Half of Dist. 197 Students Proficient in Math Under No Child Left Behind

Math and reading test scores for students in the are hovering just below state averages, according to an Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) report recently released as part of No Child Left Behind.

Fifty-two percent of students were deemed proficient in math, an 11 percentage point drop from 2010 and five percentage points lower than the state average.

Susan Brott, District 197’s communications director, said the drop was due to the changing of standards for the , on which the AYP is partly based.

“A lot of the math drop is because of the different test,” she said, “which is not to say we don’t have concerns with the district as a whole.”

Seventy-two percent of students were deemed proficient in reading, roughly on par with 2010’s results and with the state average of 75 percent proficiency.

Jean Menard, the district’s curriculum director, said each school in the district will make a “school improvement plan,” looking at test results on a student-by-student level to micro-target potential areas for improvement.

“We’ll continue to use the data and continue to have professional conversations to meet student needs,” she said.

Students with limited English skills and students in special education departments did not meet the mandated proficiency requirements for No Child Left Behind in reading or math. Hispanic and black students and students receiving free and reduced lunch did not meet the requirements for math.

A Few Highlights

Moreland Elementary met the AYP requirements this year for the first time since 2007. The school will remain under the Title I program that implements corrective action for at least one more year. Under the program, the school offers supplemental services such as tutoring.

Menard said 78 percent of Moreland students received supplemental services in the past year, a statistic she cites as a contributing factor to the school’s improvement.

Steve Goldade, the principal of Mendota Elementary, said he was pleased with his students’ results—88 percent met reading proficiency requirements and 81 percent met those for math.

But he noted that Somerset Elementary students outperformed his in both categories.

“I’m not competitive, but it shows we can do better,” he said.