District 90 Students Continue to Demonstrate High Levels of Proficiency

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has released District 90’s results for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for Careers and College (PARCC) assessment. The results indicate that District 90 students and schools continue to demonstrate strong academic achievement. At many grades, District 90 students achieved levels of proficiency that more than doubled the state average. District averages indicate that more than 60 percent (62.4%) of students met or exceeded proficiency in math and more than 75 percent (76.3%) met or exceeded proficiency in English/Language Arts (ELA). Families received their individual student score reports in mid-September.

“While our PARCC assessment results reflect the dedicated effort of our students, faculty, and staff –as well as the strong support of our families – they also indicate that we have opportunities for growth, particularly in math and with certain sub-groups of students,” said Superintendent Ed Condon. “We are committed to providing an instructional environment that supports educational excellence and educational equity that helps all children achieve their full potential,” he said. This is the second year that Illinois school districts have administered the PARCC assessment. In addition to changes in the structure of the assessment, PARCC continues to reflect significantly higher learning expectations for students and more rigorous standards that require greater critical thinking, problem solving, and concept mastery. Prior to the release of the current results, the District had already begun to review its math curriculum, instructional practices, and learning resources. A partnership between District 90 and The University of Illinois at Chicago is focused on continuing to improve the alignment of classroom math instruction with the Illinois Learning Standards.

Along with the opportunity for improvement in math, the PARCC assessment results also indicated there is a gap in proficiency levels between sub-groups of students, such as minority and special-needs students. In contrast, students receiving English Learning services demonstrated strong performance, consistent with that of overall District averages. The District has been aware of student performance gaps and continues to actively work to narrow them. The gap in sub-group proficiency levels was the one of the reasons behind the formation of the Inclusiveness Advisory Board (IAB) and the Board of Education’s Equity Committee. “Both the IAB and the Equity Committee are working in complementary, but different, areas to ensure that the policies and procedures as well as evidence-based practices are working to eliminate the performance gap between groups of students and to provide an inclusive environment for all students, families, and staff,” Condon explained.

ISBE has provided additional resources to help families interpret and understand their student’s PARCC results. Click on the links below for additional information.

· Illinois State Report Card

· Report Interpretation Guide For Parents

· PARCC Place

· Understand the Score

PARCC assessment results for each school and the District, as well as Frequently Asked Questions, are available on the District 90 website through the District Information tab under State Report Cards.

While the PARCC assessment does provide useful information to families and our schools, it is important to keep mind that the PARCC assessment represents only one method to gauge student, school, and District progress. Families who have questions about their child’s PARCC assessment results are encouraged to contact their student’s classroom teacher or school principal for assistance.