Four Bartlett schools named to Honor Roll

Four schools in Bartlett were named to the Illinois Honor Roll this year, all of them in Elgin Area School District U-46.

In all, five U-46 schools earned a place on the Honor Roll this year, the same number as last year but still sharply down from 2007, when 32 schools made the list.

The Honor Roll, a joint endeavor of the Illinois State Board of Education and Northern Illinois University, recognizes schools that have shown progress on state standardized tests.

All five U-46 schools received Academic Excellence Awards, which is given to elementary schools in which at least 90 percent of students meet state standards in reading and math for at least three years in a row.

“Attaining a 90 percent or higher passing rate is no small feat for any school, and we are pleased that five out of the 459 schools being recognized for academic excellence are in School District U-46,” U-46 Superintendent Jose Torres said in a statement.

The five buildings, all elementary schools, are: Bartlett, Centennial, Hawk Hollow and Prairieview, all in Bartlett; and Spring Trail in Carol Stream.

Centennial Principal Tom Stiglic said his school has met standards every year since 2006 because of the school’s experienced teachers, committed parents, extra help before and after school and a focus on test scores.

“Having those teachers here, they’ve been able to keep up on the latest teaching strategies and implement them,” Stiglic said. He added: “Keep your eye on the data. Just don’t go on a gut feeling.”

It is typically easier for elementary schools to meet state standards because they are not as large and diverse as middle and high schools; that trend is likely reflected in the fact that all of the U-46 schools on the Honor Roll this year are elementary schools.

“I think it’s more difficult as schools get bigger,” Stiglic said. “Size does make a difference.”