Success story: Richmond Elementary

It might seem a contradiction to say there is success in a school that "failed to make adequate yearly progress" on the annual school report card.

But St. Charles District 303 points out that it is learning lessons from Richmond Elementary that are likely to become more meaningful at the rest of its schools, as the demographics of the suburbs change.

Richmond Elementary, on the city's west side, stands out from the rest of the district's schools. Its students are three times as likely to change schools as the rest of the district; it has more than six times as many Hispanic students, three time as many black students, six times as many low-income students and more than nine times as many limited-English proficiency students. They are all considered risk factors for underperformance at school, especially when combined.

"Richmond is very unique in our district," said Mark Pomplun, the district's director of assessment and accountability. "They've got bigger challenges than other schools."

For 2009, more of the economically disadvantaged students met the state standard for progress, even though the bar was raised, earning the school a "Yes" on that portion of the report card.

"One positive is the school is doing a number of things" to help the at-risk students, Pomplun said.

The school is in the second year of a bilingual education program and all of its teachers are participating in the National Board Certification program. School newsletters, calendars, the principal's letter and other materials are published in Spanish and English, and several people have volunteered to translate at PTA meetings.

"It has made us more aware we have this subpopulation and it is growing. We might need to use different teaching methods and learning. ... It has really made people take notice, " Pomplun said.