Conrady Recognized at State and National Levels for Title I High Achievement

What a week it was for North Palos District 117.

On Tuesday, Conrady Junior High School Principal Andy Anderson led a contingent of teachers to the No Child Left Behind annual conference in Chicago where the school was honored as one of only two schools in Illinois with high poverty rates recognized for high achievement. (Highland Elementary School in Skokie was the other school).

More than 56 percent of Conrady’s students are classified as low income.

On Wednesday, Anderson, Supt. Jeannie Stachowiak and three other district personnel were on a plane headed to Salt Lake City where the school again was recognized at the National Title I annual conference.

And on Thursday, Conrady Assistant Principal Will Seidelmann, Asst. Superintendent of English Learning Ani Derdenger and Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Melissa Murphy gave a presentation titled: “Beat the Odds with a Systemic Approach to Academic Achievement.”

The 45-minute presentation focused clearly on how District 117’s foundation of core values impact the alignment of a systems approach to daily operations such as staffing, scheduling, use of data, professional development and goal-setting to help beat the odds.

The presentation provided those in attendance with a road map to help districts develop a systems approach on some of the above-mentioned practices as well as implementing intervention programs, using monetary and staffing resources, diversifying professional learning communities and fostering close working relationships between district and building-level administrators for continual quality review and systematic improvement.

State Board of Education Chairman James Meeks praised the two schools and said “they demonstrate that with teamwork, innovation, clear academic goals and a strong support system in place for all children’s unique needs, outstanding results are possible for our neediest students.”

The National Title I Association, which was established to help improve and implement programs under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), recognizes up to two schools per state as National Title I Distinguished Schools.

Results were based on scores of the state’s previous test, the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT), which measured achievement of third- through eighth-graders in reading and math and measured achievement in science among fourth- and seventh-graders.

Illinois is replacing the ISAT with the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exams this school year.

State Superintendent of Education Christopher Koch congratulated Conrady for the award.

“I commend the students, teachers, administrators, local board members and families at Conrady Junior High School for their commitment to strong academics and innovative approaches to ensure that all students are prepared and capable of high achievement.”

At Conrady, ISAT scores rose from 71.4 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards in 2011 to 74.9 percent meeting and exceeding in 2013. Results for 2014 were not used as Illinois participated in piloting the PARCC assessments.
Conrady Principal Anderson credited the school’s success to operating under a set of 10 core values and using its Quality Review Process, which establishes annual academic goals and includes the regular review of student performance data to identify appropriate interventions for students who are not meeting standards as well as what to do for students who have mastered standards.

“We have found that ‘focus’ on student academic goals is essential when making daily decisions,” said Anderson, who is in his fifth year as principal at Conrady. “We strive each day to protect instructional time, build in-house department-wide professional development around identified needs, and strategically use limited financial resources to support intervention programs and professional development that keeps staff up to date with effective best practices.”

He also lauded the hard work and dedication of his school’s staff, many who put in extra hours before- and after-school to work with students and revise curriculum.

“I’m grateful for this moment of recognition for our teachers because they certainly are a major factor behind this award,” Anderson said. “I’m also proud of the students and the parents who have partnered with our staff in ensuring student success.”

—Submitted by North Palos District 117