Dear District 204 Community,
As I shared with you last February, 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 picture of a student’s ability to succeed in college and the workforce. 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.
At the October 21 Board of Education meeting, we reviewed student performance on state mandated tests. I'm pleased to share with the community that our students continue to have solid and consistent achievement, even with the state's new scoring on the ISAT.
District 204 is 20 to 22 percent higher than state averages in the number of students meeting or exceeding state standards. Globally, we saw minimal change from last year, even when you consider the content of the test 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 to prepare students for the 2014-15 school year, when ISBE will replace the ISAT with a new assessment that is fully aligned with the Common Core State Standards.
We continue to have a district goal of narrowing the achievement gap experienced by state identified student groups. We saw growth in the majority of groups, including an increase in scores for Hispanic, Limited English Proficiency, and Special Education students.
The district's 2013 ACT composite score of 24.1 remains significantly higher than the state average of 20.6 and the national average of 20.9. ACT changed the way it reports the results of its standardized test. For the first time, composite scores for school districts include results for students who were allowed extended time to complete the test. Had the scores for students who required extended time been excluded again, this year’s composite score would be 24.6, an impressive increase from last year’s 24.2.
I invite you to review the achievement presentation materials from the board meeting. You can find the presentation slides online, and on Tuesday, October 22, you will be able to view a video of the presentation at www.204tv.org.
Kathy Birkett
Superintendent