Report cards take close look at District 204

There is a time each fall when school administrators eagerly anticipate the arrival of the annual State Report Card.

Just as students look to their own report cards to see how they measure up, school districts look to their official performance report. The state released this year's school district report cards at the end of October.

Student achievement data in the report card often receives the most attention, but there is a great deal to be learned from other aspects of the report card as well. In addition to student achievement, the report contains information about finances, teacher demographics and student demographics.

Most importantly, it provides a snapshot of how a district compares to other districts and state averages.

So what can we learn from Indian Prairie Unit District 204's report card this year?

Not surprisingly, our dropout and truancy rates are far below state averages. Our students attend school regularly and our graduation rate is near 100 percent. We are fortunate to have a supportive parent community working with a strong school community to make this happen.

It is interesting to note student population trends. Our district saw a one-year increase, from 5.7 percent to 7.5 percent, in students classified in the low-income category. We aren't surprised by this as we have seen a similar increase in families requesting to participate in the free or reduced-cost meal program.

We also continue to see an increase in our limited English proficient students from 3.9 percent in 2008 to 4.4 percent in 2009. In order to build successes for these students, we need to provide additional services at the school level. Each student's needs must be addressed.

Often overlooked in the report card is staff and administration information. As a district that has undergone tremendous growth, it is interesting to see that our teaching staff has an average of 11 years of experience. Our teachers' expertise is reflected in the fact that 67 percent of our teachers have master's degrees, compared to a state average of 56 percent.

When you look at the financial information, you can see our community has a school district that provides a quality education at a good value. While student achievement is high, expenses are low.

Our operating expense per pupil is $9,698 compared to a state average of $10,417. We sometimes hear criticism centered around the perception that the district has too many administrators.

The report card shows that the district actually operates with far fewer administrators than most other districts. We have one administrator for every 368 students. The state average is one administrator for every 202 students.

I appreciate the District 204 community's support of our schools and I invite the community to view the 2009 Illinois State Report Card to see a direct reflection of this support and our ongoing commitment to excellence. State Report Cards are available on the Illinois State Board of Education's Web site at isbe.state.il.us.

• Kathy Birkett is superintendent of Indian Prairie Unit District 204, which covers portions of Naperville, Aurora, Bolingbrook and Plainfield.