Dist. 118 test scores improve
Wauconda Unit District 118 officials say the latest annual state-issued report cards show student improvement at all grade levels.
That included ACT scores by Wauconda High School juniors, who earned the second highest score in school history with a composite of 21.1, Superintendent Dan Coles said at Thursday night's school board meeting.
Wauconda High's average ACT score in 2008 was 20.3. The state average ACT score for 2009 was 20.6, down from 20.7 in 2008.
District 118's 2009 report card results are based on information collected last spring when high school juniors took the ACT and elementary school children took the Illinois Standardized Achievement Test.
Improvement was also seen in District 118's student attendance and graduation rate at all levels, Coles said.
"Our attendance (is) very strong across the district," he said. "It's almost 95 percent. Our graduation rate is at an all-time high at 98.6 percent."
The state average for graduation rate is 87.1 percent, he said.
As the school district grows, the need for bilingual education increases. About 20 percent of the district's students are Hispanic, Coles said.
District 118 has a "self-contained bilingual program," and students start the program in kindergarten speaking Spanish half of the year and English the other half.
Students in the program tend to struggle on standardized tests in English their first few years. However, by the time they reach fifth grade, they are scoring at higher levels, Coles said.
Hispanic graduation rates have also increased, he added.
Students at the elementary school level are improving in their standardized test scores as well, according to the report.
Students in third through eighth grades exceeded the ISAT state averages in reading, math and science.
District officials attributed the overall score increases to teachers who set aside time to prepare students for the tests. There are certain days of the school year when students practice taking these tests to become familiar with the structure and subject matter.
"All those years of working on reading and math and such, it's really paying off," school board President John Armstrong said.
The full report cards are now available on the district Web site.