District 70 Students’ Test Score Above State Average

students score well above the state averages on standardized tests for reading, mathematics and science, showing that year after year the school district maintains a high quality education.

“We continue to be proud of our students’ performance on state assessments,” Kathy Dinger, the district’s director of curriculum and instruction, told the school board during a Monday night meeting where the Illinois School Report Cards for 2011 were revealed. “The benchmark to meet adequate yearly progress has climbed to 85 percent and we celebrate that overall, 95 percent of our students meet and exceed state standards and have consistently shown that level of success for several years.”

’s numbers are far above this year’s state average of 81 percent of students who meet or exceed state standards for reading, math and science on the Illinois Standards Achievement Tests.

“Evaluating individual student performance and addressing the needs of those not meeting standards is always a factor in reviewing the data,” Superintendent Guy Schumacher added. “I am very proud of our students’ performance. We have an exceptional staff who continues to dedicate themselves to supporting student success.”

The Academic Excellence Award from the state recognizes schools where at least 90 percent of students met or exceeded state standards in reading and mathematics for consecutive years. Such strong scores led all schools in to be given this distinction last year. .

“These accolades are not surprising when you see our scores in the School Report Card,” Dinger said.

The data released by the district is from the ISAT that was administered across the state last spring. All students in grades third through eighth are tested in reading and mathematics; fourth- and seventh-graders also are tested in science.

Report Card Details

More details of the report card in reading show the percentage of students who met or exceeded state standards was 96 percent for third-graders, 91 percent for fifth-graders, and 97 percent for eighth-graders. State averages for reading with the same standards were 75 percent for third-graders, 76 percent for fifth-graders; and 85 percent for eighth-graders.

In the latest district data, some grade levels met or exceeded state standards at 100 percent, Dinger said.

In math, the percentage of students who met or exceeded state standards was 97 percent for third-graders, 96 percent for fifth-graders, and 99 percent for eighth-graders. State averages for math with the same standards were 87 percent for third-graders, 84 percent for fifth-graders, and 86 percent for eighth-graders.

“We are very consistent in math,” she said, “reaching 99 percent in eighth grade.”

In science, the percentage who met or exceeded state standards was 94 percent for seventh-graders and 98 percent for fourth-graders. State averages for science with the same standards were 82 percent for seventh-graders and 79 percent for fourth-graders.

“Libertyville District 70 students continue to achieve above state averages and perform at high levels on state-mandated testing,” Dinger said. “But there is still work to be done.”

The district will work on helping particular student groups struggling to meet state standards.

Average Teaching Experience Lower Than State

The School Report Card shows the average teaching experience of the District 70 staff is 11 years compared to 13 years for the state. However, 82 percent of District 70 teachers have master’s degrees or above, compared to 60 percent of teachers in the state average.

The State Report Cards are available on line Oct. 31 through a link on the District 70 web site, www.d70schools.org.

Other interesting information from the State Report Card:

• District did not reach adequate yearly progress. While all District 70 schools, including , , , and , individually reached the ”adequate yearly progress” mark, as defined by the No Child Left Behind Act, the district as a whole joined the majority of other school districts that did not reach AYP. All schools are expected to reach 100 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards by 2014. Special education students continue to demonstrate growth, but not at the level of AYP targets.
• Elementary class sizes in District 70 average 19.5 students in kindergarten, 21 students in first grade, 20 in third grade, 23 in sixth grade and 21 in eighth grade.
• Districtwide, the pupil-to-teacher ratio is 17-to-1, while the pupil-to-certified-staff ratio, which includes special education, physical education and fine arts teachers, is 13-to-1.

The ISAT scores are given to the district staff and they review them, working on ways to improve the students’ learning skills to be reflected in high score and increases academic achievement next year.

Information provided by .

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