U-46 elementary schools submit 'improvement plans' to the state

Failing elementary schools with high numbers of low-income students have submitted plans to the state outlining how they expect to ramp up academic performance.

The 14 schools are Channing, Coleman, Garfield, Highland, Hillcrest, Huff, Lords Park, Sheridan and Washington elementaries in Elgin; Lincoln and Timber Trails elementaries in Hoffman Estates; Heritage Elementary in Streamwood; and Laurel Hill and Parkwood elementaries in Hanover Park.

Each is designated as a "Title I" school receiving federal funds to help educate its high percentage of low-income students.

The schools got into this predicament - called academic early watch status by the state - after failing to meet bench marks on standardized tests for two years in a row.

Each of the 14 schools failed to have 70 percent of all students meet standards in reading this year. Four - Coleman, Hillcrest, Lincoln and Parkwood - also failed to meet them in math.

As part of federal No Child Left Behind requirements, schools must submit improvement plans to the state board of education.

Each of the plans differ, said Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education Carmen Rodriguez, though they are built around the same components.

After identifying precisely why they failed to meet state standards on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test, schools must outline specific activities and strategies teachers will use to support students. They also must cite the professional development activities available for staff to make reading and math instruction more effective, and find innovative ways to get parents more involved.

For instance, at Laurel Hill Elementary in Hanover Park, Principal Patricia Stubbs told the school board last week that testing failure was caused by a number of factors. Class sizes at the school are large, ranging between 30 and 34 students. Nearly 60 percent of the school's students are struggling to learn English. The school also has a high mobility rate, and students come from homes where parents lack a formal education.

To improve, Stubbs said, students will be receiving guided reading instruction for 30 to 80 minutes up to four times a week.

Students in kindergarten through second grade learning English will participate in a special literacy program three times per week to increase comprehension and word analysis. Third- through sixth-graders learning English will get extra vocabulary.

Every teacher will be asked to serve on one of three teams focusing on either school improvement, literacy or math.

Parents of bilingual students with low scores will be asked to take part in parenting classes that focus on supporting their children's learning.

After the state receives the schools' improvement plans, officials will monitor how the plans are playing out throughout the school year.