District 205 Board Approves State-mandated School Improvement Plan for York High School

High student achievement has long been part of Elmhurst District 205's vision statement, and it is discussed in some form or another at nearly every School Board meeting.

But this year, achievement of students has again fallen under the watchful eye of the state of Illinois. In fact, York is on the state's academic warning list. For the fourth year in a row, the school under guidelines set forth in the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

That sounds really bad, until you learn that only eight high schools in the state achieved AYP this year. Subgroups in each school, including special education and English language learners, have to make AYP in order for the school to make AYP, and that doesn't typically happen.

It is difficult to find a school official anywhere that believes the benchmarks of No Child Left Behind are fair or that the system is working, and state education officials are from some of the law's provisions. The law as it currently stands requires 100 percent of students to meet or exceed federal academic standards by 2014.

"I want to clarify, there is a certain irrationality in AYP," District 205 School Board member John McDonough said Tuesday. "We're hoping Congress gets its act together to rationalize this process."

There are other indicators of academic success at York, including increased scores in the Prairie State Achievement Exam and a composite average of 23.5 on the ACT.

Nevertheless, state law requires District 205 to submit a school improvement plan for York. The district approved that plan on Tuesday, but it won't be sent in until state officials clarify the template on which the form must be submitted.

"York staff analyzed many sources of data and factored in strengths and weaknesses of the school, focusing primarily on reading and math," Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum Charles Johns said.

The plan targets students who are exceeding goals, as well as those who are struggling, he said.

"These are very sound plans with multiple strategies," he said "We’re taking a district-wide perspective, understanding that we are all part of developing our students, (early childhood through 12th grade).”

Following are some of the York plan's key elements, as provided by District 205  Communications Director Melea Smith:

Objective: All subgroups will meet adequate yearly progress at a rate of 92.5 percent, or Safe Harbor. (Safe Harbor is another way that a school, district or state can meet AYP, even if one or more of its subgroups failed to achieve the reading and/or math objectives. But, a set of conditions must be met to be considered for Safe Harbor.)

READING

Strategies and Activities

• Data-driven measuring and monitoring of reading
• Academic literacy course
• Double block and Read-180 (a reading intervention software program) for the most deficient students
• Freshman cohort program
• Incorporate reading strategies aligned with core reading standards
• Academic resource center
• Create a plan to increase participation in advanced placement classes
• Orientation class for freshmen
• Audit history, English and science for rigor of reading and assessment materials
• Enhance nonfiction reading
• College and career readiness vocabulary

Professional Development

• Train teachers for Read 180
• Collaboration to introduce research-based reading strategies
• Literacy instruction on improvement days
• Co-teaching strategies/models
• Articulation of alignment
• English teachers to work with content teachers
• Social-emotional learning for transition
• Student support team to be trained in placement and progress monitoring tools
• Teams to meet bi-weekly
• Collaborative scoring of student essays

Parent Involvement

• Distribute a copy of the plan
• Work in cooperation with the York Advisory Team
• Develop a plan to evaluate college and career planning for subgroups
• Programs for transfer students
• Develop parental academic Booster Club
• Hold principal forums

Monitoring

• Provide professional development on reading skill alignment
• Articulate with middle schools regarding curriculum alignment, progress monitoring, student assessments and data observations
• Parent forums to solicit feedback

MATH

Strategies and Activities

• Review two-year course sequence for algebra
• Algebra support
• Freshman academy
• Orientation class
• Strategic plan to increase advanced placement participation
• Math lab
• English Language Learners – co-taught classes
• Increase utilization of the Aleks Software (mathematics software for grades K-12)

Professional Development

• Freshman Academy—research-based curriculum options
• Consider the impact of double-block math classes
• Co-taught delivery
• Meet with middle schools
• Articulate with local colleges
• Teams to meet bi-weekly

Parent Involvement and Monitoring categories are essentially the same in math as in reading.

The board approved the plan, along with voluntary improvement plans for the district's 11 elementary and middle schools, which will be posted on the district's web site following a full report to the board in January.