DuPage schools score well, but follow struggling trend

Test scores in DuPage County's largest school districts are strong overall, but most area high schools are following a statewide trend and struggling to make the grade.

Only a handful of high schools in DuPage received passing marks based on federal No Child Left Behind standards - Addison Trail, Lisle, Glenbard South and Hinsdale Central. Of those, Lisle and Glenbard South didn't have enough students in most subgroups to count toward the requirements.

Educators around DuPage attribute the struggles of high schools, in part, to the fact scores are based largely on the ACT - a more rigorous test than most states use and also more challenging than the Illinois Standards Achievement Test taken by elementary and junior high school students.

"I'm not against the ACT, but as a state test, a jump-over-the-bar test, it's tricky," said Patrick Donohue, director of research and development for Glenbard High School District 87. "That's not what it's designed to do. It's designed to spread kids out on a spectrum."

The bar also keeps getting higher. This year, 70 percent of students in each group needed to meet standards for a school to make what's deemed adequate yearly progress.

While Glenbard South passed, the remaining three high schools in District 87 - Glenbard East, West and North - all fell short.

Donohue said the district is looking at the sequencing of courses to make sure students are exposed to the lessons they need by the time they take the test as juniors.

"We're doing a very hard look in District 87 at our entire curriculum, top to bottom, and looking hard at that because if kids aren't exposed to material that appears on the ACT it's difficult to be upset if they don't score well," Donohue said.

District 87 also has instituted a minority student achievement initiative and a program called Scholastic Read 180 in which students in an extended English class period divide their time between using computer software, working in small groups and reading independently.

"We're in the business of developing readers, not test takers, but it goes hand in hand," said reading specialist Sandra Coughlin. "If a student can be more comfortable with reading comprehension, comfortable with texts ... we feel they will be successful as lifelong readers."

In Indian Prairie Unit District 204, all 21 elementary schools made adequate yearly progress but three of its middle schools - Hill, Granger and Scullen - and both Neuqua and Waubonsie Valley high schools did not.

The district, which covers portions of Naperville, Aurora, Bolingbrook and Plainfield, struggled in areas of students with disabilities and those who come from low-income families.

Similar to District 87, Indian Prairie is looking at its alignment of classes as well as professional development.

"(We're) making sure (teachers) are able to work with the full spectrum of students in their class and not just teach to the middle," said Patrick Nolten, director of assessment, research and evaluation. "Address as many needs as possible in the classroom."

Two of its schools that were considered failing last year - Gombert and Still middle schools in Aurora - received passing marks this time around.

Nolten said one positive outcome of No Child Left Behind is that it has encouraged districts to target students who aren't keeping up with their peers and create interventions to meet their specific needs.

"It's forced us to use data to track down who is coming in and who is very discrepant and who is a little discrepant and who is OK in terms of academic performance and what do you do with that," he said.

Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 and Naperville Unit District 203 have similar stories to tell for 2009. Both are celebrating passing marks for all their elementary and middle or junior high schools, but the two high schools in each district - Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South in District 200 and Naperville North and Central in District 203 - didn't make the grade.

Both districts struggled with the same subgroups - low-income students and students with disabilities.

District 203 noticed a downward trend in high school math scores, also common statewide. Tim Wierenga, assistant superintendent for instruction, said the district has implemented an algebra support class, interventions to identify gaps in learning and a realigned curriculum.

District 200 has a variety of initiatives at work to help students as well, including additional professional development, increased integration of technology and customized programs for each building.

Clifford Johnson School in Warrenville, which failed in 2008, received a passing grade this year.