OPRF Ranks 43rd Among Illinois' Top Schools: Report

Oak Park and River Forest elementary, middle and high schools are among the top 50 schools in Illinois based on standardized test scores, according to a the Chicago Sun-Times report released Thursday. 

Oak Park and River Forest High School was No. 43, scoring in the 67th percentile, a hair behind No. 42 Mount Zion High School and ahead of No. 44 Lakes Community High School in Lake Villa. Chicago's Walter Payton High School topped the list. Hinsdale Central topped the list of suburban schools at No. 4. 

River Forest's Roosevelt Middle School was No. 26, scoring in the 81st percentile, and Lincoln Elementary School was No. 12, in the 86th percentile.

View the full Sun-Times report here.

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) on Thursday released a new Report Card showing that under higher performance levels elementary and high schoolers have posted improved scores, according to an ISBE news release. 

“The data we’re releasing today provide a better picture of student and school growth than ever before,” State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch said in a statement. “We’re no longer providing just a snapshot of student performance but offering something more akin to a video of ongoing progress toward ensuring that every public school student in Illinois is prepared to succeed in college and careers.”

Among the key new metrics on this year’s report is “Student Academic Growth” by elementary school and district, according to a new growth model that uses value tables that show how much academic progress students have demonstrated from one year to the next in reading and math, according to the release.

The statewide average K-8 Student Academic Growth score for math is 101.4 and 102.1 for reading. Student Academic Growth scores are being reported on an advisory basis, not as part of the state’s accountability system. 

The State Board has raised expectations - or cut scores - on the ISAT’s math and reading proficiency expectations for the ISATs, given to third through eighth graders, to align with the more rigorous Common Core Learning Standards and give a better indication of college and career readiness. 

The Board has not yet adopted new science standards and therefore has not raised performance expectations for the science portion of the ISATs, administered to 4th and 7th graders only. The State Board is currently considering adoption of the internationally-benchmarked Next Generation Science Standards.

The 2013 State Report Card lists the composite percentage of students meeting and exceeding for ISAT math and reading only (not including science) and a five-year analysis of past performance under the new cut scores show that the percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards increased from 55.1 in 2009 to 58.8 in 2013.

The percentage of students who met or exceeded ISAT math standards alone during that same five-year timeline increased from 55.3 percent to 58.7 in 2013, while the percent of students meeting or exceeding reading ISAT reading standards went from 54.8 to 59 in 2013.

The composite score for the PSAE, given to 11th graders, increased from 51.3 in 2012 to 51.9 in 2013, if science is included. In order to provide a fair comparison between the tests, ISBE is posting  the 2013 PSAE composite meets and exceeds percentage for math and reading, 53.3, on the State Report Card.

“This year’s performance on state tests can’t be viewed in isolation but as part of an unprecedented amount of change and higher expectations that educators, families and policy makers have taken on to better prepare students for the world that awaits them after high school,” State Board Chairman Gery J. Chico said in a statement. 

“I know that it’s a lot of new expectations and it’s difficult to see school scores decline, but we needed to give families a better indication earlier on of college and career readiness. Students are still learning and hopefully, in new and more engaging ways under the Common Core Learning Standards."

A new School, District and State Report Card is available at illinoisreportcard.com in two new formats:

• An online Report Card with an interactive tool for exploring school performance data. The tool includes simple, intuitive displays as well as detailed data views and descriptions for each school and district. The online Report Card continues to offer information on student demographics and performance. Users can search by school or district name.
• An At-a-Glance Report Card, found on each school’s online Report Card, offers a two-page snapshot that can be downloaded, printed and distributed to local families and community members.

Information courtesy of a news release from the Illinois State Board of Education.