ISSUES: Academic Proficiency

York High School Juniors Meeting Standards in SAT Math and English

District 205 continues to spotlight improvement in 3rd – 8th grade IAR test scores, while ignoring the outcomes that matter the most, York High School SAT test scores.

Despite Superintendent Keisha Campbell’s assurances they would improve, York SAT math and ELA test scores dropped by 4% in 2024.

Academic outcomes at York High School matter the most, because they determine college acceptance, scholarships and career paths.

“We call on the York administration and the District 205 School Board to hold a Special Board meeting that will finally start to engage with members of the public and concerned parents.

We also call on the York administration and District 205 School Board to initiate a thorough curriculum review, with parental involvement and meaningful community oversight, on critical subjects such as math, English, science, and social studies, so that our schools can get back on the right track.”

Chavez then explained EPIC’s mission in the released statement:

“EPIC is a local, parent-driven, organization working to ensure our schools stay focused on education strategies and curriculum that works, and will prepare our students to be thriving, successful citizens who are proud of their achievements and their country,” the statement said. “EPIC promotes academic achievement, and a robust, non-political education for our children by demanding transparency and accountability from the District 205 Board of Education, school administrators and teachers. EPIC will raise awareness in the community and insist that our school board hold accountable individuals within the school infrastructure who abuse or misuse the trust that parents place in them to help their students.”

2022 ISBE statewide data shows 30% of children in Illinois Public Schools can read at grade level, and only 26% are able to do math at grade level.

On a traditional grading scale, 69% to 65% is a “D” and below 65% is an “F”. D205 is failing nearly 50% of its students and “celebrating” the results? The proficiency data shows there’s little to celebrate, if reading and math proficiencies matter.

Understanding the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Summative Designation Game

A January 2022 message to parents from York High School Principal Bagdasarian boasted that York achieved a 97.18% passing rate, the highest in 5-years.

The York principal futher explained (see message above) among his goals to improve “student success” was the “elimination of traditional final exams.” Is social promotion vs. academic promotion preparing our children for success or failure? York Community High School has fallen below baseline proficiency in both SAT math and ELA? Is there a correlation between the elimination of accountability and rigor and falling test scores?

What Principal Bagdasarian did not communicate to parents is that 50% of the students passing are not meeting baseline proficiency in core academic subjects, math and ELA. Social promotion vs. academic promotion is not preparing our children for future success.

The ISBE circle graph shows the weighting of each component that factors into the Commendable designation. 50% of the designation is based on graduation rate (students can graduate with a “D” average), only 7.5% weighting is given for proficiency in core subjects, ELA and math. Is this the standard parents want in Elmhurst Public Schools?

The evidence shows the District 205 Board of Education is not:

A. Advocating for district improvement
B. Transparently informing the community of the district’s performance.

I’m running for District 205 School Board, because I want a School Board that is responsive to its constituents and serves the needs of all students. I will ensure that our schools stay focused on education strategies and curriculum that work and prepare our students to be thriving, successful citizens who are proud of their achievements and their country.

2. The board connects with the community.

Below is an excerpt from a District wide email from D205 Superintendent Keisha Campbell. It was sent to all parents shortly after the release of the ISBE 2022 academic data on October 27th.

This year, I’m excited to share that we surpassed designations received in previous years!  In 2019, we had two schools receive the Exemplary Summative Designation.  Based on current summative designations, we have six of our schools designated Exemplary and six designated Commendable.

Across all levels we are committed to ensuring all students master essential skills and content to achieve academic excellence!  It is because of this level of professionalism, foresight and constant devotion to student achievement and success, that every school in the district demonstrated an increase in growth on one or more indicators. Every school in District 205 certainly has something to celebrate!  It is important to take a moment and celebrate these results,

Comprehensive 2022 District 205 Academic Proficiency Data by Grade/School (Source: Illinois Report Card)

5th Graders by School Meeting / Exceeding Standards ELA

5th Graders by School Meeting / Exceeding Standards Math

% 8th Graders Meeting IAR ELA Standards

% 8th Graders Meeting IAR Math Standards

% 11th Graders Meeting SAT ELA Standards

% 11th Graders Meeting SAT Math Standards

School Comparisons of 2022 SAT Scores

Community Engagement – D205 Survey Data Shows Parents Want More Academics

Why Academic Proficiency Matters – What are the consequences of children falling far behind academically?

According to ACT:

• Students at high-performing schools who have fallen far behind academically in 4th and 8th grade have less than a 1 in 3 chance of being ready for college or a career by the end of high school
• Only 10 percent of students, who were far behind their peers in college-and career-readiness benchmarks in reading in 8th grade, were able to meet readiness benchmarks in 12th grade.
• For students who performed more than a standard deviation below their peers in 8th grade, 32 percent caught up in reading, 21 percent caught up in science, and 17 percent caught up in math by 12th grade.

According to the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) 

• There’s a 90 percent chance that a poor reader in first grade will remain a poor reader.
• A child’s reading skills will not improve unless they are taught “directly and intensively.”

What does this mean for Elmhurst?

According to ACT and the AFT many kids in our community will never catch up academically. What about the kids at Conrad Fisher where 85% to 90% of 5th graders test below grade level in core academic subjects? The academic learning deficit follows the Conrad kids to Churchville where 75% test below grade level in ELA & math. What does their future look like?

The District’s Long-Term Strategic Plan claims “student success” is their goal and they are on track to achieve it. But the studies from ACT and the AFT show there’s a very low probability that many children in our community will be college or career ready by the time they graduate.

What’s the Solution?
Strategies to Expedite Learning Recovery

Much of the research on getting students caught up academically discusses “direct and intensive remediation.” Here are some ideas the District should consider for improvement:

1. Prioritize limited instructional time on the lessons and skills that matter most.
2. Use summer “prepare to learn” days to gather sample data on student learning gaps.
3. Develop district-wide knowledge on the science of learning and its implication for instruction.
4. Redesign small group instruction to target students’ underlying skill deficits in reading and math.
5. Crowdsource virtual tutor volunteers to provide additional skill-based support.
6. Commit district resources to private tutors for the students with the most severe learning deficits.
7. Source promising learning recovery solutions directly from teachers.

These strategies provide something the D205 Strategic Plan does not, clear, concise action items aimed at achieving immediate academic improvement.

The survey data in the D205 Strategic Plan shows 70% of parents wanted kids ready for the next grade or college and career ready, and only 36% wanted social emotional needs addressed.

Why is the administration deliberately ignoring parents, and where is the oversight by the board of education?