Data: District 97 Schools Failing to Make the Grade

As a whole, did not make adequate yearly progress, the yardstick used by states and the federal government to measure academic improvement in public schools.

Here's how they got there:

Students at four Oak Park schools — , , and — met their scores on the state's standardized math and reading tests, called the ISAT.

At six schools — , , , , and and middle schools — one or more "subgroups" of students did not make adequate yearly progress (AYP) in one or both ISAT subjects.

A breakdown of those figures, provided by District 97, accompanies this story as a PDF.

For three of those schools — Holmes, Julian and Brooks — it's the second consecutive year they haven't made AYP, earning them a new distinction under federal No Child Left Behind guidelines: The state now places them on the first year of "Academic Early Warning."

Now, all ten District 97 schools will undergo "school improvement planning." To help navigate the process and create that plan, the district will use the consulting services of West 40, the district's regional education office. That improvement plan is required to be completed by Dec. 1. 

School officials are reminding parents that AYP measurements compare different sets of students from year to year — for example, this year's crop of third-graders may not have tested as well as last year's, or vice versa. Still, school official say the "vast majority" of District 97 students improve from one year to the next.

"The ISAT is one snapshot of progress. Is it a fair representation? Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't," said Felicia Starks-Turner, the district's curriculum coordinator for administrative services. "Overall, [students] are performing very well."

Thorny issue for the district. Earlier this month, Supt. Al Roberts on his debut podcast called the measurements required under No Child Left Behind to determining student achievement.

At Tuesday's school board meeting, the Oak Park Teachers Association distributed a letter praising the intent of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), but saying its a mandate "filled with many holes, gaps, and impossibilities."

"Our job is multifaceted," the teacher's union wrote, "but our vision remains clear: When NCLB and AYP and [Elementary and Secondary Education Act] are mentioned, we, the OPTA, encourage you to discover and uncover the truths behind what really matters."