, 92% met or exceeded state standards; 93% of sixth graders did; and 87% of seventh graders.
In science, both grades tested showed improvement. In 2006, 93% of fourth graders met or exceeded standards, compared with 87% in 2005; and 91% of seventh graders did, compared with 86% in the previous year.
The Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) scores provided by the state also demonstrated continued improvement. Percentages for all students reported in reading were 86% in 2006, 82% in 2005 and 78% in 2004. In math (all students), 89% met or exceeded standards in 2006, up from 86% in 2005 and 84% in 2004.
Individual student results from the 2006 ISAT testing have not yet been reported by the state, Zarr said. Those results, along with School Report Cards, were delayed by problems encountered by the state in compiling the data, but are expected very soon, she said.
Zarr’s presentation, which shows additional detail, is available on the District 15 website at www.ccsd15.net (under Curriculum and Instruction, Student Achievement) or by clicking the link: Student Achievement Presentation reported to the Board of Education, January 10, 2007. (PDF 323KB)
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