Achievement gap shrinks - but schools still fail

More disadvantaged students met state standards this year, but rigid No Child Left Behind rules meant that many schools that improved test scores still received a failing grade.

Although more than 350 additional schools statewide failed to meet state standards this year, many of those schools made modest yet measurable progress in shrinking the achievement gap. Every ethnic group, plus low-income students, students with disabilities and students with a limited grasp of English, showed better reading scores, according to a review of state data. Six of nine groups measured by the state improved in math.

The achievement gap in reading, as measured against white students, shrank or stayed the same in five of nine groups. The gap in math got smaller in six of nine groups.

While education officials acknowledged the progress, the inability of Illinois schools to raise the scores of disadvantaged kids fast enough to meet rising state targets meant many of those schools got a failing grade on their 2009 school report card. This year, 70 percent of students must meet bench marks in order for a school to pass; next year that bar is raised to 77.5 percent.

"We're not seeing the achievement gap narrow as quickly as we would like to," said Joyce Zurkowski, director of assessment for the Illinois State Board of Education. "That has been something schools, districts and the state have been looking at."

Among the suburban schools that are acutely aware of the achievement gap is Hampshire Middle School. Despite getting a passing grade last year, the middle school technically failed this year because students with disabilities did not meet state bench marks.

"They're above 85 percent meeting and exceeding (state standards)," said Carole Cooper, director of assessment and accountability for Community Unit District 300. "It's very frustrating because somehow the public thinks that's a failing school."

The problem becomes more acute as a school grows larger and more diverse. That's because if a school has more than 45 students in a group - as defined by ethnicity and other criteria - the school must not only meet standards overall but must also get that particular group to make the grade.

It is no surprise then that 100 additional high schools throughout the state failed to meet state standards this year.

For example, Lake Zurich High School - which passed last year - did not pass this year only because students with disabilities failed to meet state standards in reading and math, according to the district. Students with disabilities were not measured last year.

"We need to pay attention to our subgroups - but we don't see that we have to make huge changes in our overall academic program," said Jodi Wirt, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. "I wish there was a way for the state to report that the overall school isn't failing all students."

Despite 2009's gains, the problem of "subgroups" will only grow worse in coming years. That's because even if schools were able to get those groups to meet standards this year, the state raises those standards each year.

"There's no doubt it's going to be an increased challenge," said Mark Pomplun, director of assessment and accountability in St. Charles Unit District 303.