State announces it will seek NCLB waiver
After seeing more than 80 percent of schools across the state — including every single high school in the Northwest suburbs — fail to meet federal accountability standards, the Illinois State Board of Education Tuesday formally announced it will apply for a waiver from certain federal No Child Left Behind provisions.
Suburban educators have been calling for such a change for years, with their pleas growing louder than ever when state Report Cards were released last October.
Upon Wheeling High School’s receipt of a failing grade, Principal Laz Lopez called the score “meaningless.”
“That label has absolutely no value in the community,” he said last month.
Under No Child Left Behind, 85 percent of students — up from 77.5 percent in 2010 — needed to meet or exceed testing standards for a school to be considered passing and making annual yearly progress on the 2011 state report card.
This year’s results show 2,548 schools are failing and 1,259 passing, according to the Illinois State Board of Education. The number of failing schools in Illinois has increased each year since 2006, when just 47.5 percent of students were required to meet or exceed adequate yearly progress standards on state tests.
The passing percentage jumps another 7.5 points to 92.5 in 2012, with 100 percent compliance targeted for 2014.
President Barack Obama announced earlier this fall that for the first time next year, states can apply for waivers if they meet certain conditions, including plans for turning around troubled schools, ratcheting up curriculum standards and increasing teacher and principal accountability.
In a joint letter Monday, state Superintendent of Education Christopher Koch and board Chair Gerry Chico pointed out that efforts are already under way in Illinois.
Among them, the state recently adopted the Common Core college readiness standards, which will be matched up with new state tests.
Education reform law passed last May requires a new teacher performance evaluation system that takes into account academic growth
“In Illinois, we believe that strong standards can and do help our schools achieve. However, we need a system that also recognizes and encourages growth,” the letter reads.
“While no one questions the need for educational improvement in Illinois and the nation as a whole, this stark statistic does not paint a true picture of Illinois’ schools, nor the progress many of our schools have made toward closing achievement gaps.”
In the coming months, the State Board of Education will work with Gov. Quinn on a plan. Koch and Chico said the state board intends to “enlist a diverse group of citizens to help us shape our request and develop the system that puts Illinois children first.”
The waiver is expected to be submitted early next year.