Oak Brook schools post high report card scores

What's true for all successful students is also true for teachers and administrators in Oak Brook's Butler District 53: nip potential problems in the bud.

That approach helped District 53 earn its highest school report card scores since President Bush signed the "No Child Left Behind" mandate in 2002.

"We are identifying students who are on the cusp of not meeting state standards and trying to help those students make that jump up to the next level," said Superintendent Sandra Martin.

All students at both Brook Forest Elementary and Butler Junior High schools continue to meet Adequate Yearly Progress standards set by the mandate.

Martin said 2007 was the district's highest-performing year, and she thinks it might boast some of the top scores in the region.

"We took an informal poll among about a dozen schools we consider to be peers and we believe our scores are among the highest," Martin said.

One hundred percent of students in third, fourth, seventh and eighth grade met or exceeded state standards in math.

And in third and eighth grades, more than 70 percent of students exceeded state standards in the subject.

While District 53 consistently performs well on standardized tests, Martin said teacher collaboration is partly to thank. Teachers across grade levels, from kindergarten through eighth grade, work together in specific subjects to ensure the curriculum is aligned.

"Teachers routinely review their curriculum, review test scores and other assessments and then adjust accordingly," Martin said.

Small class sizes also help students succeed in District 53. With approximately 450 students in the district -- about 200 attend Brook Forest and 250 attend Butler -- class sizes can vary from 15 to 23 students.

"This allows us to give very individualized attention," Martin said.

To see the complete District 53 report card, visit www.butler53.com, click on "District