U-46 makes gains in reading, math
More Elgin Area School District U-46 elementary and middle school students, at every grade level, passed the 2006-07 battery of standardized tests in math and reading, U-46 officials announced Monday.
The gains were less dramatic than last year, when scores across the state soared, in part due to a new test and a new scoring system.
Still, U-46 made "steady progress" in math and reading, U-46 data coordinator Ed DeYoung said.
DeYoung presented preliminary results from the 2006-07 Illinois State Achievement Tests for elementary and middle school students at Monday's school board meeting.
High school scores will be released in August.
Because the district is still missing scores from some students, DeYoung did not break down the scores by school.
He speculated that 43 of the district's 48 elementary and middle schools would meet the standards set by the federal No Child Left Behind Law.
Last year, all 40 U-46 elementary schools and three of eight middle schools met state and federal standards.
The bar was higher this year. For a school to be considered passing, 55 percent of its students must meet standards, up from 47.5 percent last year.
U-46 students posted substantial gains at the middle school level, a focus of last year's district improvement plan.
About 80 percent of U-46 eighth-graders met standards in reading last year, compared with 75 percent in 2005-06.
And about 85 percent of eighth-graders met standards in math, up from 79 percent the year before.
English learners also made substantial gains, again at the middle school level.
The number of English learners who passed the middle school math test increased by 14 percentage points, to 50 percent.
The federal government requires districts track the progress of certain groups of students, including English learners, Hispanic, black and low-income students.
Board member Joyce Fountain noted that the scores released Monday encompassed the entire district.
"We know when we look beyond the umbrella at the individual schools, there will be quite a bit of variability," Fountain said.