Evanston/Skokie School District 65 made federally-defined Adequate Yearly Progress as did many neighboring districts, while the number of districts failing to meet the federal standards statewide has started to rise.
In addition to District 65, Glencoe District 35, Wilmette District 39, and Skokie District 68 all made AYP.
However, figures released today by the state board of education show that statewide more districts aren’t making the cut. In the 2005-2006 school year, 200 school districts did not make AYP. In 2006-2007, 245 districts did not make AYP. Similarly, more elementary and high schools are failing to meet the federal standards.
After two consecutive years of failing to make AYP, schools are sanctioned and must develop an improvement plan and offer school choice, according to the federal mandate No Child Left Behind.
This year District 65 was one of 36 districts to pass AYP for the second year in a row and be removed from the academic improvement status.
Overall 184 schools made AYP for the second year to move off the improvement status including Haven Middle School, Nichols Middle School, and Washington Elementary School in District 65, according to results from the Illinois State Board of Education.
“I applaud these schools and districts for making a significant improvement, while various performance, attendance and graduation targets continue to increase each year,” said Christopher A. Koch, state superintendent of education.
AYP for elementary and middle schoolers is based on Illinois Standards Achievement Test scores as well as other factors like attendance rates.
In District 65, 85.9 percent of its students met or exceeded standards for the ISAT; 95.4 percent in Glencoe; 95 percent in Wilmette, and 86.5 percent in Skokie.
In terms of enrollment, District 65 has a larger population of students than its neighbors. District 65 has 6098 students; Wilmette has 3662 students; Skokie District 68 has 1586; and Glencoe has 1373.
Statewide, ISAT reading and math performances have increased in third, fifth and eighth grades between 1999 and 2007, according to a press release from the state.