Glenbard looks to address report card challenges

Glenbard High School District 87 officials say years of poor performance on state tests can't be fixed overnight but important changes have been made in the past year to put students on that path.

Among them are creation of a minority student achievement team focused on African-American and Hispanic students, two groups that have scored poorly in all subjects of the Prairie State Achievement Exam.

“These are new challenges that we are up for,” said Pat Donohue, director of research and development. “But it's going to take a full effort and time. There is no silver bullet to fix this thing.”

In recent state report cards, Glenbard was placed on “Academic Watch Status Year 4” after failing to make Adequate Yearly Progress, a measure of academic growth introduced by No Child Left Behind in 2001. The progressive scale establishes annual targets districts must meet to avoid being placed on academic watch status.

This year, the scale required 77.5 percent of students to meet or exceed expectations in reading and mathematics.

Just 66.3 percent of Glenbard students tested last year met the math requirements. In reading, the numbers were even worse at 63.9 percent.

The numbers look even more grim when broken down into subgroups, as required by the 2001 law. Not one subgroup met the 77.5 percent target in either subject.

In fact, many of the groups had less than 50 percent of students reaching the goal, with black students reaching just 21.2 percent in mathematics and 32.3 percent in reading. Hispanics also struggled, reaching 39.6 percent in reading and 43.2 percent in math.

“If there are certain groups not making it, and it becomes predictable, that's a little on us and we need to address that,” Donohue said. “Part of our job is to put that awareness out there but also to respond to it.”

Aside from the minority group, the district recently moved to align curriculum throughout the schools. As a result, officials say more advanced placement classes will be available to all students. The move caused an uproar in the spring from parents who said it unfairly skewed against high-performing students.

In a news release last month, district officials pointed to academic growth, on average, from eighth to 11th grade as a success and pointed out the curriculum efforts will expose more students to more rigorous courses.

“There are some gaps, just like there are in most districts,” Donohue said. “We're going after that last 20 percent. That takes work and some of that is access to coursework. It's difficult to do well on high-stakes tests if you have not taken the courses.”

Donohue also noted the district's low-income population has doubled during the past five years. He said No Child Left Behind will see some more pushback in coming years when the threshold rises from 77.5 percent to 85 percent next year and 92.5 percent the following two years.

“It's a losing proposition when in a couple of years you're going to have well over 90 percent of the schools in some kind of AYP deficiency,” Donohue said. “The reality is, the more (subgroups) you have in the school ... the greater likelihood you're not going to make AYP.”

However, Donohue also stressed he is not looking for excuses. He said the law requiring more subgroups is a good thing, to an extent, because it makes districts more accountable for all students rather than allowing them to hide some students who may not perform as well.

He said the goal of the district is to make all students ready for a career or college by the time they leave Glenbard.

“We're not skirting around having tons of kids not tested,” he said. “It's not like these issues just materialized. But now you have ways of measuring that are much more precise and a public more demanding in asking what you are doing about this group of kids.”