U-46 middle schoolers see gains, but district lags

Hundreds more students at Elgin Area School District U-46's eight middle schools met state reading and math standards last school year.

Middle school scores inched up statewide, but U-46 students, particularly eighth-graders, posted even greater gains.

The share of U-46 eighth-graders passing state tests increased from 75 percent to 80 percent in reading and from 79 to 85 percent in math. Statewide, the number of eighth-graders making the grade increased by 3 percentage points in both subjects.

The percentage of U-46 seventh-graders meeting standards also climbed, from 69 percent to 71 percent in reading and from 80 to 85 percent in math.

The test scores don't exist in a vacuum, Tefft Middle School Principal Lavonne Smiley said, as more and more middle school students are qualifying to take algebra before they reach high school.

English learners, who take a different test, posted the most dramatic gains of all middle school groups.

Half of U-46 middle school students with limited English made the grade in math last school year, up from 36 percent the previous year.

U-46 data consultant Ed DeYoung characterized the improvement of English learners on middle school math tests as "stunning." He attributed the gains to the Everyday Math curriculum the district put in place while current middle-schoolers were in elementary school.

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A slightly greater percentage of English learners also met state standards in reading, but comparisons with last year are not meaningful because the state revised the reading portion of the test.

U-46 principals said the improved scores are the result of the district-wide improvement plan reaching the middle school level.

Every middle school classroom in the district looks completely different than it did two or three years ago, the principals said.

And all middle school classrooms now look more alike than they did two or three years ago, due to the district's push to standardize curriculum and teaching methods, the principals said.

Objectives and crucial vocabulary words are clearly posted. An agenda with the day's activities is visible. And students sit in small groups and work at their own pace, so accelerated students can move ahead and struggling students can receive extra practice, Ellis Principal Perry Hayes said.

Data from the district's new internal testing system has helped teachers pinpoint instruction, principals said. Before the first day of school, teachers already have a profile that identifies each student's strengths and weaknesses in specific areas. With that information, teachers can divide students into small groups based on their learning needs and provide different lessons to each group.

"Teaching now is more rational," Larsen Middle School Principal Randy Hodges said. "Why they're doing what they're doing is connected to data."

Middle school scores improved, but statewide U-46 still lags behind other districts.

A re-calibrated eighth grade math test, put in place in 2005-2006, raised scores statewide. With 85 percent of eighth-graders meeting standards in math, U-46 ranks 148th among Chicago-area districts. Just 87 area districts recorded a smaller percentage of students passing the eighth-grade test.

The percentage of U-46 eighth-graders meeting state reading standards ranked 168th among 235 Chicago area districts.

And despite the overall gains, three of the district's eight middle schools -- Kimball and Larsen in Elgin and Canton in Streamwood -- failed to meet state standards in 2006-2007.

At Larsen, it was learning disabled students who were the difference between passing and failing.

The federal government's complex formula of accountability breaks students into subgroups based on race, income and special learning needs.

If less than 55 percent of students in any subgroup meet state standards, then the entire school is considered failing. Last year, the mark was 47.5 percent.

Last year learning disabled students put five U-46 middle schools on the state's failure list.

This year, Hispanic students and student with limited English, as well as learning disabled students, held Canton and Kimball back.

Just 27 percent of limited English students and 45 percent of Latino students at Kimball passed the reading test.

At Canton, 34 percent of limited English students and 50 percent of Hispanic students passed the reading test.

U-46 officials have focused much of their improvement initiatives at the elementary grades. Thirty-nine of 40 elementary schools met state standards this year, while none of the district's five high schools made the grade.

"We've seen the fruits at the elementary schools," Hayes said. "And we hope we'll be seeing that at the high schools."