U-46 makes scholarly gains

More than 60 percent of Elgin Area School District U-46's schools were named to the Illinois Honor Roll this week for significant gains in academic achievement.

While none of the 32 schools that made honor roll were lauded for academic excellence, 14 high-poverty schools were recognized as "spotlight schools" for overcoming achievement gaps. Another 12 schools were given academic improvement awards for sustained improvement over a three year period.

Four Elgin elementary schools -- Century Oaks, Huff, Lords Park and McKinley -- received academic improvement and spotlight awards. Hanover Park's Parkwood Elementary and Hoffman Estates Timber Trails Elementary also were given double honors.

Larsen Middle School in Elgin received an academic improvement award, with a 28.2 percent gain in students making adequate yearly progress between 2005 and 2007.

Principal Randy Hodges credits the jump to bringing reading and math lessons into other subjects.

"We reached a building consensus that science teachers, social studies teachers, etc., would address reading and math skills at the beginning of the class period," Hodges said.

Elgin's Ellis Middle School Principal Perry Hayes sings a similar tune.

"We've embraced the fact that we know the emphasis of (the Illinois State Achievement Test) is math and reading," Hayes said. "We've realized that all our teachers need to incorporate math and reading into every subject area."

Ellis saw 79 percent of students make adequate yearly progress, a 31 percent gain from 2005, earning their first academic improvement award.

"We have a tough population here," Hayes said. "The highest low-income population in the district as far as middle schools go."

A good character program and school dress code "have really helped the kids focus on school and nothing else," Hayes said.

A joint project of the Illinois State Board of Education and Northern Illinois University, 1,177 schools were named to the Illinois Honor Roll this year.

Roll: Principal says focus on math, reading helped