Despite failing to meet No Child Left Behind standards since the federal act became law in 2001, Evanston Township High School students and faculty remained positive during statewide testing Wednesday and Thursday, said Bruce Romain, associate principal of grades 11 and 12.
Romain pointed out not only the “excellent” attendance of students but also the serious environment of the testing rooms.
“Attendance is a good indicator about how serious they’re taking it and how they’re getting in there and getting focused,” he said. “They know how important it is to them and us.”
To prepare juniors for the Prairie State Achievement Examination administered every spring, ETHS built on the test prep initiatives used last year, Romain said.
He said students were given test prep courses throughout the year and received instruction in many of their classes.
Romain added that meeting NCLB standards this year would be a “challenging accomplishment.”
“I think it would help motivate our teachers and kids and validate a lot of the things we’re doing at the high school,” he said.
ETHS junior Katie Meyers said she prepared for the test by getting a tutor for the ACT portion of the exam. Though the atmosphere was laid-back and students were fed breakfast, she said she was still nervous.
“I wanted to do well,” she said. “I think people do have the best interests of the school in mind, and people want to do well so they can get a better score for themselves for college.”
Junior Rachel Hirsch said the superintendent made an announcement before the test encouraging students to do their best. She said students are generally well aware of the district’s failure to meet NCLB standards.
“They always mention that it’s important for the school and funding,” she said. “Everybody knows that we have a big split in the school between good and bad scores. We know about it, but teachers don’t emphasize it.”
Romain said the school had one of its most successful testing rounds last year. Though ETHS surpassed the required overall 62.5 percent pass rate by 7.5 percent, the act also mandates all subgroups to reach the pass rate or show improvement from the year before. Both economically disadvantaged and special education students scored lower on reading tests in 2008 compared to 2007.
If ETHS is unable to meet NCLB standards again this year, the school will reexamine its methods and “forge ahead.”
“It means we need to continue to work hard, and it means we still have students who aren’t achieving at the levels they should or could,” Romain said. “Many of our students come to us way behind, and even though we might accelerate their learning, we might not be able to overcome the deficits they had when they started with us.”
Hirsch said the difference in the quality of instruction between higher-level and lower-level classes contributes to the split in test scores.
Illinois schools receive official PSAE results in the fall of the following school year. Though most students are successful, Romain said ETHS will take an individualized approach to preparation if it does not meet NCLB standards again.
“We just have to work with each student, but most of our students do very well,” he said. “We’re hopeful they’re doing well and taking it seriously.”
