Annually, students throughout the State
of Illinois are assessed in grades three, five and eight
in the areas of reading, writing and mathematics, and
students in grades four and seven are assessed in science
and social studies. These test results are compiled by
the State of Illinois into a document commonly referred
to as the School Report Card. Results from District 112
schools for the tests administered in the spring of 2003
as part of the Illinois Standards Achievement Test Program
(ISAT) can be accessed below.
The format and distribution of this school
report card are mandated by the State of Illinois. Beginning
this year, the primary format for distribution of the
School Report Card will be the district’s website
with a limited number of printed copies available.
In addition to demographic data about the district and
the student body of individual schools, this School Report
Card also includes summary data regarding the performance
of grade-level groups. School personnel find this information
most useful to track the improvements of each group as
they move from grade level to grade level. The expectation
is that group performance scores (comparing the same group
of students in third, fifth and eighth grade) will improve
over time, while the level of test item difficulty increases
over time. Since each year a different group of students
is tested, comparing one group to another is not as useful.
However, over time, the district can look at trend data
to ensure that the trend continues upward, rather than
remaining the same or moving downward.
A separate ISAT score report is also available for each
student providing additional information that supplements
our Terra Nova testing and assessments done at the classroom
level. These individual scores identify individual progress
as meriting a designation of Exceeds Standards, Meets
Standards, Does Not Meet Standards or Academic Warning.
Those students whose performance results in a “warning”
category are required to participate in a remediation
plan. District 112 is fortunate, as the number of students
whose performance falls in the Does Not Meet or Academic
Warning categories is minimal. The performance of these
students requires a thorough review and the development
of a differentiated program to meet the individual student’s
needs.
Although the most common use of this information is to
assist school staff in preparing our school improvement
plans, you will also see this data used to compare schools
throughout Lake County, the Chicago metropolitan area,
and the State of Illinois. We are proud of our student
achievement and continue to acknowledge the need for us
to constantly improve our teaching to maintain good scores
on this and other measures of achievement.
Should you have any questions on this information or other
assessment information shared with you this year, please
do not hesitate to contact Mr. Guy Schumacher, Assistant
Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, or the
building administrator of any individual school for answers
to your questions. For information on how to contact Mr.
Schumacher or any of the building administrators,
please
click on this link.
