Eight schools in the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 failed to meet standards set under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, prompting administrators to strengthen district academic programs and teaching methods.
Fewer than half of the district’s 15 schools met their achievement targets, but administrators attribute the district’s performance to the law’s infancy.
“When a new program is implemented, it takes about five to seven years for all the benefits to be fully realized,” said Paul Brinson, District 65’s chief information officer. “No Child Left Behind, as a system, provided no surprises to us.”
Signed into law two years ago, the No Child Left Behind Act requires states to measure public-school achievement through an annual set of targets. The goal is for all students to reach proficiency in reading and math by the 2013-14 academic year.
Ninety-five percent of third- through eighth-grade students, excluding sixth grade, must take the Illinois State Assessment Test (ISAT) each spring with at least a 40 percent passing rate. Schools must also test 95 percent of minority, low-income and special-education students.
Although Lincoln and Orrington Elementary schools met their annual achievement targets, they failed because fewer than 95 percent of students took the test. Because this is the first year the test results are subject to the standards of No Child Left Behind, there are no immediate consequences for the eight schools.
But if the schools fail again, parents will have the option to transfer their children to a passing school in the district, provided there is enough space. After a school fails three years in a row, the state must provide the school with supplemental services, assistance and teacher training. If a school continues to fail, it risks being disbanded or reconstituted.
Despite the potential consequences, Brinson said he is confident in each school’s ability to pass in future years.
“As with any new initiative or program there are pieces that have to be worked out,” Brinson said. “We are confident that the teachers in our schools will respond and make the changes necessary to be successful.”
Washington principal Christopher Short said there are still difficulties with No Child Left Behind.
“The spirit of the law is correct, and I do believe that Evanston and Washington in particular have been trying to address every child,” Short said. “(But) it oversimplifies the instructional process.
“Sometimes changes in academic growth take years. That’s the problem with assessing the school based on one test.”
Brinson said reviewing the results of the tests has helped the district pinpoint areas to improve.
“It has accentuated the focus on minority student achievement (and) students from low-income families,” Brinson said. “It has heightened people’s awareness.”
